My TL-S just hit 34k. To celebrate, it dropped from 5th to 2nd on the freeway this morning. I managed to avoid a semi and 330i, but ended up in a ditch on the side of the road--car unhurt but me shaken and stirred. Roadside assistance and the Gunn Acura in San Antonio acted professionally and hopefully I will have the car back in a week. This is my second tranny replacement (first at 20k exactly 1 year ago). I'm going to request that they flatbed deliver the car to me so I don't have to go back to SA and retrieve it.

This love/hate relationship with my TL-S needs to come to an end. Because of the depreciation hit these cars have taken, I'm probably only at break-even on my loan (trade-in value). What I would like to know is if anyone has successfully gotten Acura/Honda to provide some sort of $$ incentive to trade the car in and buy a new Acura/Honda product. I'm thinking like a $2-3k voucher towards a new car, etc. Something that keeps me as a customer. I remember Audi doing this for my mom after the unintended acceleration debacle in 1986.

This is my first Acura, but my 6th Honda product...I really don't want to go another make. I don't think I'm asking for the world, considering how this incident could have turned out. Does Acura want to keep me as a customer???

Thanks, Chris

i think you should file a law suit

very insightful--thanks for taking the time to post that.

Chris ..

I too just got my second tranny .. and I'm in the SAME position you're in .. do I trade it in to Acura and hope they'll compensate me on a new vehicle, or do i keep it and struggle it out w/ these POS tranny's...

As short as silver's post was... i agree 100% w/ him given the circumstances surrounding your experience. You could have been in a much more serious accident and been injured or injured others. That is 100% the TL-S's fault .. you have a good claim, and w/ the right representation and a little collateral up front, you can win a good settlement (i think .. i'm no lawyer.. but i think this to be true).

As far as arbitrating w/ Acura to gain some sort of incentive for your frustration .. i don't think they'll advance as much as $3000.00 off the price of a new TL or TSX etc.. but they may give you more off the MSRP than someone who's never owned a TL. In other words, I personally don't think they feel liable for your transmission to the point where they'd give you that much money back. To be perfectly blunt, they don't need to earn your business back, these aren't trying times for Honda/Acura . . they're doing very well. As a fellow, frustrated TL-s owner, i feel that you're very entitled to a lot ofmoney off the price of a new TL ..

I'd approach the situation in this way ... just my advice here, is all:
1) contact your attorney, or someone knowledgable about lemon law
2) if no incentive to file a claim, then go to the dealership manager and discuss the situation w/ him .. see how much they really want to arbitrate w/ you on the price of a new TL (which I'm presuming you want)
3) if nothing comes of the above 2 options, SWITCH makes .. sell the car privately, don't disclose the tranny issue unless specifically asked by the customer (this is LEGAL as you know if you're a private seller) and for god's sake buy another brand .. infinit, lexus, mb, bmw... The new TL may be in for the same problems w/ their trannies.. no ones knows for sure until people accrue at least 20,000 miles on the ODO

Best of luck

There was some talk about a class action suit, but I don't think it got off the ground. I'm no expert in suits of this type, but I think you would have to prove the transmission is defective to the degree that it constitues a danger to drive. Persons are certainley free to sue Acura individually. However, even if the danger issue is decided in favor of the plaintiff, the damages would be hard to determine and might likely be the repurchase by Acura for retail value at some time after the defect was discovered. So it a lose lose proposition for consumers. And right wingers have taken away our tradition rights to sue, which may mean the loser pays costs of the other side in some states. Check with your local attorney. This is not meant as legal advice, and only hypothetical in nature.

I am curious as to anyones' opinion on these 2 very possible danger scenario's.


1. Engine stalling due to a defect ,which is considered dangerous and recall's are done all the time due to engine stalling .

2. Tranny locking ,erratic shifting ,possible stalling as has occured ,stated by a member here ,due to tranny locking up,while on the highway.


I feel if an engine stall's that is a dangerous scenario,likewise if a tranny locks and causes abrubt halt's ,slowing ,stopping on highway ,thats a dangerous scenario as well .


This is for the person who wrote this post .. 2 of my tranny's locked up ,the second resulted in an accident ,with injurie's.


This is a potential danger and should obviously be looked on as such,the fact that Honda made a public statement that it is not a danger is ludicrous ,as anyone can see the potential danger of a car's abrupt halt,slowing ect on a busy highway and in my own expierience with this can testify the fact.


The class action suit is still going as far as I know ... contact Austin519 at www. A curaworld.com .Don't miss the space between the A and W ,this was done here so it would show up in this post.

Some may look at the whole picture and say ... If , IF ,IF and what actually happened due to the tranny's known erratci shifting pattern's ,or tranny locking up on highway.. I know how scary it is from the first occurence,what happened on the 2nd occurence was obviously much worse,however there was no time to be scared the 2nd time ,all I know now are the resultant injurie's that were inflicted ,due to the accident.

Either way ,it's not a good position and it's not humane to drive a car worrying and wondering ,if this may happen to you .. It can happen and it could very well cause a fatality .. I hope and pray this never occur's ... But it could very well and what would we say if it did???????????

Could it have been avoided ,if SO ..The HOW ...HOW could it be avoided ,those are the question's to be asked ....

If it comes down to a dollar amount ...then is that a plausable excuse?


Ask yourselves those questions.

I don't think you will have any problems getting Acura to put in a new transmission. If your looking for more then a new tranny, then a lawyer is your best option. Talk to the Sales manager. I bet if you buy the 04 TL at his dealership, he may help you out.
But if your worried about the tranny and getting it fix/replaces, Acura should take care of that with no questions asked.

I went down this road with Acura. They are very interested in lipservice. They are not as interested in actual customer service or dealing in a realistic way with the fact that they marketed a car with a major defect in the transmission. My second transmission is in the process of failing, although the dealer "cannot duplicate the problem."

I wrote a letter to Acura and someone in Customer Care spoke to me several times. All were circular conversations with no real help. At one point there was an allusion that when all was over, they would "compensate me and make me happy" and "that's the best part of their job."

When all was over, they told me the dealer couldn't duplicate the problem, so nothing was wrong. And when I raised the issue of getting out of my car and into the 04, which I would hope fixes these problems, I was told I could certainly do that, if I wanted to pay the penalties on my lease.

So, needless to say, they are totally useless. I am preparing to file a lemon law claim and unless there is some miraculous intervention on their part, not only will this be my last Honda/Acura product, but I will make it my own personal mission to ensure that everyone else I know avoids them like the plague too.

They suck.

Yes, if there are injuries the picture can change. However, even with out any personal injury occurring I would venture a guess that some individuals may have carved out deals with Acura. If I owned a dealership and some one came in with a story about the trans locking and ending up in a ditch I'd be calling Honda of North America (or whatever they call themselves) and my attorney and try to get the guy to forget his experience and make him happy. Part of the happy deal would be a non-disclosure agreement about the whole experinece including what Honda did to make him happy.

Good feedback, thanks very much to all of you. I was a bit worried that I would be slammed for speaking ill of Honda/Acura, and believe me it really feels like crap to be so negative.

I researched the TX Lemon Law and I seem to be on the edge of having a sure case. This is the 2nd replacement, the first being at 20k miles (12 months/14k miles ago). I brought it back to the dealer sometime last spring, unhappy with the new transmission (it shifted terribly from 5 to 4, like some 10 y/o F150).

TX Lemon Law states:

A motor vehicle may be declared a lemon if it meets all of the following conditions:

The vehicle has a serious defect or abnormal condition.
The defect or condition is covered by a manufacturer's written warranty.
The owner reports the defect or condition to the dealer or manufacturer within the warranty term.
The owner gives the dealer or manufacturer a reasonable number of attempts to repair the defect or condition.
The owner gives the manufacturer (preferably by certified mail) written notice of the defect and at least one opportunity for repair.
The defect or condition persists and substantially impairs the vehicle's use or market value, or creates a serious safety hazard.
The owner files a timely Lemon Law complaint and pays the filing fee.

Determining how many chances a dealer has to fix a defect is easy. Simply see if you pass either the four-times test, the serious-safety-hazard test or the 30-days test.

[*The law presumes you have given the manufacturer or authorized dealer a reasonable number of attempts to fix the defect if you pass one of these tests. The mileage requirements generally do not apply to TRVs.]

Four-times test

If you have taken the vehicle to a dealership for repairs:

two times for the same problem or defect within the first 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, and
twice more during the 12 months or 12,000 miles after the second repair attempt, and
the problem is still not repaired--you pass the four-times test.
Serious-safety-hazard test

If you have taken the vehicle for repair of a serious safety hazard:

once during the first 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, and
once more during the 12 months or 12,000 miles following the first repair attempt, and
the problem is still not repaired--you pass the serious-safety-hazard test.
30-days test*

If your vehicle has been out of service for repair because of problems covered by the warranty:

for a total of 30 days or more--not necessarily all at one time_-during the first 24 months or 24,000 miles, and
there were two repair attempts during the first 12 months or 12,000 miles immediately after delivery, and
a substantial problem still exists, you pass the 30-days test.
[*If a comparable loaner vehicle was provided while the vehicle was being repaired, that time does not count toward the 30 days.]

alright chris let me tell you what i got after my 2nd tranny. a total of 2k dollars! 1500 in a ext warr 7yr 100k bumper to bumper and 500 cash. Call acura cus care and get past the general "care giver" and get to a claims manager they should do something for you.

Thanks, Yield2s! So there is a precedent--That is what I was hoping to hear. While the extended warranty doesn't interest me as I'm not going to keep the car, the cash does. I have drafted a letter to Acura detailing the incident and what it will take to make me happy (content?), and have forwarded it to an attorney/friend for his review. I plan to FedEx the letter to them tomorrow, and would hope to hear back ASAP. I would like a solution before the car is ready on Friday.

The more I think about the whole situation--that they "knowingly" (tough to prove of course) put a defective transmission in my car, that they again put me in a dangerous situation that only my good driving skill could get me out of, and that my resale is shot to hell--the more upset I become.

It really pains me to think and speak ill of Honda/Acura. Even after the first tranmission went, I sung their praises to friends, coworkers, etc. I tended to keep quiet about the whole first tranny experience, but not anymore.

Chris

I need clarification here ,sorry .


Are you saying that you got 500 dollars cash ?

And your just stating that the extended warrenty was worth 1500.00 per say ,so making a total of 2000.00 dollars?

If this is the case , why have most people gotten an extended warrenty ,just because they Acura admitt's to the tranny issue and last of all WHAT exactly made them give you 500 in cash ? Agrevation?

Please clarify for me in detail.

OK, looks like my attorney will handle this from here. I'll update you guys on the outcome.

Yield2S, I too would like more details on your cash back.

Chris

It's eazy guys and gal.
$497.00 is the amount of one of my monthly payments This was sent to me in form of a check from Acura.
$1500.00 is the going rate for an Acura 7yr-100k BUMPER TO BUMPER ext warr per my receipt this was also included in my resolution w/ Acura Cus Care.

As I've posted before my first tranny went out at 27k in oct of 02, then tranny #2 (went out) at 52k this summer. Here's a bit of a twist, the second time the tranny went out it took about a week and a half to fix then the first day i drove it i noticed a wierd thumping noice from the tranny so i took it back to the dealer and sure enough they recommended they put again a "new" one in.
That replacement took over 2 weeks do to a mix up with parts shipping. for a total of 1 month without my car (dealer provided a TLP to me the whole time)

Interesting ...I have been without my car for over 3 and a half month's. Payment is 655.00 monthly ,the car took a LONG time to fix ,due to the accident and the first tranny replacement took a month total ...

I was without mine close to six weeks back in Oct/Nov 02 (at 18k miles...said 20k earlier but then found the invoice). The service guy said end of day Friday this time.

Thanks Yield2S for the update.

Chris

Update: They delivered the car to me in Houston via flatbed truck. I was actually a little surprised I didn't have to press the dealer--just mentioned I didn't want to drive to San Antonio (200 miles) to pick it up. The service guy at Gunn Acura treated me well, though forgot to have it washed .

I drove it around a bit and the first thing I noticed was that it shifts softer than before, like it holds the shift longer and then kinda lurches into the next gear. The first one tranny was seamless and the second was either seamless or slammed--there was no in-between. I will have to wait and get it on the freeway to judge the 5 to 4 downshift.

I'm also curious how far my attorney will be able to get with polite negotiation. Hopefully it will be quick and painless.

Chris