Just happened accross this site when browsing www for general reports of Acura tranny problems. I've been avidly following the tranny posts over the last 3 wks and haven't seen this history mentioned.
NOTE THIS IS NOT A CURRENT ALERT!
SafetyAlerts
August 18, 1999
Honda Motor Company Recalls Acura Models for Transmission Problems
TORRANCE, CA - (SafetyAlerts) Acura, a division of the American Honda Motor Company, today announced the recall of over 84,000 automobiles to fix problems in the vehicle's automatic transmission systems.
from: http://www.safetyalerts.com/rcls/nhtsa/99/acura.htm

 

Man, that statistic is really concerning me. I'm surprised these kind of numbers are coming from a quality manufacturer like Honda/Acura. But I guess everything is relative. Compared with other automakers with tranny recalls, I wonder how bad this number really is.

Axleback

 

Damn that is a lot of trannies being recalled.

Acura is Ford envy

 

this is totally depressing. i'm convinced that this has to do with the cars being built in the USA. out of the 7 Accords i had owned the last 2 were troublesome, particulalrly the 1998 EX that was supposed to be the first Honda 100% parts supplied and screwed together here. it seemed that the more it became a "made in America" car, the more problems there were. the '98 EX i had practically self destructed in less than a year, but on the note of transmission and parts quality, the clutch slave cylinder was replaced because the design incorporated PLASTIC pieces!?!? the clutch would bind and stick to the floor. then there were the rotors that warped after only 20K miles. i NEVER have replaced brake pads before 60K on my Hondas let alone rotors before 100K. was it a coincidence that ford issues a recall on rotors that year? same part supplier? the previous 5 accords i had absolutely NO trouble with what so ever.

at any rate, didn't mean for this to be a flame but with a lot of the little problems i'm hearing about (trannies not actually being a LITTLE problem), i'm not so sure about going back to Honda/Acura.

any other thoughts about USA buld quality? does anyone have any info about common parts suppliers and issues?

 

Aren't the transmissions still built in Japan?

 

Questor,

Great find, it is amazing that Honda would ingore the obvious embarrassment and huge recall costs and not be very thorough when coming out with a new tranny. It's not like this has never happened to them before.

I wonder what exactly was wrong with those trannys and were they completely replaced or just a component. It would seem that we all would have known about an 84k total tranny recall prior to today.

 

Yes, supposedly the transmission is one of the few parts to be built in Japan and only integrated here. My '98 CL which was built in Ohio has been bulletproof. That's only one data point, but I don't think the recent perceived decline in Honda/Acura quality has to do with the cars being built here.

I have wondered the same thing about my BMW, though. It was built in South Carolina and has been a nightmare. I don't have anything to compare it to, so I don't know if the German-built Bimmers are any better.

 

Yes, they are. I don't think the tranny problem is just a "built in the USA" problem.

Hey, just gotta step up for the Ohioans who build our TLs, I'm glad I kept some employed

 

You have to look at that number in the context of the total number of vehicles sold between 1995 and 1999.

It would be nice if there was one sight that kept track of the percentage of vehicles with problems for various manufacturers.

 

It's very likely a design problem.

 

hmmmm . . . design problem or part suppliers? granted we've determined the trannies are built in japan, but when debating on other quality issues that come down to the design versus part suppliers arguement - keep in mind that japanese companies work closely with their parts suppliers. they maintain, or traditionally anways, maintain an almost family like relationship with the part suppliers. this is supposed to maintain quality. engineers can work with the suppliers to determine the correct tolerances and the manufacturer can give feedback to the supplier if the part needs to be tweaked. i'm thinking that if this relationship scenario is still the case, the part suppliers may have more say in the design of parts than we think. nothing against the workers of ohio local #322 but if part suppliers are giving honda engineers the same overall advise on parts they give to american manufacturers, well, heh, there's a tangent that's open to a flame or two. hell, i bought 7 accords because they were distinctly japanese. the interior of my '98 was, however, definately buick-esque :yack: with the door panel fabric wrapping up to the very tops of the windows. within 2 months my elbow wore a hole in it. i guess the point of my ranting is that there is less and less of a divsion of an "american" car or a "japanese" car. at some point you'd think the japanese have to start following the same business practices as other USA companies unless the part suppliers themselves made big changes. ultimately i'm just bummed that the cars are loosing their uniqueness. sorry about the long winded post. i should be this passionate with my girlfriend . . . .

 

I bet they refurbished those 84,000 recalled trannies and then put them to service in the new TL-Ses and CL-Ses!!!