Looking to replace an aging Accord, 250,000 miles on original engine & transmission. Based on that car's record, The TL would appear to be a very nice upgrade. Reading through this site the obvious question of transmission reliability jumps out. While the problem appears to be across the board, I wonder what statistics are out there to see where the problem resides.

How much does driving style factor in. I notice that many members on the board are very young. Thinking back to those days, I certainly beat the snot out of a few cars. That driving style has been replaced with a desire to spend money in other areas of life, hence the 250K Accord. With a light foot & proper maintenance, is the TL capable of that type of reliability, or is it simply a design limitation (poor design that is).

Certainly Honda recognized an issue & extended the warranty, making me believe it is infact a fundemental design flaw. With a small fleet of mega mileage cars & trucks, all with original engines & transmissions, I'm not interested in buying into a problem.

 

There are no statistics, driving style doesn't factor in, it's a design issue.

 

Consumer Reports subscriber-based reliability surveys give the 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 Acura TLs a "black dot" for transmission problems. That's the lowest mark that they give out. The 1999 TL, which used a different transmission, received a slightly better "half black dot".

I also think this is a design issue. Many TL owners on this forum have gone through several transmissions.

But certainly driving styles and how well the car is serviced can be additional factors.

Bob

 

also need to factor in weather or not the latest revisions to the tranny fixed the problem?? so far the only failures have been to the PRE feb 05 replacements

 

don't worry about it.. this is a car forum.. we only represent a small percentage of TLers. Most people just come here to talk about problems anyways.

You won't be sorry. The TL is a sexy car.

 

if u can get an aftermarket warranty for it for a good price, buy it!

 

I would go with the 99 TL, it's one of the best rated years for overall reliability and your getting the best of both worlds at a very reasonable price.

 

100300 k miles and didnt have problem with my 2002 TL Type S, I guess im lucky

 

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the replies. I'm digging into the upgrades that were apparently made to correct the problem. Certainly a fine car, seems to be a perfect mix of size, style, reliability, performance & value.

Appreciate everyone's insight.

CH