SilverBulletCLS

I did not know that my friend I have talked to is a tech at Acura. I just buzzed him to chat. The exact conversation is posted below now. I changed his real name to acura tech friend to keep him unknown. But everything he is saying is scaring me.

ACURA TECH FRIEND: whos this ?
SpeedyCLS: russmaxmaniac
ACURA TECH FRIEND: U got a CL now ?
SpeedyCLS: duh
SpeedyCLS: lol
SpeedyCLS: have had it for 1 year almost
ACURA TECH FRIEND: oooh man I hope a 6spd !
SpeedyCLS: where u been
SpeedyCLS: nope
ACURA TECH FRIEND: cause I work for Acura !
ACURA TECH FRIEND: and man trannies blow up on them like a
MOFO
ACURA TECH FRIEND: nice car
ACURA TECH FRIEND: but man....
ACURA TECH FRIEND: trannies !!!!
SpeedyCLS: didn't want a manual due to me driving in
sucky traffic every day
SpeedyCLS: yea
ACURA TECH FRIEND: shieet...... 100% fail ratio on the trannies.
SpeedyCLS: so i saw
SpeedyCLS: mine has 8500 now
ACURA TECH FRIEND: have U blown urs up yet ?
SpeedyCLS: tranny has its moments
ACURA TECH FRIEND: give it till 22K miles or so
SpeedyCLS: tranny cooler i put on it, hoping it helps
ACURA TECH FRIEND: what kinda cooler?
SpeedyCLS: if the tranny goes it goes, i got a
warranty. I love the car though
ACURA TECH FRIEND: I mean they got coolant for cooling.
SpeedyCLS: b&m
SpeedyCLS: that coolant isn't cool enough
SpeedyCLS: trust me
SpeedyCLS: hehe
ACURA TECH FRIEND: I know.
ACURA TECH FRIEND: I am a trans expert at acura
ACURA TECH FRIEND: I do 90% of the trannies
ACURA TECH FRIEND: **** I do 2-3 trannies a day
SpeedyCLS: i didn't know u worked at acura
ACURA TECH FRIEND: yeah I worked there for a long time
ACURA TECH FRIEND: don't wanna scare U
ACURA TECH FRIEND: I love the cars too
ACURA TECH FRIEND: but ****ing trannies SUCK ASS
SpeedyCLS: i knew about them before i bought the
car
ACURA TECH FRIEND: since 99 they had this problem
ACURA TECH FRIEND: and BRAND new cars have bad trannies
SpeedyCLS: i always thought till recently it was due to
abuse
ACURA TECH FRIEND: I did one with 400 miles !
SpeedyCLS: i know a few who have over 50k on
theres, a guy has 75k on his 99 tl
ACURA TECH FRIEND: I had one on a PDI
ACURA TECH FRIEND: pdi- pre-delivery-inspection.
ACURA TECH FRIEND: car had 12 miles on the odo
ACURA TECH FRIEND: no reverse and slips in 2nd.
ACURA TECH FRIEND: I put 5 trannies into one CL 3.0- 99
model
ACURA TECH FRIEND: tomorrow its getting its 5th one :P
SpeedyCLS: mine has done this since new, 1-2 it
shifts, but it feels like it has a studder or another shift,
the acura guys on the forum said thats just normal
ACURA TECH FRIEND: its not supposed to shutter
ACURA TECH FRIEND: U are not supposed to even feel it shift
SpeedyCLS: today it has just felt completely bad
ACURA TECH FRIEND: U know about the timing belt recal on the
03s ?
ACURA TECH FRIEND: recall*
SpeedyCLS: shifting hard, and shifting down when i
didn't want it
SpeedyCLS: so it might be getting ready to go
ACURA TECH FRIEND: yeah man U need a trans
SpeedyCLS: i heard about the water pump on the 03s
ACURA TECH FRIEND: I have had one that would chirp 2nd
when U floored it at 40MPH :P
SpeedyCLS: of course the dealer won't do anything till
it breaks
SpeedyCLS: lol
SpeedyCLS: oh yea
ACURA TECH FRIEND: no no no... the tranny or pump ?
SpeedyCLS: mine does that all the time
SpeedyCLS: chrips 2nd ifi floor it
SpeedyCLS: forum guys aid its normal too
ACURA TECH FRIEND: U need a tranny man :P
ACURA TECH FRIEND: don't listen to those ****ers dude
ACURA TECH FRIEND: I work on them alllll day long
ACURA TECH FRIEND: there are 700 !!!! law suites against acura
SpeedyCLS: !??!
ACURA TECH FRIEND: for trannies
SpeedyCLS: how?
ACURA TECH FRIEND: cause peoples trannies keep on blowing
ACURA TECH FRIEND: and we get new ones
SpeedyCLS: so peopel are sueing acura?
ACURA TECH FRIEND: and they blow up too
ACURA TECH FRIEND: yeah
ACURA TECH FRIEND: I had 2 trannies in last week that after I
put em in... on the TEST DRIVE they blew up !
ACURA TECH FRIEND: yesterday I got a tranny for one of those
that blew up on my test drive
ACURA TECH FRIEND: and guess what... it was ****ed up too !
SpeedyCLS: lol
ACURA TECH FRIEND: one of the sensors was bad so I just
swapped it.
SpeedyCLS: u see that latimes artcile on it?
ACURA TECH FRIEND: no I didnt
SpeedyCLS: hehe
SpeedyCLS: let me find it
ACURA TECH FRIEND: but I am almost sure there will be some
sort of a recall soon on them things
ACURA TECH FRIEND: don't get me wrong I love putting em in :P
ACURA TECH FRIEND: ****ing takes me 2 hours to R&R one.
SpeedyCLS:
http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotive/highway1
/la-hy-acura11sep11.story?coll=la%2Dclass%2Dautos
%2Dhighway1
SpeedyCLS: yeah when is honda ever gonna do a
recall?!
SpeedyCLS: never
SpeedyCLS: lol
ACURA TECH FRIEND: I must have done like 50 trannies in the
last 2 months.
ACURA TECH FRIEND: well... the Accord never had this problem
ACURA TECH FRIEND: cause they use a 4spd tranny
ACURA TECH FRIEND: but they still fail
ACURA TECH FRIEND: not as much
ACURA TECH FRIEND: but they do
ACURA TECH FRIEND: probably 50% fail ratio on those
ACURA TECH FRIEND: compared to 100+% on the TL/CL
SpeedyCLS: i heard the mdx and ody are having
problems too
ACURA TECH FRIEND: well no
ACURA TECH FRIEND: MDX is ok
ACURA TECH FRIEND: we only had one so far
ACURA TECH FRIEND: and I seen some with 50K miles on them
still fine
ACURA TECH FRIEND: the tranny is little diff.
ACURA TECH FRIEND: RSX has problems too
ACURA TECH FRIEND: I did one trans so far.
ACURA TECH FRIEND: car had like 18K miles
ACURA TECH FRIEND: its new so it will not have the problems
yet
SpeedyCLS: what is the problem with the trannys?
SpeedyCLS: i mean what is causing them to go out?!
ACURA TECH FRIEND: 3rd clutch pack goes out
SpeedyCLS: why the 3rd?!
SpeedyCLS: people are having the tranny actually lock
up on them like that article which does scare me, and
might loose control
SpeedyCLS: ?
ACURA TECH FRIEND: I never seen one
ACURA TECH FRIEND: just read the thing
ACURA TECH FRIEND: yeah 3rd clutch pack is responsible for
forward movement
SpeedyCLS: have u actually opened it up to verifyt
this?
ACURA TECH FRIEND: no Acura won't let US rebuild trannies
ACURA TECH FRIEND: sometimes the trannies we get from them
are in worst condition than the old one in the car
ACURA TECH FRIEND: sometimes they look like new
ACURA TECH FRIEND: just look wise
ACURA TECH FRIEND: most of the time they shift jerky or slip
like a mofo
ACURA TECH FRIEND: some don't have reverse eighter
SpeedyCLS: either
SpeedyCLS: doh
ACURA TECH FRIEND: dude when I come to parts... they
know...tranns :P
ACURA TECH FRIEND: well Ive had like 10 of em where there
was no reverse
ACURA TECH FRIEND: just not there at all
ACURA TECH FRIEND: feels like its in neutral
SpeedyCLS: put my name on your buddy list dude,
and keep me updated on this ****.
ACURA TECH FRIEND: coo man
SpeedyCLS: this is nuts
ACURA TECH FRIEND: but like I'm telling U the trannies suck
SpeedyCLS: yea
SpeedyCLS: the car is nice
SpeedyCLS: the tranny sucks
ACURA TECH FRIEND: my back hurts from doing em all day long
SpeedyCLS: and i am stuck in this car too
ACURA TECH FRIEND: radios suck too
SpeedyCLS: nah, i think they are good
ACURA TECH FRIEND: they jam up CDs...alot !
SpeedyCLS: oh?
SpeedyCLS: i use the cd alot
SpeedyCLS: no prob
ACURA TECH FRIEND: OPDS sensor goes bad ALOT on them
too
ACURA TECH FRIEND: its for Ocupant Pasenger Detection
Sensor
SpeedyCLS: never heard of it
ACURA TECH FRIEND: yeah I do... there are things that Honda
has and no one knows about it
ACURA TECH FRIEND: MDX - steering racks
ACURA TECH FRIEND: RSX- rods through the block
ACURA TECH FRIEND: TL/CL engines and trannies
SpeedyCLS: engine problems too?
ACURA TECH FRIEND: ooo yeah
ACURA TECH FRIEND: timing belts snapping on the new models
ACURA TECH FRIEND: the 03 model
ACURA TECH FRIEND: or head gaskets !!!!
SpeedyCLS: but no bulletin or recall i seen yet on it
ACURA TECH FRIEND: the water pump replacement...
ACURA TECH FRIEND: why do U think they got it ?
ACURA TECH FRIEND: water pump is no the cause
SpeedyCLS: thats for the water pump
ACURA TECH FRIEND: the tensioner bolts up to the water pump
housing
ACURA TECH FRIEND: and the bolt breaks off on the housing
ACURA TECH FRIEND: causing the belt to break off !!!
ACURA TECH FRIEND: thats why they got a recall
SpeedyCLS: water pump isn't attached to the timing
belt though
ACURA TECH FRIEND: yeah but its spun by it !
ACURA TECH FRIEND: just like the old VG30 in the Maximas
ACURA TECH FRIEND: what I'm saying.. is
ACURA TECH FRIEND: the pump bolts up to the block
ACURA TECH FRIEND: but the TENSIONER for the belt
ACURA TECH FRIEND: its on the water pump
ACURA TECH FRIEND: and the bolt sheers off
ACURA TECH FRIEND: and belt goes...
SpeedyCLS: ah
ACURA TECH FRIEND: engine- STALLS- as Acura likes to put it
SpeedyCLS: so i guess they changed the water pump
on the 03
SpeedyCLS: lol
ACURA TECH FRIEND: no engine is repleaced.
ACURA TECH FRIEND: no they had a bad batch of water pumps
thats all
ACURA TECH FRIEND: will have a #9 on the water pump
ACURA TECH FRIEND: people bring it in for inspection
ACURA TECH FRIEND: takes like half hour to do
SpeedyCLS: well at least my engine will be fine
SpeedyCLS: hehe
ACURA TECH FRIEND: take the covers off the timing belt..and
then check the casting # on theWater pump is 9- u
repleace the belt, and pump.
SpeedyCLS: hey man, its late here, so i am gonna jet,
thanks for the info and keep me updated

turbox777

omg...

100% TL/CL engine failure rate?

WHY THE HELL DID I BUY 03 ACURA TL?

I SHOULDA BOUGHT 3.5 ALTIMA SE

I FEEL SO RIPPED

Beason

whoa, did u record the convo or is it like an IM? that one freaking long post.

LuxSport

A recall of this scale would cost Honda in the 100s of millions maybe even billions. If it cost Nissan 2 million $$ to replace all the airbags in 94-95 Altimas then image what it would cost to replace all the 5spd trannies in:

97-02 auto Prelude
00-03 CL\CL-S
99-03 TL\TL-s
98-02 Honda Accord V6
MDX and Odysey.

This would brake Honda bank and would cause sales to drop. Honda is keeping this on the hush. So unless and class action lawsuit is filled then a recall being issued is 0 to none.

But a tranny will go bad in the middle of traffic and someone will get seriously hurt and Honda will be sued.

Stillen_I30

very true. but HOPEFULLY NOBODY will get hurt.

I was just at the nissan/infiniti dealer today just checking out the new 350Z when the guy told me they were going to get in the new Infininti M45...i am starting to feel very worried that my parents are driving around in Acuras (dad has a CL and mom has a TL)...does anyone else feel like switching out? (I personally LOVE both cars, thats why I suggested they be purchased)

atl43

Since this failure appears to be wear-related, analysis of a transmission fluid sample would provide a clear picture of the transmission's health. Honda should periodically sample fluid & send it for analysis/report. The cost would be negligable compared to the impending alternatives.

agean

anybody remember the movie fight club? i wonder when the $$$ paid out for law suits will make it worthwhile to do a recall...seems like it would be soon if that tech guy is right about the # of lawsuits already pending

SilverBulletCLS

As long as the same IM window is left open, I can save the chat. That is what I did.

Black TL

Well, 99's like mine have 4 speed trannies and they still suck. When the engine and tranny is hot and I switch from reverse to drive, i hear a bang and a hard shift. The bang is not that hard but the shift is hard.

NighthawkBlack

My understanding is Acura Reesigned the third clutch pack and is now using the new part in future replacement trannies. Also my OPDS went bad a week ago. Oh well at least my engine and tranny are running well.

atl43

I was told, FWIW, that the redesigned clutchpack is in all 2003's, that recent failures have been with the "fix", and that they're "watching it". Honda's line as of today.

benzo555

Man! I read that in the CL forum too.. I feel like driving my TL straight through the dealership's window.... (Like the old discount tire commercial with the old lady)..

arrrggg Hate to be worrying about this while driving it...

oblio98

Damn, in the past year or so, has there been anything GOOD written about this tranny?

I sure hope they do the 6 speed next year, or I may have to jump ship. Trouble is, I really love this car. That's what makes this a real pisser. If the car sucked, I would just get rid of it.

I hope this does not impact the resale value of the TL-S, but to be honest, I could NEVER recommend a used TL-S to anyone!

:-jon

agean

thank god mines a lease =)

the tranny is the one bad point about this car. i was simply amazed that acura could make such an amazing car for around 30k, but now i see how they did it. the tl has one amazing engine, but the tranny always seems to be in the wrong gear, way too much engine braking

Dirk Diggler

You know, these trannies may be failing at an alarming rate, but I have to say, when they're working fine, it's one of the best trannies I've ever felt. I've owned tons of automatic cars, and have driven many others, and none of them are as responsive as this one. It's not the smoothest tranny, but smooth enough. It downshifts when you want with just a touch of the throttle, it unlocks the torque coverter and relocks just when you expect it to, and stretches out the gears perfectly according to your throttle position. In fact, I think it's so good that SS is a total waste, and unneeded in almost any situation.

I'm not comparing the tranny to cheapo cars, I'm comparing them to VW/Audi's, Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infiniti, and GM...

Doesn't anyone agree that when this tranny works (mines never had any troubles, though only 4000km, TLS) it works good??

Dirk Diggler.

Alexxx

I agree, I have about 4500 miles on it. If my transmission ever breaks, then I'm sure by that time Acura/Honda would come up with something. When I'm going to go do my 7500 service I'll ask them to inspect the fluid. If its burned, I'll flush it and get a cooler.

All in all my transmission is working perfect.

fla-tls

I also agree. Mine failed at 9100 miles, and the replacement has been as smooth as butter (now at 15,800). The cause given for my failure was also the clutch pack.

The definite sign to watch for is the color of the fluid. Mine turned a VERY dark brown/black. The tech showed me the valve assenbly that was clogged with the clutch material... The clutch material was black (not burnt). The material abraided into the tranny fluid and clogged the hydraulic valves.

If your fluid stays a nice light color - don't worry. If it's dark - DO NOT change it. Let it fail under warranty.

neuronbob

:wow:
If this is true...mebbe it's about time to think about trading laterally to a G35, or up to a Beemer. Sigh...and I love the car, too. But so far, 17000 miles/9 months and no major problems, so we'll see what pans out.

Eternal TL2k3

sorry to say but that guys sayin 100% are gonna fail... pple have been driving them to close to 90k miles and havent failed. Plus in that LA times article it only shows 1.6% failing. Im not sure how much weight i put in this guy <----- im quite skeptical

JPTLS03

Sorry but I have to say its BS. I also have a friend who is a Honda tech. He worked for Acura also. He is a tranny expert and says that it is way blown out of proportion. He said the tranny has the same fail rate as the Accord and Oddesy. When you gather 4500 TL owners on one site you here every horror story, but think about the actual amount of tranny's replaced. 100% is wayyyyy off. He said he does not replace that many of them. Yes there is a problem with the 02-03 but he is so confident in the car that he works on for a living that he bought one himself(02 TL). I wish there was no talk about tranny's on this forum, because to tell you the truth I never heard about a wide spread problem until I joined. Dwelling on the aparent trouble in Honda's recent transmitions(5 speed mostly) is not going to help the problem at all. If it is gonna blow, its gonna blow. So I wish everyone would stop worrying and just enjoy the car you spent 30k on. How public was the trouble with Hyundai when they interduced thier line of cars. Nothing but a tranny nightmare it was. The TL would NOT be rated one of the safest reliable cars if there was that big of a problem. It would be more publisised. Like my friend said, way to blown out of proportion. If they are sooo bad, why are they still selling like hotcakes. Even with an anounced redesign next year. Most people do homework before spending 30 gees and still chose a TL. Buy the way my friend is not the only Honda/Acura tech that told me "stop worrying and just enjoy the car!"

Oh well go ahead and flame me now.

2007AcuraRL

Well the thing that sucks is that i bought my 2002 expecting to keep it for 6 or 7 years. I have 23k miles and its only at its 11th month birthday right now. by this time next year it will be out of warranty and then if the tranny fails its not going to be a very good thing. My friend has had Accords that he's racked up mileages of 170k, 232k and 260k without the slightest lick of trouble, so i was sure i would get 150k miles easy out of the TL before i sold it. I am contemplating selling mine before the warranty runs out. at 12k miles i had the tranny fluid changed at Acura. The tech said there was no metal particles on the magnet in the pan (no shreading yet) but that the fluid was slightly burnt. Now that certainly didnt make me happy to hear. I have never had a car that needed a tranny fluid change after being a new car for only 6 months. So much for Acura/Honda. This will be the only one i ever buy if my TL lets me down.

atl43

I agree that the transmission is smoother and more responsive than any of the many others I've owned or tried. However, seems obvious that there is a known design flaw, and I wish Honda would take some (almost any) action so I can go back to just enjoying my otherwise-wonderful ('03) car.

jean

out of warranty by next year....??????
My 2002 TL has a 5 year / 100,000km warranty...!

jean

My '02 TL is doing fine so far. It had it's 1 year birthday in june,
has almost 10,000 km on it. Still smooth as silk.
Almost always in automatic ..in SS only when there is an idiot on the road and I want him behind me...

jean

No flames brother..
I hear ya talkin'....!
Jean

Lycos

JPTLS21 Thanks for the post



JPTLS21, as a new owner I certainly appreciate this post. The inordinate # of posts on this board and the 1.6% rate simply don't jive. I am aware there is a problem and know that many people on this board have gone through hell, but I do appreciate the words above.

I'm a new owner, so I guess I'm trying to make myself feel better about my purchase. We also have an Odyssey, so this news (LA story) is something I was very interested in, as well as all posts on this board and acura-cl.com.

But, I didn't dive into this purchase without much thought and research. I also talked to many people and think I made the right decision. That is all.

RUF87

Dittos on that.

100%, there's no credibility in that statement. If that were the case, and Honda had this data, they would put out a recall. They couldn't afford a 100% failure rate to go unaddressed.

And I say b/s on the 2nd gear issue too. Chipping the tires in 2nd is not normal?

Maybe the guy is exaggerating a bit. :P

RUF

fla-tls

I guess if you drive a car long enough, there is a 100% failure rate for transmissions.

TLS RULZ

Ruf87,

I don't know what the guy ment by "chirping" the tires in second... but if you are at a stop light and floor it on green take it to redline 6900 and shift into second I had it chrip on me a couple of times.

I'm assuming that's what he means... not when you are just driving casualy and it shifts at 3000 into second I hope it does not chip into 2nd.

TLS RULZ

SilverUA5

Well, at least Honda/Acura has replaced the tranny warranty to 7 years/100k miles now.

JPTLS03

I won't get excitexd till the letter is in my hand. Like they said "some".

richard52

I have to agree! Check out Consumer Reports car issue(April 02). They give the TL their highest rating for reliability..including the transmission. I live and work with many people who drive the TL and have been unable to find anyone who has had transmission trouble. While I'm sure there is some kind of design flaw, or Honda wouldn't have extended the warrenty, I suspect that the problem may be over stated.

Todd

Well, my '99 TL turns 4 years old tomorrow and it still has the original transmission. Never really had any problems with it except that it's slow and once in a long while, jerky. Of course there are PLENTY of other things wrong with the car.

I am putting it up for sale because my new 350Z is due in in a couple of weeks!!

I'll finally get rid of this darn Acura. Won't be buying another Honda product anytime soon that's for sure.....

KJ32

Money is already spent, just cheer up everyone. And enjoy the car while it lasts.

richard52

I couldn't agree more...let's look at the glass as half full!!

JPTLS03

How much did you end up paying for the Z?

VTEC Animal

I just don't see them recalling, see my next message

VTEC Animal

Tranny swaps run $6500 at this point in time, once the majority of TL's are out of warranty the price will go up. I have no idea what that would amount to, but I thought TL sales last year were about 33k, so that would be $214 million just for those. Personally I'm not seeing the failure rate at my dealership. I wouldn't hold my breath for a blanket recall of all 99+ TLs that automatically swapped all trannies.

Ali

well I had my tranny replaced about 10k miles ago, the new tranny is already slipping (wouldnt upshift, even after I let go of the gas completely, the car stayed at 4k RPMs, my 96 accord with 300k miles on the original tranny occasionaly does this when i drive it hard) It shudders really really bad to the point where the car feels unstable, and it knocks really bad when shifting. Now take into consideration that this new tranny only has less than 10k miles on it, and I own a 2000 Acura TL. I really hope Acura will honor their 100k mile/7 year warranty as I dont feel like paying for new transmissions ever 12k miles (the warranty a new transmission has if bought from acura)

TLRunner

JPTLS21 I disagree...I've talked to a good many Honda/Acura techs who confirm what SpeedyCLS's friend said. It varies from dealership to dealership...but the guys I know well reluctantly admit it's a huge problem...