I know there's been a lot of talk about transmission problems on the TLs on this forum. I've browsed through a lot of those posts, and I haven't really seen anyone talk about the specific problems they've had with their car.

FYI, I just bought a brand new 03 TL-S in Aegean Blue, and I'm in love with it. It's a great car...and I figured it's a Honda (my dad still has a 12 year old Civic with 240K on it; he loves that car), so it'd be really reliable. But the right rearview mirror and the center console latch has already broken, and at 300 miles I'm getting major clunking in the transmission (and it seems a little lazy). This isn't to mention the fact that my front seat squeaks like hell. I'm taking it in next week...but I was just wondering...are these the same problems other people have been having? I looked at buying a Beamer, Lexus, and Infiniti before buying my TL, and I figured that since I'm going to college, this would be my best choice. So although I really love it, I'm starting to wonder what the deal is. This doesn't seem like the "Honda quality" that I'm used to, although the people at the dealer have been extremely helpful.

I'm really worried about the tranny problem, though. For those of you who had trans problems, what happened. And any info on the rest of my issues would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Brad

 

Don't let the tranny talk spoil your enthisiasm for the car. Sure, there is an issue, but the majority of TL-S owners have no signs of failure at all.

The worst thing that you can do is drive around worrying about the tranny failing, when chances are it will be fine.

The rattles and stuff like that can be fixed easily. The squesk is probably the seat belt, not the seat! Enjoy your car, it is a great car. And if anything does happen, you have your warranty to protect you.

Good luck in school, and don't worry about your car!!

:-jon

 

Oblio98 is correct. If, and that's a big if, there is a tranny problem, the warranty will cover it, so don't worry about it. I have had my TL almost three years, and I still can't wait to get in it that next time and DRIVE! Enjoy the car.

 

I hear you, falconbrad - I just discovered my 10-day old 03 TL's passenger seat slide motor doesn't work. Apparently it didn't work from the day it came off the line. Not a great confidence-builder off the bat.

Acura wants to play in the luxury market, and when people drop around 30k on a car, they expect all the features on the vehicle to work out the door! What disturbs me more is that I also bought the car partly on account of it being a Honda and having a reputation for reliability. The fact that anything other than random small-scale failures are occuring with the transmissions on this car is unacceptable. There is clearly a pattern here - and if Honda is not careful, they will poison their reputation.

 

First of all, to those who say they considered an Infiniti and regret not buying one because their seat squeaks...well, Infinitis have major problems too. I drive an I30t and its far from being free of problematic issues.

Anyhow, our new CL-S and TL have had NO problems from day one. If your seat squeaks and your mirrors dont work, I just wonder why these things werent realized when you test drove the very car you own before purchasing it. I am not trying to doubt you or blame you for not identifying the problems immediately, but I feel we should all come to realize that every car has the possibility of exhibiting some errors/minor problems. Just because you bought a "honda" product doesnt mean it will be perfect FOREVER, even off the assembly line. Just remember that you DID buy a reliable car anyway, and, had you settled for some American built car (FORD, etc) you would have a higher chance of experiencing even MORE problems from day one (busted radio, squeaks and rattles, etc. etc.). just enjoy the car!

 

Like I said, I love the car. I didn't just consider buying an Infiniti, I considered a lot of cars, and I picked the Acura for a number of reasons, one of them being that Honda (Acura) has a nearly impeccable reputation for reliability.

I do realize that these problems are easily fixed (and BTW, they weren't there when I test drove the car...mirror 4 days after I bought it, console 1 day later, transmission sounds 7 days...I was keeping close track). BUT, as with anything else, when something goes wrong, it makes you stop and wonder... and so that's pretty much where I am right now. I'm under warranty and I'm sure my problems will be fixed, and that will probably be the end of my issues. And hey, someone's bound to have problems, right? I was the lucky one this time...

Anyway, it's going into the dealer to be fixed on Monday, I just spent the morning today putting a new coat of wax on my car and it shines, and I'm sure everything will turn out fine. Thanks for the responses and the help, it was much appreciated.

Brad

 

Well, I'm surely going to dump my TL-S right before the warranty expires. I bought my '02 in October of '01. I have 13.5k miles on it and 3 times in the last 4 days, the POS tranny has slipped between 2 and 3. The 1st time it was for .5 sec, the 2nd time was about 1.5 secs and the 3rd time on my way to work this morning was about 5 seconds. 5 doesn't seem like alot of time, but on a busy highway, it's a looooong time. I was pretty pissed. I was trying to get over since I was in the fast lane. After a while, I let off the accelerator and let the rpms drop. That allowed it to kick into 3rd and I was fine after that. One thing I noticed is that it seems to go out when I'm not driving aggressively at all. We'll see how Acura steps up and handles this issue. Perhaps I'll get a '04 TL-S when I dump this lemon if Acura is able to keep me satisfied through this.


02 SS TL-S
6% Tint Back, 35% Front

 

I just got my '01 TL Navi back from the dealer today. They've had it 6 days to replace the tranny with a rebuilt - fortunately under warranty. The car has 25K miles on it. The symptoms just described are the same I was seeing - alot of slipping but mostly while I was driving in a very sane manner. Sometimes it would keep slipping until I let off on the gas completely and let it coast a while.

The new tranny feels great but I am VERY concerned about the long term relability of this car I planned to drive for 200K+ miles. Fortunately I bought the 100K extended warranty.

The dealer wouldn't say what he thought the problem was, only that he has done a bunch of trannys lately. I was the second one in this week and he is having trouble getting the rebuilts from Acura.

The dealer said he doesn't see the problem on cars that have the tranny service done every 15K miles.

Good luck.

 

Well, that dealer's blowing smoke. I changed my fluid at 13,500 and 23,000 miles, and the tranny failed at 25,000. Servicing the tranny often is not the answer.

 

My Tranny went out on 12K. I also had my tranny oil changed at
7500 mi just to make sure but it still went out.

The dealer is "FULL OF ****".

 

I took my car in today to have them look at it and it does need a new transmission. And my problems started at 400 miles. I've only had it for a little over 2 WEEKS!

The dealer's been great, but I'm pissed as hell at Acura. My dealer told me he's replaced "quite a few" transmissions in the past 2 and a half months, all on TLs, not just TL-Ss. When I asked what the problem was, he said Acura was telling them to just replace the transmissions and not try to fix them or anything, and Acura isn't telling them what the problem is...interesting, huh?

The worst part is I have to drive this Mitsubishi piece of crap because the dealer won't loan an RSX to you unless you're 21 (and I'm 18). Not that Mitsubishi is bad (but it is...), but there's a funny smell in there that makes me sick when I get in it. Ugh.

Anyway, add another TL-S to the list (mine's a 2003).

 

What were the symptoms? I'm a little paranoid because I've been experiencing some vibration on the gas pedal accelerating slow around 30-40 mph. Now when I get that vibration on the gas pedal, the engine seems to sound a little "rougher". When it doesn't sound rough, the vibration is gone. I don't really feel the gears slipping or notice the rpms jump, so I'm not sure.
I'm probably gonna take in and have them take a look. Any ideas?

 

If I had to take a wild stab, I would guess that's an exhaust issue. I had the problem on my old car (a Jeep Cherokee), and I had to have the exhaust replaced. The best thing to do is just take it in and have them look at it.

 

Wow! They have to know what is going on by now, you know this is costing them BIG BUCKS!

Sorry to hear about your '03 tranny. I can't believe it, actually...

:-jon

 

You know falconbrad, I feel like you should be able to get every penny for your TL back. 400 miles isn't enough to even break it in and open up the throttle... you paid $30k for a BRAND NEW car that didn't last a week, they owe you a new ****ing car.

 

do they make the tranny in america or in the japan?? just wondering

 

I think they owe me a new car, too. But unfortunately the best defense I can find is the Lemon Law, and in California that means I have to give them a fair chance to fix the car.

I'm looking into it, but I think my best bet is calling Acura and talking to a rep there, because they can do more than the dealer can. I'm planning on milking Acura for all they're worth when I get a call from the dealer about how long it's going to take for my tranny to get here. But I seriously doubt they're gonna give me a new car... Someone was talking about how they got Acura to buy their car back from them on the Type S board, but I don't know how they managed to pull that off...

Brad

 

Japan.

 

I'm not doubting you, but the sticker says that 90% of the parts come from the U.S. and we know it is built in Marysville, OH, so that must mean that the tranny is the only thing made in Japan. Just a thought.

 

My Monroney sticker had a separate line for transmission origin, and it was listed as "Japan".

When did Acura go to the 5-spd auto?

 

That's correct. The transmission is the only part not made (and assembled) here in the US.

 

I believe 2000 was the first year with the 5-speed auto.