fsttyms1

from what ive understood the 2% failure rate was for the 2nd gear shaft braking and locking up, not the clutch pack failure issuel?????

JR_NoVA

I am not knocking GM transmissions in general. I am not even sure that GM makes the transmissions used in the TL. Regardless of what company manufactured it, it is a truly defective product, and Acura/Honda needs to step up and: 1. provide improved replacement transmissions for current owners who experience problems, and 2. provide new cars with better transmissions that work.

I have to question the 2% failure rate quoted by Honda. My guess is that the actual percentage of failed transmissions is much higher than that.

I noticed that the extended warranty is for "some" 2003 models ("2000 - 2002 and some 2003 Acura 3.2 TL") - I wonder how you tell if your 2003 is covered?

HomeDepot12

My '02 TL-S is requiring a new tranny. went out at 64,000. recieved good service from Luther Acura in White Bear Lake MN. One thing though. make sure you know your access code for the navigation system. I bought mine used and never knew it. They nicked me for 99 bucks to pull it and call Acura for the number. Apparently it needs to be re-set after they put the new tranny in. It was explained that the other thing used for the new transmission is the out case. Everthing is new inside.

MikePA

I imagine it needed reset because they disconnected the battery when they replaced the tranny.

Severin

I was told by both service managers that the replacement tranny was covered 3yrs 36K irrespective of my current warranty; so, either you got jacked or my dealer is giving me freebees which I doubt.

acutee

03 TL-S A/T. How did dealer installed my oil jet without replacing the auto trans fluid? Did they really did what they said they did? At 40k the fluid was like pepsi. The vehicle was maintained by dealer from day one. They charged everything big bucks, and didn't do things right. Idiots.

jose

i can't shift out of park when i press on the brake the only way is to use the shift lock is it safe to drive it like this to i take it in to acura and could this be a tranny problem it's a 99tl with 103k i took it in be for to get check because i got a letter from acura saying that the tranny was coverd to 100k but when i took it in they call me back and told me that my car was not one of the ones with a tranny problem has this ever happen to some one what should i do

VTEC11

huh? Try using periods.

VTEC11

This is what I have also heard. 12/12 coverage for work done under warranty. 3/36 is if you paid to have the tranny installed.

ANd this is not just an acura thing, it was the same thing with my mom's chrysler minivan when she needed a tranny.

If you were told 3/36 after they installed it under warranty, i would ask them to put it in writing otherwise, you could be out of luck.

avs007

Usually not being being able to shift out of park without having to use the shift lock override, is not a tranny problem. It's usually caused by a broken shift-lock cable. That cable connects to the brake pedal. I suppose it could be electronic, but on my friend's BMW which had this issue, it was a cable.

Scotten

I joined the club.

I bought my 02 TL-S ~ months ago with 8800 miles (yeah, that's really low for a 3 year old car, was a good catch). The oil jet recall was done immediately, but last night, with 11,707 miles on it, my tranny died.

Of course it was late and I was on the way home from a Super Bowl party, and of course I was in the middle of nowhere.

It's kinda weird, I've been driving stick for 15 years, and now in my first automatic, the transmission dies within 2 months of ownership. Never had this problem with my manuals...

HomeDepot12

Scotten,
funny thing is my tranny went shortly after my oil jet kit was installed. You would think that would prevent it.

avs007

Mine did too actually... The reason why it didn't prevent it, is because the Oil Jet Kit, is not the fix for the blown trannies. Acura claims 2% failure of the 2nd gear thingy. Everyone says they think this is too low a figure. That, however, is a separate issue from what is more commonly being experienced. The more common problem is not 2nd gear that is failing. It's the 3rd gear clutchpack. You can spray as much fluid as you want on the 2nd gear cog until you're blue in the face, but that won't prevent 3rd gear from letting go.

That's why (imho), so many people are pissed at Honda, becuase they issue a recall for this 2nd gear thing, and pretend the problem is solved/will go away. When in reality, they still haven't fixed the real problem.

todorable

Well all, I may be the expert at this one, maybe I can answer any questions and just post a general gripe while I am at it. I have a 2002 TL-S with navi and all the bells and whistles. I used to think it was a sweet "mommy car". (I bought it when I was 8 months prego for the 4-door convenience. )

I am now on my 5th Tranny. I drop them about every 12000 miles. I am now at 66000K> I am the dumbo who traded in a 1999 328 BMW coupe with navi, premium seats and anything else you can get on the car....oh, and a clear title for this hunk o junk that I am stuck with(SIGH). I paid cash for the difference in the two vehicles at purchase, which I guess takes some of the sting out of the issue, at least I am not making payments on a car that seems as if it is constantly in the shop.

Lemon Law: varies by state. I am in Florida and you have 2 years from date of purchase (delivery date, to be exact) to file a claim. Prior to doing so, you must attempt to resolve the matter with the dealership in the state you currently reside (even if you bought the vehicle in another state). So, this I did. I purchased the car in June 2001. Third tranny was in May 2003....I attempted to resolve with AHMC, they seemed so nice at first offered to trade me into a RSX for only 5000....actually was an OK deal. but they kept stalling and stalling, for whatever reason, so I got concerned. I called the BBB just to get information on the Lemon Law. Here is where it gets good....(I never filed a complaint, mind you!!)... 2 weeks after 2 years, Acura calls me and tells me that because I spoke with the BBB they can no longer help me and pretty much told me to go *&%&^*$ myself!! Lovely!

If anyone knows about and class action suits in the works, please let me know, I have heard there is one with a law firm out of CA, but I havent been able to get in touch with anyone.

Feel free to email me with any questions you may have and any other info you may hear!

Good luck all, and stay safe!

wbras

It has 50,300 miles on it and I'm concerned about the transmission problems I've been reading about. Can someone tell me whether Acura will fix it as a recall free of charge even though I bought it used?

repsol

just had my fixed at aamco, for my 2000 TL (out of warranty) cost $3000

SeCsTaC

Hey guys im real sorry to ask this, but i couldnt find a definite answer. Do all 2nd generation Acura TLs recieve the 100k/7year powertrain warranty? My mom has a 2001 TL-P and her warranty just ran out (4 year, 50k mile) and im very worried because of the notorious tranny failures.

MikePA

For a definite answer, go to the Owner Link at acura.com and register the car. Once you do this, click on the Recall link. You will see listed every recall your VIN qualifies for.

VTEC11

Yes most of them, except a few 2003's. Your 2001 is covered for 100k miles. But that's for the tranny only, not the entire powertain.

HomeDepot12

todorable,
insightful post. I've got the same car and my first tranny went out @ 64k. I can't imagine having to replace it every 12k. Hope they get it right for you. I know one thing for sure, this car is trade bait in about a year. Can't stand the mystery to when it may happen again. It's the first time I've ever been able to afford a near-luxury car. Been disappointing.

jpp

Car is a 00 3.2TL at 50K. No mods. Still on first tranny with no oil kit installed yet.

Car almost exclusively driven w/ D5 - almost all mileage is hiway.

Brought the downshift issue to the service advisors attention and he laid it off on VTEC engine. Is that likely? I don't know - I'm new to Acura/Honda.

avs007

How fast are you going when it does that? Downshifting when you are doing ~30mph is normal. It's an irritating quirk of a Honda automatic.

When my tranny started to let go, it would shift into neutral when it would otherwise normally downshift or engine brake. The 2-3 shift also became incredibly lazy, often times slamming into gear when it finally felt like engaging third gear. Sometimes, it would never engage third gear. It would sit in neutral until you come to a complete stop. A very scary experience, when you are WOT accelerating onto the freeway and it misses third gear.

jpp

Thanks for quick reply.
What I meant was when I am braking for a stop, doing about less than 20mph, car seems to downshift hard - almost drop into the next lower gear.

I don't see a bring change in RPM during this.

jpp

What I meant was when I am braking for a stop, doing about less than 20mph, car seems to downshift hard - almost drop into the next lower gear.

I don't see a big change in RPM during this.

MassiveTL

My Tranny died on my '03 TLS...They did the jet service at 15K and my tranny started shifting funny this week at 30K...

They are planning on installing the new Tranny sometime next week...

I had Blown out a tranny on my '00 TL back when it had 42 K

avs007

Yeah, that is normal for a Honda tranny, as annoying as it is. Mine does that as well. The whole car lurches/jerks when it does that huh? Only way for me to avoid that is to spend as little time as possible between 15 and 25mph. I just brake harder to get the speed down to < 15mph.

Liftedoff420

Should A Get A 99??

I Really Want An 02 Because The Body Style Looks Better

jpp

avs007 - thank you for the info.
I appreciate the amount of knowledge passed through this board from all the contributors.
I've learned a lot.
Still I feel a little paranoid about the transmission problem. I know about the warranty coverage, just don't want to be stranded.
Is it safe to say that most of these tranny problems give some warning before total failure?

todorable

In my case, I have about a week of slippage, kinda feels like a bad fuel injector at first, then it will become more obvious. You will have about a day to get it in the shop when you realize it is actually slippage that you are feeling (you will have no doubt when it happens, car will almost feel as if it has slipped into neutral). Only problem is, if it doesnt do it while the car is under diagnostics in the shop they will send you on your way and tell you there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. My third tranny error, I took it in at first signs of trouble, they sent me on my way feeling a bit paranoid and crazy. Well, lo and behold, 22 miles later I was stuck on I-4.....almost got creamed too trying to get to emergency lane while the car was in "neutral".

Some cars don't have a problem at all. Maybe you are one of the lucky ones. Good luck and, please, stay safe. If you think it is starting to go, try to stay in the right lanes, that way you can pull out of traffic easy when it does go!

HomeDepot12

I didn't get much of a warning. I just had rolled over 64,000 miles. A couple of weeks ago when getting on a ramp I felt a little jolt when going from 2nd to 3rd.
Nothing else until that evening when it just felt like it went into neutral. I was able to limp it off a country road and call a friend. The new tranny went in last week and no problems so far.

BIG_KOUT

question....... still on my first tranny, almost 19k miles on it, but twice in the past month when I come to a complete stop, my engine kinda girgles and tries to find the neutral rpm rev. That lasts about 3 or 4 seconds and all is fine after that. Is my transmission on its way out? or is this unrelated? Oiljet was not installed when I get the recall notice because I took the car into the dealer and they said that everything looked good.


PLEASE give me some responses.............

1nicetl

Here is my deal

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109199

Noahkk17

I don't know the cause of that, but I'm willing to put money down saying that it has nothing to do with your tranny...You really can't notice much or any problem with your transmission while the car is not moving...

BIG_KOUT

hmm, interesting... wonder what this little idle studder burp could be

NickS

This is EXACTLY what happend to my car. It was taken to the dealer on the flatbed just this morning. They gave me loaner and I'm waiting to hear what's wrong with the car.

NickS

So what is the warranty when the dealer replaces the tranny? Seems there are a couple of different stories here about that.

I would like to be as informed as possible when I hear back from the dealer.

Noahkk17

Warranty is in full affect up till 100,000 miles no matter what...

BUT

When you're anywhere past the 88,000mile range your tranny warranty is basically a 12,000 mile one, OR 12 months (Just in case you go over 100,000 miles)...

So if you have 90,000 miles, you have till 102,000 miles

Comprehende?

wbras

Does anyone have an "aftermarket" extended warranty. Is it any good ...did they pay off when your trans blew out??

wbras

Also I've been quoted $950 to $1500. Is that reasonable? Can anyone recommend a warranty company that they've had good service from....?

VTEC11

My mom had a warranty from a company called Universal Underwriters on her grand Caravan. The past summer the tranny went at 70k miles. They paid $3000 to get a another put in at the dealer.

I know a lot of warranty companys try to give hard time when trying to get warranty repairs done, but i was surprised it worked out in this case. I've heard UU is about as good as you can get for an aftermarket warranty since it is an Insurance company and not just a warranty company.

But i'm not sure if you'd be able to buy a contract after 100k miles, and/or how expensive it would be at that point.