Update: Transmission replaced in 7 days. Loaner car (’08 TL), the dealer was great about the process. All seems to be fine now and car running great.

We’ll see how this works out down the road.

 

be gentle to normal on the trans first 500 miles!
Test the SS mode to make sure everything is working right
500-1000 miles- normal to aggressive driving to get all the parts mated for all conditions
1000+ miles- drive it how you want!
Enjoy!

 

Lol, where did this come from?

 

thats for all the people who complain about reliabilty and failures
- thinking only acura has problems-
they should get as far away from this board as possible before the belief system is crushed
A reliable transmission???- yeah and 100 mpg and oil changs every 50k miles---- right!

Buy a prius if you want to live in dream world

 

Another member with a failed transmission :-)
Happened the other day (09-July-2008)... 2nd gear slipping and then nothing... TCS, Check ENgine lights on and D5 blinking constantly. Bridgewater acura of NJ was great... they quickly diagnosed it has a 2nd-3rd clutch pack failure and issued a remanufactured transmission under warranty replacement. He had mentioned that they would be replacing the ECU as well.... which confused me a bit... why would that be needed?

They also will be replacing a front broken motor mount I just need to pay for the part... Car is an 02 TL-P with 67K on it. It is lowered on H&R sports and Koni Yellows... I was initially afraid they might blame the lowered suspension with the failed transmission.... until I started reading up on these forums... excellent information guys!!!

 

Nice to know they took care of you well.

 

front motor mount common failure and easy to replace at trans time- parts cost about 120$
the ECU has a new shift program to ease stress on the trans- dont worry it should come with that
They were nice on not charging you 30 bucks for labor on the motor mount- so take a thank you for the service desk and the tech- if its hot out- a box of popsicles is greatly appreciated. Spend 5 bucks in thanks of 4 grand they just gave you~

 

wow, I read most of the posts in this thread. Most of the cars that had tranny problem are 2000- 2003. My 1999 TL is running great, no slip, however sometime I notice a delay for 1-3 seconds when i turn. Is that a transmission issue? It has 91k miles now, but it's over 7 years and 9 months. So, I imagine if the tranny goes out, that will empty my pocket :-)

 

the 4 speed 99 is a better trans- keep your fingers crossed

 

Taking the advice, I went back there and thanked the techs and the service manager for their due diligence on my quick transmission replacement turnaround time :-)

I was told it would be a good idea to replace the trans fluid every 15K. And I notice that the engine is now forced to a lower engine RPM than before... maybe I'll get the added + of better gas mileage...

Just so you guys know... Acura has a 12month/12K mileage warranty on the replaced transmission... I was hoping for 3yrs/36K...

 

quick question: under the 7yr/100k mi warranty, does that cover parts AND labor? new tranny for no out of pocket costs?

 

the rebuilt warranty trans comes with a new ecu and an altered shift program- thats what you feel in the differance shifting- supposed to be easier on them somehow
If you get it free -parts and labor-oil- everythign included, its a 12/10 or 12/12 warranty, plus whatever is still on the main warranty.
If you are given `Goodwill coverage` out of regular warranty limits, and they charge you between $500-3000, you get 3/36 warranty on the trans
Warranty covers all parts and labor

The court ordered extended warranty is 7 years plus 9 months!! from first date of service- or 109,000 miles whichever comes first. If slightly over you can still get coverage too- there are ways~
acura can give you that date, and register you in the system as the owner for any recall notices- 1-800-382-2238 x5 gets you a human
Call that same number and leave positive feedback for the dealership- use names when possible. That gets back to the dealer in financial rewards and promotions!
register here too
http://owners.acura.com/registration...erstepone.aspx
Need your VIN for both of those

 

----------------------------------------

Firstly, the reason why I chose an Acura was because my previous car was a 1996 Ford Escort, which broke down on the freeway 4 times in one week. So yes, I do realize through hard experience that Acura is not the only car company with problems. However, I swore that my next car wouldn't have these types of issues, which is why I chose the company with the highest quality and reliability ratings at the time, Honda.

Furthermore, after the engine, the transmission is the next biggest mechanical component of any motor. Therefore, before designing a component with this level of intricacy, one would expect the engineering to be a little more thorough and better thought-out. This is especially true if the problem relates to orifice flow which is not a very complex field.

One would also expect these components to be thoroughly tested for fatigue and life cycles, so why didn't any of the prototype testing reveal these design flaws before the transmissions were put into production?

I understand that the transmission is a wear-and-tear type of part (like windshield wipers and tires) but that doesn't mean that it should become the limiting factor on the life of the car. I love everything about my car except that it has this design flaw, and this is why I was pursuing a fix. Until I find a fix (or realize that there isn't a good one), I can't tint my windows, put in a better stereo, or do any of those things that people who are planning to keep their cars for a very long time do.

I wouldn't necessarily put a reliable transmission and 100 mpg in the same category either. Certain transmissions have lasted several hundred thousand miles but I am yet to see even a motorcycle that gives 100 mpg

BTW 01tl4tl, you seem to be the only person on this forum that doesn't feel cheated or neglected by Honda motors, when you purchased a car worth $ 35 k, and got what I can only describe as "a lemon."

 

I bought my 01 TL in late 06 and it wasnt 35k!!! anymore

Maybe because I looked for a TL with a failing trans the owner didnt know aboutand found one I really liked
The trans went out a month after I got it, and after a minor communication issue with the dealership was resolved- the trans was replaced. Even this one has a small very unusual problem, the dealer has been waiting for me to bring it back and get another trans- free

How can I not be happy with that? With over 80k miles and they still take care of a trans problem?
Most car makers warranty ends and thats that- sure the court had to order our extension and gen3 is totally screwed --- but it is what it is
And its not about an orofice size ansd real world testing- If you have the Answer in your garage- call Acura they will pay big money for a fix. My tech- a 20 year acura tech, is trying at home- cant get the right parts inside----

If you knew the internals of transmsission case- the physical part came from the 4 speed- they added a gear and some clutch changes but the size is not enough room to put in the amount/style of clutch disc to make it last. (note many TL/CL have 150k+ miles and going strong)
The oil passage size was supposedly changed and the routing of some flow, in the physical case-- in 2005, that has resulted in improved life and far less failures- but there will always be a car that gets a bad unit-- like mine. Some of us get that in life~

I look at it as a good thing because 4000$ worth of trans on a $10k car, not $35k - 10K is their value these days for a gen2,
Since the engine is not a question of 200k ++ miles life, you really got half a new car for free. And got to drive a new loaner car for a week- what a bummer that is~

 

This is the deal. My 2002 TL now has 316000 kms (thats not a type error) and I've had no tranny problems until about a week ago. The check engine light is on but the D5 light is not flashing. I went to Acura to ask them to take a look but they said they don't do anything with transmissions there. All they do is change it for a rebuilt one. Because of the high mileage, its obviously not under warranty anymore. So the cost would be $4360 for parts, labour, and taxes.

I freaked out and left because they were not willing to budge at all. I went home and called Acura Canada. The next day a got a call from Acura Woodbine (were I went in the first place) and they told me they would be able to do it for $3600 all in.

So now my questions are should I take it to the dealer and get them to put in a rebuilt tranny? Should I take it to some other tranny shop and have them take a look at it? and if so, does anyone know a good, honest tranny shop in the Toronto area? Or should I put in a used tranny? Acura offers a 1yr/20k km warranty on their rebuilds. A used one will come with a 90day warranty.

Any advice/help will be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
A

 

Used is junk you will have to rebuild for 2800$.... not a great bargain

The rebuilts from Acura have a new improved case design with better oil flow and
have a good reliabilty record. They contain some used hard metal parts from other transmissions, and many new parts like clutches or belts or whatever is inside these things

Sure some fail, but its usually right away due to bad part- all things are subject to failure~ thats why there is warranty
3600 is a good deal for dealer unit, installed and all- ask them about giving you a 3 year warranty since the cars in the States- when the customer has to pay anything- even on a mostly goodwill warranty- they pay labor only, 500$- they get 3 year 36k Miles warranty for the money spent
It never hurts to ask!! Look what a phone call did for you- got the good price on the trans~

 

There are many symptoms of trans failure- listed in the beginning of this thread
Flashing D5 light is 1 of many that can occur and it only takes 1 symptom to make a failure!
My car did the D5 once for me, dealer could not reproduce, but pulled a code for engine overspeed-
since the car ran perfect and was not in `safe mode`~ as it would be if there was an over-rev condition...that meant the trans was slipping and the computer interpreted it as engine speed
Codes are merely clues- not diagnosis

Congrats on the amazing life you got out of an original transmission!!!
Whats your secret???

 

Tony Fonseca at the Mr. Transmission in Mississauga is one guy I trust with automatic transmissions. I've come to him with noises and hesitations that I thought were transmission, and he's ended up finding vacuum leaks for me for a pittance instead of selling me a new transmission for $$$.

Owner:
Tony Fonseca
3364 Mavis Rd. Unit 3

Phone:
(905) 897-6664

 

Have you had the codes pulled?- all you said was check engine light was on
Is the trans slipping or long delay from N to D before it engages in gear?
There could be many things wrong.
Front motor mount is popular part to fail- its fluid filled AND VAC assisted- so when it leaks you also get an mystery engine miss and slight bucking feeling
Thats not a CEL causeation, but something for everyone to be aware of.

If Canada parts stores dont read codes or loan code readers- go to a private honda specialist shop-look in the phone book or drive thru the auto repair area of town- have them read the codes for a nominal fee, see what they think is wrong- and tell us the codes for experienced opinions from one of the Gurus here

 

I have a 00 TL which had the tranny replaced at 82K in Jan 05. Now, I have 169K and the dealer says the tranny needs to be replaced again. The dealer quoted me 4300$ and I said wow, can you help me out. I feel like the tranny they put in at 82K should of done a better job. Am I'm going to have to replace the tranny every 80K?

The service person said he would see what he can do and call me back monday. Does anybody know how I can avoid having to pay 4300$. ...I just can't aford it...It makes me want to cry.

 

Carefully read 01tl4tl's recent posts for strategies for getting some amount of "goodwill" coverage for the repair. You may have trouble with that since your car has 169,000 miles. You're TL is way beyond the limits of the extended warranty.

Your next transmission may last longer since Acura made some design improvements in March of 2005 that may have improved the reliability. (You just missed that update by a few months since your current replacement was installed in January 2005.)

Good Luck!

 

Are we talking k miles or Kmeters?
If Canada- yes see what they will do for you
If usa:
you got nearly 90,000 miles out of a replacement from 1/05- one of the pre-fix units.
There were changes made sometime after feb 05 to the physical case that holds the parts- and those units have been reliable overall, some fail but thats just life.

IMO- you are asking a lot of the dealer and acura to do very much for you at these MILES 169,000-
you didnt pay for the first replacement, and got reasonable life from the 2nd,,,its not like you are at 120k miles and it went out, you drove 30k miles per year or more to rack up those miles!!

If acura is in a giving mood- and depending if you spent a lot of money at this dealer over the life of the car- loyal customer, maybe purchased it there etc...they can GOODWILL anything they want.
Maybe 3500, or maybe they pay the 3500 for the trans and you pay 500 labor. That would be if you were out of limits but a good customer- nice to the service people...

Since the Service Writer is gong to ask the Manager- and they will review the things I mentioned, and call you back---It often gets you some sort of price break.

All cars are subject to wearing out after 5 years anymore, be glad we got gen2 and they last and last. 200k miles on the motor-- its just getting it broken in!--As long as you make sure to change the water pump and timing belt every 100,000 miles- and keep up the oil changes- these are great cars

 

Whoops! I should have written: Your TL is way beyond the limits of the extended warranty.

The most annoying forum software won't allow me to correct that.

And yes, as 01tl4tl asked, is that 169K KM or miles?

 

thanks for the input about the 00TL. it has 169,000 miles. I wish I got my new tranny after march of 2005. Hopefully, the service person helps me out. I bought the acura hoping it was a little more reliable. I've kept up with all the maintenace. I'll see what the dealer tells me on Monday.

 

Yes, I had the codes pulled at Aamco and at Mr Transmssion. Aamco said its a mechanical failure and the transmission will need to be replaced. They weren't willing to look at it and see what the problem was. Mr Transmission said it was a hydraulic problem. They want $385 to drop the tranny and see what the problem is. Whatever they from there will cost extra.
The strange thing is now I've driven about 500kms since the problems started about a week-and-a-half ago and sometimes i get slipping, someimes some clunking but it still gets me to where I need to be.
There is not really a big delay when putting it in D. A couple of times there ha been about a 3-5 second delay when putting it in reverse but thats about it.

 

I guess i've just been lucky. I don't really drive the car too hard and in all the time I've had the car I can count the amount of times I uses SS mode on my two hands. Other than that I just do the regular maintenance and it just keeps going and going and going...

 

When I went to Woodbine Acura they quoted me the same thing. So I went home and called Acura Canada. They told me because the kms were so high there wasn't anything they could do but they would get back to me. The next day I got a call from Woodbine Acura and they told me there is a "revised" quote and it would be $3600 all in (parts+labour+taxes).
Its worth calling them to see what they could do. I got the number off the Acura.ca website.
Good luck.

 

Just joined the" failed tranny club" this week( 03 TL-P 67,000 mi.) 2 days before a 600 mi. trip, bought it in March, noticed some minor slipping in & out of 3rd on occasion for the last few weeks, then last wk. it just started slipping badly getting on the highway. took it st &raight to the dlr. & thanks to Accurazine knew the drill, but the svc. mgr. was on vacation!!!!! so I left & called Acuracare- told them the problem & got a case #, said dealer had to diagnose it. Back to the dealer, tech couldn't replicate, but I agreed to leave it at the dealer for the week while I was away. This was Friday, Acuracare & the dealer( Lehigh Valley Acura- Allentown, PA) both called me Tuesday to tell me it was covered except for labor costs-1074$ w/3yr/36,000 mi. warranty. I'm out of the VIN range for the extended warranty, but thanks to the info here & a low-key approach, they knew I was an informed owner & didn't beat around the bush too long, even without the svc. mgr. Thanks for the help, it sure beats 4 grand out the door. I pick it up tomorrow morning- I'll see how it feels!

 

So I took my car to a local shop today. They pulled a code "46" which they said is "clutch pressure failure". Has anyone heard of this?
It seems like my tranny is about to go but it hasn't died (yet). When the car is cold it is fine but when it warms up then I get slipping.
This thing is driving me nuts!!! I don't want to waste money on replacing it with a rebuilt tranny but I'm gonna have to do something soon or else I'm sure is gonna die on me.

 

i have 97,000 miles on my car and i have had one tranny replacement so far...i can feel the one i have now going as well and i know Acura will fix it up till 100K...my question is will having removed the intake resonator cause Acura to not do work on the transmission or try to bullshit me in order not to do free work?? if so i would just put it back on when it took the car in. thanks

 

Its not an issue on the res box- dont sweat it
the warranty is now 7 years plus 9 months or 114k miles!
its was 109 but acura seems to be applying the 5% odometer error case as well - a little bonus for us.
If your trans is acting up get to the dealer

 

so technically i have more time!! because thats 14,000 miles more and thats good i don't have to put the box back on that would be no fun.. whats the 5% for the odometer error?

 

a court case- the actual over-reading is about 2-3% but the court wanted a safe number so 5% was it
It was because leased cars getting charged over miles return fee or cars getting denied warranty claims just past limits
Its 7 years plus 9 months from first date of service- day car sold off the lot new
Take a portable gps with you sometime and check your odometer,,
some people who get amazing gas mileage--- may also have way faulty odometer...it goes an extra xx miles!!! on a tank

remember- warranty with time-mileage is whichever one occurs first- 5 years and 120k miles- out of warranty

 

Took my 03 Type S in for a tranny flush and had to leave it there for trans replacement.
It has 61,345 miles and two leaking motor mounts.

 

only the front and rear motor mounts are fluid filled-some years even have a vac assist that stiffens the mounts on accelleration!
the side motor, and the trans mounts are conventional style rubber

 

Hello Everyone.. My transmission is messing up and Acura says I need a replacement..

I just bought the car last year, the previous owner told me that transmission oil was changed before I bought it. They don't have service records any longer from the mechanic they took it to.

I'm only 2 months out of warranty. Acura won't replace it. I talked to Honda Canada and the Service Manager who wasn't very sympathetic either.

Do you guys have any suggestions on how I could get Acura to replace it for me on the basis of goodwill?

Thanks..

 

It sounds like I'm in the same situation as you zeeden. 4 months out of warranty, 22 000 km's over the 100 000 warranty - quote $4500 to get refurb through acura, or around $3000 to get it rebuilt through another shop somewhere.... Today is a year and a week since I bought the car and had transmission "serviced" through dealer because I was paranoid about the tranny about 10 months ago (while still under warranty). 2nd gear inspection had been done already so it was good to go. Acura TL Type-S A-Spec. the finest example of Acura engineering - riiiiiiight....

I am trying to get a guy through Honda customer care to help me out, but judging by your story, I don't think my chances are too good. I just feel lucky that it didn't lock up on me at highway speeds and I am still here to tell my terrible tale of toasted transmission.

 

Thats really odd- since acura usa is very generous about out of vin range or over time and miles slightly--cutting some deals between $500 and increments of 1000 up to 3

Have you spoken to the Acura rep from the 800 number- not the person who took the call, a manager calls you back and discusses the situation
Especially the part on how the DEALER changed the fluid within the last year and BANG went the trans.
If all of acurazine- which happens to be the worlds largest gathering place of Acura owners---everyone here has read the tranny failure thread and knows not to change fluid at 100k miles and expect the trans to live--the dealer should know better!!!!
and step up to help you now.
Then making some money from acura on warranty is better than no money-- when you go to the junkyard and buy a trans...or have yours rebuilt at aamco for 25-2800

At least they should be offering half price or better.!!!
Did you have a conversation in person with the service manager?
If a phone call to Corp wasn't helpful, write a letter to Corp and send it
Notify the local newspaper and tv stations of the situation
Most have a Consumer Help desk and will jump on a story of mistreatment by acura of canuks over yanks!!

Its often the story that the trans was serviced- fluid changed and then the trans dies.
Seems like, IMO, if you start on fluid changes early and stay on them- its ok to do
Otherwise if its still fine just leave it alone until its natural death

 

FYI: I did the first double flush at 48K km, another at 96K km, and was coming up on the third flush when the tranny showed symptoms with the fluid still a reasonably bright red. Fluid changes may be a red herring, but I just jumped into this issue on the forums, so I'm guessing that

01tl4tl: I work/travel to the US frequently and can tell you that corporations in Canada - in general - are not as customer service oriented as in the U.S. US companies seem to have better plans in place for when things go wrong, whereas in Canada you seem to be entering new ground each and every single time.

 

I agree with you guys, corporations over here in Canada aren't as consumer oriented. They don't fear and nor do they receive much consumer backlash when they screw us over.

I guess we Canadians are just passive and don't have time to bitch. We just take it and go on with our lives.