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I leased a 2021 Acura RDX Tech Package less than a week ago and am already having transmission issues. I was going 65mph on the highway when the car stopped accelerating and went into limp mode. It wouldn't shift up or go above 20mph and I received a "Transmission System Problem" error notification (see pic). I rolled home going 10mph and had it towed to the nearest dealer. Due to it being an internal issue, the entire transmission has to be replaced. The car has 200 miles on it and I've only been actively driving it for 3 days (been out of town). Do I move forward with the repair? I don’t feel comfortable driving a car that had such a big mechanical issue within a few days. Also, doesn’t this decrease the value of the car when it comes time to buy it or trade in at end of lease?
Is this a common issue?
find out what happened to the tranny...you said something internal...push for more information on what happened because that will help clear your insecurities with the car...
the more you know, the more you understand what the issue is.
be involved with the repair by checkin in and finding out what they find is damaged.
then relay that info to us! so we can understand better!
There was another thread of a blown transmission, but he had way more miles on it than you do. He never reported back on what the exact issue was. If it's covered under warranty, just be glad it happened now rather than later ... though it sounds like you leased the car, so it should always be under warranty. Obviously, move forward with the warranty work ... what would even be your other option? You can't Lemon Law it, and if you don't have them repair it, you're stuck with a $40k+ paperweight.
These cars don't really have any glaring mechanical issues that have cropped up, especially with low miles. If this example from Acura didn't inspire confidence, vote with your wallet the next time you purchase/lease a vehicle.
Do I move forward with the repair? I don’t feel comfortable driving a car that had such a big mechanical issue within a few days. Also, doesn’t this decrease the value of the car when it comes time to buy it or trade in at end of lease?
Is this a common issue?
What is the alternative? If you can get them to buy the car back and give you a new one, that would be awesome. But otherwise, what choice do you have other than to proceed with the repair?
I'll dig more and provide more details here. He was pretty vague said possibly "just a sensor" maybe he doesn't really know until they get in there but he said Honda/Acura protocol is that if anything internal needs to be repaired, they are required to replace the entire transmission. I did raise concern that I did not feel comfortable continuing with the lease after such a major malfunction happened so early on, especially since I may want to buy it at the end of the lease and this devalues the car. I got a feeling he was trying to make the repair seem small so I didn't pursue a trade in. I did agree to the repair (I didnt really have a choice it was the only way they'd agree to giving me a loaner) but the dealership GM said we can talk next week about a possible trade in for another vehicle. If he agreed to do an even swap out, I should do that, right? Glad to hear this isn't a common issue, my luck I guess.
Probably more or less the same issue. It may just be a sensor, but the sensor failing may have led to potential physical damage to the transmission, so perhaps Honda/Acura feels it's better to err on the side of caution and replace the entire unit rather than just the sensor and have the customer come back when the transmission fails mechanically. At least they're fixing it properly ... whereas if it was a GM product, they'd unplug the sensor, give the hood a good slap and send you on your way, lol. I know on the Accord forum, there were a handful of people who got their transmission replaced due to hard/jerky shifting. However, a lot of people surmised that the transmission simply needed to be "broken in". I know the 10AT on my car wasn't exactly the smoothest when new. Now with just under 18k miles, it's buttery smooth. Knock on wood, no issues either, and I've taken the car to its speed limiter on more than a few occasions.
Things happen. Clearly a failure at only 200 miles was a defect in a part. As for "Poor QC", a part may test perfect when new but then fail after use. The best QC in the world can not find every possible problem that "might" occur later. I recall some years back touring a transmission plant and at the end of the line every transmission was run through a dyno test and the results recorded by serial number. This data was stored for future reference if there were any problems. If a transmission failed it was pulled from the line and went to a repair shop where it was completely torn down and checked for problems. It was repair and then returned for another test. This saved scraping an entire transmission but also allowed the company to learn what failed so they could improve the build process and parts. Honda/Acura hundreds of thousands of vehicles using these transmissions. The general experience with them is that they hold up well in the long haul.
Like the other owner who had the trans replaced, I believe it was MarkAZ, his experience was that the feel of the trans after replacement was better than before, in regards to going from Park to Drive or Park to Reverse.
I understand how you feel, but personally, I would not be concerned. The odds of the replacement having any issues is very low. I would be even less concerned considering you have leased the RDX. By the time the lease is up, you will know for sure by the experience you had during the lease, if it is right for you to purchase the vehicle.
once the faulty component is repaired or replaced, i would be confident enough to drive it and even purchase it out of the lease.
well, with transmission replacement you need to be sure the job is done properly by experienced tech, and there is a concern that rebuilt unit they are putting in was rebuilt to factory specs.
well, with transmission replacement you need to be sure the job is done properly by experienced tech, and there is a concern that rebuilt unit they are putting in was rebuilt to factory specs.
they arent going to give this job to the young guys that change oil...
you can bet that they will put their best guys on it.
and yes, the rebuilt part will be rebuilt to Factory specs, otherwise they wont use it.
If electronic sensor failure require opening transmission case, they will definitely replace entire unit. I remember discussion with Acura tech back in the day when my CL type S transmission failed, and he told me that they are not allowed to open transmission cases, only swaps. They ship them to corporate for teardown/rebuild.
If you decide to keep the vehicle you could always try to finagle an extended warranty out of this. They'll have met their obligation replacing the tranny but might good-will you an extended warranty due to the circumstances.
I don't know the in's and out's of CarFax, but I'm not certain a dealer is required to disclose mechanical repairs. I was always under the impression CarFax was more for body damage/accident history. Seeing as it's a lease and there's a likelihood that the dealer will be the one trying to resell the vehicle when it's turned in, I'd think they would try to minimize anything that would devalue the vehicle. So, if it's not required, I don't think the dealer would report it.
Also, seeing as (AFAIK) these transmissions haven't had widespread problems, I'd imagine there's not a whole lot of "refurbished" units sitting around. OP, you're likely getting a new transmission, or one that failed initial inspection that didn't make it into a production vehicle, but was torn down and made into a workable unit. I wouldn't be too concerned over it. Obviously, if you start seeing even an inkling of an issue come lease end, I'd definitely turn it in rather than buying it out. But as I stated, brand new, these transmissions can be a little rough around the edges until "broken in" to how you drive. For the first few months, I wasn't terribly happy with the smoothness of the transmission, but it got progressively better with time and now I have absolutely no complaints about the transmission ... and I'm probably one of the harshest critics here. Just keep that in mind if this is your case after the transmission is replaced.
It might be reported, most likely it will. My dealer reported when they replaced lower control arms and brake pads due to noise to carfax. For private sale, it might be negative if they see that transmission was replaced. But depends on market situation.
For dealer trade in this will not matter.
09-18-2021, 12:05 AM
