Unofficial Auto Trans Failure Count
#1
Unofficial Auto Trans Failure Count
My transmission on my 04 5AT just died at 71k miles! This got me thinking there's many TLs on here that are way past that mileage on original auto trans.
So, I thought let's track how many trans failures we have and at what mileage.
If your trans has never been replaced I'd like to know that too, now if you bought your car used, you may or may not know if it was replaced.
So post your mileage and if you had a failed auto trans, at what mileage.
Please keep discussion for trans maintenance to the many other great threads that we have already, this is simply a way to poll how many TLs have failed trans and what mileage.
So, I thought let's track how many trans failures we have and at what mileage.
If your trans has never been replaced I'd like to know that too, now if you bought your car used, you may or may not know if it was replaced.
So post your mileage and if you had a failed auto trans, at what mileage.
Please keep discussion for trans maintenance to the many other great threads that we have already, this is simply a way to poll how many TLs have failed trans and what mileage.
#2
I really doubt you'll get an accurate statistic of overall transmission failures based on this thread alone. The forum accounts for like 5% of overall acura drivers on the road, and most people who have no problems don't tell people about it.
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nist7 (02-12-2017)
#3
While the reliability of the 04 TL AT is below average, miles do not tell the whole story.
When everything is up to temp and just cruising along, torque converter locked, the wear on the AT is near zero. It's really the shifts that matter, and even then, the torque transmitting during the shift, and the shift time that causes the bulk of the wear. It's entirely reasonable one individual could get 300K+ out of the same transmission driving gently at highway speeds. Put an aggressive driver behind the wheel in a busy city with constant stop and go, and you might have to take a zero off the end of that.
When everything is up to temp and just cruising along, torque converter locked, the wear on the AT is near zero. It's really the shifts that matter, and even then, the torque transmitting during the shift, and the shift time that causes the bulk of the wear. It's entirely reasonable one individual could get 300K+ out of the same transmission driving gently at highway speeds. Put an aggressive driver behind the wheel in a busy city with constant stop and go, and you might have to take a zero off the end of that.
#7
When was the 1st failure. Was the 1st trans rebuild or did you get a remanufactured trans.
Thats great!
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#8
Previous owner put a used transmission in it that someone welded a crack in the casing from the inside out.No idea when it was done, When it started leaking I had my transmission guy break it down and he is putting new casings, frictions, strainer, and torque converter in.
#9
Pretty sure the transmissions between the Accord and TL are the same (maybe the TL is slightly beefed up?) but they seem to share the same failure rate. That being said, 2004 Accord V6, 149,500 miles, still have the original 5AT. Bought it from my Dad so I know the drive-train is original.
#10
I think it's very important to note which ones had the switches replaced and an aftermarket fluid installed at a reasonable mileage. It would also be good to know those that failed after doing the switches and fluid if they were done before there were any problems or after. We don't need to get into the reasons behind the switches and aftermarket fluid but those two items have saved a lot of transmissions.
As someone said, you can easily go 500,000 miles of pure freeway with very few shifts and have the same wear as 50,000 miles of pure city driving with lots of shifts. In my opinion mileage is not a good way to compare without additional data. I've counted shifts on the 1.5 mile drive to work compared to the 260 mile trip to Vegas and the total number of shifts are very close. It must be noted if the car is a commuter that sees lots of freeway or if it sees more stop and go. The type of driving will have a larger influence then the maintenance.
As someone said, you can easily go 500,000 miles of pure freeway with very few shifts and have the same wear as 50,000 miles of pure city driving with lots of shifts. In my opinion mileage is not a good way to compare without additional data. I've counted shifts on the 1.5 mile drive to work compared to the 260 mile trip to Vegas and the total number of shifts are very close. It must be noted if the car is a commuter that sees lots of freeway or if it sees more stop and go. The type of driving will have a larger influence then the maintenance.
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cpm06wdptl (03-06-2014),
twigglius (03-06-2014)
#15
I think it all depends on the frequency of fluid changes. I bought my last TL at about 93K miles, the tranny crapped out 2 weeks later (started slipping on highway). The fluid in there was as black as old motor oil, probably never changed. I was able to save it for the most part but it was never the same again
#17
Torque converter started to whine a week before it gave out @ 96,700
Did a 1x3 at around 85k miles
Never did switches
Threw a P0746 - Pressure Control Solenoid A Performance or Stuck off.
Flashing D-Light as well
Did a 1x3 at around 85k miles
Never did switches
Threw a P0746 - Pressure Control Solenoid A Performance or Stuck off.
Flashing D-Light as well
Last edited by Coins; 03-06-2014 at 12:44 PM.
#19
I know of at least one person on here that passed the 200K mark but it was all freeway driving which isn't that impressive. If you put a new transmission in a car and drove it 200k without stopping, some of the hard parts, namely the gears would have a little wear (but not a lot since load is low compared to acceleration in stop and go), but the clutches would have zero wear on them because there would only be one shift per clutch pack.
My trip to Vegas used to consist of about 20 shifts to get to the freeway and then I would be in 5th gear and lockup for nearly the entire drive. There's one area where I would pull it down into 4th for about 20 miles and one stop light that at a minimum I would have to slow down into 3rd gear for but I didn't have more than 10 shifts over 260 miles of driving and maybe 30 shifts for the whole 280 mile trip. In my 3 mile round trip to work and back I have more shifts than my 280 mile trip to Vegas. I used to try and go the whole trip without coming out of lockup which was impossible because of the hills but by pulling it down into 4th gear it would unlock momentaril and then lock a second or two later for the rest of the drive.
The 1-2 shift gets used the most so as long as traffic is light and I'm not in a hurry, I start off in second gear to avoid the shift. Each clutch pack only has so many shifts in it so the more shifts you can avoid, the longer it's going to last.
Sorry I went off topic again.
'06 here. 3rd set of pressure swtiches. DexIII fluid at 20,000 miles, Type F at 75k (roughly). No failures yet.
My trip to Vegas used to consist of about 20 shifts to get to the freeway and then I would be in 5th gear and lockup for nearly the entire drive. There's one area where I would pull it down into 4th for about 20 miles and one stop light that at a minimum I would have to slow down into 3rd gear for but I didn't have more than 10 shifts over 260 miles of driving and maybe 30 shifts for the whole 280 mile trip. In my 3 mile round trip to work and back I have more shifts than my 280 mile trip to Vegas. I used to try and go the whole trip without coming out of lockup which was impossible because of the hills but by pulling it down into 4th gear it would unlock momentaril and then lock a second or two later for the rest of the drive.
The 1-2 shift gets used the most so as long as traffic is light and I'm not in a hurry, I start off in second gear to avoid the shift. Each clutch pack only has so many shifts in it so the more shifts you can avoid, the longer it's going to last.
Sorry I went off topic again.
'06 here. 3rd set of pressure swtiches. DexIII fluid at 20,000 miles, Type F at 75k (roughly). No failures yet.
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cokorote (03-07-2014)
#20
05 TL 172k miles. Original transmission. Z-1 originally now using DW-1. Have changed out the pressure switches once at around 105k. Longest interval for 1x3 was 30k miles. Otherwise, 1x3 every other oil change. 50-50 mix of city/highway.
#22
Okay, additional information then...ATF was changed on schedule, switched over to DW1 about 20k miles ago, did two drain and fills in one day, third about 5000k miles after that. Original pressure switches. Lots of stop and go traffic in the DFW area, light timing is absolutely horrible, basically you drive light to light. Put 75k miles on my car since I got it used with just under 75k miles in September 2011 so it gets driven a lot.
Checked the fluid last night, pinkish red, smells like ATF should. 149.7k miles now.
Checked the fluid last night, pinkish red, smells like ATF should. 149.7k miles now.
#23
04 TL. Owned since 96k. First transmission made it to 239K. currently at 241k. 60% highway, 40% city. I did all those miles in just under 3 years. I honestly did very poor maintenance of my transmission compared to the 19 oil changes I did over that same span.
109k- 3rd and 4th gear switches replaced and 1x3 with Redline Type-F.
111k- 2x3 Redline Type-F
113k- 3x3 Redline Type-F
224k- 3rd and 4th gear switches replaced and 1x3 with Redline Type-F and Redline D4 mix.
227k- 2x3 Redline Type-F and Redline D4 mix
232k- 3x3 Redline Type-F and Redline D4 mix
239k- Dead. Installed used motor/transmission w/115k. Reused the pressure switches from the last transmission. Did 4x3 with Redline Type-F and Redline D4 mix. Added transmission cooler and external filter.
109k- 3rd and 4th gear switches replaced and 1x3 with Redline Type-F.
111k- 2x3 Redline Type-F
113k- 3x3 Redline Type-F
224k- 3rd and 4th gear switches replaced and 1x3 with Redline Type-F and Redline D4 mix.
227k- 2x3 Redline Type-F and Redline D4 mix
232k- 3x3 Redline Type-F and Redline D4 mix
239k- Dead. Installed used motor/transmission w/115k. Reused the pressure switches from the last transmission. Did 4x3 with Redline Type-F and Redline D4 mix. Added transmission cooler and external filter.
#24
Bought mine at 131k, is a 04, she has 191k now.
No trans work from me, yeah I know i have switches and redline sitting the the garage, since i bought the car.
No previous documentation of work done, she whines like a supercharger, and i get a pretty good stumble/shake at 1.9k-2.2kRPM range while in motion/accelerating.
Im sure the converter is going out, but with that said its been like that for 15k miles and a slight tap on the gas makes it go away.
Oh and i've had the car for 4 years now.
Gryphen what kinda signs did you have? If you remember.
No trans work from me, yeah I know i have switches and redline sitting the the garage, since i bought the car.
No previous documentation of work done, she whines like a supercharger, and i get a pretty good stumble/shake at 1.9k-2.2kRPM range while in motion/accelerating.
Im sure the converter is going out, but with that said its been like that for 15k miles and a slight tap on the gas makes it go away.
Oh and i've had the car for 4 years now.
Gryphen what kinda signs did you have? If you remember.
#28
Has anyone had a transmission fail slowly? I feel like everyone describes their transmission fail as if it happened one day or within a week. Mine has been hard shifting for 20k miles and I am honestly confused, why hasn't it gone yet. I have done all the suggested maintenance since I started initially having the issues but it hasn't gotten any better (not surprised), nor has it gotten worse. I try not to think to much about it but sometimes I get the itch to try to figure out whats going on
#29
Has anyone had a transmission fail slowly? I feel like everyone describes their transmission fail as if it happened one day or within a week. Mine has been hard shifting for 20k miles and I am honestly confused, why hasn't it gone yet. I have done all the suggested maintenance since I started initially having the issues but it hasn't gotten any better (not surprised), nor has it gotten worse. I try not to think to much about it but sometimes I get the itch to try to figure out whats going on
#30
The weird thing is its not getting worse, possibly a bit better than some point in the past.
Another odd thing is one time I lost first gear and it shifted perfectly, just happened once randomly.
What symptoms did your failing slowly have?
#32
Pretty sure its past the point of no return, 20k miles ago I installed a cooler, inline filter, switches, 3x3 flush and 1x3 flush (redline racing/d4) 2-3 times since, also just did the switches again. Maybe the maintenance I have done is sustaining it, but don't feel like there is anything else I can do.
The weird thing is its not getting worse, possibly a bit better than some point in the past.
Another odd thing is one time I lost first gear and it shifted perfectly, just happened once randomly.
What symptoms did your failing slowly have?
The weird thing is its not getting worse, possibly a bit better than some point in the past.
Another odd thing is one time I lost first gear and it shifted perfectly, just happened once randomly.
What symptoms did your failing slowly have?
#33
if redline racing and redline racing type f are different I actually used the type F I would say it is 80% of my fluid.
#36
05 TL AT 97,000 miles
Purchased @ 30k miles, maintenance history unknown.
About 50% highway, 30% suburbs (fewer stops), 10% stop & go, 10% city (frequent stops). Driven lightly.
Fluid change:
69k Z1 or DW1 1x3 or 3x3 (not sure)
87k Redline LW, Racing , D4 3x3
Switches at 87k (noticed shudder at 82k & fine after switch change) Thanks IHC!!
Transmission performs perfectly ever since switch and fluid change.
Purchased @ 30k miles, maintenance history unknown.
About 50% highway, 30% suburbs (fewer stops), 10% stop & go, 10% city (frequent stops). Driven lightly.
Fluid change:
69k Z1 or DW1 1x3 or 3x3 (not sure)
87k Redline LW, Racing , D4 3x3
Switches at 87k (noticed shudder at 82k & fine after switch change) Thanks IHC!!
Transmission performs perfectly ever since switch and fluid change.
Last edited by Timthetoolman; 03-15-2014 at 08:36 PM.
#37
Currently no problems @ 72k miles and I replaced the switches with redline race fluid(3x3), when the car had about 62k I think. Since then I have done 1 or 2 fluid swaps just 1 time each. And I have 2 more waiting for when I get ready to do it. (another cold front.. and I am currently installing MDX door sills. 2 pics in garage.). I also already did the timing belt since it was older than 7 years. And yes I know people go longer but I did it anyway.
Last edited by Chad05TL; 03-16-2014 at 11:24 PM.
#38
Absolutely worthless thread
but I will play along.............2006 AT
69K replacement #1 - Z1 100% warranty
71K replacement #2 - 1K on 3x3 Type F racing. 100% warranty Obvious issue with factory Acura rebuilt transmission. Currently, close to 100K no issues, 33% type F, 66% DW-1. getting to be about time for switches and fluid
but I will play along.............2006 AT
69K replacement #1 - Z1 100% warranty
71K replacement #2 - 1K on 3x3 Type F racing. 100% warranty Obvious issue with factory Acura rebuilt transmission. Currently, close to 100K no issues, 33% type F, 66% DW-1. getting to be about time for switches and fluid
#39
Absolutely worthless thread
but I will play along.............2006 AT
69K replacement #1 - Z1 100% warranty
71K replacement #2 - 1K on 3x3 Type F racing. 100% warranty Obvious issue with factory Acura rebuilt transmission. Currently, close to 100K no issues, 33% type F, 66% DW-1. getting to be about time for switches and fluid
but I will play along.............2006 AT
69K replacement #1 - Z1 100% warranty
71K replacement #2 - 1K on 3x3 Type F racing. 100% warranty Obvious issue with factory Acura rebuilt transmission. Currently, close to 100K no issues, 33% type F, 66% DW-1. getting to be about time for switches and fluid
#40
04, Original transmission lost 5th gear and reverse simultaneously @ 106k miles.
Dealer did a fluid change @ 82k when I bought the car (I assume just 3qts), as well as new pressure switches. Then I did a 4x3 with a combo of Type F, LW Racing and D4 over a 5k mile period between 87k and 92k.
Replaced with a remanufactured transmission and at 120k now still with the factory fill. Will pry stick with Honda fluid at 20k intervals with this one.
As a side note, the transmission shop that did the swap told me I most likely did more harm than good changing the fluid at all on the original transmission so late in it's life, and that I probably would have been better off leaving it untouched.
Dealer did a fluid change @ 82k when I bought the car (I assume just 3qts), as well as new pressure switches. Then I did a 4x3 with a combo of Type F, LW Racing and D4 over a 5k mile period between 87k and 92k.
Replaced with a remanufactured transmission and at 120k now still with the factory fill. Will pry stick with Honda fluid at 20k intervals with this one.
As a side note, the transmission shop that did the swap told me I most likely did more harm than good changing the fluid at all on the original transmission so late in it's life, and that I probably would have been better off leaving it untouched.