I have identified an issue with the Acura TL's traction control in both a 05 TL and a 07 TL-S. The problem is elusive and difficult to reproduce but when you see it you will know it has happened. You also have to be a "hard" driver who isn’t afraid to bang on the rev limiter without fear.

1. Disable traction control and place car in manual shift mode
2. Accelerate, preferably on wet ground to facilitate spinning of tires
3. Reach RPM to enable rev-limiting by computer
4. Shift from 1st to second gear somewhere during spinning/rev-limiting
5. Occasionally car will now be STUCK in 2nd gear and unable to be shifted to 3rd or back down to 1st WITHOUT first bringing car nearly to a complete stop.


I am usually flying around wet corners, burning away from a stop light or just plain out of control driving when I enter the condition so it is very tough to tell exactly what sequence of events cause the problem but it could present a VERY dangerous condition of loss of control of shifting the car in manual shift.

Has anyone else experienced this condition or can anyone reproduce it from the steps I have provided? Remember you have to be willing to really keep your foot down as the tires spin, you shift and the rev-limiter enables. I will take several rain days to get it to appear but once you get the problem to show up, you will know it right away as it just feels stuck in 2nd gear.

Let me know how it goes and be careful trying.

 

LOL im pretty sure if you tell the dealer that under these conditions the car doesnt shift they plainly will tell you not to do it and you wont have this problem! The car just isnt designed to be driven like this, it also maybe a safe mode or something, thats just my thought. Good luck on finding your answer or solution to your problem!

 

Dude, all I can tell you is

Damn, at your age of 37, and you "raise hell" like that with your TL... You make me feel not so bad knowing that I do the same at my age of 47 !!!!

Keep it floored, and rock-on !!!!

 

engineering isnt like that, you dont say I have a flaw with the car but if you dont do certain steps you wont see the flaw show up. Cars we meant to be driven, when people are scared to drive them to the limits of thier design that makes me laugh.

 

a car who's software allows the car to become stuck in a certain gear is dangerous and a liability to the safety of myself, my family and potentially yours also. If I/you were to be sitting at a light in the rain and have to accelerate quickly causing the revs to reach the limiter as I/you shift into second and the car became stuck in this condition would that be a concern to you? Maybe when you, and your kids in the back seat, are staring an 18 wheeler in the face and you are looking at the end of second gear as you push the shifter/paddle furiously in a life-ending attempt to reach 3rd gear to be able to move forward from the path of the large truck, dont say I warned you.

Now it appears that it has moved from a simple, "dont 'dog' you car man and you will be ok" to "Hmmm, he might have discovered an issue that could be life threatening for a family in an ACURA TL".

Remember when you put your TL in manual, with traction control disabled, you have the potential to enter this condition.

 

Well, if anyone turns the VSA off in the rain and floors it through second gear with children/family in the car, I think they need to have their head examined.

Actually, if it were done without the family in the car they need to have their head examined, and being scared is not a problem, but just having plain old common sense helps.

 

The part I don't understand is why (and to some extent how) do spin you tires all the way up the redline in 1st gear? Of all the things wrong (IMHO) with this post, this one is the most mind boggling to me.

WHY would you ever even do that? And why would you try to do it ON PURPOSE????

Me? I *want* traction. Wheel spin is just wasting my revs.

 

Well i am just telling you what a dealership will probably say to you. This is sort of like saying oh i get a vibration at 130mph, well WTF are you doing going 130mph! The car isnt designed to be driven like this you are taking the engine to its limits thats what the rev limiter is there for so you wont damage your engine! The car may actually be designed to do this, so that you cant damage the engine or transmission. So take it to the dealer and have them diagnose your complaint. See what they have to say about it, and keep us posted!

 

You said a necessary condition was manual mode, holding it against the rev limiter for a while. Why would you do that? It doesn't help you go any faster.
You also said a necessary condition was VSA disabled. Why would you do that, unless you expecting to be driving the car at the limits, which means you should also be sure you are in safe surroundings.
So I'm having trouble calling this a safety problem.
What happens when you put it back in auto mode when this happens?
Lastly, are you sure you're 37? Most folks have mellowed a bit by then.

 

Off topic.... but I think we are already off-topic anyway...

Here is what I enjoy doing. When the roads are slick (wet), and I am first at the light, I enjoying flooring it WITH VSA ON (with the trans in full auto, not ss). Damn that is a rush. Just to hear the computer modulating the throttle is the sound of music thru my CAI. It makes me really appreciate the computer how it QUICKLY modulates the Drive-By-Wire throttle as it RIPS thru first gear.

By the way, this applies to my 2006 TL. Earlier TL's such as my 2002 TL does not do it anywhere near as gracefully as my 2006 TL.

 

I can't help but wonder if the deliberate abuse is forcing it into some kind of "limp home" mode. Hitting the rev limiter occasionaly is a reasonable by-product of enthusiastic driving, hitting the rev limiter and keeping it floored is simple abuse.

 

it might go into the infamous LIMP mode until the car learns that there is nothing wrong when it comes to a complete stop

 

Everyone says to drive the car "like you stole it".

So, what's the problem ?

He is just doing what folks suggest.