When my car is first started up and is cold there seems to be a shuttering when going from 2nd to 3rd gear i.e. 25-40mph. The shuttering only normally happens when the car is left outside at night but I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this issue with a 3rd genration AT TL? If so what if any fix was required?
The dealer offered to diagnose the problem for $100 but there is no engine code/computer code lighthing up and I don't want to give the dealer money for nothing.
If anyone else has experienced this type of issue and has any thought how to remedy/fix I would appreciate their feedback.

 

yes there are a few here that had that problem and the fix for mine was a reman tranny. It happened to mine at around 55k.

 

Did your issues i.e. the slipping occasionally from 2-3rd from 25-40mph happen often or did it occur intermittently? My 2004 TL was one of the first that had the 2nd gear/transmission recall in 2004. I also have the same car sans Navigation and Trunk Lid Spoiler. I know 2nd generation cars have gotten transmission/warranty changed to reflect issues with transmissions. Seems more than coincidental that our 2004's have transmissions that can't get over 55k. I currently have 46000 and the car should not need a remanufactured transmission at this point in time.

 

Funny this thread should pop up again, this is not overly common, but certainly not uncommon with the 3rd GEN's. Mine is in the shop as we speak getting a new tranny for this EXACT issue. I had to leave mine there overnight for a Tech to drive in the morning. 2miles into the test drive he found it. They ordered the tranny that same day. The tech also told me this is getting more and more common as the 04's get higher in Mileage.
Doesn't seem nearly as bad the 2nd Gen issue, but might be interesting to see what happens as the 04, 05's start to get higher in milage.

 

ahahhaahahhahahaha not need a transmission at this point in time- 46 k

According to my acura tech buddy- anything over 50k miles is right on schedule~
You have clutch pack failure- same as we gen2s. Its not like they fixed the problem- they settled a court case and gave an extended warranty to 109k miles- thats why a midyear VIN cutoff in 03- they needed to settle so they could make refunds and do replacements
Just take it in to the dealer
The diagnosis fee is legal purposes of them operating the car. If its warranty- or they get you Goodwill Warranty from Acura where you pay little or nothing on a $4000 replacement, then you dont get charged the diagnosis- its part of the warranty.

There may not be codes you got from autozone tester but acura has a way better machine they use, plus they road test the car and try to make the clutches slip- they know how, each year has specific test but if you try light throttle cruising in D5 at 25 and 35 mph and stand on the gas and stay on it full throttle
The trans should downshift into 2nd then launch forward with no hesitation of hooking up in gear, no revving without gear engagement...just get up and go!
If they can make it slip during that- its a dead trans
Or they get a code that says trans failure, or like my first one, code was engine overspeed. The engine was fine, so they knew it was false code from trans slippage making it think it was the engine. That was good enough. Even though I saw flashing D5 light- it didnt do it for them, but the code and drive was enough to satisfy Acuras standard and in went the replacement

Smell your trans fluid dipstick- burnt smell? hows the fluid color- reddish or brown or black

 

I checked my transmission fluid and it is a light brown. I am taking it in to the dealer to change fluid but at this time they sure don't sound like they will put in a new transmission for free. My car is out of warranty and though low miles I think I will have to fight to get Acura to pay. I spoke to rep at Accura 800 number and she mentioned that Acura may work with me. When the price tag is over $4k I either will need them to work with me or drive till transmission stops working. Right now I am not getting any D5 lights or experiencing anything other than slight shudder form 2-3 gear. To get Accura to fix 100% it seems another lawsuit may be needed, hate to be litigous but a $30k plus new car should not have a transmission only last until 50k miles.

 

gen3 really needs to do a class action
Until then- expect acura to help you without a fight- that sthe attitude needed to get results- be NICE to them at the dealer!
As I said 800 number are just phone people who read from a book.

Changing the fluid WILL NOT fix the shudder, and the dealer will only do a 3 qt change unless you pay for a 9 qt full change out

Its best to take it in and complain of the shudder or slip- let them decide if its trans or just fluid or selenoid or wht,
but
I can tell you brown fluid in a newer year car is not a healthy sign.

Forget the time or miles waranty limits- go in KNOWING gen2 was COURT awaded 7 years PLUS 9 months from date sold new or 109,000 miles!
Since 04 05 have the exact same transmission as gen2, what makes you think this a different time limit to failure?
There is not enough room inside the trans for the size- thickness- amounts of clutch packs put together- to handle the higher hp and heat each year makes!

Do the test I listed above and then call for an appointment-
If you ask for a fluid change- I guarantee they will happily charge $150 and use the oil drive thru bay, and THEN have a tech drive it and tell you it needs a trans and they got you waranty coverage on it~

State the PROBLEM to them- not what you think will fix it
The service writer is rarely a tech- so dont expect much from them- write down the symptoms for the tech on a piece of paper
Check acura.com for trans symptoms list for gen2, or see gen2 thread here `Tranny Failure` for acuras published list of known replacement symptoms- its pretty extensive

 

Note that VW and Audi in their way more expensive cars,
use the same trans we do- Tiptronic, and their warranty expires at 50k - no goodwill-
no working with the cutomer- tough sheet on you- pay us to replace it or go get it rebuilt somewhere else!

Also you should be aware: there was a significant change internal on the design of the oil flow passages in the actual case- (or so we have been led to believe) approx feb 2005 at the rebuilding facility. Figuring they distributed existing rebuilds before the new version hit the shelf....
It seems that trans installed after June 2005 have a better reliabilty than those prior, and while there are still failures, its not like it was a few years ago.

 

Steck,
I had my tranny replaced at 105K. I had the opposite problem, as in it slipped when it was warmed up (worked O.K. when cold).
Ask your service manager (not the service guy that takes your car), for help with the bill.
If you ask, they may do a good will replacement. If that doesn't work, then call the 800 numbers ect.
I asked my service manager to help me replace my tranny. Acura paid 95% of the $3198 bill. I paid $171.00 and change. They gave me a loaner (08/TL) during the replacement and waived the initial $90.00 diag fee.
Be cool and kind when you ask. The service department gets angry people everyday and you want to set yourself apart from them.

Good Luck

 

Is the tiptronic tranny in Audi and VW the EXACT tranny as in our cars?
Meaning the same supplier part number ?

 

I am bringing in the car next Saturday and they will see if they can replicate the problem and "work with me". If I drive hard/accelerate quickly the car does not slip but when the speed limit is 35 or going up a freeway entry ramp I feel it slip.

Hopefully the dealer will notice what I am seeing but they mentioned today that an 05 TL owner said he was experiencing the same issue and they could not replicate it. In the interim my transmission fluid needs changing and I will at least get that done so things don't get worse, though I believe from what everyone has said that is only a matter of time before my transmission goes.

 

so you're saying if I trade in my CL for a TL to get an 06 or newer TL?

 

05 or newer if you want to be safe, but I have an 04 and it's been fine.

 

why waste a lot of money on a fluid change? If its going to act up it will, fluid wont fix anything except a shops desire to line its pocket
Take it to a regular shop, and expect the WRONG type fluid to be used!!

Vic-
I dont know its the exact same part number since the outer case would be different to fit different application- I am guessing
My understanding is: the same trans design and construction- `Tiptronic` being a specific system.
All I know is Super Mods here have confirmed out of warranty VW at 50k miles and no goodwill - and those trans dropped faster than our cars did

One of the test the tech does is (each year has specific speeds) in general- drive 25 and 35 mph in D5, stand on the gas and see if it downshifts and hooks up in 2nd immediatly or if it revs without engaging- or has any delay engaging into gear

The techs know how to make it act up if its going to- since you had slippage on hills- they made find a code for engine overspeed, and since the engine rus fine- its a false code that means trans was slipping and computer assumed it was engine making it go too fast. Thats what they got on my 01 at 68k miles

Depending on your mileage, if way past warranty...many ziners have the loaner keys in their hand and the Service Manager saying - I called acura and got you Goodwill covrage. Should take 3-4 days for the trans to get here, We will call you

If there is a situation of partial pay on your end, usually 300-500 for labor to install, and acura corp offers a 3/36 warranty for $300- get it!
If the Manager says its going to be a lot more, and you have had service work done there or at least on a friendly basis with the Manager, and tell them the truth
I love my TL and belong to acurazine. Money isnt falling from the tree yet, and $3000 is out of the question.
Is there any way you can get me soem more help?
I know from acurazine- the largest gathering place of Acura owners on the net, you know they like all 10s on their survey cards, and you would be very grateful and show that on cards, email survey- phone, whatever they want!

 

I took my TL in today and the dealer did find the slipping/transmission issue. They will be contacting the local acura rep to see if they will cover the transmission replacement under a "goodwill warranty". I specifically asked that the re-trans not be from an 04 but the dealer service person said the new transmission/re-trans will have latest systems/upgrades. It will be interesting to see what the dealer actually does, they still made me pay for new Transmission flush but I was told that showed good faith on my part to keep the car running correctly/maintenance.

Not a good thing that 04's have this issue, the dealer at first stated that he had not seen this with an 04. When I brought up that I heard otherwise from fellow AcuraZine members and that some 05's also had issues he was adamant that 05 don't have transmission issue. Either way my 05 that just went over 50k miles has a bad transmission that I have noticed for a month or two. I definitely would advise getting a 05 or newer after my problems I bought mine use with 45k miles and in less than 4 months need a new transmission.

 

Well i have an 05 TL with 55k on it and the same thing happens to a T. Only when the engine is cold and driving slow. If I floor it I have no problems except a kink in my neck! Ha But i agree it is pretty annoying especially since i bought the car about 5K ago.

 

even an 05 will have the same problems!!!!
The warranty replacement units made since mid 2005 have a new improved case design

Its MY GUESS they tried them out on the warranty units before committing the new car production to the change.

Dealer has no say in what gets shipped from the rebuilder facilty warehouse- they order for your car year, but same part fits several years....all the replacements get the latest updates inside, and as said past mid 2005 they get new case

They suckered you into changing the fluid AFTER they said it needed a trans?
You need to be talking to a District Rep and dealer manager about that BS
They KNOW fluid will not fix it, and you giving them 100 dollars for nothing is not a show of good faith maitenance- now I have heard everything!!!- and used to be in the industry

 

I agree with 01tl4tl and others. Take the car to a dealer. Speak with the service manager. Be polite and pleasant--neither he nor his techs designed or assembled your transmission, and he (or she) has now spent a substantial part of his career dealing with folks who spent a lot of money on a car that went blooey before the new car smell was completely gone. You can't tell him anything he hasn't heard before, but you do have the opportunity to tell him more politely.

In my own case, two days after my certified 04 5AT turned over 100K something let loose in the drive train. The symptoms did not resemble anything I have read on AZ, but they were just as final. The service manager at Acura at Oxmoor in Louisville, where I have had done what little service the car has needed besides oil and filters, authorized a goodwill replacement. (I hope 01tl4tl is right, that replacements have the 05 upgrade.) I am sure that being polite and businesslike helped, as did the fact that although I did not buy the car there I have been a service customer of the dealership group for more than 10 years. Part of my reason for biting the bullet and paying the higher price for dealership service is exactly what has happened--I'm a good customer, so they were willing to work with me when I had a catastrophic failure.

I would also like to put in a specific plug for Acura at Oxmoor's service department. They found and killed rattles and buzzes I didn't even know I had. Their service representatives and techs are friendly, helpful, and attentive. Others have posted horror stories about their dealings with dealer service departments, but I have only had pleasant experiences with Acura Oxmoor.

 

I got a call from local Acura dealer in Charleston, SC McDaniels and was told that the regional rep said Acura would cover only 20% of the new transmission. To say I was pissed was an understatement, the dealer service manager told me to call the place I bought the car i.e. CarMax which I have done. I did not buy an extended warranty when the car only had 45K miles when I bought and was an Acura which I thought was a good brand having owned 10 cars, all but one being Japanese cars.

I tried to be pleasant but when I was told only 20% and I would have to pay the remaining $2500 I was not happy. I stated what I have read here that there should be a lawsuit brought against Acura. The dealer then said he could no longer talk to me since I mentioned the word lawsuit.

Acura holds itself out to be a luxury auto brand and obviously they are not if they can't make a transmission that gets more than 50k miles without breaking. I am hoping CarMax will fix but I am sure they will give me the same dealer bs and tell me to pound sand. I will call the 800 Acura number to see if I can get more out of them but the excuse I got was that since I did not buy the car from Acura they would not cover the piece of junk transmission that they put in my car.

If anyone knows of a lawsuit getting ready to be happen against Acura then I want in. It sounds like there are many more 04 TL owners experiencing the same issue and I know I won't go down without a flight.

On another note, how many miles can I get out of my transmission now that it is slipping? Anyone have any idea?

 

Well I guess Acura listens up when people mention litigation. The service manager here in Charleston called back a few minutes ago and said he spoke with Acura rep for an hour about my being a little unhappy with the 20% coverage.
Acrua has now offered to cover everything except for $600 which will then give me a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty on the new transmission. I am going to try and get CarMax to cover the $600 but expect to be told where to go when I make that request, it can't hurt though since they supposedly did a thorough check of the car prior to selling. When I checked my transmission fluid a few weeks ago per 01tl04tl's advice it was brown and CarMax should have noticed that when they did their "thorough check", these being the same guys who put in a stainless steel washer that was not crushable and leaked until I had oil changed by Acura last Saturday.
I feel better now that I will only have to pay $600 but I still don't have an extra $600 lying around to put into the car. If I did I would be buying new tires which I will be needing soon as well.
The joy of buying a used car, I guess there is a reason they say "caveat emptor". Beware any 04 and early 05 owners, you may be as unlucky as a few of us have been.
I am just hoping the replacement transmission is not from an 04 that was rebuilt!!

 

they dont reuse older cases- they melt them down

They use NEW `cases` since mid 2005, which have better oil passages inside- thats the story we have all heard at least

 

I spoke to a buddy who has a 2nd generation TL that blew it's transmission on the road outside Cincy. He said the second transmission is already acting up but he is outside miles covered under lawsuit.
I hope your right 01tl4tl and the transmission I will get is 05 or newer and I won't run into this issue again. Hard to believe that Acura/Honda sells cars with such horrible transmissions. I remember in the late 80's early 90's when the Honda AC's had issues but at least those were fixed.

 

My 04' TL is currently at the dealer as we speak getting a new transmission. I was told that these AT's have all the latest updates. We'll see. This is exactly why i spend $1000 to extend my warrant to 100k. Bumper to bumper for as long as i will own the car is well worth to $1000 to me. This one job alone already paid for the new tranny. oh and my 04 1st started showing signs of slipping bewtween 3rd and 4th @ 44k the car now has 52k. In that time between 44k and now...the car acted exactly the same...never seemed to get better or worse. I drove for a full year like that it ran just fine....just had to punch it around 30mph so avoid the shutter...but really it seemed fine other then that.

 

So as a 3G TL shopper, is their a specific range of VIN#'s that are much more prone to having these transmission issues?

I'm coming across a good number of 04-05 TL's with less than 45k miles for under 17 grand, the plan is to pick one up in about 6 months. Obviously would like to snatch up a certified pre-owned, but even then the cherry may not be worth the picking if I can purchase one with significantly less miles, especially if I manage to get it for a day or two prior to purchasing it to have a Acura dealership look at it.

Or should I just stay away from all 04 and 05 TLs, and stick with the 06 model year?

 

If you get the car from an acura dealer- CPO cars get inspected and a 100,000 mile warranty normally comes with them
Then you are ok-
Any 04 05 is going to have same issues as gen2
They didnt start getting decent replacements made until 2005....sooo

 

Steck-
tell your buddy to go speak with the SERVICE MANAGER
Acura bumped the warranty up to 114.5 for most of us (odometer error court case)
and they will normally work a good deal with you if a replacement unit fails after its own warranty- they used to carry 12/10, now up to 3/36, sometimes included sometimes purchase that warranty for 300$ on out of vin cars

It wont hurt to ask for Goodwill Assistance- customer pays 500 labor to R&R trans----- since the warranty replacement failed~

It also depends when the replacement was done- certain time periods had many failures again- bad set of parts or assebly?, and the service manager talks with acura rep who can approve whatever they want

 

The miles have nothing to do with trans failure, could be at 50k miles or 110 k miles
There is nothing for the dealer to inspect on the trans as a pre-buy checkout.
If its working good now- it is
If it craps in a month without real warning signals- thats normal too~

 

Very good info 01tl4tl! When you say mid '05 cutoff, are you talking about build date or sell date. I purchased my '06 in Dec '05 which has me a little worried about the build date if it applies. So far 67,000 and still going.

 

So I finally was able to get back into the shop about 1 week ago and the tech heard my shuddering and told me I needed a new tranny. They has no hesitation changing it out to a remanufactured one. The car is running beautifully now and I hope the problem is solved. I did have 20" wheel on my car but I put on the stock wheels before going into the shop. I am not sure if that caused the problem but I dont think that it would. Does anyone else think it could have been the wheels or just a exgineering issue. I also asked the advisor if my warrantly if extended because of the replaced tranny and he told me it still ends at 100k for the powertrain. I really hope if this new tranny decides to mess up it does it before then. Cheers

 

It's not the wheels.

 

Steck-
tell your buddy to go speak with the SERVICE MANAGER
Acura bumped the warranty up to 114.5 for most of us (odometer error court case)
and they will normally work a good deal with you if a replacement unit fails after its own warranty- they used to carry 12/10, now up to 3/36, sometimes included sometimes purchase that warranty for 300$ on out of vin cars

It wont hurt to ask for Goodwill Assistance- customer pays 500 labor to R&R trans----- since the warranty replacement failed~

It also depends when the replacement was done- certain time periods had many failures again- bad set of parts or assebly?, and the service manager talks with acura rep who can approve whatever they want

 

lol they just changed out my trans in my 02 CLS and the new one is already messed up and it has about 1K miles on it

1. under moderate accelleration 2-3K NOTICABLE DELAY BETWEEN 2-3 for first few shifts

2. Downshift into 2nd jars the car like no tomorrow intermittently and this in on NEW mounts

 

I got my car back on Monday from local Acura dealer and the transmission is fixed. Hopefully the reburished transmission will last life time of car. Dealer initially stated I had to pay $600 co-pay but when I went to pay the price was $300 with 3/36k warranty.

I actually did not get anything from Acura statinig 3/36k but the dealer noted that on receipt. Nice to know Acura steps up to issues, too bad transmission was not built correctly the first time.

 

im looking to buy a 04-05' TL.
it seems like im pretty much buying the first generation model due to this transmission issue...
What would you guys suggest?

 

hmmmm interesting...

 

I wouldn't buy at 2004 with AT unless you get the car at an Acura dealer with an extended warranty. I would have had to pay $2500 or more for a new transmission if Acura had not stepped up to the plate. Acura sells certified used cars which they offer with extended warranties.

Had I known about the fact that 2004 TL's with automatics have problems I would have bought an 06 or newer. The price goes up however with the newer models.

Good luck, you may get lucky but I have one of the early 2004's that had a transmission that only lasted 50k miles.