Car: 2010 Acura TL
Mileage: ~55k
Transmission flush: ~10k miles ago

So long story short, I have noticed that since the mornings have gotten cold here, my transmission shifts "hard" for the first few miles of driving when it's cold. It smooths out considerably after a few miles and does not do it the rest of the day.

When it is warm out, it does not do this. Only in the morning, after sitting overnight and it has to be cold out.

Any idea why this is happening, and/or what can be done to remedy it?

 

AT or MT?

 

Auto!

 

Mine has cold-weather shifting issues too. I have rough and jerky 1-2 shifts on cold starts but also experience something very strange.

On a really cold day, when I leave work, I drive about 100 yards and then I have to stop and wait several minutes before I can get an opening to pull out into traffic. During these few minutes, the car is in drive and not moving.

When I finally get an opening, I give it some gas, the engine revs up and the RPMs shoot up to over 3000 but the car barely moves! It's a strange feeling when I'm at half-throttle and the engine is revving loudly but the car accelerates about as fast as my Grandma. A half mile down the road at the next stoplight the car begins to act more normal.

 

Mine does this too. Always found it odd, especially after I put my ATLP kit on because it became that much more noticeable. The only correlation I've picked out is that it is considerably worse in S mode as opposed to D. Which mode do you typically drive in?

On a side note, I always assumed this happens because our car is fucking heavy. Takes a good amount of power to move a 4,000 pound pig

 

Yours is weather related too? My car is in D when this happens. It only happens to me on very cold days (<30°f), on a cold start, and maybe it's in my head but the problem is exacerbated by having to sit with the car in drive for several minutes before getting out if the parking lot.

 

I can't say I've drawn that conclusion myself, I did notice it throughout the summer as well. Then again, it seems to happen only on the first start and departure of my day (ie. after being left parked all night), the rest of the day it behaves a bit more predictably.

I'm curious whether I'm just overthinking it, or if it's an issue that I should have looked at. My car is only about to hit 17k KM.

 

Not positive if this is the same thing but my wife's Lexus does something similar. Upon first start morning and to a lesser extent in the evening, the transmission holds first gear until about 2500 RPMs. My thoughts are when it's cold out, the trans fluid will thicken a bit. Thicker fluid = moves slower = harder to build up pressure which is what your auto trans needs to be able to shift. As you drive for a while, you'll notice a hard shift into 2nd and 3rd, but then once the car starts warming up, the fluid thins out and the trans fluid pump is able to build more pressure, then the fluid runs more easily so the shifts get smoother.

 

^ This.

Which is also why letting a car warm up sitting idle doesn't do anything other than waste gas. The car has to be driven to let the transmission fluid work, and once the fluid thins, the transmission shifts smoother.

It also holds the gears a bit longer by design when cold to aid in the process.

 

I agree with everything you're saying but I've purchased 5 new Hondas (including this TL) in the past 12 years and what I'm describing isn't something I ever noticed on any other car... Just the TL.

After doing a little research (thanks Google!) it sounds like I better check the level of my tranny fluid. Apparently low fluid level can cause this, especially in cold temperatures. I've been slacking, I haven't checked the fluid since the dealer replaced the transmission filter under warranty.

 

every honda/acura we've owned is like this with the cold weather. Not really new, but its more noticeable with the V6s

 

I would say we have been the opposite in that we have never had this issue with automatic Hondas / Acuras.

 

Same issue here.

 

Update: Talked to my good friend who works for GM corporate (owned Honda's in college). In his words "if it's acting odd, it's telling you something is up...take it in". So tomorrow, it goes into the shop.

 

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

It seems as if H/A is aware of this issue. The new fluid (ATF Z1 for factory 2011+) is marketed as "It’s been designed to improve transmission performance when it’s cold". See attached. It can be used in all H/A automatics. Perhaps a 3X flush with this fluid MIGHT help.

Honda fluid [P/N 08200-9008] and Acura fluid [P/N 08200-9008A] are identical except for the bottle label, which is denoted by the "A" in the P/N.

Also, the 6speed in the 2012+ auto's are marketed to include a fluid warmer to "improve shift quality and engine fuel economy for TL owners who live in colder climates." See hyperlink.
Acura Media Newsroom - Technical - 2012 Acura TL - Powertrain

 

I finally got around to checking the fluid and it was low. I took it to the dealer because they were the ones who filled it last after replacing the external tranny filter under warranty.

They called and said they could not replicate the problem but they said the fluid is low because the front passenger side axle seal is leaking. They are going to replace under warranty, fill the fluid, and give it back to me to see if that resolves the issue.

The problems on this car just keep adding up. I'm quickly getting to the point where I don't want to keep this car past the warranty. I've owned Honda's all my life and never has one had as many problems as this TL. I've accumulated thousands of dollars in warranty repairs in less than 40k miles.

 

What's year and model of your car? is it SH-AWD or front wheel drive?

 

It's a 2012 SH-AWD. Dealer said it was 1.5 quarts low. The new axle seal is in, will find out if the shifting problems are still there on the next really cold day we have.

 

Keep us posted.
It seems like the Sh-awd models have more problems than the FWD version.
First the Torque converter now the axle seal....
What's going to be next???

 

This is not true. There is a heat exchanger that warms up your ATF fluid using hot coolant from your engine. It is actually a great idea to warm up your car in cold weather before driving it for numerous other reasons too.

 

Cold-weather shifting is noticeably better, though the 1-2 shift (cold or hot) is still not what I would call smooth...