I've been reading about the problem with the AT TL that I see coming up the most which is the torque converter. Several people here have had to change theirs and some have changed it multiple times.

I'm just wondering if we have any numbers for what % of people have had problems with their torque converters. Did the problem improve with the new 6sp AT in 2012 or did it get worse?

Also, I just got my 2012 TL AT FWD last week. How would I know if I'm having issues with my torque converter? I've seen that some symptoms are shaking at low speeds and delayed gear shifts. Are there other signs?

 

There is dozen of threads regarding torque issues, you might need to search and collect data you needed

 

I'm still working on reading through all of the threads. Is it an issue that every person will eventually face or is it just a few?

 

My TL has 13k on her.
No issues with TC.... *knocking on wood*

 

It'll probably be like the old gen Acura CL's where all the transmissions get recalled or they just blow and you need to get it rebuilt for 3-4k... because Acura seems to suck at tranny's or something. I also have the issue... I haven't dealt with the dealer yet but its really annoying knowing a $40k+ car does this.

 

So far it doesn't seem like everyone's running into the problem. Though it could also be that some people aren't noticing that there's a problem.

I can't find anything about the issue being more evident in the AWD vs FWD, especially not on this forum where it seems more people have the AWD.

 

Sometimes I wonder if this is why Honda/Acura doesn't do a V-8... since they had so much problems with a V-6 auto tranny.
One of the biggest criticism of the RL/X was that it didn't come with a V-8

 

My TL that I just got has 63k KM on it and the warranty goes up until 80k. I'm getting a little nervous but I'm trying to watch out for clues. I don't really know what I'm looking for when I drive however. How severe is the torque converter rattle? Would I know that it is definitely abnormal if I see it? I noticed a rattle when I first picked up the car making a right turn going at about 20-30km/h but it only happened once and right away I thought it was a little odd. But the car was sitting on the lot for a few months before I bought it so I hope it's just that.

I read on another Acura forum that the issue isn't as prevalent as it may seem and it affects the AWD's more.

 

Ok, so I have a 2012 TL Tech with a 6 speed AT and 30k miles. The car shudders when shifting from 1st to 2nd, then 2nd to 3rd, slightly less from 3rd to 4th, then smooth from 4th to 5th and 5th to 6th. Is this the TC???

 

Does it happen every time?

 

It's a good question but it is very difficult to get a good answer.
I understand your concern but I don't think you will get much satisfaction. There seems to be a real issue or several issues but to quantify it is difficult. There are thousands of 4G TLs on the road. If a small % - say 2% - of those have serious problems with e.g. the TC, that can be a lot of cars. If the 2% of all owners out there report problems online you will get a skewed idea of the size of the problem. Because 98% of the owners have no issue and don't report anything.
The posters on this site only makeup a small % of the total ownership numbers.
Unfortunately transmission and TC problems are difficult to diagnose and repair properly. It's expensive and time consuming for dealers who are probably not very sympathetic in most cases. Plus, a lot of owners/drivers really have a hard time identifying and describing symptoms. The worst part of trying to deal with these types of issues is going through some service advisor at a dealership who knows diddleysquat about cars. Very frustrating.
My best advice to you is to follow the maintenance schedule and don't add magic fluids that are unauthorized by Acura. Try to find and develop a relationship with a modern up to date qualified mechanic or technician. Very difficult, but that's the only way to get good info. Take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt and be sceptical about stuff that doesn't make sense to you.

 

Skabei - if your question was for me, the answer is yes, until about an hour of driving.

 

Sorry optimus, I should have quoted you. I'm assuming yours is FWD? What do the shudders feel like? Do you feel it throughout the car (would your passengers feel it?) or is it more concentrated on the pedals?

I'm having a hard time noticing any kind of obvious shudder so I guess I'm okay. My bumper to bumper warranty ends in 17000 KM and my core warranty (engine, drivetrain) ends in 37000 KM.

 

The whole car shakes. Anybody in the car would know that there is something weird going on with the shifting. And its more pronounced the harder I accelerate. If I try to gun it, its really bad.

 

Holy crap that sounds bad. I don't think I've felt anything like that yet. Have you got it checked out? Do you have the latest update?

 

Don't think I have the latest update. My B1 is coming up soon, so I'll bring it up then. Thx!

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

Well, I spend the entire winter with no hint of grinding etc. Now that the temperatures have stabilized above 0oC it is back!

1st drive of the day from dead cold all is good. Second drive of the day, after she is sitting in the work parking lot for 6-8 hours, all is still good. 3rd drive cycle to go to the gym 3 hours after I get home... and at low speeds ~40km/h the 4th gear isn't locking causing the usual grind. I have done the software update, I have done 4 back to back tranny oil changes. Doubt that a new converter will fix this issue or any more software updates will do anything. Plus I am not letting any tech drop the subframe with the engine and tranny and then put it back on... I am not interested in creating more issues than I have !

So, I have a theory that I think may solve the issue and if I have the time I'll test it during the summer: Get a larger tranny oil cooler! Not sure where I'll find one or what kind of quality I should get but it is worth trying. My theory is that if the oil gets too hot-cold-hot-cold-hot during a short period of time... it loses its properties. So perhaps a larger oil cooler may prevent often and extreme temperature fluctuations that I think cause the oil to its properties?

Any thoughts from the engineering savvy audience?

 

QUOTE: "because Acura seems to suck at tranny's or something "


I love the highly technical and scientific comments we get on Acurazine!
(The apostrophe is not needed.)

 

Seems like I should bring this up in my next service ..... I sorta hear a rumble at low speeds and RPMs on a slight uphill

 

At what mileage would you guys do your first transmission service/fluid change?

 

Not having trouble with the tranny's on either of our cars so far (09 Ody, 10 TL) but on the Ody forum I frequent owners are switching out their tranny fluid to Amsoil-brand and reporting great results. I'm not a dealer but do use their products and am going to start switching out the tranny fluid with it on our own Ody shortly.

 

I change my transmission oil every 2nd or 3rd oil change. It's more of a habit and I fear of transmission failure. I use Amsoil as engine oil and their signature series is magnificent. I only use OEM transmission oil on my car.

 

My TL SH-AWD tranny often has a jerky shift from 1st to 2nd, and I had the same issue with my Honda Prelude. Honda has issues with their trannies.

 

i as well will bring this up on my next service i just notice a little groule(spell check) when i am at 30mph and starts to cruise with my foot on the pedal the rpm drops at about 1600rpm.. is this vtech fuel efficiency or torque converter issues

 

I'm having similar issues but don't think its a TC issue

Hard shifts, particularly from 1St to 2nd and also cannot put car into manual mode.

Tried capturing video because issue goes away after restart (maybe its a windows platform based car)

 

^ this is brutal for a new car - lol. Take it back to the dealer ASAP. Don't wait for your first oil change to do that. Almost sounds like the wrong software is installed. I believe there was another fellow around here who had the same issue because of the wrong PCM software installed.

 

"pjd" .... that is not normal by any stretch of your imagination.Take the car back to the dealership and insist a technician accompany you for a test drive.You should also request that you drive another similar car for comparison .

 

Thanks guys. Indeed going back to the dealer. Calling tomorrow. I had a feeling it would go away if I restarted so I videotaped it. Once the paddles did not respond, I was guessing software and sure enough at the end of the longer video u can see that a restart resolved it.

Will keep y'all updated.

 

Sooo, Acura dealer says that its impossible for what happened to happen without a code registering and that is exactly what happened. No code. So I am picking up the car today unless I would like to leave it with them without a loaner being given back....

Not impressed. If it happens again, I guess I'm driving it right to the dealer as is. Gonna have a quick chat with my sales guy when I go pick it up. My passion for acura has decreased a few degrees.

 

Just for fun ask them if they are willing to bet a new TLX on whether the right software is installed? LOL. Worse comes to worse call Acura Client Relations and ask them to verify if the right software is installed.