2012ACURATLAWD

Has anyone gotten Acura to pay for the repairs, whether it's a 3x3 flush/refill or software update or just replacing the TC? Also, does anyone know how long the powertrain warranty is on the car to begin with? I'm afraid I need to get this fixed and don't want to pay out of pocket if I can avoid it (and since clearly this is an Acura issue).

Thanks
A

dzionny_dzionassi

I am in the market for 13-14 TL AWD, yesterday was test driving 2013 With 14k miles, and man that transmission had shudder, abrupt first 2-3 shifts and making moaning noises... And they call it certified, what a joke...

denniss516

yes Acura extended the TC warranty to 8 years or 105k miles. I had Acura do the software flash. I still have the shutter. I will make another appointment.

2012ACURATLAWD

Hey all just an update. I have gotten a fair bit of help from reading on this site so would like to contribute.

I called Acura in London, ON (closest Acura to where I live) and they said they will reprogram the computer for that shudder with the TC and also give transmission flush for free because of this. Can have this performed up until 160,000km. After this repair is done, they will also extend the warranty on their work to 170,000km.

Also discovered during this call is a driver side airbag recall they'll fix for free.

Will keep you posted about how the repairs actually go.

A

jdigeorgio

I just had my car in yesterday for some other work (@ dealer) and they told me there is a newer tranny software update. So I agreed to have that done - even though I had already had this done months ago. They also included a tranny flush for no charge. It's too soon to tell if this made any difference. For those of you who may have gotten the earlier flash as I did, you may want to check and ensure you have the most recent one. I don't know when the most recent update came out or else I would share that. But you can apparently get a fluid flush out of it as well.

2012ACURATLAWD

Did they just flush the fluid one time or was it a full transmission fluid replacement with 3x flush or pressure flush?

jdigeorgio

I didn't ask this time but last time they told me it was full fluid replacement. I assume they did the same thing this time.

jdigeorgio

Well I hope this is not premature but it really seems like this update and flush corrected the problems! I mean the car is night and day different to drive now. It's like a new car. I am not exaggerating. I guess I didn't need a new TC after all. Amazing.

Lee C

Changing the ATF 3 times and changed the ATF Filter made a big difference now I have to decide if I should do the update

LNJ

Pretty sure it's not a tranny flush. Only drain and fill. 4qt of new fluid.

06TL-A-spec06

Hey guys, just wanted to give some insight on this problem because you guys all sounded like me a bit over a year ago. The dreaded tc issue on the 4th gen.
i have a 2012 awd advance. I bought it in early Feb 2014. I had a 2006 prior to the 4th gen, I also owned a 1991 integra rs, 1993 vigor gs and 1995 legend lls, I knew when something doesn't feel right on an Acura. At first the car felt great. I bought my 2012 with 18000km on it. When I got to around 20000, I started feeling jerking in the shift (1-2,2-3). Then the shuddering came. Going up hill it felt like it was popping out of gears and engaging randomly(gear hunting). It got to the point that I was scared to drive it because I thought the tranny was going to explode. (Drove 2 weeks with it). I made an appointment at Acura of north Toronto. They inspected the car and wasn't able to replicate it. After another week of trying to get them to come and drive in the vehicle so I can replicate it the service manager finally came out with me. "Voila" he felt it and agreed it's not right. He explained that a software update was available for my vehicle and a tranny fluid change should fix the issue. They had the car for 3 hours and told me my car was ready. I get into my car and start driving home. It felt maybe slightly better but still all converter issues remained. I was furious. Went back to the dealer for them to tell me it's the nature of the car and it doesn't have anything wrong with the torcque converter. Thank god I live in Toronto. There is about 8 Acura dealers within 15km of me. So I decided to go to Acura of maple which is the farthest one away from me and usually aren't busy. Drove out with one of they're mechanics and he saw the issues right away. He told me that it was easily fixed with an update and tranny fluid chance. I explained how I already did this service and it's still drives terribly. He told me it's free, and in order to diagnose if I need a new torque converter I would have to do it. So again my car was there for about 4 hours. The tech told me it was ready. He then explained to me that there was no software update done on my car and Acura of north Toronto lied to me. I was shocked. He also told me he couldn't tell if the tranny fluid was actually done because it was pretty dark when he drained it. I was outraged but still didn't drive my car to see if it was fixed. So I thanked him and went for a ride. Well it was fixed. Shuddering gone, shift all smooth again. No slipping uphill or gear hunting. I just wanted to add that the tech told me the CPU should be reflashed or reset after the update. Sometimes if it's not reflashed. The car relearns the bad probgraming maps again. So if you guys have done the update. Make sure the car has been reset/reflashed afterwords. It's been 40000km later. And the car still drives great. No hesitation or anything. The gas mileage gets shot after the update though. It consumes a lot more gas. But I am happy. I'm at 68000km. And car runs great. For those looking for abit more. I also changed 3ltrs of tranny fluid to mobil one which made my shifts feel even better. Mobile one is abit thicker than our dw1 but mixed together creates great lube for these cars. I now do 1lt mobil 1 and 2ltrs dw1 every drain and refill and it seems to be the perfect blend.

Mints33

First of all, I want to say hi to everybody, I'm new to the forum and just registered earlier today. I'm in the market for a TL sh-awd, either 13 or 14 model, have been wanting one for years. Finally found a 14 with low miles and had everything I wanted, except for the color, not a big deal, I can live with that. First thing I noticed was a tapping/knocking sound coming from the engine @ idle. It goes away in D or R, but in idle it's definitely there. It comes on after the engine has had a chance to warm up, no sound when engine is cold. If the idle is high in the 1000 range, there's no tap/knock, but when it's in the 700-800 range, it's quite audible. When I mentioned this to the sales guy, he was confused and says he couldn't hear anything abnormal. Fast forward to the test drive, on some hard take offs, there was a distinctive whining noise, and once I let off the gas, it got better. Another thing I noticed was jerky shifts, probably 2 into 3. Besides the couple of issues, the car was amazing, super handling, felt like driving on rails. Loved the power, although it wasn't fast, it was very quick! Almost bought it on the spot, however, they wouldn't negotiate on the price. I decided to sleep it on, until I found this forum and started reading. With the TC issues, and the shaft problems, I am starting to have 2nd thoughts.

avi8or

I wish I could find a dealer that knows what is going on.

the_razor

Which service advisor did you deal with at Acura North Toronto. I went there for my torque converter update back in Nov 2014 the software update was K56-E-2-12 PCM UPDATE LOCK-UP CLUT. I still get some slight judder around 1500 to 1800 rpm and have taken to the same dealer twice and they said its within spec. Has there been a new software update since Nov 2014?

mrphilipanderson

I got a new Transmission AND a new torque converter. 80% of the issues went away,
These are the symptoms im experiencing now,

• Car stalls When on an incline with gradual Acceleration when you remove your foot from the gas pedal
• During Acceleration Car makes a rattling, gargle sound similar to a Diesel engine sound. Almost like a rattle sound ?
• When going uphill, with gradual acceleration (5-25 mph) Transmission seems to be guessing appropriate gear
• MOST of these symptoms manifest after engine is warmed up. When the engine is cold, the symptoms rarely manifest.
• MOST of these symptoms manifest after engine is warmed up. When the engine is cold, the symptoms rarely manifest.
• When wheel is turned to the left, accelerating (5-45 mph) There's a sound that originates on the front passenger side in the area of the Right Front Wheel.
• When Reversing (for example a three point turn), There is a loud singular click after you shift to drive and accelerate forward.

Out of the pot and into the frying pan they say. Ive gone to ALL the dealers in my area. I'm starting to think the larger the dealer the less they give a crap about YOU as a customer.
Smaller shops have more on the line, so they give you more real attention. Big shops only care about volume of customers, not actual customer satisfaction. I don't want coffee while I wait. i want you to properly diagnose and fix my car while i wait. Its not in my head. There's no reason an automatic should EVER stall and its particularly annoying when it does it daily.
everyone passes the buck. NO one seems to know who's working on your car, they leave long periods of time with no communication to customer (days with no call)

Blaze9

After I got the update on my 12 FWD, the only issue i'm having is that on a fully warmed engine after a few minutes of idle my RPM starts dipping below 700 and the car start shaking as it comes back up to speed. This happens maybe 3-4 times and then it levels out and stops doing that until it's cooled back down and warmed back up the next day.

Mine have done a 1x refill so far along w/ the filter and the update. Nothing on 3x yet. I'm gonna bring it back in when I talk to my service guy.

naiju84

New owner of a 2014 TL with 7k miles. I have been driving a TSX for the past 5yrs. Decided to get a bigger and a faster car. Is the issue with the torque converter also there on the 14s? I have this weird feeling when in the second gear. You feel a swaying back and forth and when we come to a stop the rpm goes below 500 and then comes back up to 700. I can tell that the was well maintained and it even smells new and the maintenance was done every 3k miles at the Acura dealership. Any suggestions will be helpful.

naiju84

So I went to the dealership yesterday and they are aware that the 2014s also have an issue with the torque converter and they were like oh.... ok. We will look at it and the advisor called me a few hours back and told me that they are still working on updates for the 2014s and as a temporary solution to my problem we have done a transmission flush under warranty and will let you know when the Ecu updates are available. I was like ok so you guys are aware of the problem and he was like yes!!!

mrphilipanderson

Did he fail to mention Acura Issued an ECU update LAST YEAR! I had mine done in November due to symptoms of a failing torque Converter. After the ECU didnt fix the problem Acura Replaced my Transmission. The transmission comes WITH a new Torque converter. All the symptoms went away EXCEPT my car still stalls on inclines when in reverse. After the new tranny, acura seems to have given up on making my car whole again. But I urge you to find another dealer that is aware and is seemingly proactive in helping you solve ur issue. Its real and there is an ECU update ALREADY AVAILABLE.

naiju84

Thank you so much for the response. I am going back to another dealership tomorrow.

bleaf27

Any update on this as well ? I bought my TL 2 weeks ago 140 K on it 2012 and I am noticing some slipping from 1st to 2nd gear and between 2nd and 3rd , From what I know that the previous owner got the TC software update done last year in 2016 . Does not seem to have solved the issue apparently.
This is my second TL - I have had 2 tranny's done on my 2003 TL so I quite wary and scared at this point

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

Is the slipping just the torque converter going from slip to lock or are you noticing a significant RPM increase between gears? The TQ will slip from 1-2 and 2-3 intentionally, or in 3rd when slowing, then accelerating again. Then it will lock after reaching a certain RPM. 4, 5 and 6 lock pretty quick, though they may slip a bit if accelerating hard at slower speeds. This is normal of course, since one of the jobs of the TQ is to smooth out power from the engine to the transmission gears. But if you're experiencing significant RPM increase, say 500RPM or more, when going from one gear to the next, that's going to be a problem.

Obviously a fluid change is recommended whenever the tranny is acting up. Fluid is certainly a big deal. Breakdown of the lubricating properties of the fluid has a very significant impact on the TQ. I change mine every 7-10K miles just to be safe. It's cheap insurance.

I have a 2012 with 128K on it. I purchased it at 58K and have done 9 drain/refills of DW-1 transmission fluid to date with a 3x3 "flush" when I purchased it. The transmission was goofy (tach hunting) when I purchased it but I immediately had the software update done after which it's been solid.

jefflikesbagels

losiglow, your description matches up pretty well with how my 2012 6AT operates. However, I get noticeable slipping before lock when I go from coasting (TQ unlocks) to accelerating again (TQ locks). 3rd gear is pretty noticeable, as the RPM will rise at least 500rpm, then slowly drop back down once the TQ is fully engaged. I can't for the life of me remember if the car always did this, or if it is something that has been getting more noticeable over time. I think it is time for me to do a drain and fill of DW-1. I really should record a video of this behavior.

In regards to gears 4, 5, 6, I do experience them locking much much quicker. Sometimes it is so quick that if I coast then accelerate in any of these gears, there is a noticeable drivetrain shock that can be felt throughout the car.

jonest49

shifts normal till the car reaches operating temperature then acts like it’s in neutral then if you shut the car off it will shift normal again for a short time then back to like it’s in neutral and I have no codes and also I can sit still and can only shift to 2nd gear in manual mode and before this problem I think I could sit still in manual and shift all the way to 5th gear and back down to first any help would be appreciated I have just changed the fluid and the filter and the out put speed sensor nothing changed no metal shavings and fluid was still good

hoonee46

This is normal.
Rather than downshifting all the time, TC allows slippage to raise RPM for extra power. High stall TCs raise it even more (1k - 1.5k+) - hot rods and some german cars like my old '03 540i msport had it and it bugged me out till I learned it was normal.

hoonee46

Not sure what you're describing 'acts like it's in neutral' ...
IIRC, In my 09 5AT, I cannot shift at all when sitting still - it's stuck in 1.

hoonee46

CORRECTION

I think I see what you mean by 'acts like it's in neutral'
- manual mode, 2nd gear, coast at 3k, then let off the gas, and the rpm slowly drops. step on the gas, and it pops up.
This is normal to my understanding - the lock-up clutch is disengaged in 1 and 2, so the rpm drops. This is to prevent judder in the lower gears. I don't like this, but I can live with it. In 3rd+, the rpm does not drop like in 1 and 2.

At a standstill, I can also shift to 2nd, but not further. Taking off in 2nd is possible, but don't really see a reason to since the 5AT has such long gears.

I hope this alleviates your paranoia about the trans!

bmtrbz2002

What filter did they end up changing to fix the "gobble?" I am having this problem as well, happened to be reading this thread, and new exactly what you were talking about.