rkornfein

I know that there has been a fair amount of activity reporting jerky and clunky downshifting at low speeds (which I also experience) but I have not seen anyone mention the more serious issue I have.

Every once in a while, and so far always when the engine is cold, when slowing to around 5 - 10mph to make a turn onto another street the transmission will jump into neutral so that pressing the accelerator causes the engine to rev but with no power transmitted to the wheels. I then have to take my foot off the accelerator and let the revs die down, at which time it re-engages power successfully.

I have been to the dealer a couple of times but, since it is an intermittent problem, have been unable to reproduce it on a test drive.

Obviously this is a potentially dangerous problem. Does anyone have any thoughts on what the likely cause of this behavior might be? I.e. in such a way that I could reasonably instruct the dealership to troubleshoot the issue without having to - almost impossibly - reproduce the issue?

As others have suggested, the transmission behavior in this otherwise pleasing vehicle, is not really acceptable for a car costing as much as this one does.

Thanks in advance for any insight.

csmeance

check your transmission fluid level, if it's low it could possibly do that. You will probably have to leave your car at the dealership overnight and have them turn it on and drive it around. Also try to record it happening so you have video proof to take to the dealer.

The I4's have the new Dual Clutch Transmission with a Torque Converter so it could possibly be a bad clutch for the odd numbered gears (because the problem happens with 1st, and I believe 1, 3, and 5 are on the same clutch) or it could have a faulty torque converter. With that said, low fluid can damage the torque converter and the transmission so if the fluid is low, I would def. bring that to Acura's attention.

bdwpac81

I live in a subdivision which is in a small valley so to speak. In order to get from my home to the main road, I have to drive up a hill which has a substantial speed bump. During my first few days of owning the TLX i4, I had a few instances where it seemingly slipped out of gear as I would slow down to 5 mph or so to get over the speed bump. The indicator showed the car was still in drive but it was behaving as though it was in neutral. I had to shift to park and then back to drive in order to regain power. Since these couple of episodes, I have started taking the speedbump a little faster and it has not happened again. I did mention this issue to the service advisor when I had it in for other non-mechanical issues but they could not replicate the problem. I also told the agent at Acura Client Relations about it and he wanted more information. It almost seemed like he had heard of this same scenario before and realizes there is some kind of problem.

colohusker

I had this exact thing happen to me once as well. Happened at a stop sign where I did an "environmental stop" ( slow coast down below 5mph and then go). Car went into neutral and I coasted into the intersection with no power. Thank goodness no one was coming either way at all. Has kept me from any aggressive moves through intersections since. Haven't been able to reproduce it though, and it's been over 2 months since it happened.

wmba

Happened to me on my test drive of the I4.

I waited to see if anyone else experienced this before posting, in case I'd suffered an hallucination. Apparently I didn't.

Sept 2/14, with salesman on board, I was trickling along very slowly, waiting to turn left back into dealership across two lanes of oncoming traffic. Waited for two stragglers to clear, goosed it as two more lanes of the oncoming horde appeared at the top of the hill --- and,

Nothing.

I was pedalling the gas pedal, literally, and got the distinct impression that the electronic gerbils controlling the transmission were up to something. The salesman was yelling, I'm saying it's got a dead accelerator, then it finally took and we just made it across the oncoming vehicles.

To add insult to injury, the dealership is up a very steep slope. The car got to 3rd on that ridiculous DCT, then proceeded to refuse to shift back down as I slowed for the parking space. The revs got so low, 900 rpm, that the engine started to shake and shudder as if it were about to stall, just as if a novice driver driving a manual had forgotten to depress the clutch pedal coming to a stop.

Ridiculous. Dangerous. NO SALE.

I've been driving for 50 years, and NEVER had something like this happen. We, the salesman and I, went to report it to the GM. I also complained about the faulty pedestrian alert (another thing I couldn't stand), and the giant orange BRAKE light that lit up whenever I braked in traffic.

Sorry, please drive a V6 instead, he said. So I get in that and the whole car vibrates on the highway at 65 mph, the 9 speed completely unresponsive too. Great.

Not very impressed at all. I'm looking to replace my 08 Subaru Legacy GT with something nice, and neither these two cars or the SH-AWD I drove later come close. Poor transmissions, orange-peel paint, no zippiness or agility in tight corners, tire squeal (!) at mildly sporty speeds - these TLXs seem half-baked to me.

It's a pity. On the face of it, they seem nice. The reality is the opposite. An Audi A3 AWD makes mincemeat of the TLX, IMO. Drove one half an hour after the SH-AWD.

I so wanted to like the TLX, but really, it's not on. Someone at Acura needs to pull their socks up.

tlxsteve

Wow! What a disaster. Glad it happened during the test drive and before you bought it.

I have heard of a lot of transmission issues with the TLX. I am still waiting for mine to act up. So far at 3500 miles I am driving smooth. I drive the TLX pretty rough and it seems very responsive. Time will tell.

Davinci547Acura

Hope this incident was reported directly to Client Relations and the District Service Manager. Thankful there was not a major collision, but what if?

weather

I am so sorry to hear about the transmission problem....If you guys recall, I had concerns about Acura introducing two unproven, untested transmission on such an important car and it appears that, to an extent, I had some reasons to be concerned.

I know Acura will resolve these...I am confident, but until they do, I'll just wait. I WILL be driving more Acuras no doubt about it.

bdwpac81

My transmission issues continue and so I will be asking them to address it (again) at my visit this week for interior heating problems. The first time, I was told that the jerky sensations were just the nature of the new transmission technology. I was visiting Lexington over the weekend where it was very cold. One morning, it was about 20F when I started the car. I was driving down a city road going about 30 MPH and started to brake for a traffic signal. Suddenly, it felt like I had been rear-ended. I looked into the rearview mirror and no one was there. It seems that the transmission slammed into a lower gear. The magnitute of the problem was so great that I literally thought I had been hit by someone behind me.

I'm so tired of visiting the service department. I ignored the warnings from friends about buying a first year production car and will never do it again after this experience. As I have mentioned in other posts, I have spoken to Client Relations many times but all they do is take notes and tell me to keep bringing it back to the dealer. Each time I do so, the car comes out with more scuffs, scratches, and grease marks. Sigh.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

that's because you're supposed to stop at stop signs. and not blow through them

weather

I am really sorry about your experience....It never should happen, with so much testing and so forth, they should have been able to duplicate and rectify these issues. It is really sad but take comfort in knowing that people like you have helped others (like myself) to stay back and not fall for the temptation to get a new car.

As far as the dealer damaging your vehicle, I would take to another one if you could or file a HUGE complaint against them somehow....

nab0610

Today was the first and only time Ive experienced this. It was really weird. Was about 30 degrees mid afternoon. Hopped in the car to head out for the highway. I was driving through my neighborhood and the car was reving but doing nothing. I was getting some acceleration, but it felt like I was in econ mode when in actuality I was in sport mode.

This continued for a half a mile before I cycled through my IDS and the problem disappeared.

The car was sitting in the cold for approximately 20 hours before I drove it, so this may have had something to do with it. Still unacceptable.

I suggest you swap your ids instead of switching the car to park in the future as that seems to reset the transmission.

BandwidthExceeded

I have had this exact issue 3 time, though I have not brought it up with Acura yet, because it is so rare.

I park in a gated area at work, so you have to wait for the gate to open. I started my car, and by the time I got to the gate it had been on for about 2 minutes, going just above idle. It is also not as cold here in Seattle, it was like 50 degrees.

I came to a slow, full stop, and about a half second after I stopped moving my car "bucked" as I would describe it. I could totally see it as thinking you got rear ended though, it is a jarring impact like action.

It scared the shit out of me since I thought I was going to go leaping through the gate in front of me as it was opening.

There is a lot I like about this car, but its stuff like this that not only brings down my confidence in the mechanics of the car, but also makes me kind of wish I kept my ILX with a normal tranny...

rkornfein

Thanks to all that replied. I was uncertain whether my issue was unique. Apparently not.

I will say that the changing has become a little better - when the transmission is warm, at least - than when I first posted. However, the unannounced slip into neutral has not gone away.

Further, it sometimes seems to me that in the lower gears, on the way up (again when cold), the transmission will exit its current gear and then take maybe a half second to a second to find the next one, during which time the engine simply revs.

Not merely that but it takes a full 2 - 3 seconds for the transmission to engage when moving from Park/Reverse to Drive. That does not seem normal (or desirable) to me.

I still do not know how to present this to the service folks in a way that makes it a tractable problem for them to solve.

Maybe the accumulation of data from other owners experiences will eventually resolve these issues.

Any further observations by other owners would clearly be helpful.

Thanks again.

csmeance

I would try to record a video of the rpm gauge and the speedometer to show whats going on. The service manager will maybe have the tech drive the car home and back in the morning to see if the issue can be reproduced.

AZuser

This seems very similar to the DCT problems on the Fit and Vezel that Honda's been having/dealing with. I guess they still haven't sorted things out even with the "new control program."

Honda Issues Third Consecutive Recall Over DCT on New Fit and Vezel Hybrids

rkornfein

I have had about three contacts with Acura client Relations since the last post, so this is just a synopsis of what I believe their stance to be at present.

The first contact was very solicitous and assured me that the TLX was being watched very closely by Acura since they very much wanted the model to be a success. He was open to hearing about issues, took notes, etc and genuinely appeared not to have knowledge of the issues.

I called the same person again some weeks later and this time he was a little more evasive. My impression was that maybe Acura had some data on the transmission issue but was not yet willing to own up to it, presumably (and charitably) on the basis that they were still researching the issue.

I then emailed them with a list of all the symptoms I and others have mentioned together with some suggestions as to how to reproduce them. This resulted in contact with another representative.

This person gave the impression that there was familiarity with the issues at Acura but they had not yet determined their stance on the matter. She more or less said that whatever it was I was reporting had not yet been recognized as an actual defect of the vehicle - and hence, there was currently no "fix" available.

My interpretation of all of this is that (1) Acura has a some knowledge of the transmission issues but (2) has not yet decided what if anything they are willing to do about it.

.... In the meantime I continue to have episodes of slipping into neutral along with all the other well-known symptoms (reported here) of the transmission at lower speeds. At times I feel as though if could simply drive it as a race car only, I would be fine However, since I cannot actually do this, I do have fears for the future health of the transmission itself and possibly other components that interact with it.

I would guess that unless we are unfortunate enough to be a minority of owners affected, perhaps due to an isolated bad production run, the issue will eventually be addressed. Of course, it should be addressed no matter what but if the number of victims is small the company will be less motivated to take care of the problems.

NRS78

I have not experienced the "jump into neutral" issue in my own car, although I have had the whole jerky shifting problem. Interestingly, while my car was at the dealership for other repair issues, the loaner started to have this problem (it had 152 miles on it when I took it home). For the first week that I had it, the shifting was pretty good. Still firm while cold, just not harsh or slipping between gear like mine. Then on day 10 I had the "slam into first gear while coming to a stop" occur. The next day I pulled out of my driveway, came to a stop at the end of the street, and then when I went to accelerate it revved to 4k RPMs like I was in neutral. I let off the gas, then pressed it again, and then it moved forward. This happened to me again yesterday as I left work on the way to the dealership to return it. So it was after a few hundred miles was when I started to experience these problems.

To me it seems like the "learning" part of this transmission is not learning correctly, and causing the clutches to apply incorrect pressures. Basically their algorithms need to be corrected.

jim256

If it worked fine for a week, and if the tranny learns, as some dispute, maybe driver style has a lot to do with it. I have no issue other than the cold start, first shift from R to D, so I pause for a count of 2 during the change.

NRS78

I agree, it probably does. Most of the time, I drive pretty conservatively (read, slow). Maybe it is trying to slow the gear changes to accommodate a more relaxed driving style, and in doing so is not applying enough pressure to the clutches - ie. too much slipping during clutch engagement. Either way, I still think the software needs tweaking. No transmission, regardless of driving style should rev like it is in neutral while it is supposed to be in drive.

jim256

Actually, my wife and I drive it with fairly light throttle, too, yet no shift issues, in Sport all the time. More spirited driving makes the shifts almost imperceptible, more the engine rpm change than shift awareness. Smoother than other cars I've had with 4 and 5 speed auto. A very odd issue for some, and a hard to pinpoint problem/solution.

erdoc48

To the OP:
-You gave Acura several attempts to reproduce/fix what you experienced and they are aware of the problem (it seems they know something is wrong with your 8 DCT). It seems like lemon law should apply here and you should be able to return the car and get your money back- it's unacceptable for Acura to sit idly by waiting for a fix from the factory while your car isn't safe to drive. I'd talk to the GM about either getting another car or just turning it in for what you paid for it. As much as I'd like to (possibly) get one of these in the future, it's clearly off my radar unless they identify and fix the tranny issues. There's plenty of competition available and Acura reps better learn that quickly.

TacoBello

Shit... At least the 3G trannies worked for a few years before shitting the bed. I feel bad for the folks having issues with their TLXs. I'm a little shocked honda didn't catch most of these issues before releasing the car- again, with the 3G, problems developed a few years down the line, not while on a test drive on a near zero mileage car.

Common Honda. I keep busting your balls because I know you're better than that and because I know you can do better. What honda really needs is for Soichiro to be raised from the dead- he would never let shit like this happen.

All of these issues on new cars, plus now being hit with a 70 million dollar fine for lying about fatalities... Sigh.

2012wagon

Are these tranny issues 4 cyl only, or effecting the V6 as well?

Agree with the other poster. Record it, lemon law threaten=new car.

jik1001

When the fall began, my car was no different that what many on this thread have reported but as the winter as progressed I find that all these reported characteristics have inexplicably either disappeared or have been drastically reduced. Neither my car's ECU or transmission has been updated from the delivery date in mid-August. Has anyone else noticed this phenomena? I have definitely not gotten used to feeling like I am being rear-ended or like the car is being driven by a sixteen year old learning to drive a manual trasmission

TacoBello

This should be a serious safety recall. It has the potential for causing deaths like GMs ignition problem. Like previously posted (by the OP I think), to go on a test drive and potentially get t-boned because the transmission slips out of drive and you can't move out of an intersection... Man. Some scary shit.

Is this something that can be corrected by an ecu flash, or is it an actual mechanical issue?

Davinci547Acura

Just tried to reply to your private massage but your mailbox is full. My suggestions are waiting in your mailbox. Thanks,

Davinci547Acura

V6 Tech 9 speed here with almost 5,000 miles. Cold weather and cold engine. In last few days have been experiencing a very similar issue while going down hills at speeds around 40-45 mph. Can feel transmission gears slip then tach engine rpm's will go from about 2,000 to about 3,500 instantly with no warning for about 2 to 4 seconds then transmission jerks back into gear.


My documented VIN problem list gets longer every week. Where's Pam when we need her?


Will start a new thread on this issue with more details.

JT4

You just can't catch a break with this car... As I mentioned before I know what it's like to try to get numerous issues on a vehicle (non Acura) fixed, and then ultimately fighting to have it bought back..

It's not fun, so I really feel for you. Good luck.

2012wagon

Yikes, good luck!!


Wife had a 2002 mini cooper s bought n ew, manual trans. At times when you would press the gas, car wouldn't go. It was intermittent.


Took it to BMW/MINI 3 times and got it back with "can't replicate the problem."


Complained to regional manager, who met me at dealership. He was driving, walah, we are at a left turn lane, he puts throttle, car goes forward and doesn't go (this after numerous ECU flash). We ALMOST got T boned in front of the dealership.


BMW agreed to buy it back immediately. They wanted to replace it with a another MCS, but wife didn't want any part in it.

Former 2000 3.2 TL Owner

I have had the same issue with the car (jumping into neutral or searching for gears?) while entering intersections. This seems to occur after pulling out from a stopped position. This has occurred 5 times for me and three times when my husband was driving. We have been leasing this vehicle since Sept 2014. We do a lot of small city driving and have learned never to chance pulling out from a stop sign. This does not have anything to do with a cold start. It once occurred after we were driving for over 2 hours. We have called Acura corporate twice. The vehicle has been in the shop twice. Our mechanic has stated that he will call when the latest upgrade is sent from Acura. There was nothing more that he could do without the software update. The technician from corporate could see the problems while it was hooked up on their machine. They were working on a better fix..... I was told today that an update was issued on April 23, 2015. Hopefully this will alleviate some of my problems. I am taking the car in May 4th, 2015. The manager read me the description of the fix and it did not mention the confused transmission but it is a fix for some of the other stopping issues. The software update is to be followed by clutch braking procedures. Wish me luck!

weather

^^ Best of luck and welcome to Acurazine....I hope your issues will be resolved.

Aaftab

Any update?

Former 2000 3.2 TL Owner

I returned my leased vehicle last year and opted not to buy the vehicle since it was starting to show signs of engine bucking again. It was beautiful and a comfortable vehicle to drive and I loved it but I didn't feel safe enough in it to buy it. The software update I mentioned in the post from April 2015 helped with the issue of getting stuck in an intersection after pulling from a stop sign.... It is frightening to believe this was a software issue that Acura would not admit existed. It took 8 months for them to get this problem fixed for me. They didn't even mention it's fix in the software description sent to the Acura dealership mechanic. I learned about the fix in one of these blogs.... I did learn that there was a class action lawsuit filed about this problem..... My vehicle was one of the first off of the production line in September of 2014 and I expected minor glitches since it was a new model but nothing that dangerous. ( I think the "fix" on this car's software was delayed because they had a bigger problem with the 8 cylinder version where customers were parking their cars into a "false" park mode. People were getting out of their cars and they were rolling away and striking other vehicles. According to my mechanic, Acura halted all sales of the 8 cylinder version and wouldn't even let their own techs work on them. They sent a dedicated team to come out an inspect all of those vehicles. If I remember properly, they may have fixed that problem by January of 2015.) I felt that Acura made the 8 cylinder problem a priority over the 4 cylinder transmission software problem. I never knew when my problem would occur. It had nothing to do with a cold start. It often would happen after a mile of driving and always after pulling from a stop sign. It once happened on my way home from a 3 hour drive...Once again, after stopping at a stop sign and pulling onto a highway. I had no accidents with the vehicle since I never chanced pulling out into oncoming traffic. I haven't checked this blog in a while and hope that other problems were fixed with the April 23, 2015 software update.

someguy11

Thanks for returning and taking the time to close the loop on your story. I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Cars like yours are the reason the TLX is near the bottom of the list for initial quality and long term predicted reliability. The sad thing is that your returned lease was likely run through the car wash and put out on the lot as a CPO. It's probably out there scaring some new owner who is completely unaware of AZ, TSBs or class-action lawsuit.

I have the V6 and can attest to how serious its ZF9 transmission problems were. I didn't have the shift to park failure issue. That was serious - as in handled like a safety recall - but I did have the hard shifting and wonky behavior that warranted replacement.