ohcello

Have had 4-5 pretty bad 'lurches' over the past 6 months. So I took it in and I'm assuming they will apply the software update. Will report back when I get the car back. PS - I got a V6 base loaner and yes, I'm glad I have the i4 : )

aggybong

To follow up on my original post, it's been about two weeks since the new TSB was applied. At first, I didn't notice too much of a difference, but as time went on, I realized a lot of those minor issues that used to annoy me have disappeared.

1-2 shift: Much better when cold, and no issues when warm. Pre-update, every morning I had the same problem: The 1-2 shift would seem to surge the engine into the 2-3k range, then snap back down, and then shift into second (theredia92 mentioned this - it feels like the transmission is slipping and then catches - now it seems to lock almost instantly). Post-update, this has not happened. This was previously by far the most repeatable and annoying problem I had with the transmission.
Coming to a stop: No more sudden jerks as the transmission tries to figure out what to do. Pre-update I found it impossible to come to a smooth stop in the car, but now I don't have to think about it. The rear-end feeling hasn't happened again, but that was only something that happened 1-2 times per month so it's too early to tell, but I have high hopes.
Normal/Sport Modes: In order to reduce the above harshness, pre-update I always drove in Normal mode, but now that the transmission behaves better overall, Sport mode is enjoyable because it no longer enhances all of the previous problems.

It now feels like I can enjoy the car instead of cursing the transmission every time something happenes. If you don't have the latest TSB applied and are debating if it's worth it, I would highly recommend taking the car in.

LAMike240

Aggy,

I too am very pleased. I will say though, that as someone who had previously driven in Sport mode 95% of the time, I now find Normal mode to be usable.

noclue02

thanks for the update aggy and LAMike. I just scheduled mine next week. Hopefully I get the same result as you guys. My car been doing it more often the past 2 weeks.

noclue02

Got my car back last saturday evening, boy do I miss my 4cyl so bad. Had the almost brand new 2017 v6 for a loaner that has 800 miles on it, love the power and hate the transmission so bad. Ya'll know what I mean lol.
For the update, I asked for the transmission update, and there is a specific TSB I want to get. Came back, the car is now loaded with tsb 15-040 and 16-012 and not the 17-015. Not sure why they loaded those two on mine since my is a 4cyl, and I believed those 2 TSBs that loaded on my car are for v6 model. I talked directly to the tech who worked on my car, and he said that is the latest that Honda has for my car.

After I drove around a bit, my first impression under Sport mode is feel like Normal mode. There isn't much different with the throttle response between the two mode. Drove it for 20-30miles later and I finally see the different, but not as much as before (not sure but maybe driving the v6 loaner made my feeling a bit different?). My Sport mode is not the same as before, slower in responsive in a way.

Shifting, I do noticed it is smoother than before between the first 3 gears. Drove it for little more than a hundred miles now, and so far no complain.
Noise, before the update, on a quiet night drive, I can hear my transmission down gears, and a bit noisy. Now, I have not hear much of the shifting noise.
Coming to a stop is ok for me. Have not feel the jerking yet and I am hoping to not feel that again. Mine does not happen as often as other. Do noticed happening more the past 2-3 week before the update, and after a day and a half of driving after the update, can't tell much so only time will tell.

I will have to call my service adviser and see if those TSBs loaded on mine are fine or not.

loved my old acura

ok the last time I took my car in for service on the many issues mainly the transmission I have been told over and over there is no service bulletin available. when did you get this done? why does my dealer not offer it. my car jerks jolts and hesitates really bad.

loved my old acura

i have a 2016 ILX A Spec and it has had issues almost from the start many trips to the dealer and they keep telling me it's how the car should drive, BULL your car should not jerk, jolt and hesitate when you put your foot on the gas pedal it is horrible and when i come to a stop it slams and jolts and reverse feels like you just got rear ended. my gas mileage on the highway has never been better than 31 around time is 26 at best.

LAMike240

See TSB 17-015 - 8-Speed Transmission (DCT) Has a Bump or Hard Shift When Coming to a Stop in the 2015, 2016, and 2017 TSB threads.

Are you in the US or Canada? If Canada, this probably won't apply.

noclue02

For those that got the update, how is your mpg now? Mine is decreased by 2 mpg, not much but it is less than before. My driving style is the same, tires pressure is pretty much consistent as before the update. The good thing is no more jerking when come to a stop, but Sport mode is not as responsive as before =(

aggybong

I haven't seen a change in MPG. I log every fill up with a program called Road Trip and it's always between 23-25 mpg,

noclue02

Mine in the past year of driving this car, it is always 24-25, mainly city. After the update, I get 22 and sometime 23 if I do freeway that week lol

ohcello

update from May: I got the Transmission update for the 4cyl on my 16 TLX and it made a noticeable difference. No lurching, no hesitation. What I do feel is more early and aggressive downshifting when decelerating... which probably is helping the prevention of lurching, etc. Overall, I'm glad the found a reasonable workaround/fix for some/most of us 4cyl owners. I hope it helps others!

JonB

I bought my car in 2014 - and the transmission sucked. It was updated and it still sucked. Last month I saw there was an update released in April 2017. I had the update put in two weeks ago. There is a noticeable difference in how the car performs. I wish when I had driven it off the lot it worked that way. Clearly Acura pushed a product that was not ready for market. But after nearly 2 and a half years, the car drives okay...no more kicking from 2 down to 1, which was my biggest pet peeve.

theredia92

I've put on over 1000 miles since the update was done on my 2016. All annoyances have been corrected with the transmission update. Acura has said that they have made small changes to the DCT for 2018. Does anyone on here own a 18' 2.4 or at least test drove one? If so, what did you think?

CheeseyPoofs McNut

^^^^

This is good news! Mine isn't bad enough for me to complain about but I would like to have it "smoothed" out a bit more and would like it to be more responsive at times. Sounds like the update may do the trick. I'll push for the update during my next oil change.

noclue02

After put in little more than 2000 miles since the update, the car has not had any jerking sensation or rough shifting (I still do sometime have the rough shift from P to R sometime where you can feel your car jerk and metal clashing sound). I also noticed sometime when come to a stop, the transmission do want to jerk but the rpm kept it at a higher range so its avoided the jerking sensation. When I turn off your car, I notice on the rpm needle, instead of dropping all the way down to 0 smoothly, it would hang around 700 and do a sudden dipped to 0. Happened 3-4 times per week since I got the update. It's also suck that my mpg gone down just a tiny bit, and my rpm is at higher range when cruising around 70-75 mph, which could be why I got lower mpg. That's all I can see with the new/weird symptoms I discovered on mine other than the jerking sensation. Down the road, with those "attempted to jerk sensation" moment, I'm afraid it might shorten the transmission life. I don't know much about transmission, but this "might" be a headache once the warranty ran out.

nebula

Figured I'd update everyone, I also had the latest update done several weeks ago. It definitely helped with the feeling of getting "rear ended" when coming to a stop, still the transmission can be jerky though. I will say that sometimes I feel like I have to press on the gas pedal harder to make the car go, can't tell if it was like this pre and post update. I've always said this and will continue to do so, this car likes warmer weather and performs better in those climates.
I hope everything is okay this winter, it's a wait and see situation.

Rocktman1

In past service visits, the service writer insisted there was nothing to be done with the dct on my wife's 15 TLX as her tranny didn't fall in the range for any TSB. I took a copy of 17-015 with us today for her service visit. At first read, the service writer was again going to claim her car didn't qualify until I directed him the line on the front page that lists "ALL L4-8-Speed Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT)" VIN Range: "ALL". He couldn't deny her car qualified now. When her car was ready, he said they did the software upgrade & it would take about 500 miles to become effective & only (1 person) my wife should drive the car. I guess we'll have to wait & see if there's any change.

JonB

This is the eve on which I will be returning my 2015 Acura TLX now that its 3 year lease is up. I have long awaited this day. True: the car was finally "patched" 30 months after driving it off the lot. But the lack of response from Acura when I first bought the car was enough for me to say goodbye to the brand. It took three patches to get it right. It wasn't acceptable.

Gen4MDX

NBPaspec

The 18 has new programming. Could be the same as the fix or could be completely new. Whatever it is, it works flawlessly for me.

madtownguy

Hmm I didn't read through all the threads but it seems most people got an update and it fixed tranny problems. I've had updates but Tranny keeps getting progressively worse and told dealer who just told me today the transmission is bad. Got 86k on it so hopefully Acura will step up and replace it. I only drive in eco mode, and have original brakes and rotors which aren't even at half life so I'm kind of shocked with all the highway miles I drive the transmission is already bad. Typically I've always replaced my Acura's before warranty but after having so many people say they get 300k I finally decided to keep them and just buy additionals. Maybe my trade in theory wasn't so wrong.

noclue02

What symptoms did your transmission shown? After I got my update around 22k, it was great. No more jerking or slamming into gears when coming to a stop. But I just hit 34k miles now, and I noticed my transmission is starting to slamming into gears again, but it was while driving. I can feel the rear bounce when it happen. It doesn't do often so bringing to the dealership will get the same normal response from them.

madtownguy

Mine did it from day one, but just got worse and more frequent in higher speeds. If coasting at say 20-30mph it would drop down a gear or just jerk forward and then go back and maintain. It started doing it worse and in higher speeds. Certainly I could have drove it for quite some time more I think. But they covered it under warranty so I'm waiting for a new transmission now. I'm happy with the way they took care of it. Compared to my other Acura's this was definitely the worse transmission, kind of wonder how long it would have made it because now I'm wondering down the road how long this replacement will go. The only other problem with my transmission was I did have a leak around a month after I bought the car I noticed. It was a slow leak and no warning light ever came on so I doubt it caused any damage. I'm just kind of shocked because my mechanic always says if an Acura has under 50k on it doesn't matter how it was maintained, really it's after that 50k that can really cause problems long term. Considering I maintained everything overboard, I change my oil at 50% and do things at usually double the rate they recommend. I'm kind of shocked something went mechanically bad. I don't think I will have another car where my brake pads and rotors significantly outlast my drive train.

madtownguy

Also I should note, it happens consistently on almost every ride. They noticed it when test driving it. It was less noticeable when I had 34k, so perhaps when you get up there further it will become more consistent. I use to pre-fight things and get frustrated with Acura because they don't work that way. Now I just assume that they will stand behind their product which they definitely did in this case. If I get another 85k out of this transmission I won't complain going 190k before having to replace the transmission myself. I think they figured out the problem though from the sounds of it and I most likely will make it longer than 85k I am crossing my fingers. Honestly I should have took it in at the 70k mark instead of waiting.

noclue02

Mine isn't consistent but starting to. I noticed when I pressed on the gas pedal after hitting the brake to slow down (if that making any sense), that's when the gears start to make those smashing sound. Doesn't happen all the time, and the sound isn't loud so I doubt Acura's tech going to hear it. Even if they hear it, I'm sure their response will be "it's normal" lol.

madtownguy

Got the vehicle back, honestly I can't tell a big difference. My tsx and mdx transmission are far smoother than the TLX. Maybe some of the odd ball big down shifts and odd things it does inconsistently in the past will be gone. Does seem to have this weird slippy feel between gears now very slight almost unnoticeable maybe that will go away after I drive it more. Probably going to sell it instead of keeping it until it can't go anymore, the service adviser didn't give me the warm and fuzzy that this one will last any longer than the last. I don't drive any different than my TSX and that has 170k original powertrain and my service guy says I have another 100k easy before anything major. Not sure how the lower end car is outlasting the next tier up but maybe they just had a weird couple of years of bad transmissions that get replaced with the same bad transmission. I don't really get it.

jimbob357

Biggie_B

If history is any indicator, the car will relearn the bad habits. Hard to believe, I know. Keep us posted, though!

yee.tlx

Hey Guys, not so much a problem, i don't think, but I just bought a 2015 tlx base model and i find it weird how the interior buttons, ie phone, info, audio etc, even the climate control buttons are not illuminated at night. This makes it so difficult to know what im pressing.. I cant tell if this is normal for it not to have any lights, or just my car lol.. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,
Kevin

Chris Garza

CybrRdr

My 8 Sp Transmission had the TSB update about a year ago which improved the roughness. Recently I had the Transaxle mount replaced because it when bad and caused a lot of rattling. Now I hear a noise best described as a Clicking/Pop sound when the transmission shifts in the lower gears.1-2-3. It only does this randomly... I'd say about 75% of the time. And of course wouldn't do it while the Acura Service Tech was servicing it. Though The Service Advisor did hear it when He went on a test drive with me. They told me to come back when the transmission gets "worse" and the technician can reproduced the sound. Great. So I plan to take the car back at 40k miles when my AFT is scheduled to be replaced. It currently has 31k.

EngineeringInStyle

Had the lurching issues and rough shift / slipping feeling in my 2015 with 75k miles and upon having the software updated and the clutches re burned in out of warranty for $36, I haven't had any issues. Honestly the car is much, much more enjoyable to drive!

fiatlux

Wuhoh, my transmission has started to occasionally clunk between the 1st and 2nd gear change. Going in, my one concern about this car (as with all Honda product) was the durability of the transmission, especially for a low-volume DCT that apparently can't handle the torque of the V6, so I'm not particularly surprised. Fortunately, I'm at just over 60K miles so I still have 10K miles to go before the powertrain warranty expires; I'm hoping if it craps out it does so within the next 10K miles. In the meantime, I'm going to do transmission fluid change (maintenance minder has not said to do one yet) to see if that clears things up.

fiatlux

Well, I changed the transmission fluid a few months ago, and that didn't really do much. There's still a jerk/clunk on the 1-2 shift every once in a while, but I can't reproduce it consistently. Happens a couple times a day. I guess I'll just monitor it while the powertrain warranty is still active, and probably sell it as soon as it expires. I'm not particularly inclined to find out how long the 8DCT will last, especially since I don't have much faith in Acura automatics transmissions to begin with.

NDNV

2018 TLX 2.4L 8 spd with 70K miles (115K kms) going in soon for the TSB concerning occasional 2 to1st gear shock when coming to stop. Kinda like someone nudges you from behind. This is the only symptom I have. Will update once complete but dealer recommended the software update right away.