Looks like the TSB update is from Nov per the note about "Database update: 03-Nov-2015 or later"

 

This has been my experience also. But my car didn't start running better until about 200 miles after I had that latest update done../

 

My 4/15 build SH-AWD has Low 8000 VIN and is within the TSB 16-12 VIN range. Shifting was always pretty good with most quirks being low speed stop and go driving roughness. TSB 16-12 fixed everything and it has gotten even better after a few hundred miles.

My 3G 5 speed auto also was quirky and confused when slowing way down and then flooring it.

 

It failed right around 6K miles. I started a thread about it (search for "TCM failure" in the problems section). But so far I seem to be the only one here to have that issue. In short the failure resulted in the car throwing itself into Park while I was backing out of my driveway, and did it three more times as we were trying to load the car onto the tow truck.

As for how long, it only took a day once they got the correct part. It took about 10 days to get the right part however. Acura shipped the wrong one, so in the end the dealership took one off a car they had in inventory.

There was no difference between before and after. This would have been about August 2015. I had already been in once over the shifting issue - got the SW updates available at the time. Then it failed, so they applied the SW updates to the new one and did a relearn. Same if not worse after that. I took it in a third time, got a second relearn done, lasted about 3 days then back to the way it was.

 

Early tlx owners still being treated like shit... we deserve the same fix as everyone else. Yet all acura says is... "working within spec"

 

Can't remember the build date, but I bought it back in 8/2014 and the VIN ends in the 2000's. But it doesn't really matter since they already said they can't do anything for me.

 

Your updated transmission was built by ZF, not Acura and I suspect that it ships from ZF to the dealer. Then once it is installed it needs the Acura software loaded per the TSB.

The date you are seeing on the TSB is the date of the service department's computer that has the new software on it. It is saying they need the Nov software version to have the new transmission software to load into the TCM. Otherwise they can't apply the TSB.

 

I know it was built by ZF, as are the ones being put in new vehicles on the line in Ohio. I was responding to the comment that all 2016 vehicles came with the update directly from the factory. Maybe they did.

 

I've been a follower of this thread for quite some time...here's my experience.

I bought my '15 TLX Advance SH-AWD brand new. It had 150 miles on it when I bought it. I drove it until around 500 miles when I heard a loud pop. From that point forward, I had the shifting issues everyone is mentioning going from 1-2 and 2-3. I did some googling of it and ran into this thread seeing that everyone else had the same issue. I mentioned it to my dealer just to start a paper trail.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I had some notifications show up on my dash - specifically "TRANSMISSION SYSTEM PROBLEM" and "BLIND SPOT INFO PROBLEM." While this was active the car wouldn't shift and would barely reverse. Shutting the car off a couple of times and letting it sit reset the error and all was good.

I took it to the dealer and told them about it - they found no codes on DTC but saw the BSI system issue. They did the idle relearn and sent me on my way. About 50 miles later it started shifting jerky again.

Last week I took it in for the same problem. I was called and told that my transmission would be replaced and was not given any detail, so I'm guessing they found something or have some internal notes on the Acura Techline around the issue in the community. I was shocked they went straight to replacing it without giving me the runaround and trying software/etc.

When the new transmission was put in, they fired it up the SH-AWD light came on - which they blamed the TCM on the new transmission from the factory. They replaced that as well.

My new transmission part number differs from what some of you have posted - mine is 06200-5L9-A80RM. So far, so good. No jerky shifting, no lunging, no other issues. Throttle response is excellent. I'm not sure if TSB 016-12 was applied to my new transmission or not and I'm not sure how to check, but if I have issues with the new one I'll insist they look into it.

Hope this helps someone.

 

Yep. I have literally had two different dealerships, as well as Acura Customer Relations all use those exact words. I'm sure that's just coincidence.

I've tried to ask them if it compares to the 2016 specs and all of them to the letter have ignored the question, because they know they can't answer it without having to get me a new transmission.

 

Acura has dug deeper and deeper into their deceit. They clearly have disseminated the acceptable party line to their service and customer relations personnel. I wonder if there is such a thing as an Acura encrypted 'classified' message system that they use to send this info to their dealership so that customers can never get a hold of it. Maybe they asked VW for advice on how to do this.

They are at the point now where they have committed to this scheme and they can not go back and do the right thing without being exposed. They are in the 'hope it blows over' phase.

 

Completely agree. As the 2016's and 2017's perform reasonably well, the noise about the 2015's will fade into the background. Acura is just going to ride this one out. I feel bad for those that bought rather than leased.

There is a video out about the 2017 MDX which has what appears to be the sport hybrid system from (or similar to) the RLX. The video is all about this being a performance SUV, including the "9 speed transmission". Really Acura? I've driven a 2016 MDX with the 9-speed and while the shifts are smooth you still get the same indecisive behavior and horrible lag when downshifting. "Performance" indeed.

 

Not an excuse but this is a first year car, and there are always niggles from a brand new model. (I have a 2015 TLX also.)

This is a huge thread... was it mentioned when the worst dates of production for trannys were? (I have an 08/2014 prod.) I feel the 2nd to 3rd gear bump too, but it's not "bad" IMO.

 

Uh, doesn't the sport hybrid MDX have the 7DCT from the RLX in it? I'm pretty sure it does...

 

Yeah I got that wrong. The 9-speed is still used for the non-hybrid trims, and the hybrid has a 7.

 

Yours is in the suspect range. But the problem seems to vary in severity. Some got worse over time (ie miles).

Sure people expect more issues with a first year car, but this one can be pretty bad. The worse part is that Acura has a fix and selectively applies it or refuses to apply it or refuses to even admit it exists. But they have clearly spent time and money to fix a problem that they deny exists.

 

Most of the issues that have been described are with SH-AWD. I have a 2015 V6 FWD, built 8/2014, and it's the same condition as above.

Does this trans issue only have to do w/ SH-AWD?

 

Mine is a 2015 V6 Tech and I think I have the same issues:


1) Hard Shift 2nd to 3rd. I just had an update installed supposedly to fix it and maybe it changed it a little but it didn't fix it.
2) Steering wheel vibration when cruising around 1450 RPM
3) Some shaking when over 70 MPH


It amazes me that Acura can put out a car with these defects and for the most part get away with it as "working as designed".

 

In my update I meant: Mine is a 2015 V6 Tech Front Wheel Drive (FWD) and have the same issues

 

Just curious, when you/everyone says "hard shift", how is this described? Is it like a "thunk" and a jerk? Mines more like a bump, and it's not really that troublesome IMO.

I don't know if this helps, but I never drive "spirited" in my TLX while it is cold.

 

I think the issue is with the 9-speed itself, which should impact the SH-AWD and FWD V6 models just the same. I don't think there is anything different about AWD that would make this issue different.

 

Depends on when you read this thread and which car you're driving. At one point in my ownership, it was a pronounced "thud". Now it's more like a bump that you talk about. I experience it dozens of times a day and it's mildly annoying now. When it was a "thud", I wanted to slap the idiot who ok'ed this garbage to be sold. Ok, I still feel that way.

There has also always been a delayed or wonky shifting with the car for me. Sometimes there's a hesitation or indecision when you press the accelerator, other times it gets up and goes. It almost seems as if it varies among owners. Acceleration from highway speeds seems to be ok... I think. To be honest, I don't drive this car as aggressively as I drove my TL because of the hesitation/odd acceleration issues I had when I first got it and still do at times. It's a daily driver, and that's about it. It does that pretty well outside of the "bump", "bump", "bump" during acceleration in stop and go traffic.

 

I think Rocketsfan covered it pretty well. For me, it's a bump. But really what's happening is the transmission reaches an RPM and it wants to shift - and it will hold the RPM stable for a half second then shift. So what you wind up with is smooth acceleration, then half a second of no acceleration, shift, then acceleration again. The net result is a "bump", but it's more correctly a hesitation in the shift itself.

Now in Sport+ mode making a 2-3 shift with the paddles, it's 10x as bad. There is a huge delay (like a full second) and a very hard shift that follows. That mode is unusable in my car.

Now add to that just the overall bad shifting behavior of the transmission itself - the indecisiveness, the strange down shifting, the huge and at times dangerous delay when you need immediate power (like passing on a highway).

So are the bumps a problem? To me they are when you consider how smooth the other shifts are. And I notice it every single time I drive. Add the other behavior and in general there is a lot to be frustrated about (for me anyway).

 

That's how mine was before replacement, but after replacement and application of TSB 16-012, none of that is the case anymore. There is sometimes a delay downshifting to overtake on the highway when in Econ IDS mode, but that's rare now.

Generally the replaced tranny is very smooth, so that tells me there was a hardware change.

 

As I stated above, I have leased from Acura since 1999. When the lease for my 2012 TL was up I didn't even look at another car, and was actually planning on buying out my lease and keeping my 2012 TL, but the dealership I work with made me an offer on the 2015 TLX I couldn't refuse. The bottom line is that I have put my faith in Acura.

Well, as soon as I drove it off of the lot I felt how poorly it shifted compared to my 2012. I have lived with it, but after driving a 2016 as a loaner and feeling the COMPLETE difference between the two transmissions, that was it for me. EVERY SINGLE TIME I start driving, I get not one, but two MAJOR hesitations. The first thing a transmission needs to do is shift SMOOTHLY, and I have never driven a car that shifts as poorly as this car.

I should NOT be the testing ground for Acura and a newly released transmission, because that is exactly what we were, because they have obviously 'fixed it' in the 2016. They released a crap transmission and now they won't stand behind their product. That's BS and this will be the last Acura for me, which is sad since I have been a Honda/Acura owner since 1988.

 

I agree, us 2015

 

I agree, us 2015 owners were the guinea pig for Acura. I posted my complains on Acura Canada FB and same BS with contact your dealership i got as answer. My 2009 TL was the best car that I owned. It gave me the thrill when i wanted and it felt more solid and better planted on the road. I think DWB on the front made the difference. With TLX I have sometimes strange vibration coming through the front suspension which it doesn't inspire confidence. It's not noise, it's vibration coming through the floor and i feel it on my feet and it's not that VCM vibration which is different. Anyway my car is on lease, less than 2 years to go and probably I'll give a better chances to other brands. I wouldn't discard the MMC TLX but this time they will have to really make the car excellent in order to get my money.


PS. Sorry for above incomplete reply. The Internet here on the Mexic beach is not too reliable..

 

So last week I spoke with my Senior Case Manager about the shifting problem with my TLX after the tranny swap. I asked of the dealership was aware of the 2 different version of TCM (FWD and AWD) and that it seems like they put in the FWD version which gave the SH-AWD error code. I also explained how it didn't make sense why the old TCM was put in. Anyways the Case Manager passed the what I said on to the field rep and they have agreed to order a new TCM. I'll be bringing it in tomorrow for service so we'll see how it goes. To be honest if the work order didn't mention anything about the TCM error code, I would not have known why the tranny still shifts roughly. They just gave the car back to me worst than it was before the swap and called it a day.

On a side note, the B1 Service Maintenance just popped up after 10k and from what I gathered, it seems like a pricey service for oil change and inspections.

 

B1 service is pricey for shawd owners because of the rear differential fluid

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again...
I'm over dealing with my inept service dept. and escalating to regional reps. for issues so now I'm biding my time either waiting to have my 8/14 build picked up by a TSB or to get into a new BMW. Acura doesn't realize it but I'm one of the last customers they want to lose; the list of family, friends, and co-workers I've influenced to buy Honda/Acura products is far too long to list here.

 

I'd describe it as being like a car behind me was overly impatient and tapped me in the rearend. Or like sitting still and another car rolls into me from the rear.

.
.

 

Went in for a second visit to address the 2-3 shift again along with unexpected surging at idle. The service department concluded that the hard shifts are "normal for a 2015". They mentioned their 2015 loaner vehicle exhibits the same characteristics and REFUSED to compare to a 2016. I wonder why?

Our service guy was friendly but mentioned he cannot make the call to have the replacement approved. The tech was indifferent. We have a call into ACR and will see how case manager wants to address the problem.

 

That would not rub me the right way. So if there's a known issue for a certain model year, and it was corrected for that model cycle, they are not liable to retroactively fix vehicles exhibiting that same behavior for which they corrected? (Obviously they found a need to make a change in the first place.)

The TLX was supposed to be THE car to set Acura in a new direction. I was happy with my previous TL, but this will most likely be my last Acura. (I've been partial to Honda for ~12 years since I've worked at AHM in Torrance, but my brand loyalty has evaporated.)

 

So I think it boils down to the confluence of exactly what's going on with the tranny, how you handle it with the dealer and ACR, and how much the dealer wants to make it right and cares.

In my case, I pushed very hard on ACR and the dealer (calling multiple times per day), but it was the tech and service manager working with his tech line escalation who found error codes and worked with the district service rep to get a new transmission authorized. It took some software updates, relearns, and me pushing them and comparing to the 2015 (later 2015 build) loaner I was driving which shifted completely normally.

I made a point to tell ACR that I don't want anything special. I just want my vehicle to operate the same as the 2015 loaner SH-AWD TLX that I was driving. I didn't care if it was a software or hardware fix, but I made it very clear that I wasn't accepting less.

Some of this is a game of chicken, and some is luck and whether the tech actually finds the fault codes, etc.

In the end, I got everything I wanted fixed, and although I didn't get them to buyback the car (I probably could have gone lemon law and arbitration), but I chose to take a settlement instead.

 

It's encouraging to hear that ACR took care of your car and some others here. The frustration mounts just thinking about the amount of energy and effort expended by everyone who has gone through the process and here we are, not even to the point of the acknowledgement yet. If it were my personal car, I would have dumped the car a long time ago and eat the slight loss on the car. Because it is my SO who does not want to part with the TLX, I'm hoping ACR can resolve it. She isn't happy about it to say the least and I have to hear about it.

We requested that the issue be resolved so that it drove like the 2016 we drove. We stated we don't need/want anything special and that we would deal with the inconvenience of not having the car for a week if it was for a proactive hardware replacement so that we didn't have to deal with the issue for the remainder of the lease or risk getting stranded in the middle of a roadtrip like our 2002 TL almost did before that recall.

As rocket_pup mentioned, this is really wearing thin with this dance of theirs. I get that it's typical scripted corporate CYA strategy but it's not helping customer relations AT ALL. I've been Honda brand loyal since I started driving. Rubbing me the wrong way is such an understatement right now.

 

Yes, it's been a tiring, time consuming, and somewhat frustrating effort. Buying a new car should be a pleasant and fun experience. Not wanting to continue with a lemon law arbitration case is why I settled. Acura indicated they would fight me on a buyback.

The unfortunate fact is that YMMV as I mentioned, but the only thing you can do is push and be prepared to file a lawsuit if you don't feel things have been handled satisfactorily. Sometimes it takes calling their bluff to get past the stonewalling.

At this point my car is working as it should have from day 1, and there are times I enjoy driving it, but all the "fun" and typical enjoyment of a new car has been completely removed. I'm just glad I don't have to deal with continuing issues and that that I got some compensation.

 

I despise the way Acura describes this as normal. It was normal for an early 70's Ford Pinto to explode if rear-ended the wrong way. Normal does not equal acceptable. It's just weasel words to skirt the issue.

Acura is not acknowledging a "known issue". That's the problem. The transmission has to exhibit some unspecified behavior that makes it "bad enough" to replace. To acknowledge it as an issue would mean having to replace tens of thousands of transmissions. This way they only have to fix the ones who a) complain (which is a small subset of total owners) and b) meets their criteria (which is a small subset of those who complain).

Somewhere deep in the bowels of the Acura marketing brain trust is a graph that shows the financial loss of this approach is better for the company than the consequences of bad press and combined loss of future sales, or worse the financial loss of replacing all the transmissions. I'm absolutely certain that analysis exists and is telling Acura this is the best way to handle it.

I'm a tad more pessimistic. I think it boils down to the fact you a) complain over and over again (complain, get the TSB updates, complain, get a relearn, complain again, get ACR involved), and b) your car has the magic "I"m bad enough to be replaced" codes. I think it has very little to do with whether the dealer cares - Acura has clearly tied their hands and taken the decision-making power away from them. Tranny replacements are approved at a higher level than at the dealership.

 

Which I mentioned. My point is that the tech and service manager at the dealership have to be willing to contact the tech line to try and isolate faults and go through their troubleshooting algorithm, and then they have to be willing to push the case to the district service rep.

If the dealer gives you the "it's normal for a 2015" brush off, then most likely none of those things is happening.

 

The dealership is just the "middleman" between the manufacturer and the consumer. Any warranty work above a certain threshold needs to be approved by AHM so that the dealership is reimbursed for the parts/labor.

As to why the dealership is giving you static to perform warranty work is puzzling, because they will be paid as long as they diagnose the problem correctly.

** FYI, this is why dealerships are up-in-arms about Tesla, because basically the manufacturer is selling directly to the consumer, and no money being spent on the "middleman".

 

This thread has mostly owners that have had/are having issues with their transmission. Does this problem plague the majority of 2015 V6 TLXs after a production date, or just some? (My TLX is within the production dates in question.)

I know there's a fix, but I'm just trying to figure out if I need to pursue it. I notice a "bump" between 2 - 3, but it doesn't seem that drastic to me. I can usually modulate it with the throttle, but otherwise it doesn't seem that bad.