I'm not taking it in for this any more, but I'm going to complain about it every service appointment and make Acura keep telling me its as designed. I want the documentation for liability or future class action if someone figures out how that can happen.

 

Great idea! I plan to change dealerships soon, I will keep bugging them every oil change or every weekend I have nothing to do

 

The case manager called me today. Very nice lady. (Maybe she's just trying to kill me with kindness. )

Anyway, she said she would contact my dealer and check on the records, etc., and get back to me by the end of the week.

Very nice lady.

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I got a very nice lady who later told me someone from ACR would contact me. They contacted me and basically said "well, the dealership says there's not a problem". Of course the dealership had told me it was Acura corporate that had refused to take the case further and that I should contact them.

Who knows... maybe you won't be on the Acura BS merry-go-round and instead win the TLX transmission lottery. Good luck!

 

The majority of people on here that have had their transmissions replaced, had it done at the dealership level. Ninety percent of the people that dealt with ACR got a flat out 'not gonna help you' attitude, and that is coming from Acura themselves. When I say conspiracy, I mean at the corporate level, Acura is not interested in helping anyone with this problem.

The dealerships seem to have more of a vested interest, and therefore depending on who you deal with, you may have more luck, but Acura themselves just don't care. They apparently think that this will just blow over and have minimal affect. I think they don't have a clue.

 

Well, it's kind of a game ... the dealer tells the customer they can't do anything without Acura's approval, so we're forced to go to Corporate. Then Corporate goes back to the dealer, and it's up to the dealer to convince Corporate that it needs to be done.

Acura Corporate KNOWS there is an issue. They are (understandably) trying to keep a finger in the dike and replace no more of these things than they have to. So it IS up to the dealer to push the issue, but they have to have Corporate's okay before they can do anything.

I've dealt with both the Service Writer and the Technician at my dealer, and I think they'll go to bat for me. We'll see.

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So I have a few observations that I least perceive, but have not fact to back this up. I have had the latest TSB for about 6-8 weeks that fixes the downshift issues. I recently switched jobs so my commute is different with more stop and go. I did notice the downshifts were mostly fixed, still some minor issues, but much better.

I had had been running my car in sport mode since early on because the normal mode was awful. During my new commute I decided to try the Start/Stop because I spent much more time stopped than I used to. First I am not a fan of Acura's as it is laggy, but if you anticipate moving and ease off the brake the engine will start with enough time before you hit the gas. That said I swear the tranny felt far worse when using stop/start than without. I don't know if that is the lack of tranny fluid flowing all the time, of varying temps as the engine sits, but when I stopped using stop/start the tranny feels better. Again perception, no fact to back this. Also I decided to try normal mode again and again maybe it is my imagination, but normal seems more tolerable than I remember. Tranny is still junk in my opinion, but it does seem a tad better. I will also say that the car feels like crap when the temps get over 90, the thinner air, crappy laggy shifts just make the car as far from a thrill to drive as possible. Now when the temps are in the sweet spot, 50-65 the car is very tolerable. Too bad I don't live in the NW where I can get more of those temps ;-)

 

hmmm.... I've noticed that my updated late build 2015 FWD has lost a little of the downshift improvement in Normal mode I first noticed when the software was installed. Not much but noticeable. I wonder if that is a result of the hotter temps in Houston. It is still better than the factory software but the improvement is less in Normal mode. Sport mode is still much improved, especially when driven a little more aggressively. Tonight I drove home in Sport mode and was heavy on the gas and my mileage was higher than yesterday's commute in Normal mode. Odd.

 

I am finding that Sport mode the tranny is less predictable and I encounter more laggy shifts. I almost want to go to the dealer and tel them to reset the tranny learn mode so I can see what happens.

 

LOL. It seems like my transmission shifts a little better when it's hot. It's been over 90 for the last several days here, and I thought maybe the thinning of the trans fluid made it shift a tiny bit better. I don't know - tomorrow it may shift like crap in the heat.

In any case, mine has always shifted pretty smoothly if i punch the gas and stay on it ... but you can't do that in normal driving. This trans seems to be tuned for hard acceleration.

 

That's funny, because mine car is in the sweet sport from engine and tranny if temps are say 55-70F outside, engine is good even colder, but the overall car seems to be in the zone ~55-70 and days over 90 I wish I had a daily driver other than the TLX.

 

The one thing you can say about the 2015 transmission is that you absolutely cannot predict what it is going to do from day to day, minute to minute on any given car.... and.... that it will also vary from car to car. I wish Acura would turn off this learning mode because it is crap. The very premise of a learning transmission implies it will be changing its behavior and that is the last thing I want it to do. I want to be able to predict what the transmission is going to do. A learning transmission is nothing anyone was asking for and no one is benefiting from and certainly cost money. By definition that was all wasted money and effort. So many other things people want and don't have that that money could have been spent on.

I hope some engineer at Acura never gets the idea of a learning steering system. We'll all be dead.

 

Rocket_man That is the truest of statement about the 2015 9at. I named my car Sybil for all its different personalities (have never named a car in my life). Anyway, picked up my car about a hour ago with new 9AT and TC (06200-5J4-A80RM) drove it for about 15 miles back home. Like night and day the 2nd to 3rd delay/bump and most or the other complaints like the parachuting down shift are gone. Service manager said will need some time for the trans to learn and should get better over short period of time. Of course I heard that after each software update, and as we all know, the up dates (if they worked at all) were only temporary. This is just a suspicion, but it appears, if you have a 2015 9at that the TSB 16-012 is applicable to, you are not going to get a new transmission. i think only early builds are getting the new 9ATs. I Based on observations of the boards/threads/etc, but I could be wrong. I will report back in a week or two after I have had some wheel time and learning is complete. Hoping for an advantageous statistical anomaly.

 

What do you think the "early build" range is? My VIN is 11164, build date 11/14.

 

My estimation of early build range is TLX with vins below the below.

TSB 16-012 applies to:
2015–16 TLX V6 2WD with 9-speed A/T 19UUB2…FA021489 and later
2015–16 TLX V6 AWD with 9-speed A/T 19UUB3…FA007728 and later

SO
if your car is a 2WD - YES you might get a tran
if you car is a AWD - NO I think a new tran is remote at this point.

However, this is only speculation on my part. I base this speculation on My vin not being applicable for the 16-042 TBS (and what this tbs is suppose to fix) which is clearly a problem for 9ats with lower vin #, so why would they not apply this to all, if it fixes a standard problem (and that could also be speculated), unless they have a different fix for those who were early adopters and are vocally complaining (that fix being a new transmission). After 17 month, 4 visits, 4 updates, 3 relearns, 2 ACR reps and a Regional rep, I asked in a Call and letter for a new transmission. And one additional test drive with service manager later, voila a new transmission.

Even if i am right (probably not) and you are a later build, Keep fighting.

 

^^ My build is in the 2000's and an 8/14 build... I'm one of the ones they said "it's normal" and they can't do anything about it to.

 

After each visit and update and relearn, I was told "your car is operating per design", to which I would replied, so your telling me Acura intentionally designed a defective product, to which i just got blank expressions and no answer. The "is normal" answer is pretty universal for everyone with 9at problems. Rocketsfan keep fighting, the right combination for me was the regional ACR and Top Service manager (KEY) at dealership agreeing with my assessment. If your dealership won't help try another (If possible). WHAT A PITA!

 

Just checking in and see that many of you are still getting the standard "normal characteristics" lip service from Acura. Keep fighting and be a squeaky wheel. Don't give up!

 

My take on this is if your transmission was built before late 2015 then it is one of the crappy ones and should be replaced by Acura. If you have read any portion of this thread you can see that it is not easy to get done. Good luck.

 

It's really not worth my time and effort anymore. With all the issues my car has had, I've pretty much lost faith in Acura with all the BS they gave me trying to fix this transmission. I'm content trying to convince others not to buy an Acura now. So far that count is up to 3 or 4 people now and it's really not that difficult ... I just let them ride in my car and tell them the issues I've had. Nothing speaks better on Acura quality than one of their final products "operating within normal parameters", I say.

Congrats to those of you who have had yours replaced, though. I've driven a 2016 that had a smooth transmission and know the difference.

 

^^ You know, I REALLY hope Acura reads this....In my opinion, what you are doing is exactly the best service you can do to Acura. If they are so delighted in telling affected customers that their cars are operating as per normal, then they should be delighted that you open your car to show them how great they are built. When you treat your customers like crap, you get what you deserve...Good for you!

I was a HUGE Acura guy but seeing these threads have really left my confidence and allegiance to the brand quite affected. I love the styling of the TLX the problems and how they have been handled has left me cold. I am still willing to entertain getting another one but I am not as eager as I was.

For the record, I am not trying to bash on the product itself or be disrespectful to owners, I just want Acura to get their thumb out of their ass and treat all owners of TLX with what they deserve....Get these damn issues fixed and do the right thing.

 

They wont! and they lie stating we are always on top of these forums.. my count is 2 right now. one of them was looking for a second car and wanted a TLX, he is now looking at a fusion.I did not exaggerate one bit, I just spoke of all the issues I have had and how every single issue went to ACR and how they were handled. they moved on

 

Today it was ~95 degrees here in Houston and I go to drive home from work and the transmission feels like it did before the software update. What the hell Acura? How is a transmission so affected by the outside temperature? The temperature of the transmission itself must be much higher than ~95 just from heat from the engine and internal friction. I just don't get it.

 

I take my car in for B16 tomorrow - I'm going to complain again and see if Acura has actually changed how they are treating the issue. Curious to see what they say....

 

Seems whenever it is over 90 outside car is crap, tranny seems laggy and confused a bit. Dislike this car more and more, can't wait for lease to end or at least a point when I can trade it with little or no loss.

 

Mine also gets much worse when it's 90+ degrees with the A/C on. Really hope they'll replace my transmission as I love this car, but have no problem heading over to Lexus if they don't make it right.

 

That amazes me. Mine is just the opposite - I think the heat thins the trans fluid and makes mine actually shift smoother. The Acura rep is probably going to tell me my trans is working fine.

 

mines getting worse, now a days when it goes from 2-3 and immediately 3-2 i.e accelerate and stop situations, it feels like I am going over road bumps!! In a way I am happy that the transmission is doing this and hope it gets so worse that the transmission disintegrates soon..

 

Yeah it's weird, like when I'm going 20 mph or so and want to casually speed up (not full throttle) it'll give me this strange feeling that I'm riding over tiny bumps or something, even though I'm on smooth pavement. This usually gets worse in the heat. It just feels so powerless when I put my foot down and I'm sick of it. I've had a loaner for about a week and the SM at my dealership is checking with Acura to see if I can get a new transmission..fingers crossed!

 

I made a facebook group very quickly.Called Acura TLX issues. Never made my own group before so make as much fun of it as you want. Please join. We will make a list of people with issues. Every Acura TLX ad you see on facebook, link the group in the comments section. Lets bombard them.


https://www.facebook.com/groups/7121...66123201889384

more discussion here.

2016 ZF 9 vs 2015 ZF 9 - Page 13 - Acura TLX Forum

 

I had an interesting experience today.

I dropped my car for the B16 and raised the issue of the transmission again. My dealer had a lot of service loaners to chose from so I was able to get my exact car, just 6 months later in the build cycle. I have a SH-AWD V6 Tech built in January 2015, and this was the exact car but built in July 2015.

I put it through it's paces on the way home - same commute, and I did about 20 extra stop and go's the same way I did for my car. No shifting issues what so ever. The 2-3 shift is as smooth and undetectable as the rest. I went over to sport+ and used the paddles, where it's really bad in my car. Same - no hesitation in the 2-3 shift at all. No lag, no bump, just click and shift.

The delay when dropping into a passing gear on the highway is still there, but there is an improvement. My car (if you floor it at say 50 mph) just sits there for a good 1.5 -2 seconds with nothing, then a hard shift and launch. This car made some intermediate shifts right away, then maybe a 1 second delay, then the big shift and launch. Still there but better. Might just be the nature of the beast. Which I could live with easily if the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts were that smooth.

I e-mailed my observation to the dealer - mostly because they claimed to do a comparison drive with a similar vehicle and there was no difference. Well maybe if the 2015 was old enough that would be true. But I strongly suspect the July builds and on have the updated 2015 transmission in them - the one they seem to be using to replace the old ones for the lucky chosen.

But the evidence was clear and undeniable - my Jan build does not drive the same as the July build. The July build was as it should be.

My dealership is going to push it up the chain - now it's wait and see.

 

My loaner is a 10/15 build, it has the 2-3 rough shift but overall it's not as bad as my car. Not sure if it needs a software update or what.

 

I think the updated 2015 transmission was some time in Jun 2015. Just estimating based on the VIN build numbers. Mine is a Sep 15 build and your experience of the transmission is about the same as mine. The software improved it, but it has gone south in the heat this week. I'll have to sell this car in cool weather.

 

It's not all that hot here right now so I can't see if there is a difference yet. It's actually a June build according to the sticker. Has 2K miles on it.

I was laughing at myself on the drive in because I've become so accustomed to the bump at 2-3 it's strange to not have it.

But, this car affords me the opportunity to show the district rep (or anyone else for that matter) how different they are. So the claim my car is similar to the current ones is not true.

 

Yesterday, I spoke to the ACR(Canada) and there's in fact that a bulletin saying that the shift is the characteristic of the car which i dont believe at all. My car did get a transmission replacement but it still shift like crap. I was told by the ACR that they did put a different clutch pads into my car(that is in the 2016 tlx for it shift better). I dont have any other way to complain. I wasted 3 months of time talking to my dealership and the ACR..i have given up.

 

Dammit, I'm supposed to meet with the Acura rep in 10 days and mine has been shifting really well all of a sudden.

It's just like everything else with cars ... it's shifted roughly for 14 months, but now that Acura is going to check it out it starts acting better. They're going to think I'm nuts.

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I'm going to take a hit and end my lease soon with a Mazda or wait for a huge promo from lexus at the end of the year.. i hate this brand and this car.. it doesnt drive well.. makes me mad on this.

 

so does this have our ZF9 inside of it too?

Jeep that killed Anton Yelchin was recalled for dangerous error - NY Daily News

 

kuzdu; I don't believe it's part of that group; my brother-inlaw has a 2016 Jeep, that has Tranny problems; notably, NOT being able to get OUT of Park!
Plus he has an odor in his car that smells like burning rubber
It's been back to Jeep 3 times; they'rte trying to swap it, for a new one; we'll see
Anyway, after my 2015 9 speed got swapped for the 2016, version, all is well; hallelujah!
The quicker that Acura recognizes the overall problem, the faster we'll all become Acura buyers again

 

How many miles do you have? Mine really started settling down at about 29K.