CPR - is this the issue your talking about? Chrysler?s Shifty Shifter and the Wacky World of Defects | Safety Research & Strategies, Inc.

If we all opened a case with the NHTSA re the transmission not shifting and/or free wheeling, maybe they would see it as a safety issue.

 

It is not the ZF9 that is the issue, I believe it is the shifter and how Jeep implemented it.

 

The Grand Cherokee he was driving uses an 8-speed automatic. The Cherokee uses the 9sp ZF the TLX does and they've had all kinds of issues with it, too. For your reading displeasure : Jeep Cherokee ZF 9-Speed Transmission Problems

 

Mostly this is a very sad lesson in not using your parking brake. There is a thread somewhere on azine about people complaining how the car can roll a little if they only use the PARK setting in the transmission. I NEVER leave my car without the parking brake on, engine running or not. It is so simple to do, takes less than a second. Pretty sad that this person died if all they had to do was to apply the parking brake.

The other difference is that FCA built their ZF transmissions under license and I think that included making some modifications to interface with their AWD system.

 

Shouldn't have to use a parking brake with an auto unless your on one massively steep hill. I drove standards for near 20 years, parking bakes for them is a must. Auto's... should not roll as much as the tlx does. Non of my Accords ever did. I could back up to within an inch to a wall or another car just for kicks using the camera, and put it into park and the car wouldn't move. I'd never attempt it in the TLX as she rolls too far when put into park.

 

I just broke 20,000.

 

No update on my car yet but this loaner (2015 TLX, SH-AWD Tech, June 15 build) is a pleasure to drive. I've logged about 200 miles so far. Every now and again you get the faintest hint of what used to be the 2-3 shift lag, but you'd never notice it if you weren't attuned to the defective behavior of the other transmission. I'd be thoroughly happy with this transmission. Perfectly smooth shifting, and the downshift lag is vastly improved.

I'm telling you if Acura were just smart enough to fix this for the dozen or so in this thread that have the problem a lot of bad press goes away.

 

It is not whether you should have to or not. Shouldn't have to wear seatbelts but we'd agree you are dumb if you don't. And it also doesn't matter if an incline is 'massively' steep. If that Jeep weighed 4,000 pounds and the driveway was at a 7 deg incline that is ~500 pounds of force pinning him against that brick. The parking brake is a 'belts and suspenders' way of keeping your car in place even on a shallow incline. It could save your life, or prevent the car from rolling back on someone else. It looks like his Jeep was in Neutral, even though he probably meant to put it in Park. If he had used the parking brake he would still be alive.

 

I never got why people routinely avoid using the parking brake. I use it 100% of the time no matter where I am. I grew up driving a manual so it's a habit now anyway, but I also never thought it was a good idea letting the transmission alone manage stopping 4,000 lbs of weight from rolling somewhere - seems like it would stress the transmission quite a bit.

 

You should always use the parking brake, no matter if it's a manual or auto tranny. The transmission "Park" setting is not intended to secure the car from moving.

 

Something to consider regarding the ZF trannies is that they may not function like a true automatic transmission with the dog clutches. Always use the parking brake to avoid any issues. Although many of my MT cars could probably allow upshifts without using the clutch, would I skip using the clutch altogether? Negative.

 

our other vehicle is a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 8 speed automatic that is soon to be recalled. Terribly sad to read this story. We are waiting patiently for Jeep to deploy the recall to its dealer service network and not looking forward to having to deal with getting it done. Unlike Acura, our Chrysler service center is awful. The Jeep has been great. No issues other than recalls. But getting any service performed there is exasperating. And since there have been numerous recalls
we have had to deal with that to the point where we are unlikely to get another Chrysler product when the lease is up early next year.

 

In my lifetime my absolute worst service experience was with Chrysler. They charged me for a service they never performed, which led to a failure, which led to another failure. I was out hundreds of dollars at a time in my life when I was struggling to just get by. I was active duty military at the time and they knew it - so they had no problems committing fraud against a service member. That earned Chrysler a lifetime ban from me. I don't even consider them. Never will.

 

If I lived in San Francisco, Denver, Seattle, etc., using the p brake would be a necessity. Live in largely flat North Texas like I do, though, and you don't need it. That's why it annoys me that the Brake Hold feature always sets the parking brake when you turn off the car. I can't tell you how many times I've come out to my car and tried to back out, only to find the p brake set. I have to stop what I'm doing, find that brake release button, then continue backing out. PITA.

 

I got the B16 done yesterday and the tech said no new TSB for us Canadians !
I talk to my rep and to jump on a 2016 but it will cost me about 150-180$/month more on 36m lease..
Next car wouldn't be an Acura for sure .

 

I still have. 38 months on my lease.. and Im so tired of this car not because how it looks or how it performs its the transmissions is completely crap.

 

Actually the P-brake will release automatically once the car begins to move. The brake release button is right there.. not hard to find.... and take a fraction of a second to press. When I back out of my driveway I use my middle finger to shift into reverse and hit the P-brake with my thumb at the same time. Literally less than a second. While the P-brake will release on its own, it does offer some resistance which I don't like so I release it myself.

 

Still nothing for us. Sad.

 

Yes, I know. But muscle memory is strong. I get in the car, press the brake and hit the starter, reach up and grab the seatbelt, pull it around and click it on, reach up and open the sunglass holder, get my sunglasses and put them on, reach down and put the car in reverse, look up at the mirror and then down to the backup camera screen and give the car a little gas ....... and what? It doesn't move. Oh, shit ... the parking brake is on again.

So I have to step on the brake again, look down to find the brake release, press it, then recheck the mirror and screen, and finally resume backing out of the parking space.

Yeah, it takes only a second, but it's disruptive and annoying for those of us who don't live in hilly areas and apply the parking brake every time we park. First-world problems and all that, I know. But I'd still prefer that the Brake Hold not leave the parking brake on when you shut off the car.

.
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Just got back from the dealer - I got approved for a new transmission!

I did go in and take the area rep for a drive - we drove my car and the service loaner I had back to back. I learned a few interesting things that may be of value to the rest of us.

- He mentioned that Acura has in fact recently released new guidelines for transmission replacement which would explain the recent surge we've seen in this thread. He mentioned that process does require an area rep to drive the car. So it seems that owners may still need to do all the steps that would lead up to getting to that point. So it's likely people will still have to jump through the hoops of multiple dealership visits to get all the SW updates and relearn applied, open a ticket with ACR, etc. But it was my service department that hooked me up with the area rep, so they need to be on board as well.
- The area rep mentioned that there are in fact two transmissions, and the difference is that one has an "inverted clutch" and the other a "non inverted clutch". I don't know what those terms mean, or which one is the old one or revised one. He did say that the TCMs have to match. So if folks get a new transmission and the issue didn't go away, maybe they need to ask if they have the correct TCM as well (Transmission Control Module). He mentioned a recent case where they did the tranny but not the TCM, so it's worth checking.

If my car can drive as well as this loaner I'd be thrilled. I won't get the car back for about a week, I'll report back when I do.

 

wow! congrats!! the area rep in my case was absolutely unhelpful. when he did decide to drive another car that was not AWD and another one that was AWD was a older than mine!!

 

Quick question to everyone who got their transmissions replaced: Do you lease the car or own it?

 

Lease.

 

Lease as well.

 

An update on my situation: my car has been sitting at the dealer for the past couple weeks waiting for approval on a new transmission. I'm supposed to find out yes/no by Monday most likely, it sounds like everything is going well with corporate but we'll see what they decide.

A little off topic, but I can't help but look at new cars while my TLX has been sitting. Any of you guys considering a new car, look at the 2017 A4. I never thought I'd consider a 4 cyl simply because of the engine sound, but this car is awesome. I'm looking at the Premium Plus Quattro, which is a good balance between price and features. Feels, drives, and looks much more than the car costs. I have finally found my next car and will be buying it once the deals get a little better on the car, so probably towards the end of the year. The 7 spd DCT is perfect and the low-end torque is great for city driving.

 

Lease!

 

My is a lease, too.
Interesting.

 

Awesome! I know you've been diligently working towards this goal for a long time. Maybe Acura finally read all your AcuraZine posts, and got you approved!!

Hope your new trans works great!

 

When you drove your car with your area rep, which mode where you driving in?

 

Glad you asked because this seemed to matter and I didn't mention it before.

I started in sport+ using paddle shifters because that exposes the delay in the best way. However the rep wasn't entirely interested in that result. We switched over to normal, and I got a couple good examples of the 2-3 delay with the bump. That's what he was looking for. I guess the better evidence is from when the car's computer is controlling the shift, not the driver.

 

I was a little scared that if they read my posts I'd never get one.

 

Own. Paid cash.

 

When my lease is up on the TXL the A4 is a strong contender for my next car. I liked my A6 a lot and the A4 looks to be headed in right direction. Only concern is the A4 has had a spotty history of reliability. I would not touch an Audi in the first 2 years of a new gen even the A6 with very good reliability had a bunch of things int he first 1-3 years. My 2014 was rock solid.

 

FWIW, a couple months ago Car and Driver published statistics that showed about 50% of new car buys are leases. I was surprised it was that high. I'm not sure if it has any bearing on the replacement policy, aside from the fact that Acura technically owns those cars and will get most of them back and they would prefer strong resale. But I've no proof that's true.

 

Good news! My transmission is being replaced and my car should be ready to be picked up when I come back from vacation next week. The continuous trips to the dealership for this tranny have finally payed off! I will definitely let you guys know how the car drives after the new transmission.

 

1Louder--I was talking to the GM of my local dealership here in northeast Ohio earlier today (yet again complaining about the shifts--and remember I'm one of the lucky ones who has received a replacement already!) and he mentioned that the transmissions "are the same" in all of the TLXs. So I kindly sent him a screen shot of your post about the two different transmissions. Perhaps I will get some new traction now that Acura has been essentially ignoring me for the last six months. Thanks for sharing your points: they were well used today (and if I hear anything back that might be of use to others, I will certainly return 1Louder's favor).

 

I can believe that, they can hold firm knowing that unless you have a lemon law case you will be gone in typically 35 months max. Again no evidence, but if I were a company I would weigh that factor in the overall cost, but one can argue that they then likely loose that customer for a long time, potentially ever and in today's ultra competitive market that may not make business sense.

 

I was finally able to take my car to the dealer for 15-040 update. Of course with my luck they were not able to get the car to take the update. Said they worked on it for 3 hours. Had to involve their IT department. Got a call today and the service advisor told me they had to uninstall the software and do a complete reinstall so my car won't be done until tomorrow. I also had them look at a key fob issue I had and they ordered a new fob. Had them look at the VCM vibration issue that I have as well. I can clearly feel the VCM kicking in and out and can clearly feel the vibration. I got the its normal and Acura techline also said it was normal. I told the advisor that I disagreed as I could not feel it at all in the 2016 RDX loaner I had. I know it is not the same engine and transmission but I shouldn't be able to feel it like I do.

I am just hoping the software update improves my transmission. The 6 speed in the RDX shifts like a dream. Makes the ZF feel like a complete mess. The 6 speed shifts are perfectly smooth and down shifts quickly without hesitation. I wished the could have just used the 6 speed in the TLX. I would gladly sacrifice the extra gears and mpg for proper transmission. The transmission in my car sometimes shifts great from 2-3 and other times practically gives you whiplash. It is completely unpredictable the determine when the shift will be smooth or neck snapping. It is embarrassing to have people ride with me in a $40K car and give the passengers whiplash. This is my first visit to the dealer for the poor shifting transmission. has anyone gotten a replacement transmission from Zimbrick Acura in Madison WI?

 

thats exactly what I thought and the reason I asked my question. They know that leases will end and the search will begin. appeasing this population will give them brownie points. Owners do not provide an immediate benefit so Acura decides to be penny wise and decides to screw owners..
To my satisfaction, I just got Acura/Honda off 3 of my friends list altogether. Funny part, I offered my friend a drive in my car. He moved on!!

 

we have late 15 TLX AWD Advance and 16 RDX AWD Advance and I can't feel VCM in either. While I love the smooth predictable shifting of the RDX there is something to be said for the gear range of 8 and 9 speed tranny. My 7AT in my Infiniti and the 8AT in my Audi were really nice, the 8 AT in particular because the Audi was able to stay in RPM range easier.