Mine has never had a highway vibration with the factory tires. V6 FWD. My snow tires got a bit of a shudder at 75ish but the factory ones are smooth.

I also didn't have any sluggishness when you stand on it , once it gets in the right gear anyway. Once it starts moving it gets well into "go to jail, car towed" category pretty fast.

 

No vibration on a FWD configuration is not surprising, as this issue is primarily associated with AWD.

 

We have a 2015 SHAWD with similar issues (or is it all related). The dealership has been no help whatsoever, only mentioning "that is normal" when I have them take a look. Basically, in Sport+ mode, there is an extremely rough downshift between 3 and 2 as well as 2 and 1. Every. Single. Time. The only workaround I have is to quickly switch to normal Sport (not Sport+) mode before I begin to downshift. Is this related to the transmissions issues or am I just bothering the dealership? It's such a shame, because (outside of Sport+ downshift issues) I really love this car.

 

There are a few technical service bulletins related to the shifting of the FWD and AWD vehicles. Here is a thread with a list of all technical service bulletins for the 2015 TLX : https://acurazine.com/forums/fifth-g...letins-914607/

There is nothing "normal" about the shifting. That's Acura's BS line and what several dealerships have been parroting because they can't solve the issue completely. This thread is proof of that. The only reason it's calming down is because people have given up and moved on to other vehicles, have had their transmissions replaced and it has improved the shifting, or have decided the myriad of software fixes for the shifting in this transmission is "good enough".

 

So I got the car back last night.
Initially the technician test drove the vehicle, confirmed everything I stated above then ordered the Transmission. At some point after that, Acura put the tranny on hold and required the dealership to do some "snapshots" of the transmission. I have no idea what that means, other than I guess take a reading of the transmission when it's doing this behavior.
After those results were sent to Acura, the new transmission was ordered.

When they removed the transmission they found that the transmission fluid was contaminated with coolant. What I was told is that the internal oil cooler was leaking coolant inside of the transmission. In the cars and trucks I've worked on, the tranny lines run transmission fluid up to radiator or on my snow plow truck, it has a separate cooler that help keep the trans oil temps in line. This sounds like something else to me, as if engine coolant is piped through the transmission. Maybe it has a dedicated cooler? I can't confirm either way, other than what they told me.

Anyway, I drove it the 40 miles home last night. There was an accident so I sat in stop in go for at least 20 minutes. I can say that the 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4 shifts are beautiful in either direction. It's never been this good and it behaves just like any car that you would expect.
That said, there still is a problem. The 4-5 shift has an engine RPM flare under moderate acceleration. Like it's disconnected, the engine revs and then it catches and off you go.

This happened 4 times, each subsequent time it wasn't as bad as the previous.
I drove the car to work this morning(40 miles) and it did it once, very minor. I'm going to run this a few more days and see what happens. I'm hoping something is being learned or broken in.

Everything else is much improved. With the exception of this one issue, it feels like a different car. I have not done any hard acceleration simply because I want the thing to get settled before it gets beat on.

 

Did they install the new transmission? That wasn't clear given they may have used the coolant as the cause of the original problem.

Anyway, if the 4-5 shift is improving it may well be "learning" how to shift again.

 

Sorry, yes, they installed a refurbished transmission. I don't believe that a transmission could survive having coolant running through it. Transmission fluid is engineered to do a lot of things and introducing a non lubricating fluid like engine coolant is a freight train to failure.

After the trip home last night, 40 miles, a trip to get some food(6 miles, 800 foot down the mountain into town and back) and the trip in today, 40 miles, I can say that the 4-5 shift is almost normal. It is clearly learning to shift better. Under normal acceleration, you wouldn't notice it unless you were specifically waiting for it.

 

The most frustrating aspect is that the dealer is obviously trying to make it as hard as possible to troubleshoot and answer my questions. They won't even acknowledge the concern, passing it off as "normal" each time. Hell, I had to get them to at least initial the the TSBs that I printed out for them since they were clearly ignoring the request. (I sat and watched the car sit without movement for the hour that they needed for testing.) Once they realized that this was documentation and telling the customer to pound sand wasn't an option, they finally realized their support system was out of date and didn't even contain the TSB. Long story short, they set up appointments with "district managers" to verify the issue (who didn't show) and repeatedly blamed the confusion on "corporate" scapegoats.

 

After 2 trips to perform updates on my transmission, they finally replaced it on the 3rd visit. So, while I was really disappointed with the car initially, the new transmission cured all the old problems. No more head-jerking shifts in to 2nd and 3rd; now it's very smooth and so much more responsive. It used to be that I would anticipate the rough shift and brace myself for it... Kinda stiffen up. Now, I have to get used to the transmission behaving properly... I can handle that. So three trips solved my problem and I think Acura was "ok" through the process. Now, I love my car again. Could it have been easier?.. yes. As a manufacturer of commercial grade equipment, we try to remedy the problem before giving up on it however, I think Acura had a known problem and the right course of action was to replace at the beginning.

 

Has anyone in the SoCal/ LA area got a favorable response from an Acura dealership for this issue? Tired of hearing 'oh that's normal'

 

Did you start a case with Acura? I called their Client Relations to start a case# and spoke with a case manager who got involved. Nothing normal about the way it shifts. It took alot of persistence on my end to get it done but the end result makes it so worth it.

 

I just want to post that my transmission now shifts wonderfully. That wonky 4-5 shift is gone entirely. It's like a whole new car. Clearly they've got it sorted.

 

Remember: "Normal" means acting as predicted. So maybe the transmission is acting "normally" according to Acura's predictions. (Shame on them.) What we are all really saying is that the transmission is not acting "acceptably." That is it in not in accordance to the class of cars that the TLX belongs to.

 

sbillard, exactly. Got a new transmission about 30 days ago and as others have found its a new car. The previous transmission worked "within specifications" for that transmission. You have to keep pressing the issue under SB 15-040 version 5. Do the software update, drive 500 miles and return and be "Still Concerned about the 2-3 shift" The instructions indicate "go to REPAIR PROCEDURE; REPLACE TRANSMISSION. Very clear no confusion. I just kept reading that to everyone I spoke to about this.

 

Check out the November 23 cartoon at Comics - The Washington Post

Artist must have a TLX

 

direct link is Comics - The Washington Post

 

lol. Hilarious.

 

It might be more funny if it weren't so true! Should have put a big Acura sign in the background. Should send this link to Acura Cust Service,

 

^^ The only problem is that Acura Execs can't friggin catch a hint even it was staring them in the face....

 

I had my transmission replaced and thought the problem was resolved... nope. It started out shifting smooth and so I was glad to finally have the problem behind me... but... After about a month it happened again. Over a weekend I noticed it doing the hard shift again 5x. So while it's not nearly as severe as before, I cannot say "problem solved!"

I emailed my service advisor at Acura but never heard back so I'm assuming he's blowing me off. The Acura rep left me a message asking me to take it back to the dealer so they can experience this while driving but not much point if it's infrequent and cannot be anticipated. So, with great trepidation, I traded it in for the new Honda Ridgeline. No more Acura's for me and this was my 4th one. I tried to enjoy the car but with the tranny, the odd infotainment system, terrible navigation and so forth I just couldn't like the car anymore... The experience left a bad taste in my mouth for Acura. The infotainment system on the Honda is so much easier to work with... intuitive and offers Apple Play which is so simple to operate. They use Garmin for their navigation system which is familar and easy to operate.

The TLX is a beautiful car and I will miss it's handsome exterior... Mine was graphite with a few add ons. But it was basically one of the worse cars I ever owned.

I sure hope Acura gets their act together because it seems to me that very little thought was put into it's design and electronics... My 10 year old TL was far superior. Who ever is running that division for Honda should be castrated.

 

Sounds like something isn't right. Yours may be a one off problem.

I had my tranny replaced in Feb and it shifts perfectly. No issues at all. Others have posted the same experience as me.

 

I agree but the problem did return and my patience was at it's end. Glad that things worked out for you.

 

Same here - I knew mine shifted rather hard in the 2-3 shift (it'll rock your head sometimes) and it's never felt like it was in the "right" gear in any driving condition.......then I took mine in for its first oil change this week, got a 2016 loaner, and that car was SO fun to drive. Transmission shifts great, it feels like it's always in the gear it should be, when you press the gas to accelerate a little bit the throttle response is great. In comparison mine is a total turd.

I raised the issue when I dropped the loaner back off and I could tell I was being fed a line. "Every TLX drives differently because of transmission learning" or "our transmissions are a little snappier than most" or "there's some variance year to year" or "our customers drive our loaners like a race car so the learning on them is different". Uh huh. I want my car to drive like the loaner (which is ironic because my car is CPO used as a service loaner at that same dealership).

It wasn't until I drove the 2016 FWD loaner that I knew I'd been screwed- I had nothing to compare it to so didn't think much of it. Mine is an early 2015 AWD (12/14 manufacture date) and it's always seemed a bit "off" from the day I bought it, but I just chalked it up to a different transmission from the TL I had.

I dropped the car back off at the dealer today so they could test drive it and "everything drove within spec" or "normal" "for a 2015" and they "couldn't find any problems"...I can recreate the hard 2-3 on demand and anyone who's a "car person" knows the way this transmission shifts is not right. Sometimes it feels like the car is on a rubberband when it's in too high a gear. I've owned about 3 dozen cars from all manufacturers, from anemic 4 cylinders to 750 HP turbocharged V8's, several Acuras, and none of them ever drove like this.

So now I have to take it back again in a couple days and drive it for the technician to "recreate the issue" since "everything seemed normal when they drove it". Funny thing is, I dropped it off real early today so it was still dark, and some of the 2-3 shifts were so violent I could see the beam from my headlights shift up and down on the road.

 

From what I've been reading lately, sounds like you should hang in there, evo. If you keep raising hell (and rightfully so), I'll bet you get the transmission replaced.

 

And make sure to let them know that you know about the relevant TSB.

 

Took the technician for a ride and we made it about a half mile before he said "we can go back" lol. I left it with them, got a loaner (same one that made me realize just how wonky my transmission is) and they did the "teach in" and an "idle learn"....I guess resetting the transmission learning, basically. Service adviser said the tech drove it after performing the procedures and it was still shifting the same way. They said I'd have to drive it for 500 miles but basically admitted the next step was going to be replacing the transmission.

Much more forthcoming about the issue/fix this time and really didn't push back on my complaints at all...I was kind of surprised. I didn't even have to bring up the TSB or the fact I'd read all about the problems on the internet so...fine by me.

 

Hang in there!! You have almost made it the end! I was in the same exact situation a few weeks ago and after the 500miles they replaced mine. It's been a few weeks now and it's (like others have stated) like a brand new car! It's a shame it took them this long ( 2+ years) to finally come out with a TSB about it.

 

Our expert predictions of reliability for 2017 cars, Consumer Reports: Luxury Compact Cars, Top Lexus IS score 84 Bottom TLX score 19. This score is not justified for 2017 because they fixed the problem and now it's a great car but it is justified based on Acura's handling of the problem. It has also infected their other lines like the MDX,ILX,RDX, and RLX. The old days of Acura being on top or near the top are gone and it will take them years to reprove themselves. There goes the resale value.

 

I've owned a Lexus and have suffered through all the problems that plagued the early 2015 TLXs. Consumer Reports has never truly reflected the reliability of vehicles and they certainly don't influence the used market.

The used vehicle market is set by Manheim and KBB (and others) and is based on actual sales, and while reliability scores can impact those sales and prices paid on the used market, Consumer Reports doesn't have a huge influence.

 

Haven't visited in a while, couldn't believe my thread is now 58 pages long! I wanted to report that I just left a deposit on a 2017 BMW 340i xDrive with M-sport package. After all of the time I spent trying to get my issues resolved in my first 1-10 months of ownership with much frustration and no luck I meant what I said: unless Acura sought me out to fix the problem (I knew they wouldn't), I'm done. This will be my first non Honda/Acura product in two decades. I will lose some money on the TLX but I'm OK with it in order to get out.

ACR, the regional service rep., and my dealer service department didn't know who they were dealing with in terms of one of the most loyal customers and brand advocates they've had. That's part of what really upsets me about this. I've owned 12 myself and my "Honda family tree" includes over 20 friends/coworkers/family members that I've directly convinced to buy a Honda or Acura product, many for the first time.

The lesson: pay closer attention to your best customers and if I need a transmission replaced that you know is an issue, replace the God damn thing, don't ask questions, don't make me "prove" anything, and make sure I go away happy so I'll buy #13 and my friend will add #21 to my 'tree'.

 

Thanks jei182 for starting this thread. I got a new transmission because of it and now its all good. Sorry it did not work out for you. You should, I hope, have a better experience with BMW considering the different price point.

 

I'm truly glad people are getting the attention they deserve. The reason it didn't work out for me could be as much my fault as Acura's. The thing is, in the first year of ownership my TLX was to the dealer more than my previous two cars combined (for non-maintenance issues) for issues relating to this awful transmission and VCM vibrations. I'm sure I could've gotten the trans. take care of but I'm a busy person and I did NOT want to work for my car anymore; not when I've been an incredibly loyal customer and brand advocate, and not when they're taking $450/mo from my account to pay for something that isn't worthy. Let's say I take it in under an updated TSB, I've still got to do this three more times! That's once to diagnose and update the software again, a second time when it doesn't work & determine a new trans is needed, and a third when the trans arrives. And that's assuming they don't pull the "normal operation at this time" BS on me again. My business should be more valuable than that and I know my time is.

BTW, I picked up the new 340i xDrive yesterday.

 

Congratulation ! Enjoy your 340 !
I may jump the boat also, but to Audi .

 

jeich - Congrats!!

 

Just as an update :

I had TSB 15-040 (the 2-3 shift update TSB) applied about a year or so I guess. The car still shifts harshly and there is still the issue of it pausing when attempting to accelerate or the pause where it does nothing for about 3-4 seconds when going from reverse to drive.

Soooo... since I had time and needed to take care of the "crimp" recall, I took it to another dealer, Goodson Acura in Dallas, since David McDavid has said in the past they could do nothing further for me with regards to the transmission. I just wanted to see if they could apply the latest revision of the 15-040 TSB assuming something may have changed (the current revision is #6 i believe and I think the revision I had done was #4 or #5). Unfortunately they said they could do the recall, but since I already had TSB 15-040 done, there were no other updates available.

I've given up on the transmission and Acura, to be honest, so it doesn't really bother me much anymore. It's pretty much assured my next car won't be an Acura. Amazing how your opinion of a company can shift because of the crappy product they release.

Those of you dumping Acura for other makes, congratulations. Hope you enjoy the new ride. I'll continue driving this car and not recommending Acura until I see fit to sell it. I see people getting excited about Acura possibly going to a 10-speed and can only shake my head. I've learned my lesson. Acura and their implementation of transmissions is less-than-trustworthy whether they design the tranny or someone else does. lol.

 

I don't understand why McDavid won't swap the transmission for you. Who is the Service Consultant you're dealing with over there? Like I had mentioned, when I brought mine in, I asked for the TSB and they took it upon themselves proactively to replace the transmission. Granted the previous owner had an open case with Acura through MacChurchill in Ft. Worth, but still!

Did you want to reach out to my Service Consultant and use my name as a reference?

 

^^^ I've seen several consultants there regarding various issues. I've gotten everything from "that's the way it operates" to "it's operating within parameters", etc. I think the problem is that I was one of the early adopters. My VIN is among the first 2500 or so, I think (can't remember right now). I had repeatedly contacted Acura and the dealership about the problem. When they told me they couldn't do anything else for me and it was in "Acura's" hands I called Acura and Acura said as long as the dealership can't find anything wrong, they can't authorize anything. So they were basically bouncing me back and forth. This was back when TSB 15-040 came out -- I think I had it applied on revision #4 which was before they started replacing transmissions right and left (I think that's another problem). They apparently had a district manager or district something-else drive the car and he said the now infamous "everything is operating within parameters" parrot response. That's when McDavid basically threw their hands up and said "we can't do anything else". That was about a year ago, I think. I'm trying not to take my car to them for anything as a result.

Maybe I'll try Vandergriff since that's where I bought it from, but I think they were the first ones I took it to and got the "operating within parameters" canned response back when this TLX transmission issue started gaining momentum on the forum. They're also a lot further away. Anyway, like I said... it's no big deal to me. Maybe the early ones have an issue that can't be fixed. lol.

 

I was going to pop back in and say something about the recent Consumer Reports rating but tmitch2315 covered it. For an Acura to be at the bottom like that really says something.

So disappointed to see all the stories and people still having to go in for multiple visits and put up a fight for something that should just be taken care of by now.

I've had my 2016 Lexus IS200t now for almost four months - absolutely zero regrets. So nice to get into a car each day and just be able to enjoy it. So far Lexus service is awesome.

 

You need to get the latest copy of the TSB. It has been updated to state that after you have tried the software update and after 500 miles it is still not satisfactory, you are eligible to get a replacement. The updated TSB is posted on Acurazine. It does not cover all 2015 transmissions (like mine) it should cover yours since you have a low VIN. Take a copy in and tell them they need to follow the TSB and replace the transmission.

 

Oh, I did. I had it printed out and took it to them. But all he said was that since it was already done, nothing else could be done. I don't think he had a clue. Now I've scheduled a "ride along" with another dealership and they said if we can see what's going on/duplicate it or capture error codes from it, they'll try to take it up with Acura again. Note this isn't the same dealership that attempted this a year ago before the updated 15-040 TSB was put out. I'm guessing I'm neither going to be able to duplicate reverse-to-drive hesitation (which happened again about a week ago, btw) because it happens about once every month to every other month nor will there be any error codes. And of course the bump in the transmission shift which is now bearable will be "normal". But that's just the realist/pessimist in me.