fuggedaboutid

ASK for a REFUND!!! BUY another CAR, these cars are BAD LUCK!!!!

fuggedaboutid

It's official, a Ford Focus, Volkswagen New Beetle and a Volkswagen Jetta are more reliable than our Honda/Acura 3.0L & 3.2L with auto trannies.

I made this up but, might as well be true I'm sorry to hear that all of you are suffering from tranny failures.

It could be worse lol having an M3 motor fail. YES, current M3 has batches of bad motors

fuggedaboutid

Sorry to burst your bubble but, the Acura dealer in Mississauga told me that they have seen a few failures of TL trannies.

I was visiting the Acura dealer to try to buy a "used"/free steering wheel for my 2001 V6 ACcord... Some lucky TL'ers have done this.

BJSTLS

Oblio98 - I mentioned on 11/13 above that I may be a victim. Well, it was confirmed on 11/14 when the tranny died on my way home from work. I have a 2003 TL-S. My VIN ends with 001832. Do you have any totals for 2003 failures?

stuman

Can I join in the chorus? Bought my Type S in September 2001. Last 6 digits are 034775, tranny failed at 18K miles. Same syptoms as oft repeated here. Second to third slipping as early indications of problems to come. Then on the day it died I hit the gas to pass on the freeway and the the tranny dropped down to second, practically redlining the motor. From that point on, the tranny was erratic. Somehow I made it to work, had the car towed via Acura roadside assistance, and got the car back 8 days later with new transmission.
Acura did provide me with good service but I am disappointed that the transmission would fail at this low mileage. This was the first automatic I purchased in thirty years and it will be the last if the opportunity to go with a six speed presents itself to me. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option when I purchased the car.

my190

I bought my car 8/22/2002. I started to notice the problem at around 2000 miles. It would start to hesitate in first gear. When I floored the gas the engine would hit redline but I wouldn't be going anywhere. This sucks. My car has been to the dealer more times than my 1995 nissan sentra. My navigation died on the first day too. The gyro was busted and the arrow kept going around in circles. It's been less than 3 months since I bought this car but it's been broken half the time. Also did you guys notice that the trunk lid is asymmetrical? If you follow the body line of the car one of the corners towards the rear windshield sticks out. I thought it was only on my car but the cars in the dealer had the same problem. I'm surprised japenese engineers didn't pick up the problem and fix it.

i'll post my vin when i get my car back.

eCo

Dang. I thought I was going to luck out since I was over 30k miles without a problem. But 1 week out from a tranny fluid flush, it starts to exhibit the same signs I had already read about here on this forum. <sigh> It dropped into 2nd inappropriately at around 50 mph. Surprised the hell out of me, but no damage was done. After that I started listening and caught occasional flaring after 2nd and 3rd. It flared for the dealer in the test drive, and that was that.

I asked about what was known and he mentioned 2 things he'd heard, but was not certain about them. First a bad 2nd gear clutch pack (he denied knowing about a 3rd gear clutch pack issue brought up here previously), and second, a torque converter problem. Both problems thought to release debris into the system which eventually mucks up the works. He also mentioned an alignment problem on replacement trannies, when fitting to the motor. If not "aligned" properly, they can give out. I have no idea what he means by that, but if true, perhaps it explains the frequency of the repeats, and also the incidents involving very low mileage cars.

Wish me luck on a rapid turnaround.

VIN - ...042457.
WDP 2002 TL-S (bought 11/01)
OBX headers
OEM underbody kit
WW Spoiler

eCo

copland007

That sux eCo. Here's hoping you get back on the road quick.

That is interesting about the alignment issue. The first I've heard of it. Does anyone have insight into this? Perhaps that what helped kill all my tranny's

eCo

Yeah, Cope, I thought about you when he said that. Maybe your installer didn't have a clue. You'd think after 2, they'd get it right tho.

Good luck on your new wheels.

eCo

DMan

I just started experiencing problems today. When my car shifts from 2nd - 3rd in SS it takes 1-2 seconds to shift, and when it does the RPM rises about 300-500 before finding 3rd. During that little flare it feels like the tires are spinning, but they are not. At WOT in normal automatic the transmission will hit Rev Limiter before landing in 3rd. Until today it always shifted around 6900. The dealer said they can get me in on the 5th of next month to do a test drive. I cross my fingers and hope it lasts until then. BTW: I bought my TL-S in March of 2001 with a VIN of 000574. As soon as they tell me I need a new transmission I'll report back. Thanks for this great post!!!

scandal37

Well, I just got the car back yesterday with a new tranny. Add me to the list too!

'03 TL-S manufactured 5/02, purchased 6/02 with 15,000 miles

Ending number: 024569

yogibayer

Just had my transmission replaced on my '02 TLS. VIN # 011244.

Overall it was a great experience dealing with my dealership. I felt the slip on Tuesday on my way home from work and again on Wednesday on my way to work. Took it to the Acura dealership and they said they had to drive it a while, but they finally felt it slip and scheduled me for the next Wednesday (yesterday). I dropped it off at 7:00 am and they gave me a drive to work. They called me at 4:00 to say it was done and picked me up. Hopefully I won't need another one.

TYPE-CPD

DID ANYONE HAVE TROUBLE WITH THE DEALERS FOR THE TRANNY REPAIRS BECAUSE OF BOLT ON UPGRADES.

eCo

No trouble at all from my dealer when I let him know I had installed headers, but this will undoubtably vary from dealer to dealer. No one should give you trouble as long as the sum hp gain is less than the rating for the tranny (which is 350 hp?? if memory serves).

eCo

typeSmaximum

Im out, this is beyond sickning. I ditched my Tl-S today after one tranny relacement, and some hints of more slipping. Good luck to all that try to stick it through, at least my dealer was cool. I took a hit now, and got something else, though resell will only get worse on these things, so the longer you wait, the more you loose if you change your mind on this car later. No one is going to buy a used car known to have problematic trannys unless at a big discount!

elephriend

First tranny failed at ~9k.
2nd just now at 34k.
VIN: 015248

nick79

2nd tranny being replaced next week. on ORDER
vin # 19UUA56912A004249

69tl

from what i hear the Vin # check is not acuracy or work at all.

DMan

It's official: My new transmission has been installed today. They were also nice enough to repair my other minor issues. Center console latch, One muffler was 10mm higher than the other.

This new transmission seems much smoother than my other one. I don't feel the shifts near as much.

02 TL-S
Manufactured 2/01
VIN: 000574
Mileage: 27500
.

JetJock

Got my car from Jones Acura in Lancaster Pa...April 2001
Vin # 009601. So far absolutely no problems at all. No rattles, no squeaks, nothing. Maybe it's going to happen, but the car seems great so far. BTW...I don't use SS much...and drive the car fast, but not do not abuse it. Changed the tranny fluid just to be safe...and it was not burnt...but did not look like new fluid. Something is going on with these trannys, but sometimes I think it's just from driving like a race car. This is a luxury sedan, and not built or designed to be raced. I know I'll get flamed for saying this but I still think part of the reason is high horsepower plus abuse. From some of the posts I read....these guys are racing everyone they find at each redlight. You might get away with this driving on a car with a manual transmission, but the automatic was not designed for this type of activity with 260hp.

copland007

JetJock:
Watch out sticking your neck out like that

As I am sure you have heard about my multiple failures (all three of them), I did not 'abuse' the car or drive like anything you just described. I rarely red-lined it a few times when merging into traffic.

The mechanical problems are not related to how anybody drives the car. The 3rd gear clutch pack and torque converter will fail regardless of how the car is driven, it just takes time.

JetJock

Well I guess it's just a matter of time then until my tranny also fails. It's such a shame because it's such a nice car and I really wanted to keep it for a long time. I don't drive it in the rain, winter, or any bad weather. It stays in the garage most of the time and still looks new. But what for? If it's going to go....maybe I should just drive the thing all the time, and let Honda replace the tranny when it fails. Dammm....cause I really did want to hold on to this car. There are really no other cars that I like that are in any reasonable price range. WTF.....guess I'll just drive it and not worry about it. Thanks for the advice.

copland007

I know exactly how you feel. I went through the same thoughts when I was getting my car lemoned. I just couldn't find anything on the market that offers anything close to the TL with features/price anywhere close to it.

It pretty much comes down to if anyone has a TL in the 'extended warrantee', just drive it. It is a hit and miss. It either will happen or not, and if it does, roll with the hit and live to tell another day.

It really is horrible that this has happened to such a well known brand. It will be very hard for me to return to Acura/Honda after all of this. I accepted an 03 TLs in trade for my troubles because I couldn't justify taking a financial hit on getting another brand new car after only 1 yr of having my 02 TLs. It will be a much different story come time for my next vehicle.

-copland007

Norcal_02_TLS

Can I add my car to the list? VIN 035956, 02' TLS that is on its 4th transmission and I am currently pursuing a Lemon Law buy back with Acura.

oblio98

Holy cow! Who dug this thing up??

I think the mission of this post has been completed and it should be locked for posterity. It was last updated last December.

Any T failures since then are just not news anymore.....

:-jon

2002TLSNavi

I know it's not really news any longer, but my '02 TLS (38k miles) just had a tranny failure the other night. Driving home from work, it would hesitate for 2-5 seconds between leaving second gear and slamming into 3rd. Brought it to the dealer the next day, and they said it would be about 2 weeks before they could get the trans replaced.

They gave me a rental from enterprise. A mercury sable that looked pretty abused, had no CD player, stained and cigarette burned seats, and smelled like smoke. Needless to say I dumped that off the same night. Now I'm back to driving my old '90 corolla (106k miles, never a major problem). Makes me really glad I decided not to get rid of it when I bought the TLS. Little lacking in leg room (I'm 5' 7" and not too comfortable driving it) and HP (I think it made about 97HP new) but at least all 3 gears in that auto trans grab.

eyesnake02

I have an 03 TL-S so can u guys tell me if mine have a problem or not. and when after the date is it safe for my year to not have tranny problem

jazkc

jazkc vin # 045408 gone at 22,500 miles 2002 tl-s

Ripped

Noticed this was an old post so deleted my info

Hokie D

Exactly. My wife drove my TL-S with the kids and she doesn't drive aggressively as you can imagine. The sportshift was used by me maybe 3 times since I've owned the car...pretty much useless feature if you ask me.

We were fortunate we made it to 40K before the tranny went so perhaps driving style can prolong the tranny, but the tranny will fail - it's inevitable.

Michael Wilson

Vin# 069665
same as everyone else. Problem started after a full 100k service with timing belt change. Tranny began to slip when making gear changes, grinding noise from engine area and sometimes a violent shaking of engine also when changing between lower gears. Acura said to replace the tranny, that was in 2006 with approx 105k. I am still driving it today with approx 185k and have all the same issues anlong with the d5 light that has been consistently blinking for the past year or 2. I will simply drive it till it dies!!! Good luck with your acura, they are still the best option available...

Mike wilson

kzoocura

Although I bought my TL over 2 yrs ago and it had 203,000 then it also had its 2nd trans with no miles on it. I never used sport shift with exception of a few time and I just started having problems. These have been hard miles with several 700 mile round trips at least twice a month. I'm testing the car and it passes w/flying colors but I seem to have lost some fluid along the way

frankjnjr

Hey kzooacura, how many miles on the car now? You say, " I just started having problems". What kind of problems are you having? How are you "testing" the car, that it passes with flying colors? Any transmission fluid leaks evident? It has been my experience that checking the transmission fluid level on our cars is not as easy as most cars! To make checking the fluid process easier for me, I bought an additional transmission fluid level dip stick, and painted the bottom 3" black, so i could see the level more clearly. I always check the level when the transmission fluid is hot, with the car positioned on the same level spot, right after turning the engine off. I bought my 03 TLS 3 years ago @ 196,700 miles, 232,256 miles currently. No available records of previous transmission replacement but I do know the transmission was replaced, at some point, because the bar code lable on the transmission shows it as an ( RMK ) Unit, no (BLUE bolt heads, and no oil cooler. You say, " it had it's second trans with no miles on it" when you bought it. Do you know if the second trans was a newly remanufactured trans, or a used trans. Does the trans have the (BLUE) bolt heads. Is the trans equipped with a factory recall type trans oil cooler.