2012 acura TL SHAWD - At 2,200 miles I've been told I need a new Torque Converter - Trans slips @ 30 MPH in and out of 3th and 4th gear. Dealship is replacing.

I hope this does srcrew up the rest of the components and bolt this on properly.

- Is this a difficult process ?

- Anyone else having this issue with 2011/ 2012 TL's SHAWD modiels?

 

Curious, when was your TL built? You can find the month/year in the driver's door jamb.

 

The torque converter will have to be replaced, there's no other choice.

So try not to think about and start worrying the replacement job. If it isn't done right the 1st time, bring the car back to the dealer to have it fix right.

Think about this. Not having the failed converter replaced is gonna screw up even more other components.

 

Will check and revert when i get it back

 

Right... Amazed this happend so early on. More concerned though if they fix it right versus factory built - I guess dropping a trans and replacing the TC is fairly routine.

 

Yes, it's just a simple bolt-off-bolt-on, disconnect-reconnect operation. No much can go wrong.

Only if the dealership mechanics start disassembling the torque converter and messing with the internal parts, then I'll begin to worry.

 

Thanks ! They said their just rplacing the TC and sending the old one back for review / analysis. Thanks will keep all apprised

 

Did you ever find the date? Curious still...

 

Auto or manual? What were the physical symptoms u felt?

 

All, Date car was built Nov 2012,
Auto not manual .... New Torque Converter installed last week - picked up the car Friday.
Dealership said they contacted Torrance Caili - no recalls or serivce updates - I know full well this will only occur when they are pressed hard however, so far so good, no slipping, hesitiation or annoying sound @ 30MPH in and out of 4th gear... I guess time will tell

 

Thanks for the info and glad you got everything sorted out. Another question, what was your fuel economy before the fix and now, after?

 

Your new torque converter should work fine.

Hardly any 4G TL (2012 included) member has reported having torque converter failures. So it is very likely to be one-of-a-kind bad converter out of the factory.

 

Interesting you ask about the fuel economy ... Its only been a few wdays but it maybe slightly worse ... I'm getting 21.2mpg before it was closer to 22-23 ...

 

All new parts, they need time to grind in.

 

 

^^^ lol

 

What kind of symptoms did the bad converter give you? Can you describe this sound you mention in detail?

Thanks

 

His problem was different than ours....his transmission was making annoying sound and hesitating @ 30MPH in and out of 4th gear...
my transmission runs perfect,no hesitation or popping out of gear....

 

I also have the exact problem. 2012 TL with 36k that had an annoying hesitation as the gears shifted. The first dealer told me it was "normal". The 2nd dealer told me it needed a Torque Converter. They stated it has been a common problem with the 2012s. I will get it back at the end of the week and will report back with hopefully success!

 

Edward, fellow Canuck, what is your area of expertise?
New parts do not need to "grind in", or wear in, or "set"
or whatever. Except maybe for piston rings which may need a few miles.
You cannot disassemble a torque converter. They are sealed units.
Just sayin.

 

My 2012 tl shawd with 25k. When I drive highway speeds and if I want to pass a car or speed up as I accelerate my rpms stay high and does not go into next gear I have to use shift paddels to go into gear 5 or 6 to bring rpms down. Would that be torque converter?

 

HMCo would never admit it if there were only a few other complaints. Takes a great number of people bitching to get the Auto Manfactures to act on an issue.

 

But how widespread is this torque converter problem ?

Seems like not everyone is being affected.

 

10/10/2013. I just took my 2012 tl with 28,000 miles to my local Acura dealership. To my surprise a new torque converter has been ordered from Acura? I see i'm not the only one. Is this happening due to the new 6 speed transmition? My friend who has the same car received at new torque converter 2 weeks ago? What is going on?

 

What are the other symptoms of a bad torque converter?(beside slipping in and out of gear....)
Thanks.

 

I have a 2012 TL w/Technology and 23K - torque converter was just replaced. Thankfully the car is running great but for about 2 weeks before (and after they tried a software update), the car was shuttering when shifting from 0 -40.

 

I have a 2010 ZDX i had my torque converter replaced at 20K miles. I didn't notice anything before hand, but the day i took it in the night before the transmission wouldn't change gears. The next morning sure enough the transmission service light came on. It was fixed and no problems as of yet.

I also have a co-worker who's torque converter needed to be replaced somewhere between 40K-50K miles he has a 2010 TL so this problem is a bit more common than people might feel or think.

 

 

I have a 2012 TL FWD, should I be on the lookout for the bad torque converter or is it limited to the SH-AWD?

 

Seems like bad Torque Convertor (TC) are normal for Honda. I used to have a 2007 Honda Civic EX (Auto) and at around 40K, the car would stutter at low speed and low rpm, typically the speed that you will have in a parking lot. Took it to Honda dealership multiple times and they couldnt figure the problem out. Finally, on the 4th trip, they looked in to the TC and realized that was the problem. It was replaced under warranty. Currently, I own a 2012 TL SHAWD (Auto), currently has almost 25K miles on it, bought it brand new, and I am noticing a very similar issues. Car stutters/hesitates at low speed and low rpm. Initially I thought may be bad gas. Not me, but my car. Did a Redline treatment, again in my car. Problem still exists. I am thinking of taking the car to the dealer and get it checked.

So seems like Honda needs to get back to the drawing board and rework their TC, that is, if they are making their own. If they are buying them from a vendor, they need to start looking for a new vendor.

 

The answer might be different, but here is how I noticed the TC issue. The TC issue usually surfaces when you are doing slow speeds, typically under 40 mph and at low rpm, typically under 2k rpm. That is what I noticed in my Civic and am noticing the same in my TL as well. The car will jerk and the rpm will go up and down by about 200 rpm. It will be like a new driver is driving for the first time.

 

Hey Guys. I have a 2012 Acura TL w/technology package. In January 2014she started shifting/bucking a low speeds so I brought her into my Acura dealership (Rick Case Acura, Sunrise, FL) and they said it was the torque converter. They gave me a loaner and 4 days later I had my car back as good as new. It does just bolt in, nothing else is effected but they had to drop the entire transmission to replace the TC. Either way I was covered for the repair 100% and she runs great again. I had 23,800 miles on her when this happened and am thrilled my back runs so smoothly again. I was very satisfied from the moment they did the diagnosis to when I picked her up.

 

Good to hear about your repair, and that it actually worked out right away. The TC is between the engine's drive plate ('flywheel") and the transmission. The TC shell is driven by the engine at engine speed. The only tricky part is that the TC must also mate with the transmission's oil pump gears. The turbine inside the TC drives the input shaft for the trans. It is a labour intensive re and re because of the design of the fwd or awd and the transverse mounting of the engine. The transmission per se should be exactly like it was before unless they also changed the software. The operation of the clutches in the TC is controlled by the powertrain computer and a series of solenoids and hydraulic circuits,

 

Hi. I had the torque converter on my 2012 Acura TL replaced at 24,800 miles and the car runs great again. I was very concerned about what would happen during the replacement but nothing did and it was great getting my car back and not having it "buck" and keep shifting under 40 mph. Don't worry - you'll be fine.

 

Not an Honda / Acura only issue. Lock up torque converters have been problematic for many manufacturers. Audi/BMW/Jaguar in particular, had a rash of failures up to 2005 (my Audi's failed shortly after the warranty expired).

Symptoms are a shudder at the speed when the converter is commanded to lock. A diagnostic code is typically stored pointing to the converter.

 

^^^^^

Audi vehicles are notoriously to start falling apart, right around the time when the standard factory warranty is expiring.

 

I'm sure you are right CJKaz.
Lock up converters were introduced in the early 80's and they have been a problem ever since. The reason they are used is to save on fuel at highway speeds. But they only save a very small percentage and it seems to me that the problems they introduce outweigh the benefits.
Obviously the manufacturers think they are worthwhile so they keep using them. Perhaps they are really not so faulty? We don't know the real number of failures. But millions of cars x a small % of failures = lots of unhappy drivers.

 

your comment at the end of your post reminded me of a line from Fight Club where they explain how a recall works:

Narrator: A new car built by my company leaves somewhere traveling at 60 mph. The rear differential locks up. The car crashes and burns with everyone trapped inside. Now, should we initiate a recall? Take the number of vehicles in the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of failure, B, multiply by the average out-of-court settlement, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one.

Woman on plane: Are there a lot of these kinds of accidents?

Narrator: You wouldn't believe.

Woman on plane: Which car company do you work for?

Narrator: A major one.

not entirely relevant, carry on

 

That was the start of a frustrating and very very expensive several years with that POS. After stranding my wife & kids twice in the snow this year, she refused to drive it. The list of parts I replaced is astonishing. Bought another '06 Accord to make it through the year. Looking at an Acura TL or TSX as an upgrade.

Reading through this site to study up on any pitfalls. Well versed with Honda's cars. Virtually no repairs in over 600,000 miles on the two present Accords and an indestructible '93 that's still around with 300,000 plus miles on it.

 

^^^^^

The Audi engineers are truly geniuses. They can design their vehicle components to last such an exact lifespan (standard factory warranty duration) that deserves all our applause.

I used to have first a B7 A4, then a C6 A6.

I kept the A4 until the extended warranty ran out. There's no way in hell that I will keep an Audi without extended warranty coverage. The total repair bills had more than 2x over paid for the full cost of extended warranty.

The then-newer A6 was comparatively more "reliable", because the repair bills at year 7 were about to pay for the full cost of the 10-yr extended warranty, then the car was totalled. But it was good that Audi insurance company refunded back the unused extended warranty coverage.

Even though extended warranty covered them all, but still the frequent trips to the dealership for repairs were very tiring indeed.

Nothing beats the top-notch reliability of Honda and Toyota.