Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | ||||||||||||||||
| 04V176000 | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) | from 12/04/2001 to 09/10/2003 | V (Vehicle) | 1099796 | 04/27/2004 | MFR | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) | 04/15/2004 | 04/20/2004 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | On some mini vans, sport utility and passenger vehicles, certain operating conditions can result in heat build-up between the countershaft and secondary shaft second gears in the automatic transmission, eventually leading to gear tooth chipping or gear breakage. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Gear failure could result in transmission lockup, which could result in a crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | On vehicles with 15,000 miles or less, the dealer will update the transmission with a simple revision to the oil cooler return line to increase lubrication to the second gear. on vehicles with more than 15,000 miles, the dealer will inspect the transmission to identify gears that have already experienced discoloration due to overheating. if discoloration exists, the transmission will be replaced if discoloration is not present, the dealer will perform the revision to the oil cooler return line. the recall began on april 21, 2004, for pilot, odyssey, and mdx owners. owners of the accord vehicles will start receiving letters on june 28, 2004, and on june 29, 2004, for owners of the tl and cl vehicles. owners should contact honda at 1-800-999-1009 or acura at 1-800-382-2238. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Honda recall nos. p30 (odyssey and pilot),p31 (mdx), p38 (accord) and p39 (acura).customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||||
| 505 | 05/16/2005 | 10016261 | Canon a75 digital camera replacement. *tt | 09/06/2005 | |
| 804 | 08/16/2004 | 10014133 | Canon digital camera loan program. *sc | 04/28/2005 | |
| 903 | 09/16/2003 | 10005014 | Warranty extension transmission diagnosis. tech line summary. *tt | 01/26/2004 | |
| 1003 | 10/16/2003 | 10004957 | Humming, growling sound from transmission. *tt | 01/21/2004 | |
| 040103 | 04/01/2003 | 10002791 | Diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p1656 or dtc 83-1 after doing service bulletin 03-002. *tt | 09/17/2003 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 02-027 | 02/05/2008 | 10024664 | Warranty extension: 3.2 tl and 3.2 cl automatic transmission. *nj | 05/02/2008 | |
| 09012005 | 09/01/2005 | 10018044 | Don't invite problems doing 2nd gear inspection. acura servicenews. *tt | 12/13/2005 | |
| 01162005 | 01/01/2005 | 10014766 | P1706 a/t switch short or open. *eh | 05/09/2005 | |
| 10012004 | 10/01/2004 | 10013909 | How to remove a stubborn atf filler bolt. *nm | 04/27/2005 | |
| 10012004 | 10/01/2004 | 10013905 | How to replenish atf on vehicles with a/t oil jet kits. *nm | 04/27/2005 | |
| 10012004 | 10/01/2004 | 10013911 | A/t solenoid replacement criteria. *nm | 04/27/2005 | |
| 904 | 09/16/2004 | 10013746 | Automatic transmission fluid (atf) filler plug stuck in case. acura tech summary line for dealer distribution. *tt | 04/26/2005 | |
| 904 | 09/16/2004 | 10013745 | Automatic transmission solenoid replacement criteria. acura tech line summary for dealer distribution. *tt | 04/26/2005 | |
| 08012004 | 08/01/2004 | 10009270 | Using the correct flash setting for digital inspection photos. acura servicenews. *tt | 09/20/2004 | |
| 04012004 | 04/01/2004 | 10009042 | Don't test-drive with the malfunction indicator lamp or d indicator on. acura. servicenews. april 2004. *tt | 09/08/2004 | |
| 105 | 05/16/2004 | 10009013 | Diagnostic trouble code p0780 after solenoid or transmission r&r. tech line summary. acura. *tt | 09/08/2004 | |
| 04012004 | 04/01/2004 | 10009040 | Repairing atf leaks under warranty. acura. servicenews. april 2004. *tt | 09/08/2004 | |
| 080103 | 08/01/2003 | 10005119 | Checking for a hole before installing a remanufactured transmission. acura servicenews. *tt | 02/02/2004 | |
| 02027 | 08/18/2003 | 02027 | 10003054 | Warranty extension - 3.2tl and 3.2cl automatic transmission. *tt | 10/07/2003 |
| 1202 | 12/16/2002 | 10002583 | Straining the automatic transmission fluid to diagnose automatic transmissions. *tt | 09/05/2003 | |
| 02027 | 02/24/2003 | 02027 | 10001450 | Automatic transmission warranty extension. *tt | 05/06/2003 |
| 03002 | 01/20/2003 | 10000992 | The 3rd gear clutch pack in the automatic transmission may be worn. *tt | 04/10/2003 | |
| 121702 | 12/17/2002 | 10000699 | Improved automatic transmission repair. *tt | 03/27/2003 | |
| 02027 | 10/11/2002 | 10000255 | Automatic transmission warranty extension. *tt | 02/20/2003 | |
| 010802 | 08/01/2002 | 637396 | Service manual fix regarding automatic transmission gear ratios. *tt | 11/25/2002 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||||
| 03017 | 09/22/2003 | 03017 | 10004691 | Powertrain control module (pcm) replacement. *tt | 12/31/2003 |
| 03017 | 05/26/2003 | 10001603 | Powertrain control module (pcm) replacement. *tt | 06/16/2003 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - COOLING UNIT AND LINES | |||||
| 102703 | 10/27/2003 | 10004477 | Digital photos of leaking cooler pipe joint bolt. certain acura models. *tt | 12/16/2003 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | ||||||
| PE02081 | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) | 10/28/2002 | 03/05/2003 | AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SUDDEN DOWNSHIFT | ||
| See attached report. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 09/23/2010 | 118000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. the driver was driving approximately 70 mph when the vehicle stopped accelerating but the engine continued to rev. the vehicle was pulled over and shut off. the vehicle was then towed to an authorized dealer where he was informed the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 118,000. sm. | |||
| 12/17/2008 | 82000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. while driving 35 mph, the contact attempted to shift gears, but the gear locked into neutral. he waited a few minutes and drove the vehicle to the dealer. the dealer found failure codes with the clutch and control module. the dealer is charging $2,400 to replace the transmission. a report was filed with the manufacturer and they stated that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission); therefore, they would not assist with the repair. the vehicle has not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were 82,000. | |||
| 10/10/2008 | 105000 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. while driving less than 60 mph, the vehicle downshifted into second gear from fifth gear. the vehicle is powered by an automatic transmission. the contact was able to maneuver the vehicle off the road. the vehicle would not go over 45 mph. the dealer stated that the transmission would need to be replaced. there was a recall on the year, make, and model vehicle; however, the previous owner already had the recall repairs performed. the dealer stated that the transmission would be replaced at the estimated cost of $4,000. the failure and current mileages were 105,000. updated 05/26/09 *bf the vehicle was shifting rough between second and third gear. the vehicle would not go over 40 mph. updated 05/28/09.*jb | |||
| 10/01/2004 | 34900 | 1 | 06/24/2002 |
| Twice, my acura tl has slowed drastically as i was driving at high speed in the freeway fast lane. both times i pulled into the right lane, and by then the car seemed to be functioning normally. i was lucky i wasn't in heavy traffic. i called the car dealer after the second incident and was told they had never heard of anything like that. my internet research found the nhtsa investigation of acura tl transmissions. i called the dealer again, and they have agreed to inpsect the transmission.*ak | |||
| 1 | 05/01/2002 | ||
| Vehicle downshifting without warning while traveling at a constant speed. *mr this happened randomly. the dealer was unwilling to fix the unit they could verify the problem. eventually the transmission failed while the consumer was on the highway, where he/she was able to coast to the berm with no incident. the transmission was replaced. there have been several other reports of this problem. *scc *jb | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 06/21/2011 | 155000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. the contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired for the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission). while driving approximately 65 mph the transmission failed and the vehicle would no longer accelerate. the vehicle coasted to a stop and was towed to an authorized dealer. the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 155,000. sm. | |||
| 02/23/2011 | 78550 | ||
| Was driving on interstate 295 at 60mph. pushed down gas to accelerate past the car on my left and switched lanes. car made grinding noise and then acted as if in neutral. i checked to ensure the car was still in drive. i kept trying to accelerate but the engine just revved, then the check engine light came on. the car behind me almost hit me due to the sudden lack of acceleration. i pulled to the breakdown lane and experimented with accelerating slowly. once it shifted to 3rd gear, i lost all acceleration. i would have to turn the car off and back on to utilize 1st and 2nd gear. i had the car towed to my mechanic. the transmission had blown. i called acura to see if they would be willing to help pay for the cost since they had extended the warranty on the transmission for several years because they must have known it was defective out of the factory. it was about 8 months past the warranty expiration. acura would not offer to pay for the replacement cost. my mechanic rebuilt the transmission and the car now drives fine. | |||
| 02/04/2011 | 75000 | ||
| I have a 2003 acura 3.2 tl with 75k miles, i am the original owner of this car which i purchase from acura dealer in may 2002. in january 2011, one day i was driving and i noticed jerking and slipping. usually between 2 and 3 gears. while pressing down on the accelerator, the engine's rpm woud go up, but car would not accelerate. and then suddenly car would shift to the higher gear with a jerk. when i took the car to acura dealership for service on friday, february 4, 2011 and reported this problem, the service center at the acura dealership responded back in a few hours that my car's transmission needs to be replaced. the lady at the service center told me that it would cost $5000 to replace the transmission and acura has agreed to cover 80% of the cost. that means i'd have to pay $1230+tax =~ $1345 out of pocket for acura/ honda's faulty transmission !!! the dealership would not let me take the car out of dealership as they said that it would be unsafe to drive. they handed me a loaner for the weekend and asked me to confirm if they should proceed with the transmission replacement work by monday (feb 7, 2011). acura should bear the complete cost of transmission replacement and provide lifetime warranty. this transmission problems are a potential safety hazard! | |||
| 01/05/2011 | 51500 | ||
| 2003 acura 3.2tl-s with only 51,000 miles. car is immaculate. transmission began having trouble engaging and would not shift. i took to honda dealer, who told me tranmission is completely shot and needs to be replaced at a cost of $4,200! the tranny was subject to recall in 2004 and had an oil injection system added. but acura dealer now tells me there is no extended warranty, even though there are known issues with the transmissions on this vintage tl. | |||
| 11/17/2010 | 60200 | ||
| Tranmission failed with 60,000 miles .vin number does not fall under recall .pay out of pocket for repair. | |||
| 11/06/2010 | 122200 | ||
| Definite problem with transmission slipping. clutch doesn't engage sometimes. trying to accelerate from a complete stop and the car won't move. service engine light came on, d5 light has started blinking and the tcs light is coming on intermittantly now. took it to an acura dealership yesterday and they said the transmission is bad and definitely needs to be replaced. i bought the car used and it had a slight miss in it but i didn't realize it was the transmission until the last few days when it started slipping so back and not even engaging. then started looking online for similar problems and this particular year and model of car, there are hundreds, maybe thousands of people with the same problem. i called acura and they don't plan to replace the transmissions because they don't see it as a safety hazard, but it clearly is if you read the reports of other people that have had very bad experiences, some traveling at high speeds and the car is out of control. a transmission on a vehicle should never go bad this soon. acura definitely needs to be held responsible foro this as it is clearly a defect in the transmission and people (like me) don't have $3,000 - $4,000 to replace the transmission. i just bought the car 3 months ago from a used car dealership who only offered a 30 day warranty and they aren't willing to pay for it either. | |||
| 11/05/2010 | 139000 | ||
| I was on my way to work. while sitting at a traffic light my car started jumping. when i pulled off from the light i noticed the engine would race but the car would not accelerate over 30 mph. once i got to the next light i tried to pull off but the car just stalled and would not move any further. i broke down in the middle of the highway during rush hour without any warning or any failure lights showing. the car just stopped working without warning even though it's had all it's required maintanence. acura recalled the transmission once and it was replaced at approx. 47k miles. i've put approx. 97k miles on the car and the transmission is completely gone for the second time. i've called several local repair shops for estimates and one shop told me that have replaced transmissions in 34 other 2003 acura tl's in the last year alone. and, all of these were transmissions that were intially replaced by the manufacturer. the second transmission they put in my car is defective. i was originally told that it was warrantied up to 100k miles. when i called in for service i was told that the warranty on the new transmission was one for 50k by one dealer and then a second dealer told me it was only for 36k. i am not the only person with an acura tl 2003 replacement transmission from the honda motor co. (acura) with this issue. acura has done nothing to try to resolve the issue. | |||
| 10/25/2010 | 91000 | ||
| My transmission began slipping when shifting between 2nd and 3rd gear. i took it to a mechanic who told me about a silent warranty that acura had on '03 tl models that was extended 7 yrs or 100k miles. whew! i'm in luck, i thought, i'm in the 7th year and i have less than 100k miles! i took it to acura who said that my vin number wasn't covered under the warranty. i don't understand how my vin number wasn't covered when acura admitted there was a problem with this particular model. acura said they'd pay for half of my transmission as goodwill, but we'd be out of pocket $1750!!! unacceptable as far as i'm concerned. the more i've looked into this issue the more i realize how many people are out there who have this same model year and have the same exact problems. the transmission should be replaced free of charge since acura admits fault with the model. i now have a luxury honda paperweight sitting in my driveway. can't sell it, can't trade it in and refuse to pay the money to get it fixed. bad form acura, bad form!! i won't be buying anymore acura or honda products that's for sure. | |||
| 10/22/2010 | 152000 | ||
| While driving on a major highway, my car died in the middle of traffic. after taking my car to get looked at, it was discovered that my transmission no longer worked. afterwords, i found out that there was a recall on my particular make and model. | |||
| 10/25/2010 | 91000 | ||
| My transmission began slipping when shifting between 2nd and 3rd gear. i took it to a mechanic who told me about a silent warranty that acura had on '03 tl models that was extended 7 yrs or 100k miles. whew! i'm in luck, i thought, i'm in the 7th year and i have less than 100k miles! i took it to acura who said that my vin number wasn't covered under the warranty. i don't understand how my vin number wasn't covered when acura admitted there was a problem with this particular model. acura said they'd pay for half of my transmission as goodwill, but we'd be out of pocket $1750!!! unacceptable as far as i'm concerned. the more i've looked into this issue the more i realize how many people are out there who have this same model year and have the same exact problems. the transmission should be replaced free of charge since acura admits fault with the model. i now have a luxury honda paperweight sitting in my driveway. can't sell it, can't trade it in and refuse to pay the money to get it fixed. bad form acura, bad form!! i won't be buying anymore acura or honda products that's for sure. | |||
| 10/22/2010 | 152000 | ||
| While driving on a major highway, my car died in the middle of traffic. after taking my car to get looked at, it was discovered that my transmission no longer worked. afterwords, i found out that there was a recall on my particular make and model. | |||
| 10/09/2010 | 86500 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. the contact was driving on the highway at 60 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost power in the transmission. the contact was driving up a hill when the vehicle began to move backward. the contact pulled over and the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealership where the contact was informed that the automatic transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was being repaired at the time of the complaint. the contact called the manufacturer who stated that the vehicle was not included in recall 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission). the current and failure mileages were approximately 86,500-bk | |||
| 09/18/2010 | 139000 | ||
| Transmission failed while driving up a hill. caused car to lose acceleration, nearly got rear ended while pulling off the road to safety. initial transmission failed at 23,000 miles. this is the 2nd transmission failing with only 116,000 miles on it. defective transmission | |||
| 08/21/2010 | 178304 | ||
| 1. the gears in my acura 2003 tl begin to slip between 2nd and 3rd gears on a saturday morning at the end of a family beach trip and soon there after on the way back home which was over 200 miles away the check engine light came on. 2. about halfway home(100 or so miles), the transmission completely failed on the open highway, and my wife and i was left stranded in the rural north carolina with a 1 year old and a 5 year old. 3. after all this happened, i learned of a recall on the acura tl 2003 transmission. according to acura.com and the dealership, this defect was fixed by installing an | |||
| 08/21/2010 | 178304 | ||
| 1. the gears in my acura begin to slip on a saturday morning at the end of a family beach trip and soon there after on the way back home which was over 200 miles ways the check engine light came on. 2. about halfway home(100 or so miles), the transmission complete ly family on the open highway, and my wife and i was left stranded in the rural north carolina with a 1 yrear old and a 5 year old. 3. after all this ahaapen, i learned of a recall on the acura tl 2003 transmission. according the acura.com and the dealership, this defect was fixed. i do not think it was fixed because of the symtoms of my transmission failure. i have called the hodaacura corporate office, the nearest acura dealership and the dealership of the original purchase of the vehicle. i have gotten the same answer from all of them, there is nothing we can do. i think this is unacceptable and very frustrating. | |||
| 08/21/2010 | 178304 | ||
| 1. the gears in my acura 2003 tl begin to slip between 2nd and 3rd gears on a saturday morning at the end of a family beach trip and soon there after on the way back home which was over 200 miles away the check engine light came on. 2. about halfway home(100 or so miles), the transmission completely failed on the open highway, and my wife and i was left stranded in the rural north carolina with a 1 year old and a 5 year old. 3. after all this happened, i learned of a recall on the acura tl 2003 transmission. according to acura.com and the dealership, this defect was fixed by installing an | |||
| 08/21/2010 | 178304 | ||
| 1. the gears in my acura begin to slip on a saturday morning at the end of a family beach trip and soon there after on the way back home which was over 200 miles ways the check engine light came on. 2. about halfway home(100 or so miles), the transmission complete ly family on the open highway, and my wife and i was left stranded in the rural north carolina with a 1 yrear old and a 5 year old. 3. after all this ahaapen, i learned of a recall on the acura tl 2003 transmission. according the acura.com and the dealership, this defect was fixed. i do not think it was fixed because of the symtoms of my transmission failure. i have called the hodaacura corporate office, the nearest acura dealership and the dealership of the original purchase of the vehicle. i have gotten the same answer from all of them, there is nothing we can do. i think this is unacceptable and very frustrating. | |||
| 08/21/2010 | 178304 | ||
| 1. the gears in my acura 2003 tl begin to slip between 2nd and 3rd gears on a saturday morning at the end of a family beach trip and soon there after on the way back home which was over 200 miles away the check engine light came on. 2. about halfway home(100 or so miles), the transmission completely failed on the open highway, and my wife and i was left stranded in the rural north carolina with a 1 year old and a 5 year old. 3. after all this happened, i learned of a recall on the acura tl 2003 transmission. according to acura.com and the dealership, this defect was fixed by installing an | |||
| 08/21/2010 | 178304 | ||
| 1. the gears in my acura begin to slip on a saturday morning at the end of a family beach trip and soon there after on the way back home which was over 200 miles ways the check engine light came on. 2. about halfway home(100 or so miles), the transmission complete ly family on the open highway, and my wife and i was left stranded in the rural north carolina with a 1 yrear old and a 5 year old. 3. after all this ahaapen, i learned of a recall on the acura tl 2003 transmission. according the acura.com and the dealership, this defect was fixed. i do not think it was fixed because of the symtoms of my transmission failure. i have called the hodaacura corporate office, the nearest acura dealership and the dealership of the original purchase of the vehicle. i have gotten the same answer from all of them, there is nothing we can do. i think this is unacceptable and very frustrating. | |||
| 07/23/2010 | 109779 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. the contact was driving at approximately 65 mph on the highway when the vehicle suddenly began braking involuntarily. the vehicle was towed and inspected and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the dealer then stated that recall 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission). the contact called the manufacturer who referred her to the manufacturer. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the current and failure mileages were 109,779-bk | |||
| 08/21/2010 | 178304 | ||
| 1. the gears in my acura begin to slip on a saturday morning at the end of a family beach trip and soon there after on the way back home which was over 200 miles ways the check engine light came on. 2. about halfway home(100 or so miles), the transmission complete ly family on the open highway, and my wife and i was left stranded in the rural north carolina with a 1 yrear old and a 5 year old. 3. after all this ahaapen, i learned of a recall on the acura tl 2003 transmission. according the acura.com and the dealership, this defect was fixed. i do not think it was fixed because of the symtoms of my transmission failure. i have called the hodaacura corporate office, the nearest acura dealership and the dealership of the original purchase of the vehicle. i have gotten the same answer from all of them, there is nothing we can do. i think this is unacceptable and very frustrating. | |||
| 07/23/2010 | 109779 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. the contact was driving at approximately 65 mph on the highway when the vehicle suddenly began braking involuntarily. the vehicle was towed and inspected and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the dealer then stated that recall 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission). the contact called the manufacturer who referred her to the manufacturer. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the current and failure mileages were 109,779-bk | |||
| 04/16/2010 | 88600 | ||
| Purchased used acura tl3.2 feb. 1, 2010. transmission failed. slippage in 2nd and 5th gear. car unsafe to drive because in traffic would not accelerate because of slippage. contacted dealership where car was sold originally. refused any assistance. called acura hot line and refused any assistance. contacted 12 reliable sources regarding replacement. contacted 6 reliable mechanics and paid for installation of rebuilt transmission. sent letter to president of customer service and telephone call placed to me advising no assistance. inferred because used car not purchased from acura dealer and installation of new rebuilt transmission not done by acura dealership would not offer any good faith assistance. believe recall should be done on this vehicle. already did one on 2nd gear and added something regarding oil and reheating. also timing belt recall. recall on 2nd gear obviously did not work. would advise anyone not to purchase this model vehicle!! previously owned honda accord and acura integra excellent vehicles. 3,.2 tl not excellent vehicle manufacturer needs to recall vehicles and reimburse customers for cost of transmissions. | |||
| 03/01/2009 | 104000 | ||
| Replaced transmission 20,000 miles ago with the dealer and now is acting up again. i have a surging problem with the rpm's in which it goes up to 4,000 rpm's at times. this problems often occurs everyday while im driving in heavy traffic. i've had an accident in the past but nobody was injured , and almost hit a pedestrian on the streets. i replaced a couple of parts and have done work to the car so the problem could go away but has continued often and everyday and i still have the old parts with me. i've had service appointments with the dealer. the dealer replaced the transmission and gave me a lifetime warranty on the new one . i believe they don't want to put a new one in , but i am concerned with my safety and others who i put in my car . | |||
| 05/30/2010 | 71000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that while driving approximately 35mph the tcf light illiminated. the vehicle downshifted and started sputtering. the vehicle was driven home and acura was contacted and filed case # bo12010-060200170. the owner was advised to drive the vehicle to an acura dealer for repairs. there was a recall but his vin is not included and repairs would be his responsibility. nhtsa campaign id number: 04v176000. the vehicle is currently parked in his garage and has not been repaired. the current and failure mileage is approximately 71,000. rd | |||
| 06/02/2010 | 71000 | 1 | |
| Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) acura 2003 3.2tl common transmission failure codes po740 and po730. shifts erratically like millions of others. vin # is not on the list. we have learned this is the 2nd time in. honda city in wisconsin - dealer scammed us. carfax did not list the repair!!! dealer is telling us to drive it in and risk our lives!!! !!! the dealer should drive it himself. honda corporate is not taking any action. 1-800-422-2872 amanda case # [xxx] . why is the government not taking action !!! *tr | |||
| 05/08/2010 | 102000 | 1 | |
| Was traveling on i-20 with family and transmission in 2003 acura type s just blew out with no warning traveling seventy miles an hour. coasted to side of interstate and had to get out and push car further out of harms way. hot transmission fluid created smoke from engine compartment and left us stranded sixty miles from home. new transmission was installed in this vehicle in 2007 at dealership with 50,000 miles on it and now it goes out again with about 50,000 miles on it. dealer would only give ten percent towards goodwill fix paid thirty two hundred out of pocket. this year and model was involved in a lawsuit in california but the vin number on my car as well as numerous others was not included but should well have been. acura service manager told me this is a weak product but that was putting it mildly after getting on the internet and reading all the consumer complaints on this exact model and year across the country. these transmissions are still defective and should be replace by honda for free. consumers are trading and getting rid of the cars because they feel they are a safety threat to their family. my daughter was driving us to a graduation when this happened and it scared her to death happening at that speed on the interstate. this product is well documented as being a piece of crap but consumers like me have no recourse but suffer the loss and hope for the best out of the next transmission. when people have to put three and four transmissions in a car with a hundred thousand miles on it somebody needs to step in and protect the consumers. i would like to know what difference was made during the vin number on my car and same models before it that were covered under the lawsuit. evidently the same transmission problems still existed in all these models. just read all the threads on www.carsurvey.org/reviews/acura/tl/r71264/comments. *tr | |||
| 04/27/2010 | 128000 | ||
| I own a 2003 acura 3.2tl, the transmission failed while i was drving it home the other day. i almost caused a major accident on the highway i was traveleing on. if it wasn't for the other driver on the road i would have been in a serious accident. after finding thousands of acura tl owners all accross the country who have experienced the same. i think it only fair to have this mater investigated by your company. acura needs to accept that they designed a poorly functional transmision that should be replaced reguardless of vehicle mileage. | |||
| 04/11/2009 | 55189 | 1 | |
| Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) 2003 acura tl 3.2, [xxx] mileage: 55,189 after driving for a few minutes, auto transmission does not pull, similar to the transmission being placed in neutral. acura taken to leith acura, cary, nc on 4/14/10. dealer service dept identified the following computer codes: p0740-torque converter clutch, p0730-gear incorrect ratio, & p0700-shift malfunction. based on these codes, dealer recommended transmission & torque converter to be replaced (total cost approx $ 3400). dealer contacted the regional acura office, which provided a 45% adjustment to the original cost. net charge by dealer $ 1,783.19. this vehicle was subject to a recall in 2003-04 (nhtsa campaign id # 04v176000). the modification to this safety recall was completed on 9/10/2004 by tischer acura, laurel, md with mileage @ 8,426. per the invoice from tischer & since the mileage was less than 15,000, the recall instructed the dealer to install an oil jet kit, which was completed. note, if the vehicle had more than 15,000 miles, the safety recall instructed the dealer to replace the transmission. based upon the history of this particular acura, i believe the dealer in 2004 should have replaced the transmission instead of installing an oil jet kit. many acuras manufactured prior to the 2004 model had serious transmission problems which were included in other recalls. *tr | |||
| 08/14/2009 | 1 | ||
| Ltr regarding problems she is experiencing with her 2003 acura 3.2tl. she would like a thorough investigation into this matter. *tgw the consumer stated the vehicle would hesitate when accelerating. on august 14, 2009, the vehicle stalled. the consumer was able to get the vehicle to the dealer. the problem was thought to be the battery and timing belt and the consumer was charged $ 1,371.49. on december 12, the vehicle started jerking into gear. the vehicle was dropped off at the dealer. the consumer received a call from the dealer stating the vehicle needed a new transmission. *jb | |||
| 02/18/2010 | 70646 | 1 | |
| Complete failure of the automatic transmission in my 2003 acura tl 3.2 with only 70,000 miles. *dt | |||
| 02/01/2010 | 138900 | 1 | |
| I purchased a 2003 acura tl type s 2 years ago with 99,000 miles on it. last week the transmission was slipping from 2nd to 3rd gear and wouldn't go into 3rd gear. that problem still persists and has gotten worse. the car now has 139,000 miles on it, i put 40,000 miles on it the last 2 years. i called acura to see if they would stand behind their product but they said since the car is out of warranty they cant do anything. i took out a loan to buy this car and i still owe on it. i don't know if i will ever buy another acura because of this experience. *tr | |||
| 01/28/2010 | 112000 | 1 | |
| I already filed a claim, but have further information. my husband and i own a 2003 acura 3.2tl there is a recall on the transmissions of these cars (both in age and make and model), but our vin # is not in the lot of vin's under the recall. three days after i filed the complaint with you the transmission seized while my husband was driving 40 mph. luckily he avoided an accident. he stopped driving the vehicle and had it towed to the acura dealership. we had them replace the transmission. their original bid was for $4,600. we had bids from transmission shops to do the job for $2,000. the dealership negotiated and did the work for $2,000. i spoke with robert from the nhtsa and he said that the recall was for transmissions seizing when the vehicles were being operated. i feel that it is important to add this information to my original complaint. *tr | |||
| 01/20/2010 | 91000 | 1 | |
| 2003 acura tl transmission failure with out warning. upon traveling at 50 mph my vehicle dropped gears causing it to decelerate at rapid rate. the car tacked up to approx 5000 rpm. the failure caused the transmission to down shift rapidly and loose speed and could possibly cause driver to loose control. i was able to pull over without incident. there have been many transmission failure admitted by acura causing them to extend warranty on some models but they are not admitting to the total problem and potential hazards. *tr | |||
| 12/15/2009 | 50000 | 2 | |
| My 2003 acura tl has accelerator problems similar to the toyota problem. two years ago it stuck twice and the vehicle reached speeds up to 90 mph before i could stop it by putting both feet on the brake and downshifting it. i really thought i was going to die. i took it to the dealership, they tested it and said it was probably a bad transmission so they replaced the transmission. the car had about 50,000 miles on it at that time. a month ago the same thing occurred. again i took it to the dealer. they said it was probably the transmission however they would not replace it without the warranty people actually seeing it malfunction. they charged my $110 and sent me on my way. i am afraid to ride in the vehicle, my wife and co-workers will not ride in the vehicle. i had to buy a replacement vehicle and now cannot sell this one in good conscience. i am going to ask the dealer to take it back and give me fair market value for the vehicle. they can do with it what they want. what other alternatives do i have? tw* | |||
| 01/20/2010 | 112000 | ||
| Faulty transmission in our 2003 acura 3.2 tl. we purchased this vehicle new. at around 80,000 miles it started to shudder when accelerating between 20 and 30 mph. we didn't think much of it. we now know that it was the transmission. acura extended the warranty from 50,000 miles to 100,000 for this reason, but we were never notified. now the car has 112,000 miles and this week the transmission started slipping between 2nd and 3rd gear, and now between 1st and 2nd there is a bang and a lurch. currently it is far too dangerous to drive the car. we took it to a transmission specialist who diagnosed the car and researched the problem. he said that acura has a recall for this exact issue and our car should be covered. we met with the local acura dealership and they say our car isn't in the batch of vin's covered in the recall. they further say that since we don't have a maintenance record showing that we have serviced the transmission every 30,000 miles, we have lost our chance of them working with us at all. our manual clearly states to do the first transmission service at 120,000 miles. we have records for having done all other routine maintenance, but never did anything about the transmission, because their information says not to. not once has anyone from acura ever informed us that contrary to what our manual says, we should service the transmission every 30,000 miles. there was a recall on a part of the transmission that they did replace when the car had 50,000 miles, and acura says that is also a reason they don't have to help us today.*cw | |||
| 12/30/2009 | 75000 | 1 | |
| I was driving my 2003 acura with my 3 year old child in it when suddenly the transmission went into neutral and few seconds later went back into gear and later started slipping out of gear, mind you my vehicle only has 75,000 miles on it. many others have had similar problems with the same type of car and with even lesser miles on it. *tr | |||
| 09/03/2009 | 85000 | 1 | |
| Transmission began slipping at 85,000 miles. *tr | |||
| 08/04/2009 | 0 | 1 | |
| Transmission caused veh to jumped or jerked forward. *tr | |||
| 11/27/2009 | 10000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl type s. while accelerating on the highway the transmission began to slip out of gear and into neutral. the rpms began to rev and increase; yet, the vehicle did not accelerate. he was able to drive 25 mph to the dealer who stated that the transmission had to be replaced at the owners expense. the current and failure mileages were 100,000. | |||
| 11/09/2009 | 83515 | 1 | |
| Out of the blue transmission is starting to slip from 2nd to 3rd gear. car was brought in for a transmission recall in 2006 with 36000 miles. dealer installed oil injector said transmission was fine. car has 82000 miles now and dealer says need new transmission. of course vin number is 5000 over the limit of the transmission extended warranty. *tr | |||
| 10/29/2009 | 71900 | 1 | |
| I have a 2003 acura 3.2 tl type s with 71k miles. one day i was driving and i noticed excessive jerking and slipping. usually between 2 and 3 gear. when i try to reverse, it would take a while to get into gear and then it would jerk hard. it seems like sometimes when i would try to accelerate it would get stuck in neutral and the engine just revs up to 5000 or 6000 rpms. this happened to me when i was trying to change lanes to make an exit. i feel unsafe driving this car on the highway, because i fear one day im going to get rear ended. my d5, vsa, and check engine lights came on so i took it to and autozone to run a diagnostic. the computer gave the code p0740. i took it to an acura dealership and while driving there my car gets stuck in 2nd or 3rd gear. im on the highway going 45 mph and revving my engine up to 5000 or 6000 rpm. when i got there the dealership wanted to charge me $3700 to replace the transmission. supposedly my vin number wasn't covered in their extended warranty, even though my car has the exact same problems as other tls that were covered under the warranty. *tr | |||
| 11/15/2008 | 107040 | 1 | |
| So, the report for pe02081 says that the transmission problem for the 2000-2003 acura tl / cl is rare and erroneous and isn't realistic, but i've done a lot of research and i am a member of acurazine.com. but i am having the same issues as was listed (i.e. slipping of gears, sudden harsh downshift from 65mph to redline limit at 50mph on freeway nearly causing an accident). after the incident i had taken my vehicle to dealership because i was told there had been an extended warranty on the vehicle to 109,000 miles. i was at nearly 108,000 miles when my car was at the dealership. that was when the service gentleman told me i needed to replace my transmission which would cost about $3800 because i had been after the cut-off point for the extended warranty. that service was denied and they sent me on my way even though i was having the exact same problems as the vehicles that were before the vin # cut-off. i have since, then, replaced my transmission with another shop for $3500 but only after losing my job and failing my college classes for the semester because i could not afford to repair my car at the time. i wish someone would hold the acura corporation responsible for their mistake and for the safety of every other driver on the road. if you look on acurazine.com, there is a transmission (tranny) failure thread that goes on for 64 pages with other owners of the same vehicle having the same problems and not receiving help from acura just like me. i know there was a class action law-suit in 2006 for this issue and i feel there will be another law-suit against them if this problem is not treated correctly. i also know that acura/honda manufactures their own transmissions, unlike a lot if not all of the other car makers whom use universal transmissions. i hope this complaint will help persuade the nhtsa, bbb, and consumer protection agencies to act on the problem at hand. even if i am not helped personally, i just don't think anyone else should have to experience this. *tr | |||
| 07/12/2009 | 130000 | 1 | |
| Driving the car one afternoon, when suddenly the cars rpm rapidly went up, nearly touching the red line part of the rpm. looking at the meters on the dash the check engine light come on. to my understanding the 3rd gear was not working correctly. had it check at an local auto part store and was told something is wrong with the gear ratios. it was a problem that never went away. bring it in for an inspection i was told that the transmission needs to be replace. so with the amount to replace it being about $3700 i declined the service. looking online for issue involving the cars transmission i found out that the car had a recall that was issue in april 2004 so i called the dealership and ask them about the recall and was told the it had already been done and fix in 2004. which i wouldn't had know about because the car was brought in 2007. the car not being under warranty i am left with the cost to replace it. im complaining because i did have the car in 2004 and the car never got a recall replacement and now that i am the new owner of the car i experience the failure and is left with no other option but to pay for something that could of been fix at the time. *tr | |||
| 09/28/2009 | 73853 | 1 | |
| With 2 year old son and 4 year old son in car, the tcs (traction control system) light turned on and engine revved but car slowed. went from 40mph down to 30mph. continued down road and engine continued to not respond. had to hazard and barely made it off road. most dangerous position i put my kids in. went to dealer and got told flare in shifting. they ran full diagnosis and retrieved code p0730 incorrect gear ratio and code p0740 tc clutch failure. told needed to replace transmission for $5k. ask to escalate to factory district rep of acura who agreed to pay half out of good will and total cost around $1.85k. not in list of original vin numbers who got automatic powertrain extension to 100,000 miles. from class action lawsuit, sounds like acura/honda gave judge empirical data that showed they had fixed the transmission problem and our vehicles don't need to be included. given my transmission failed and looks like a few others, i think we should have been included. nhtsa should monitor these transmission failures because we are 6-7 years in vehicle life and at 10,000 miles per year, if trend holds...quite a few transmission mind die in next year. very dangerous. created a yahoo newsgroup and alias for owners with vin numbers not included in warranty extension. http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/2003_acura_tl_transmission_problems/. *tr | |||
| 08/14/2009 | 112000 | 1 | |
| Transmission slipping from second to third gear - transmission freezes completely when car becomes warm and has been driven for period of time - acura claims vin number not included in warranty extension for transmission recall. *tr | |||
| 08/03/2009 | 98800 | 1 | |
| We have a 2003 acura 3.2 tl purchased in september of 2002. there was a recall issued for our model and our car was brought in to our dealer to have it checked in january of 2005. the dealer stated the automatic transmission was updated (an oil jet kit was installed) and we continued to drive the car until august 2009. there was a sudden jerk while driving on the nj turnpike and the car suddenly stopped. we had to have the car towed and it started driving again a couple hours later. we brought it in to the acura dealership and they stated that the transmission had to be replaced. we ended up paying almost $4000.00 to have the transmission replaced. according to http://www.hondatransmissionsettlement.com there has admittedly been a problem with honda/acura transmissions. unfortunately, the vin of my car is not covered under the lawsuit, nor does the warranty cover our repairs. i don't understand why my car is not covered when it obviously has the same transmission issues that have been reported by thousands of acura owners. i have tried contacting the dealer as well as acura and they have not been helpful at all. i feel that i should not be paying for acura's transmission design flaw. for reference: http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/acura/tl/r71264/comments/ and http://www.acuraworld.com/forums/f47/look-me-another-transmission-thread-32947/. *tr | |||
| 06/28/2009 | 86000 | 1 | |
| While traveling on the pennsylvania turnpike in a 2003 acura 3.2tl, the vehicle experienced a total loss of power due to complete failure of the transmission (automatic). the vehicle was traveling with cruise control engaged at 65 mph. engine rpm began to climb. cruise control was secured. within 1-2 minutes all clutch engagement in the transmission was lost with a corresponding total loss of power (engine was still operating, but no forward or reverse gears/power to the wheels). with family members in the car, and no power, the car was coasted to the side of the turnpike. acura dealer said that codes on vehicle indicated total transmission failure, no cause provided. i view this failure as a defect, related to prior transmission problems found on 1999-2003 acura 3.2 tls that resulted in a class action suit, with corresponding extension of warranty on the transmissions, but the vehicles included in the group covered by the suit did not include my vehicle. *tr | |||
| 05/30/2009 | 68880 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. the contact stated that the transmission does not shift and the rpms rinse when the vehicle is not traveling at high speeds. the vehicle jerks when the transmission stalls and the instrument panel lights flash. the contact was concerned that the jerking could cause a crash. the dealer offered to pay 50% of the repair cost, but the contact feels that the manufacturer should pay for the entire repair since the vehicle has 68,880 miles and the cause of the failure cannot be determined. the current and failure mileages were 68,880. | |||
| 05/15/2009 | 120000 | 1 | |
| Hello, my name is gillieume gonsalves with a 2003 acura tl. the car was purchased in 3/07 from price acura in dover delaware. the sales man whose name is bill whistler told me that the car had no problems, the car was inspected for a safety recall dealing with the transmission and should last well through the acura warranty and the life of the car. after about 6 months worth of driving, i was on the highway and driving about 65 on the highway and lightly stepped on the brakes and noticed the tachometer go well below the normal idle speed and all of a sudden the car jerked and slipped out of 5th gear into 2nd gear causing a sudden deceleration and almost causing a pile up on the freeway. i went to the acura dealership for them to diagnose the problem and they said it will be noted in the computer and will be covered under the warranty even after it runs out. i complained to honda america and the dealership that im not concerned about breaking down on the side of the road, i was more afraid that the car will lock up on the highway and me or my family will end up dead in a car crash or roll over, just like some other complaints i have seen on the internet, they both said there was nothing they can do and they cannot honor anything posted on the internet. the problem happened again just after the car came out of warranty and acura said if i pay $3400 acura will put a used the transmission that had already failed and rebuilt in the car, i declined. 2 months later the transmission slipped out of 5th gear when i took my foot off the accelerator during rush hour and the police witnessed the sudden downshift and told me to tow it home. the next day i had aamco transmissions look over the car and the mechanic said the car almost put him through the windshield twice and i should leave it or someone is going to get killed. i had to pay $4000 to have a newly rebuilt transmission installed in my car. which is crazy because honda is too cheap to replace this defect in my car. *tr | |||
| 03/13/2009 | 65380 | 1 | |
| While driving the transmission slipped almost into neutral and has progressed to get worse causing the vehicle to run for a few moments and then not move at all until it sits for 20-30 minutes. i have contacted acura and my vehicle has had the recall done so i contacted my local dealership to see if there was any kind of warranty on the recall and was told no. this vehicle has less then 70,000 miles on it and has had all maintenance maintained on it. upon researching the problem i'm apparently not the only owner who has had this problem and someone is going to get seriously injured or possibly loose their life if the manufacture does not fix these problems. my first encounter i was exchanging from one major highway to another and because my car accelerated and then stopped if i wouldn't have gone off onto the shoulder, who knows where i would be today. *tr | |||
| 04/04/2009 | 66000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. the contact stated that the transmission's third gear clutch pack has failed. the transmission slips out of third gear before reaching 40 mph. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that she would have received a deduction on the repair cost if her vehicle had been serviced by acura. the manufacturer stated that the vin was excluded from nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission). the failure mileage was 66,000. | |||
| 03/28/2009 | 95000 | 1 | |
| Transmission in my 2003 acura tls had been recalled oct, 5th, 2004 for an oil jet install. i bought the vehicle used from a certified acura dealership in franklin, tn. on june 3rd, 2006. was never disclosed of this issue. i learned of this problem on nhtsa web site. recently in march of 2009 and with 95,000 miles on the car, i noticed a hesitation while accelerating. i took the car to my dealer and they said the transmission had to be replaced. my warranty was up at 100,000 miles. they replaced the transmission, or so they say, and it had the same problems as i drove it off the dealer lot. upon returning the car to the dealer the next day, they assured me they would replace that 2nd transmission with a 3rd. however, the warranty would only cover to the original 100,000 mile extension leaving me with 5 thousand miles to test this 3rd transmission. the known failure rate on these(check nhtsa) is astounding. what is wrong with these transmissions? are they putting these same known defective parts into these remanufactored transmissions? why doesn't acura stand behind each one with a new separate warranty? *tr | |||
| 03/20/2009 | 90700 | 1 | |
| On march 20, 2009 i experienced shifting problems suspected to be the transmission. the vehicle was diagnosed to have transmission problems by a mechanic that specializes in transmissions. i called honda corporate office (case #b012009-03-2000-288) and explained the problem to a representative. i was told that i would have to pay for the inspection and new transmission being that the recall that affected my vehicle had been fixed. i complained to the acura dealership that since the purchase of the vehicle, it has a straining noise each time i drove the vehicle; however, the technicians could not locate the problem every time i took the car to service it at open road acura in wayne, nj. there is no reason for a 2003 acura tl with 90,000 miles to have transmission problems. the transmission problem that i'm currently experiencing appears to be related to the recall that was supposedly fixed by the dealership. furthermore, the acura representative informed me that certain cars that were recalled (including 2003 acura tl) had the warranty for the transmission extended for up to 7 years and nine months or 100,000 miles. presently, i fall under both criterias. currently, the acura has a little less than 91,000 and have owned it since september 2002. please guide me what i should do regarding this issue. i am in no position to pay for the transmission if it seems to be recall that the automaker should be responsible for. thank you in advance. *tr | |||
| 03/08/2009 | 50300 | 1 | |
| My 2003 acura tl-s having 50300 miles almost crashed on rt 270 near gaithersburg because transmission started slipping. i took exit and let the engine cool down then i drove car slowly to rosenthal acura. when i searched on internet, several site says that acura has extended warranty on transmission to 7 years and 100,000 miles but acura company says my car is not covered. if transmission warranty is extended, then why it does not show on your website. (http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/1999-to-2003-acura-tl-2.htm). i see so many complains about transmission slipping of honda cars and your department is giving them free pass. if the warranty is extended then consumer and nhtsa should be reported. acura must replace transmission of my car free of charge and honda should be asked to replace transmission all the affected cars. honda has not reported to nhtsa about list of defective transmission of various cars and they are replacing it on their own choice. what is use of replacement of transmission after failure if someone die? my whole family would have died on rt 270 if i was not near exit. *tr | |||
| 02/04/2009 | 134500 | 1 | |
| I bought a certified pre owned 2003 tl type s in 2006, was never notified by the dealership that the car was on a recall list of any sort. on 2.04.09 i left a stoplight accelerated to 40mph, transmission slipped, car dropped to 1st gear forcing me to pull over, engine emission light came on, vsa light came on. after stopping the car, the vsa warning cleared. delivered the vehicle to the dealership the next day. dealership ran diagnostics, received 2 transmission codes and stated the transmission must be placed at a cost of $3700. dealership called corporate and the stated corporate would apply a $1200 credit on this vehicle. dealership just inflated the price of a transmission replacement to cover costs, sounds like collusion to me. interestingly aamco charges $2300 to replace the whole transmission. called corporate again to file a complaint, no resolution, awaiting a return call. did an internet search found multiple complaints of the same nature on this vehicle. honda clearly knows this is a problem as they promptly offered a credit. car remains at dealership. *tr | |||
| 10/30/2008 | 110000 | 1 | |
| Driving my 2003 acura tl to work. no previous indication of a problem. driving between 65-70 mph. without any warning the transmission dropped from 5th gear to what felt like 2nd gear. the front wheels practically locked up. my speed dropped from approx. 70 mph to approx.30 mph.(the engine revved over 6500 rpms) in just 1-2 seconds. the car shifted back to 5th gear after a few seconds. there were no warning lights (transmission or check engine) before or after the occurrence. fortunately, i had my seatbelt on and no one hit me from behind. the sudden change in speed however, jerked my neck very hard which did result in a severe headache. the last several miles to work was a continuation of the initial incident. my speed was slower through town so the jerking was not as abrupt. i scheduled an appointment to have it checked at the honda dealer near work before driving home. the transmission was serviced. the flush lessened the jerking, but did not eliminate it. the next day, october 31, 2008, i was pulling into a parking space and there was a noise like a slipping clutch. the car would not engage in either forward or reverse. i had to call a tow truck. currently december 27,2008 the car is still in the shop waiting for a replacement transmission. i am upset to find,via the internet, that this may be a common problem with this particular model transmission and no one at the dealership where i had the service done nor the dealership where i purchased the car in february 2008 told me about it when i asked. i checked the carfax report again just in case i missed it, but there is no mention of a transmission recall on this car. this is a severe safety issue. it should be widely address. if a driver does not have the experience to react correctly or be lucky enough(as i was) to be on a straight, dry road, this defect has the potential to be deadly. *tr | |||
| 12/08/2008 | 108000 | 1 | 07/31/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. in may of 2006, the was a class action suit against acura for the same problem. on december 8, 2008, the transmission failed and the vehicle was towed to a repair shop. the dealer stated that the transmission was serviced on december 14, 2004 according to nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission). a report was filed with the manufacturer. the manufacturer stated that the contact could take the vehicle to the dealer; however, he would be responsible for the repair costs. the current and failure mileages were 108,000. updated 2/5/09 *cn the consumer stated the transmission began to act erractic and would slip from 5th gear. updated 02/10/09. *jb | |||
| 11/22/2008 | 91000 | 2 | 04/01/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. the contact stated that the transmission failed at 91,000 miles and needed to be replaced. on december 24, 2004, the contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission), honda recall number 222110. the vehicle was repaired with a kit instead of being replaced. the failure has recurred and the transmission needs to be replaced at the cost of $1,800, which is half of the repair cost at honda american. the vehicle was towed 100 miles away and she was informed to have the vehicle towed back to a local dealer for repair. honda issued an extended warranty on the transmission; however, the contact did not receive one. the failure mileage was 91,000. updated 01/23/09 *bf the consumer stated the transmission was slipping. updated 01/23/09. *jb | |||
| 10/29/2008 | 104000 | 1 | |
| During my drive to work the other morning my car sudden jerked back and forth on the freeway. it was very sudden and it was very scary, i had not control over the vehicle. the tires were screeching during the jerks and i was afraid i was going to crash. a check engine light came on as well as a vsc light and my shifter like d5 was blinking. i made it to work and called my boyfriend to come look at the vehicle. he drove it around the block and noticed nothing wrong, better safe than sorry we switched cars. on his drive home he felt the same thing i did, very sudden jerk and uncontrollable car on the freeway. he mentioned it was like the transmission locking up and then the traction control grabbing. the car would not shift gears. he immediately drove it straight to acura and found somebody to look at it. the dealership said that it was a common problem with these cars and its a ticking time bomb and there was a recall and extended warranty issued out by acura, the dealership also said that the vin number of my vehicle was out of the range of the warranty. they are offering to cover 60% of the cost for the transmission replacement and i pay 40%. i do not think its fair because while i was there, there was another vehicle exactly like mines and i curiously asked what that car was getting fixed and they told me the exact same problem but that car is being covered completely. this is unfair and not right that just because of the vin being out of range i am out of luck. this is a common problem and acura should take of all not just some. *tr | |||
| 10/02/2008 | 102000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. while driving and initially accelerating at 10-20 mph, the rpm's increase on the instrument panel. the vehicle does not respond immediately and then jerks into gear and goes the proper speed. the vehicle was previously repaired according to nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission); however, the failure persists. the current mileage was 103,000 and failure mileage was 102,000. | |||
| 09/25/2008 | 114000 | 1 | |
| I bought a 2003 acura 3.2tl approximately 2 months ago from a small used car dealer (k&s auto sales, 600 w. st. georges ave., linden, nj 07036; 908-925-4411). they represented this car as being in excellent condition with no problems whatsoever. we paid $10,270. cash for this vehicle. not even 5 weeks after the purchase, the transmission went on the car. when approached to look into the necessary repairs to the car, they vehemently denied any wrong doing and refused to even look at the car. they would only honor new jerseys 30 day warranty that they must do anyway. they never mentioned any trouble with the trans nor the fact that the car had been in an accident prior to us purchasing the car and front fender, door, etc has been replaced. it has now been 4 weeks that the car has been in a transmission repair shop as honda/acura keeps sending the shop the wrong parts to fix the problems (clutch pack failure, 2nd gear shaft locking up, i don't know what else they have to repair) since there was a recall on this vehicle for the same transmission problems, is the car still covered? i don't know if the car was repaired when the recall was first initiated, and even if it was, it is now a recurring problem. it took all the money we had to pay for the car in the first place, now we have had to rent a car for 3-4 weeks while the car is being repaired, and it is supposed to cost anywhere from $2500-$3500 to repair. is there any way that honda/acura of america can help with the cost of the repairs/replacement since this was a nhtsa recall that was obviously not fixed properly in the first place, if at all. i feel the dealer knew there was a problem, but being a mother/daughter buyer, was just interested in the sale. not honesty. please, is there anything you can do to help defray the costs we are now faced with? any help your corporation can give at this point would be a huge help as i feel the huge expense to repair this car should not have to be paid by us. thank you *tr | |||
| 08/26/2008 | 1 | ||
| 2003 acura 3.2tl recall notice. consumer wants to be reimbursed for the recall since car was within the warranty and a recall had been issued. *nj the consumer stated the rpm's would get high and the transmission slipped and banged into gear. *jb | |||
| 08/09/2008 | 60000 | 1 | |
| I purchased my 2003 acura tls brand new. i had to have my first transmission replaced two years ago when driving at 40 mphs, the car slipped into first. just three months ago, i had problems with the car surging and the dealer replaced the transmission again. just last week (3 months after the last transmission was installed), a third transmission was installed because the car would not accelerate while trying to merge onto the freeway (pretty scary). i purchased an extended warranty when i bought the car even then my car is covered under the recall. my car has 83,000 miles on it and i'm not thrilled about having to buy another car. i sure don't want to sell this to anyone knowing it has a problem that can't be fixed or may possibly kill someone. *tr | |||
| 06/28/2008 | 105000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2003 acura tl type s. i bought it used in 2004 with 22,000 miles on it. shortly after honda issued a recall for the transmission. the solution was to take it to the dealership and have them check for a damaged 2nd gear and if there was no visible sign of damage they would install a jet kit to keep the 2nd gear cooler. my car at this time had about 35,000 miles on it. the dealership installed a jet kit my car and reported no damage. around 50,000 miles i noticed my car slipping while accelerating. i took my vehicle back to the dealership. they replaced my transmission stating that the jet kit did not work and that the transmission was damaged. i thought that everything was fixed. around 95,000 i noticed that my transmission was starting to shift hard and slip a little. i took it to the dealership. they said that the transmission was fine and checked good. at 105000 miles i recently took my car down to charlestion sc and was returning home on i95 in nc. i pulled off an exit to get gas and noticed my car was jerking real bad and was having problems staying in gear. soon after i started to smell something burning and my check engine light came on. i pulled into a auto tune shop and had the technicians read the engine code. the code came back as a transmission controller fail. i towed my vehicle to the nearest dealership about 50 miles away. they checked the car and reported that the transmission need to be replaced. this would be my third factory transmission! what if my vehicle had seized up while on i95 where vehicles are traveling at 70 mph. why does a car need three transmission at 105,000 miles! something is wrong! please look into it! *tr | |||
| 06/23/2008 | 92940 | 1 | |
| My automatic transmission has failed and scared both myself and my wife. at first the car suddenly downshifted when the brake was pressed at a speed of about 35 mph. later the transmission would not shift properly at all, but worked after the check engine, tcs, and blinking d5 light came on. the select shift no longer works. i don't plan to confront the dealer over a transmission that was previously recalled because acura stated the car was no longer under warranty. *tr | |||
| 01/18/2008 | 98000 | 2 | 08/10/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving approximately 35 mph with the accelerator pedal depressed, the vehicle stopped and surged forward without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the failure mileage was 104,000. updated 7/3/08 *cn the consumer stated the transmission had been replaced previously. updated 07/03/08 | |||
| 05/15/2008 | 110453 | 1 | |
| Traveling at freeway speed car suddenly downshifted to 2nd gear causing rapid deceleration and lockup of the seatbelt. took to dealership diagnosed as transmission failure. *tr | |||
| 02/08/2008 | 44000 | 1 | 09/09/2002 |
| Transmission failure. *tr | |||
| 02/05/2008 | 69000 | 1 | 07/01/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. the contact has been experiencing transmission failure for a few weeks. while driving approximately 50 mph, the transmission surged and the contact lost control of the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to a shop and the mechanic stated that nothing could be done. the vehicle was then towed to the contact's residence. through research, he found a recall for the transmission. he called the manufacturer and was informed that his vehicle had already been checked for that recall in 2004 and they found no failures at that time. the manufacturer refused to repair the vehicle under the recall. the recall number was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 69,000. | |||
| 12/20/2007 | 73900 | 1 | 07/15/2003 |
| My automatic transmission was slipping into 3rd gear on my 2003 tl-s. i had it rebuilt at 73,900 miles. the torque converter had failed and was loosing hydraulic pressure & overheating. i bought this car new in 2003. it's a late 2003 vin and acura would not cover it under warranty. my dealership wanted $3,750 plus tax to replace it. an independent shop did the work for $2,600 incl tax with a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty. *tr | |||
| 01/07/2008 | 72000 | 5 | 11/19/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. while driving 40 mph, the contact experienced difficulty when shifting gears. the vehicle would also automatically brake while his foot was depressing the accelerator pedal. he has to drive with the hazard lights activated in order to prevent a rear end crash. he took the vehicle to the dealer when the traction control indicator light illuminated. the light gave no indication as to whether or not the feature would disengage. the dealer stated that they could not inspect the vehicle due to warranty issues. the dealer stated that this was a common failure and the contact would be able to drive the vehicle. while driving to his residence, the vehicle would not exceed 40 mph. the vehicle then began to gradually downshift to 20, 15, and finally 10 mph until it automatically braked. he returned to the dealer and was informed of nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission) and nhtsa action number pe02081, in which his vin and warranty were not included. the dealer also stated that they would provide him with a rental car due to incorrectly informing him that the vehicle could be driven home. the failure and current mileages were 72,000. | |||
| 11/09/2007 | 137000 | 1 | 01/13/2003 |
| 2003 acura tl transmission failure. i felt a lurch in the vehicle one day and was told the next day by the acura dealership that the transmission need to be replaced. i researched on line and determine that there was a recall on some 2003 acura tl's but mine was not included in the recall . *tr | |||
| 09/22/2007 | 30900 | 1 | 08/21/2007 |
| 2003 acura tl transmission locked during driving. car is non operational need of a new transmission,car has only 30,000 miles. *jb | |||
| 08/18/2007 | 50000 | 04/07/2003 | |
| My '03 acura tl is having the transmission replaced at 50,000 miles. also the rotors are defective and warp causing me to have them resurfaced all the time. | |||
| 08/24/2007 | 81000 | 2 | 12/01/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. while driving 60 mph, the transmission locked up. the transmission was repaired under warranty. more recently, while driving 70 mph, the transmission came apart and spilled transmission fluid. smoke was present. the contact pulled over and all the passengers exited the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they informed him that the transmission needed to be replaced. the current and failure mileages were 81,000. updated 01-16-08. *kb the transmission was replaced again as a goodwill gesture. updated *jb | |||
| 05/01/2004 | 2000 | 2 | 08/03/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. while driving 55 mph, the gear shift indicator shifted into neutral without warning. the dealer replaced the transmission gear shift. approximately two years later, while driving 55 mph, the vehicle shut off without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the dealer stated that there was a failure in the transmission. as of august 16, 2007, the dealer has not repaired the vehicle. nhtsa campaign number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission) was referenced. the failure mileage was 2,000 and current mileage was 51,000. | |||
| 08/02/2007 | 56000 | 1 | 12/17/2002 |
| Transmission slipping. *tr | |||
| 06/05/2007 | 54300 | 1 | 05/07/2007 |
| The automatic transmission in my car, a 2003 acura tl, started jerking and acting very strange. i almost got in an accident on the highway when it suddenly jerked into another gear. i have owned the car 1 1/2 months and was told that my vin # was not one of the group of vin 3's whose transmissions were recalled and had extended warranties placed on them. i called acura who brushed me off, and i will have to spend $3000-$4000 to replace the transmission and then i will trade it in for another car because i feel my life is at risk in this car; however, i don't want anyone else to buy it, because i think there life will be at risk. i have read a ton of complaints on the '01-'03 acura tl's transmission problems and there were recalls and extended warranties; and here mine is dangerously breaking apart, and acura is telling me too bad because i bought it used so it's probably the fault of the person who owned it before me. i have never felt this problem in any other car i've ever owned, and it was so bad, i had it towed to the dealership. it is a very dangerous problem, and acura should pay for the replacement of the transmission on my car. *tr | |||
| 06/24/2007 | 55000 | 1 | 07/20/2002 |
| Transmission locked up. i was riding on the interstate highway and the transmission locked. it just would not move and finally kicked into gear with a hard thrust. this went on an off, and i finally coasted ,and i was lucky not to be killed. i had the car towed to the acura dealer ,and called the 800 number. they tell me vehicle was not part of recall due to vin. acura neede d to include all 2003 in te recall from the other complaints i read. i had 55 thousand miles, and have had all service done with acura on time. recall needed to be done, and i wa s waiting for the acura service team that had the car to get back to me. my complaintwa s consistent with the other complaints i read. *ak | |||
| 06/24/2007 | 55000 | 1 | 07/20/2002 |
| Transmission locked up. i was riding on the interstate highway and my transmission locked up on me. it just would not moved and finally kicked into gear with a hard thrust. this went on an off and i finally coasted and i was lucky not to be killed. i had the car towed to the acura dealer and called the 800 number and they tell me my vin number was not part of the recall. acura needs to include all 2003 in the recall from the other complaints i read. i have 55 thousand miles and have had all my service done with acura on time. recall needs to be don and i waiting for the acura service team that has my car to get back to me. my complaint is consistent with the other complaints i read. *ak | |||
| 04/02/2007 | 107800 | 2 | 04/13/2003 |
| I was driving from ossining, ny to takoma park , md , 260 miles on i95 when at 70 mph smoke started coming out of the exhaust and the engine compartment. the tachometer went up to 7000 rpms. i was using cruise control. i immediately touched the brake pedal to release the cruise control. however, i had no power from the transmission. i was fortunately able to coast to the right side shoulder from the left most lane of the highway and call onstar. apparently the transmission had blown, and all the transmission fluid was all over the highway and the shoulder where i eventually stopped. the transmission was replaced at no cost to me. however, i was 160 miles from home. this was the second new transmission that has been replaced in this vehicle- once at 77000 miles and now at 10700 miles. *ak | |||
| 03/05/2007 | 43500 | 1 | 01/24/2007 |
| Purchased an acura-certified 2003 3.2tl in january 2007. had abrupt shifting failure of transmission from 5th to 2nd gear at 35 mph today, 3/5/07, entirely consistent with other reports on this site. my wife has permanent spinal cord damage; and had she been a passenger in the vehicle, would more than likely have been killed by the unexpected jolt. *jb | |||
| 01/11/2007 | 66500 | 1 | 05/15/2003 |
| I was driving my 2003 acura tl type s home from work when i noticed the transmission slipping as my engine revolutions went up and the car would not accelerate. i was in heavy traffic at the time and was able to stop the car, but not maneuver without power. it was a dangerous situation as the other vehicles around my car were unaware of my inability to move out of their way. i drifted to the curb and the car would not back up or move. there was no shoulder area and i had to use my hazard lights to keep other cars from hitting my car. after a few minutes i was able to move the car to a safer location. *jb | |||
| 12/21/2006 | 62000 | 1 | 01/07/2006 |
| On 21 december 2006, i was driving our 2003 acura 3.2tl type s with an automatic transmission when the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly decelerated violently from 50 miles an hour to a full stop. the tires were squealing as if the brakes had been applied. this nearly caused me to be rear ended by the car behind and could have caused a multi-car collision. after the incident, the car had no drive gears available, including reverse. after sitting on the side of the road for approximately 30 minutes, the vehicle could be driven in 1st gear only and i took it directly to the acura dealer where it still sits. *jb | |||
| 11/19/2006 | 1 | 06/14/2002 | |
| After having my transmission's serviced in my 2003 acura 3.2 tl type-s, i began experiencing various electrical problems in my car. i have had the oil jet kit installed and one replacement transmission. i am awaiting my third transmission. since the work on my transmission various other problems have surfaced. my on-star is claiming i no longer am capable of having remote diagnostics done on my engine. also, my srs light has come on as well as my check engine light paired with more sporadic shifting. i am constantly getting the error code reading on my radio and i have heard extremely loud echoing in my car when i attempt to make and receive calls via my on star communication service. i am beginning to question the computer system in my vehicle. i am hoping the there can be an investigation of the electrical circuit boards and the powertrain; transmission communication module to find out if there are computer problems directly correlated with the transmission problems. this is beginning to be quite frustrating. together my girlfriend and i have bought and paid off five vehicles from the honda motor company and are surprised at the way this issue is being handled. *jb | |||
| 11/19/2006 | 1 | 06/14/2002 | |
| Immediately following the purchase of my new acura 3.2 tl type-s i began experiencing unusual jerking and shifting while operating my vehicle. i have taken my vehicle to the dealer on numerous occasions to be serviced for this as well as due to the check engine light being on. initially they stated they could not duplicate my complaint in comparison to other similar vehicles. i have already had the oil jet kit installed, and have also had the transmission replaced once. as i am filing this complaint my vehicle is currently at the dealer awaiting its third transmission. i have purchased three cars manufactured by the honda motor company and am appalled at the continuous problems, inconvenience and safety issues pertaining to my acura tl. in addition to the transmission problems we have experienced we have had problems with our radio code after servicing the transmission and the dealer wanted to charge us $140 to enter the code or reset it. also our on star remote diagnostics appear not to be working; on star is claiming we don't have them when we have utilized this service before. the service attendant and technician i spoke with at the dealer claims they aren't aware of any remote diagnostics being possible, despite the fact i have used this feature before to detect trouble. being able to use this feature would be great considering all the problems i have experienced. i was driving home from vacation the car began to jerk and it appeared to be shifting and slowing while we were on the interstate fwy. i was fearful that the transmission would go out and that i would have an accident, so i proceeded to pull over and waited for assistance to get my family home safe. my car has now been in the shop for over two weeks. yesterday i was told that due to a spilled drink in my car that they need $914 dollars to repair a faulty circuit board and replace the center council with the exception of the shift knob before they can get authorization for a third transmission. *nm | |||
| 11/04/2006 | 77000 | 100 | 01/27/2003 |
| I have the above vehicle, purchased new on 1/27/2003. at 55000 miles the car was recalled to add a second pump (at least that what i was told) in the transmission. from then on i have had a shuddering problem with my transmission when it up-shifted at low speeds. i was able to finally prove to the acura dealer that there was something wrong with the transmission after 3 visits to the service department (curry acura in westchester county, new york). they claimed that the transmission was replaced and that all was well. this was in 9/21/2005. however, after another 20k miles, i am having the same problem at a lesser level and i am sure that the dealer will claim that i am imagining the symptoms because they cannot duplicate them. in addition, i was told that the car will only be covered up to 100k miles. i now have 99k miles. *nm | |||
| 03/16/2005 | 25000 | 4 | 03/11/2002 |
| Fourth transmission and today started making noises again and my acura extended care extended warranty expires in 4000 miles. *nm | |||
| 07/13/2006 | 70717 | 1 | 04/24/2003 |
| Faulty transmission. acura recalled vehicle, but my vehicle did not fall under the vin recall. *nm | |||
| 08/16/2006 | 52886 | 1 | 06/12/2002 |
| On 8/16/06 while driving my 03 acura 3.2tl at 55 mph i accelerated to app 60 mph to pass a car. my car slammed from 5th gear to 2nd gear resulting in a violent jerk. it was so violent i thought i could have been rammed from behind by another vehicle. no warning lights. app 1 mile later going 45 mph the car violently jerked several more times as it apparently shifted from 4th or 5th gear to 2nd gear or neutral. again quite violent and no warning lights present so i slowed down and continued on toward home. i traveled 2 more miles at 30 mph and experienced almost 12 more jerks before my warning lights started flashing. i then pulled over and sat for a moment. then the warning lights stopped flashing and stayed on. i was only a couple of blocks from home so i waited for a break in traffic and pulled back onto the road. my car did not want to accelerate and continued jerking violently in and out of gears until i reached home. my car had previously (a couple of years earlier-july 2004) had a recall to place a oil spray jet on my transmission. i received no notice from acura about another transmission problem or recall until i had this major problem and took my car in. my husband dealt with the service dept at southern motors acura in savannah, ga. they replaced the transmission at no expense. my husband told the service mgr that he feared what happened could have caused an accident. he was assured that the people having 3 and 4 transmissions replaced was before honda engineers figured out the problem and that i should not have another problem. he was told that they would extend my warranty to 100k miles or 7 years (not in writing). since getting my car back with its new transmission, i believe my car has slipped out of gear once more but at a much lower speed. i am not confident that this problem has been adequately resolved and am concerned for my safety while driving this vehicle. i feel that acura is covering up an issue that could cost lives. *nm | |||
| 09/05/2006 | 80000 | 1 | 11/01/2002 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds, the vehicle violently jerked as the automatic transmission shifted gears. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer who determined the automatic transmission needed to be replaced. after the initial replacement, the problem persisted and the vehicle was returned to the dealer for further inspection. the dealer determined the automatic transmission needed to be replaced again. the manufacturer was alerted. | |||
| 08/03/2006 | 91903 | 1 | 03/14/2005 |
| The car lost power, the engine rpm red lined but the car would not go. it left me stranded in the left lane of a 5 lane highway. i coasted into the center lane. the car would not go. fortunately the police pulled behind me and turned on their flashers. i turned off the engine, after a few minutes restarted the car and was able to slowly pull the car off the road. i was within a mile of my home and was able to get the car home and had it towed to the dealer. i found websites about 2002 and 2003 acura tl transmissions failing and being covered under service bulletin 04-020. almost every entry described the exact problem i had. acura extended the warranty to 100,000 miles for certain vin numbers and was replacing the transmission free of charge under warranty. unfortunately my vin was not within the required recall. acura said it was because they fixed the problem. obviously they did not. the safety issue continues and i suspect you are receiving other complaints. *jb | |||
| 07/31/2006 | 64900 | 1 | 03/01/2006 |
| Acura claims my 2003 acura 3.2tl type s is out of the vin# range that is covered by the extended 7/100k power train warranty to cover the defect in transmissions. i find out that the 03 i purchased a few months ago has had three different transmission replacements by acura and now needs its fourth. they claim that since its not included in the vin range of the warranty they won't cover it all and want me to pay $1200. clearly the service history shows a defect with this car and transmissions. the acura dealer diagnosed it and agrees i shouldn't have to pay, but the manufacturer doesn't agree. they still won't acknowledge that this vehicle should have been included in the vin range of the tsb. *jb | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| Consumer complaint concerning an acura 3.2tl auto transmission. *ts *jb | |||
| 12/27/2005 | 17014 | 4 | 02/01/2003 |
| 2003 acura 3.2 tl fell out of gear four times while driving on the highway. *ts the consumer's vehicle was not covered under the extended warranty because acura limited the warranty to certain vins. the consumer had the transmission and torque converter replaced at his expense. *nm *nm | |||
| 12/27/2005 | 17014 | 4 | 02/01/2003 |
| 2003 acura 3.2tl type s transmission fell out of gear on the highway at 17,014 miles. *kb the consumer's vehicle was not covered under the extended warranty because acura limited the warranty to certain vins. the consumer had the transmission and torque converter replaced at his expense. *nm | |||
| 06/14/2006 | 36591 | 1 | 03/09/2003 |
| Complete transmission failure resulting in disengagement of drive train. acura help line requested vin number for car, so i exited vehicle to get the number from the window. car was in park, however car rolled backwards down hill into path of oncoming vehicle. i was able to run after it and jump in to apply brake just before collision would have occurred. this is similar to the issue under pe02081. acura is replacing the transmission, and claim that this issue as highlighted in pe02081 has been resolved and that my vehicle is not covered in the extended warranty program. my concern is that acura know about this potential problem, they have not contacted any owner to alert them of a problem, there is no indication such as engine warning light on the vehicle to indicate transmission overheating they are waiting to get some one killed... thank heavens it wasn't me. *jb | |||
| 04/24/2006 | 17014 | 2 | 02/01/2003 |
| With 17,014 miles on my garage kept 2003 acura 3.2tl type s the transmission failed leaving me stranded on the side of the road at night. the dealer replaced it but i a still having trouble with it shifting improperly i cannot trust my car on a long trip or at night. the dealer will not extend my warranty. *jb | |||
| 02/02/2006 | 56542 | 1 | 11/22/2002 |
| When accelerating onto the freeway the transmission malfunctioned leaving no power and creating a rapid decel while merging into traffic. car was towed to the dealer and the transmission was found to be faulty. further investigation indicates this is a common occurrence on acura 3.2 tl, but the dealer denies any warranty coverage. *jb | |||
| 06/05/2004 | 3675 | 3 | 10/02/2003 |
| 2003 acura has vibration in lower gears when shifting and a humming noise. *ts the dealer found internal transmission component failure. the transmission and torque converter was replaced. *jb | |||
| 11/11/2005 | 2 | 04/28/2003 | |
| Currently own a 2003 acura 3.2tl with 31,000 miles on it. transmission problem. racing at 65 miles an hour without pressing gas pedal. *jb | |||
| 09/12/2005 | 3 | 8 | 02/28/2003 |
| Multiple issues over a 2.5 year period with a new 2003 acura 3.2 tl type s. i have had a transmission replaced after receiving a safety recall. secondly, the car has had an idling issue for 2.5 years that was just recently resolved with the replacement of an engine control valve. third, the a/c was not working properly and the compressor was replaced. fourth, the idle air control system was bad and had to be replaced. fifth, and most worrisome, is that i have had white smoke come from under my hood on 3 separate occasions. the acura dealership has told me they are unable to reproduce the problem and cannot assist me in resolving the issue.*jb | |||
| 11/07/2005 | 34500 | 1 | 01/15/2003 |
| I had my 2003 acura tl transmission fail. while traviling at highway speed the car suddenly downshifted very hard. this occured no less than 3 times before getting the vehicle to a place where it could be towed. i see that nhtsa has opened and closed an investigation about these transmission failures. my car was not included in the 7year/100,000 mile extended transmission. the mileage at time of failure was 34500 miles. i called acura customer service to ask that my car be covered by the extended warranty, and at first was told i would have to purchase an extended warranty because my vin was not covered under the extended warranty. i stated that i was not going to pay for acura's problem and asked to be contacted by a supervisior. i was called back by a service rep who told me acura would grant me the extended warranty, but because i live in florida i would have to sign a waiver that excludes me for persuing any lemon law violations against acura for the transmission failure. i have lost faith in the safety of my car, and know of many owners who have had multiple replacement transmissions installed on the same vehicle. installing a rebuilt transmission does not seem to cure this issue. acura/honda needs to address this failure with a widespread recall to fix this problem once and for all. *nm | |||
| 10/22/2005 | 45747 | 1 | 11/29/2002 |
| Transmission failure at 45,747 mi no previous problems transmission was replaced. *nm | |||
| 05/06/2005 | 1 | ||
| Consumer complaint regarding a defective acura. the vehicle made a loud roaring sound and all the dashboard warning lights illuminated.***no answer required***. *mr the vehicle was taken to the dealer but no problem was found. the oil jet kit had been install previously under recall 04v1700 and the consumer believes this component may have failed again. the consumer believes the entire transmission should be replaced. *nm | |||
| 01/28/2005 | 42000 | 2 | 01/04/2003 |
| I started the acura 3.2tl type s at 6:45am, the acura had not been started or driven the previous 14 hours. engaged transmission in reverse, the gear locked up and rapidly accelerated backward and at the same time a fire started in the engine compartment, i managed to stop the acura after 30 feet where i was | |||
| 12/28/2004 | 28039 | 2 | 02/01/2004 |
| Vehicle hesitated before shifting gear prior to the automatic transmission recall 04v176000 repairs being performed. but after repairs were done the problem became worse. dealership has been notified.*ak the dealer installed the oil jet kit per the recall. after leaving the dealer, the problem continued and became worse in a few weeks. the dealer was notified, but refused to fix the problem. the vehicle no longer drives in third gear. *bf | |||
| 03/19/2005 | 31992 | 2 | 03/31/2003 |
| I own a 2003 acura tl type-s. on several occasions, while merging into highway traffic, i've experienced moments when the transmission wouldn't respond to acceleration (i.e. wouldn't down shift). the car just seem to coast slowly into traffic, causing me to almost get into vehicle accidents. the first transmission i had was replaced due to burnt transmission fluid, i'm just upset that i was allowed to drive a vehicle that had a defective transmission. i had mentioned on several occassions to the dealer where i originally leased the vehicle (acura of troy), about times when the car just seemed to get stuck in second gear. i was told by dealer that nothing was wrong. however, i feel i no longer can depend on the dealer to give me accurate information. this is a very critical problem and dangerous. i'm afraid for my loved ones and myself when driving this vehicle. i took car into another dealer (suburban acura) where they replaced my first transmission under warranty because it was defective, now i'm having even more problems with the second one. i'm starting to get a burning odor from the vehicle now. i've taken the vehicle back in for service but was told nothing was wrong with it. how can someone check a transmission in about 30 minutes or less? i want out of this vehicle for safety reasons. this is not what i paid for, and now i'm driving a vehicle that has reduced performance and a burning odor. again, i'm afraid for my well-being and those of my family.*ak | |||
| 03/01/2005 | 1 | 08/04/2004 | |
| 'recall campaign' issued for 2003 acura tl transmission failure. *bf the consumer is upset that the dealer knowingly sold him a vehicle that had a recall and did not disclose the information, however the dealer stated they did not find out about the recall until nov 2004. the consumer contacted acura client service and was told the dealer knew about the recall 2 months prior to the consumer purchasing the vehicle. (recall 04v176000). *jb the consumer requested reimbursement for the out of pocket expenses for improvements, interest and payments. *sc *jb | |||
| 02/11/2005 | 1 | ||
| While driving approximately 45 mph transmission locked, causing vehicle to crash into a wall. the cause of why this happened was undetermined.*ak | |||
| 03/01/2003 | 4 | 11/01/2002 | |
| Within 1 week of taking delivery of the vehicle, the transmission started showing signs of a problem. *nm recall campaign : 04v176000. while driving in fifth gear the transmission would hesitate and feel like it was hunting between gears causing the vehicle to shutter. the second incident was the same as the first and included the engine revving as the transmission slipped into neutral even though the vehicle was in d5 in automatic mode. the vehicle coasted to the shoulder and stopped. regardless of what gear the transmission was in no power went to the front wheels. the consumer smelled a burning smell coming from the vehicle. after the transmission was replaced the problem still existed. the transmission was replaced again and the problem still existed. *tc *jb | |||
| 02/18/2005 | 49000 | 1 | 08/01/2003 |
| Vehicle is a 2003 acura3.2 tl. the engine accelerates at random and while in park or in gear.*ak | |||
| 01/31/2005 | 38414 | 4 | 02/10/2003 |
| The transmission on my 2003 acura tl type s failed at approximately 38000 miles. the transmission was recently serviced pursuant to a notice by acura. this is the third acura that i have owned that has had transmission failure. the first vehicle (2002) was replaced within two weeks. the second vehicle had two failures and was eventually replaced with a 2003 model after negotiation with their mediation group. it is very apparent that the transmissions are in fact defective, given the fact that honda motor co. ltd did finally issue a recall notice. based on my personal experience i am very concerned as to the safety of the vehicle, even with another transmission. i also fear for my safety as well as my family?s safety when operating the vehicle. this is amended information provided over the phone.*ak | |||
| 01/11/2005 | 37000 | 1 | 03/18/2004 |
| I own a 2003 acura tl type s. recently i have been having transmission problems. i took the car into the cealership and they told me that i need a recall done. what they did was install an oil jet to lubricate the 2nd gear better.(2nd gear is the supposed cause of failure) . after the oil jet was installed the dealership informed me that i would need a transmission replacement. i was outraged. i have to pay out of my pocket because they have a design flaw. on the way home from the dealership the transmission flat out died. the car wouldnt shift gears and i have to drive it home in 2nd gear. i dont know what to do, i am in no financial position to replace the transmission.*ak | |||
| 10/04/2004 | 35000 | 1 | |
| Nhtsa recall 04v176000 concerning transmission failure. after having revising the oil cooler return line consumer heard a loud knocking noise coming from the transmission. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, but cause could not be determined. *ak | |||
| 11/04/2004 | 31000 | 1 | |
| I took my acura tl-s 2003 in for the 30,000 mile service on october 27, 2004. at this time i was informed that the automatic transmission would be examined for damage due to incorrect lubrication. i was not aware of the recall before this. the examination was done, and i was told that the transmission looked fine and they had installed an oil jet kit. on november4, 2004 my transmission failed as i was driving in traffic home. the transmission appeared to lock causing a sudden deceleration then alternated between slipping and locking. luckily i was not on the highway where if this had happened, i am convinced i would have had a bad accident. as it was i nearly was rear ended by an unsuspecting motorist behind me (it was dark outside and of course my brake lights did not alert that motorist). the check engine light also came on, and the traction control system vsa off light lit up. i had the vehicle towed to acura where they condemned the transmission. they told me they will be putting a refurbished transmission in the vehicle. this is very concerning since they looked at my previous one, made the changes that they believe will fix the problem, and then my transmission still failed. someone is going to get killed by this problem, sooner or later!*ak | |||
| 10/01/2004 | 34900 | 1 | 06/24/2002 |
| Twice, my acura tl has slowed drastically as i was driving at high speed in the freeway fast lane. both times i pulled into the right lane, and by then the car seemed to be functioning normally. i was lucky i wasn't in heavy traffic. i called the car dealer after the second incident and was told they had never heard of anything like that. my internet research found the nhtsa investigation of acura tl transmissions. i called the dealer again, and they have agreed to inpsect the transmission.*ak | |||
| 09/29/2004 | 36960 | 3 | 02/16/2003 |
| 2003 acura tl type-s, 36960 miles: recurring transmission slippage when shifting between 2nd and 3rd gear (automatic 5-speed transmission) and nearly caused car crash when driving on highway during rush hour traffic three times. currently driving a rental waiting to have replacement transmission installed. (oil jet kit was installed by dealer 2 months ago in response to recent recall by acura.)*ak | |||
| 09/15/2003 | 20000 | 2 | 02/15/2003 |
| Acura 2003 tl transmission defect. first failure transmission locked up at speed of 70 mph happened 6 times . transmission replaced.second failure transmission locked up going 55 car following behind me crashed into me . signifigant injurie's resulted from this crash that involved 3 vehicles.*ak i have reported this info to this site 3 times and go back to find my submission and it mysteriously dissapears! honda acura's recent safety recall for this transmission defect keeps claiming there are no crashes or injurys' as a result of this defect . this is false !!!! i know of atleast 3 other incidences that involve injury's due to the severe defect that causes the transmission to lock up with out warning! | |||
| 07/29/2004 | 32000 | 2 | 11/06/2002 |
| I brought frist tl in 2002 and at 2003 the car's transmission broke and i traded the tl and bought new 03 tl type-s in 2003. then july of 2004, the transmission broke again with my new 03tl again. i almost got accident becase the car just shift it's gear itself. *ak | |||
| 07/21/2004 | 38000 | 3 | 12/11/2002 |
| Bucking and front wheels locked up momentarily. highway speeds, very dangerous. 2003 acura and now the dealers says they will replace the transmission. i was lied to when i bought this car, dealer said all 2003's were not inflicted. now i found out different. my experience was scary. recall now!*ak | |||
| 06/26/2004 | 22000 | 1 | 12/21/2003 |
| While driving our 2003 tl-s on the hwy, the car suddenly violently jerked and the transmission seemed to be failing. sure enough i had the car towed to the dealer who informed me that the transmission needs to be replaced. i am extremely upset that my pre-owned vehicle with only 22000 miles has to have the transmission replaced. the car was very dangerous and could have caused an accident with the way it was causing whiplash. the company should do a recall on the transmission not just an extension of the warranty. so far we have experienced many of the complaints listed on the nhtsa website. we have had the tire sidewall bulge, which i had to pay to have the new tire replaced once it blew out on the hwy. we had to have the radio missfire fixed and now the transmission replaced within the last 6 months. this car is definitely not reliable.*ak | |||
| 10/10/2003 | 20134 | 1 | 12/15/2002 |
| Transmission failure on acura 3.2tls. *ak | |||
| 02/12/2004 | 18434 | 1 | 11/20/2002 |
| I own a 2003 acura tl type s. at 18,434 miles, the transmission failed. it was replaced, but this transmission is exhibiting the same symptoms the original transmission did before it failed. the symptoms are hesitation and jerking at highway speeds. some acura tl owners were given an extended drivetrain warranty. i was told mine was not part of that offering even after my transmission failed, so i am not covered by the warranty. based on the fact that the replacement transmission is having the same problems, in addition to all of the acura tl owners who have had two and three replacement transmissions, i feel there should be a recall for these transmissions. *ak | |||
| 05/11/2004 | 2 | 07/23/2002 | |
| The transmission in my 2003 acura 3.2tl type s has been replaced twice and is going back in on monday for another check.*ak | |||
| 04/05/2004 | 30000 | 1 | 05/25/2003 |
| Transmission failed at 30,000 miles in my 2003 acura tl-s, leaving me going 30mph trying to merge onto a freeway.*ak | |||
| 04/07/2003 | 4000 | 3 | |
| Transmission problems with sudden harsh jerk. transmission is on its second replacement also front brake caliper bolt sheared off at 75 miles per hour resulting tin the front tire locking up. ventilation problems with mold in the recirculation system.*ak | |||
| 02/20/2004 | 13500 | 2 | 10/02/2003 |
| 2003 acura 3.2 tl previously reported sudden downshift from 5th gear to 2nd gear at highway speeds. vehicle inspected by gettel acura in sarasota, fl. told cannot reproduce problem so honda/acura will not authorize any repairs. vehicle is still at dealer, they are attempting to reproduce problem. have been told by acura customer care that my vehicle is outside the vin number series covered by previous nhtsa investigations and my vehicle is not a candidate for repair, despite the 7 year, 100k mile extended warranty. was told we believe you, but if we cannot reproduce the problem, there is nothing we can do...why should we dump thousands of dollars in parts into your car if we can't find anything wrong? i explained their liabiliy and the potential safety hazard, as, the vehicle had suddenly downshifted from 5th gear to 2nd, twice in last 5 days. acura/honda appears to be stonewalling, and i will have to seek legal counsel in order to compel them to comply with the terms of the extended transmission warranty...before the transmission failure causes an accident or injury to myself or my family. acura insists the transmission problems were fixed before the car was built, so there is no way i could be having the same problems, and i was chastized for quoting information from nhtsa investigation results...they told me you aren't a mechanic, and trying to get a new transmission because you read something on the web doen't mean your car has a problem. this was courtesy of robin at acura customer care department on 2/24/04. . the dealership called today, stated it was raining, so they couldn't take my car out to run diagnostics..and they'll try again tomorrow. if they find nothing wrong, they plan on returning the vehicle to me, unrepaired. . i am most certainly scared to get back behind the wheel of this vehicle, due to the two sudden downshifts that nearly caused loss of control of the vehicle. . acura is not complying with it's agreement with nhtsa.*ak | |||
| 02/20/2004 | 13557 | 1 | 09/22/2003 |
| Sudden downshift of automatic transmission while driving in d-5 (5th gear) at approximately 60mph while merging onto highway. momentary loss of control, regained when 5th gear re-engaged. motor suddenly revved to near red-line causing torque steer feel and deceleration. reviously notified dealer of transmission-related issues, was told no problem found at gettel acura in sarasota, fl. plan on taking vehicle back to shop again.*ak | |||
| 12/02/2002 | 15000 | 10 | 04/08/2002 |
| I leased an 03 acura tl-type s in 4/02. this vehicle is unsafe and the manufacturer is either unable or unwilling to correct the problem. he transmission began slipping, shuddering and bucking at 15k miles. the rpms would also rev without pressing the gas pedal . i brought the car in on 12/2/02, and the dealer reported that there were no codes and that the problem could not be duplicated. at nearly 22k miles, the problem evolved into a high-pitched whining noise. on 4/16/03, dealer said the transmission needed to be replaced. at first the new transmission seemed to perform better, but differently and somewhat more slowly. at about 26,000 miles the shuddering and bucking at various speeds returned. i took it back to dealer on 7/21/03, and again they said no codes and the problem could not be duplicated, precisely as had been indicated before the first transmission was replaced. they did flush the transmission fluid. on 10/22/03 during a roadtest with dealer's service department, the transmission did in fact exhibit the behavior i have been documenting. after the computer revealed no codes, the vehicles egr ports were cleaned and dealer believed that would fix the problem. however, the problem continued. i have taken the car back on a half dozen occasions and each time am told they can't duplicate the problem. acura corporate management admits there is a problem with the transmissions and replacement transmissions have also failed. they are not sure why. they insist if there are no codes or if dealer cannot readily duplicate there is not a problem. i am unwilling to wait for a complete failure which can result in the transmission locking up at highway speeds and lead to an accident. i began at the end of november documenting the dates, times and speeds at which the transmission malfunctions and can provide this data. it is inconsistent and it is very difficult to duplicate, but that does not mean it is not a problem. *ak | |||
| 09/15/2003 | 21000 | 2 | 02/14/2003 |
| Two transmissions in my 6 month old in my acura 3.2 tl . the first failure consisted of my tranny locking up while traveling at 65mph or more and almost throwing me through the windshield. the tranny was replaced with a new one. the snd occurence consisted of my tranny locking up in lunch hour traffic ,traveling around 55 car behind me was not prepared for the lock up slammed into me, police report and injurie's sustained that are still ongoing. this is a deffinate safety issue alway's has been ,if a car stalls on the highway ,there is no question that it is a safety issue ,this is worse then an engine stalling,there are no brake light's ,it all happnes too fast ! who decides what is a safety issue? i'll tell you the people who dirve these and have had accident's or near death expieriences. *ak | |||
| 10/24/2003 | 4000 | 1 | 07/24/2003 |
| I bought an acura 3.2tl type s in july 2003. the vehicle is 3 months old with 4,000 miles on it and it is having the transmission replaced. i was not aware of this problem when i purchased the car, nor was i told about it when i inquired about recalls, since this is not an official recall. *la | |||
| 09/20/2003 | 8500 | 01/02/2003 | |
| My 2003 tl-s has been manufactured in december of 2002, seven months after the date that acura supposedly addressed the transmission failure issue. i was shocked when my transmission failed after 9 months and less than 9,000 miles. at this point i do not trust that acura has really addressed the transmission issue. | |||
| 07/27/2003 | 4151 | 4 | 06/15/2002 |
| Have taken my 2003 acura tls into the dealers approximately four times for the same problem. dealer states they cannot do anything because they cannot duplicate the problem.*ak while driving the gas pedal self-depresses and locks, but the car feels as though it has shifted itself into neutral--leaving me no alternative but to cruise to the side of the road until the gas pedal 'pops' itself up and i regain control of the car. | |||
| 07/08/2003 | 17000 | 8 | 05/07/2002 |
| Transmission downshifts without warning when traveling at various speeds, and causes occupants to be jerked backwards. problem occurs randomly, and acura refuses to fix without dealer duplication - despite issuing a warranty extension for the transmission.*ak | |||
| 05/15/2003 | 9000 | 1 | 05/10/2002 |
| Took delivery of new 2003 acura 3.2tl-type s on may 10, 2002. was unaware that honda/acura had an on-going transmission problem since model year 1999. transmission started acting up over the past several thousand miles. on may 15, 2003, dealer confirmed transmission problem and has ordered new transmission. honda has a major problem since this has occurred in model years 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 & 2003. while they have extended the warranty to 7 years / 100k miles, this is totally unacceptable. *jb | |||
| 02/11/2003 | 400 | ||
| Transmission shudder and balking on new 2003 acura tlc type-s | |||
| 01/01/2003 | |||
| I noticed that nhtsa has opened an investigation into tranny failure. i bought an 03 acura 3.2tl-s back in march. i really didnt know than when the tranny would catch up that it would be a defect. the sad part is that i want to get rid of the car but i cant sell it because of financial loss. therefore, im forced to stay with this car that may some day kill me. i have heard of other stories; numerious other stories. i have a feeling that the tranny may go soon but its no way to get it looked at beacuse the failure didnt happen yet. im scared and dont know what to do. please help | |||
| 11/14/2002 | 1 | 03/01/2002 | |
| This is a 2003 acura tl-s that had a transmission failure. acura contacted customers to extend the transmission warranty to 100,000 miles but that does not resolve the problem. my car is just over 7 months old and the transmission already failed. this must be a known issue at acura and should be investigated. transmission failures are extremely dangerous and deserves a recall. dt | |||
| 06/27/2002 | 1 | 05/01/2002 | |
| While in d5 waiting to let head-on traffic go, could not complete left turn due to suddenly disengaged transmission, as if in neutral. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||
| 07/14/2002 | 1 | 04/24/2002 | |
| Consumer states while driving, a car suddenly cut into consumer's lane. consumer turned the vehicle to avoid hitting the other car and used the brakes immediately. vehicle span out of control, making 2 complete rotations and then hitting another vehicle. there was damage to both vehicles, but no one was injured. consumer feels the abs and tracking system failed to prevent the accident. *tt | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - TORQUE CONVERTER | |||
| 02/20/2004 | 13500 | 2 | 10/02/2003 |
| 2003 acura 3.2 tl previously reported sudden downshift from 5th gear to 2nd gear at highway speeds. vehicle inspected by gettel acura in sarasota, fl. told cannot reproduce problem so honda/acura will not authorize any repairs. vehicle is still at dealer, they are attempting to reproduce problem. have been told by acura customer care that my vehicle is outside the vin number series covered by previous nhtsa investigations and my vehicle is not a candidate for repair, despite the 7 year, 100k mile extended warranty. was told we believe you, but if we cannot reproduce the problem, there is nothing we can do...why should we dump thousands of dollars in parts into your car if we can't find anything wrong? i explained their liabiliy and the potential safety hazard, as, the vehicle had suddenly downshifted from 5th gear to 2nd, twice in last 5 days. acura/honda appears to be stonewalling, and i will have to seek legal counsel in order to compel them to comply with the terms of the extended transmission warranty...before the transmission failure causes an accident or injury to myself or my family. acura insists the transmission problems were fixed before the car was built, so there is no way i could be having the same problems, and i was chastized for quoting information from nhtsa investigation results...they told me you aren't a mechanic, and trying to get a new transmission because you read something on the web doen't mean your car has a problem. this was courtesy of robin at acura customer care department on 2/24/04. . the dealership called today, stated it was raining, so they couldn't take my car out to run diagnostics..and they'll try again tomorrow. if they find nothing wrong, they plan on returning the vehicle to me, unrepaired. . i am most certainly scared to get back behind the wheel of this vehicle, due to the two sudden downshifts that nearly caused loss of control of the vehicle. . acura is not complying with it's agreement with nhtsa.*ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE | |||
| 07/21/2004 | 38000 | 3 | 12/11/2002 |
| Bucking and front wheels locked up momentarily. highway speeds, very dangerous. 2003 acura and now the dealers says they will replace the transmission. i was lied to when i bought this car, dealer said all 2003's were not inflicted. now i found out different. my experience was scary. recall now!*ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 08/12/2004 | 27000 | 1 | |
| The transmission failed on the highway. the vehicle just stopped. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. after picking the vehicle up, the timing chain broke. *jb | |||
| 09/12/2002 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states that the vehicle would intermittently shaft into park while driving. dealer and the manufacturer has been notified. feel free to provide any further information. | |||