2003 ACURA TL Complaints

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH IN FIFTH GEAR, THE TRANSMISSION AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTED INTO SECOND GEAR WITHOUT ASSISTANCE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE TRANSMISSION,CURRENT MILEAGE-54000. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 ACURA TL. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH THE VEHICLE HAD SUDDENLY STOPPED ON ITS OWN AND COULD NOT BE DRIVEN PAST THE SECOND GEAR WITHOUT STOPPING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED BY A LOCAL MECHANIC. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 107,000.

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.

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

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

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

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 ACURA TL. THE ACCELERATOR WOULD REPEATEDLY GET STUCK, WHICH CAUSED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THE ACCELERATOR WAS REPLACED. HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RESURFACED. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALER, AND THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE ACCELERATOR WAS INSTALLED TOO TIGHTLY. HE THEN RE-INSTALLED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE REPAIR REMEDIED THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 85,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 1,000. UPDATED 12/07/09 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE PROBLEM WAS THE ACCELERATOR UNDER THE HOOD. THE THROTTLE CABLE WAS ADJUSTED. UPDATED 12/09/09.*JB

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

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 ACURA TL. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH THE VEHICLE DOWN-SHIFTED WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY, AND A MECHANIC CONCLUDED THAT THE GEARS IN THE TRANSMISSION WERE SLIPPING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED HIM THAT BEFORE REPAIRS COULD BE PERFORMED HE WOULD HAVE TO PAY AN $140.00 DIAGNOSTIC FEE. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE TECHNICIAN CONCLUDED THAT HE WOULD CALL THE MANUFACTURER TO DETERMINE WHAT RECOURSE THEY WOULD PROVIDE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,300. UPDATED 11/06/09. *LJ THE BALL JOINTS WERE REPLACED. UPDATED 11/10/09

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