2003 ACURA TL Complaints

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

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

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

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

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

2003 ACURA TL TYPE-S EXPERIENCING EXCESSIVE WEAR ON ONLY THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT TIRE. CAR WAS TAKEN TO AN ACURA DEALER FOR SERVICE. UPON INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE, THE ACURA MECHANIC INDICATED THAT THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN SEEN PREVIOUSLY ON SEVERAL OTHER VEHICLES OF THE SAME MAKE/MODEL AND THAT THE PROBLEM WAS RELATED TO THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM (VSA) ALLOWING SLIPPAGE OF THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE DURING RIGHT TURNS. ACURA STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RESOLUTION AVAILABLE AND THE ONLY RECOURSE WAS TO ROTATE THE TIRES ON A MORE FREQUENT BASIS. TIRE DEALER WAS ASKED IF THERE WERE ANY KNOWN ISSUES WITH THE TIRE ITSELF (MICHELIN) AND INDICATED THAT THERE WERE NO SERVICE NOTIFICATIONS ISSUES FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THE WEAR ON THIS TIRE IS HEAVILY ACCELERATED AND WAS ONLY NOTICED ON A ROUTINE EXAMINATION OF THE VEHICLE. BASED ON THE STATEMENTS BY THE ACURA MECHANIC, I BELIEVE THERE TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE TO SLIP, THEREBY CAUSING THE EXCESSIVE WEAR. GIVEN WINTER DRIVING CONDITIONS, THIS SLIPPAGE WAS INCREASED DUE TO THE LOSS OF ROAD TRACTION. IF UNNOTICED, THE TIRE WOULD HAVE FAILED (WITH LESS THAN 28000 MILES) POTENTIALLY CAUSING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THE WORN TIRE IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION AND PICTURES OF THE TIRE IN COMPARISON TO THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT TIRE ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. *NM

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

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

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

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