I was riding on the highway when the engine went into high RPM's and the car was slowing down. The automatic transmission went out. I barely got to the side of the road without power. The car only has 77,248 miles on it. There was acura service bulletin 02-027 feb 5, 2008, about tranmission problems. Very scarey!
2003 Acura CL: complete transmission failure
12 of the 73 complaints about the 2003 Acura CL describe complete transmission failure.
- owner complaints
- 12
- of this car's complaints
- 16%
- typical mileage
- 89,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 37 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Complete transmission failure by model year
What owners say
Transmission failed despite the car having the factory recommended service for the transmission being performed at 60k and 89k. The transmission dropped into 2nd while on the highway at 65mph. Upon investigating it was found the car was part of a class action due to transmission failure, but I was not eligible since the car was out of the extended warranty period.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura cl. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the transmission failed causing a reduction in acceleration. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage 107,000.
I was driving down interstate 19, when the transmission started to fail, there was heavy traffic and my car going up and down on speed limit, 65-35 miles per hour. Almost had cars behind me rear end my acura cl, so I pulled over to avoid a sudden accident, the vehicle had just been in the acura dealership for a minor inspection of a sudden noise in the transmission area. They advised me that it was starting to miss and did not mention not to drive it. A new transmission costs $4700.
When entering highway vehicle failed to change gears and nearly causing a rear end crash. Transmission failed.
Acura cl 3.2 2003 w/ 60k miles, maintained on a regular basis exceeding owners manual recommendations and driven conservatively by a professional female: car being driven on heavily trafficked road normally, and very abruptly/suddenly geared down to low gear from high gear. Violently jerked and shifted, causing the car to instantly go from around 50 MPH to only around 10-15 MPH. No warning lights or previous problems. If car had been being driven on the busy, high speed interstate leaving san francisco at 60+ surrounded by traffic (luckily had just exited the interstate and was on secondary road), it could easily have caused fatal accidents. Luckily, I was able to immediately access a shoulder to pull over. Drove car to acura service on side road with flashers on - took nearly an hour to go 6 miles. Warning light finally came on a half mile from the dealership, although problem had happened several miles before and could easily have caused major accidents, based on driving situation. Acura service determined that transmission was defective and replaced it. Even though I later learned that the same model and year had been put under an extended warranty and was the subject of a class action lawsuit, I had never received any notifications. Further, I was told by acura corp and the dealership that my VIN number was not part of the problem/ lawsuit and I was required to pay for the new transmission, on the acura with 60k miles that was in otherwise excellent condition..
Transmission in my 2003 acura cls had shifting problems. It would downshift randomly for no reason and throw you hard against your seat belt. It was so bad I had to take it to the acura dealership where they said the transmission needed replaced. Other acura cl's and acura products had a recall for this transmission problem that required them to replace the transmission, but mine was supposedly a vehicle that was not affected and not covered under the recall. The acura dealer replaced the transmission and covered 1/2 the cost after I asked them to contact their local acura dealer rep.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2cl. On september 17, 2008, while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle lost power and stopped. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that a new transmission was needed. The contact wanted a second opinion and had the vehicle towed to another mechanic. A diagnostic was performed and the second mechanic confirmed that a new transmission was needed. The manufacturer stated that her vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission); however, they would not cover the cost of the repairs due to the mileage that was on the vehicle. The contact was also informed that repairs were made to the vehicle on september 27, 2004. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 124,000.
1) rough shifting. 2) gear would not change, erratic shifting, and then car would not move. 3) 01-some 03 cls had many problem w/ transmission so transmission warranty was extended to 109k but I have an 03 that is not covered and transmission blew. Dealer paid for the transmission but I had to pay for labor.
Had to replace transmission after 89,000 miles.
Transmission failed at 60,000 miles. After hearing that there had been a recall of my vehicle for transmission problems, I called acura. They told me that the recall did not affect my vehicle (according to the VIN #). They agreed to check to see whether it would be covered under the recall but the process they suggested would take several weeks to determine whether or not they would cover the problem. I had my vehicle repaired at my expense. I now see the VIN #'s that were affected and it looks like my vehicle should have been part of the recall.
Tranmission failures: 2003 acura cl. 1st incident was at 3,000 miles. Car stalled and was acting up on a very busy freeway in ca (405 freeway). I wasn't in a familiar area when I pulled over. Acura roadside assistance said to drive to the nearest dealership when I didn't even know where one was. It was dangerous but I ended up making it to dealership. Replaced transmission and some other fluids after 1 week of being in the shop. 2nd incident was at 25k miles and not even 2 yrs old. Car was pulling I slowed down and had a blow out on another freeway. It is in the shop as we speak. They have to replace the transmission again. I'll be without my car a week.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Case v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Case No. BC 424169 (Third Clutch Transmission Settlement
- You are required to install a remanufactured A/T (automatic transmission) and torque converter on any...
- Acura: 6 speed manual transmission grinds when shifting into 3RD gear, pops out of 3RD gear, or is hard to...
- 3.2 tl and 3.2 cl automatic transmission
- Don't invite problems doing 2ND gear inspection
- Canon A75 digital camera replacement
- P1706 a/t switch short or open
- Safety recall: cl and tl automatic transmission second gear inspection
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- Gear failure could result in transmission lockup, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 04V176000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2003 Acura CL transmission failure
Is complete transmission failure a common problem on the 2003 Acura CL?
12 of 73 owner complaints about the 2003 Acura CL (16%) mention complete transmission failure. The model year with the most reports is 2001.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Acura CL?
There is 1 recall and 37 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Acura CL
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