The contact owns a 2003 Acura TL. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and hesitated to accelerate. The check engine, third and fourth gear, ESP fault, and VSA system warning lights were illuminated. The contact self-diagnosed the vehicle with a code reader and the code P1750 appeared. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
2003 Acura TL: hesitation when accelerating
14 of the 391 complaints about the 2003 Acura TL describe hesitation when accelerating.
- owner complaints
- 14
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- typical mileage
- 95,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 35 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Hesitation when accelerating by model year
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, with the accelerator pedal depressed, the vehicle jerked and hesitated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift above third gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact referenced the failure to the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with a defective speed sensor. The dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 230,000.
My car's check engine light and tcs light came on. Had my car scanned at my local obii service center and recieved code p1676. Still experiencing same problem after, I then took my car to the local honda dealership service center to get a verification of this code and saw a flyer for recalls. I review the information, (I own an acura, honda was unable to provide the recall repair service) and found that recalls pertaining to the code generated from the initial scan for when the check engine light came on pertained to the code. I called in reference to the recalls posted on the website. I was informed that a recall repair for the transmission/power-train (04v176000) and timing belt (02v226000) were made to my vehicle however I am still having the same problem including excessive vibration & hesitation during acceleration especially between 50-60mph), cruise control has shut off without warning/notice while driving , and inability to pass nc emissions inspections. I contacted the federal safety agency and was informed with 2 different reasons why my vehicle was not eligible for repair. (1) vehicle batch number was not affected and then (2) the repair had already been made in feb 2005 by previous owner. All these problem started occurring after I took my car to leith acura of cary, nc for the recall on the tarkata airbags(15v320000). I have been denied safety repairs to my vehicle. Leith acura of cary, nc is requiring me to pay $131.00 inorder to do a diagnostic scan only that I already have proof from several ase certified inspection stations (which were free of charge). I does not include the amount that may be required to fix the problem pending it is not totally a recall repair. I believe that the repair was done incorrectly or the current transmission is not the one that replaced the original transmission after the recall repair. If so, I should be allowed repairs.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. When the contact placed the gear selector from reverse to the drive position, the vehicle would not shift into gear. The vehicle hesitated and then finally went into gear. The vehicle was sluggish and rough as if it were shifting into the neutral gear. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where it could not be diagnosed. The failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. While driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and violently shifted gears. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the torque converter clutch circuit failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 173,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. While driving at 15 MPH, the transmission started hesitating and jumped into gear. The transmission was repaired under a manufacturer's recall in 2008, however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 142,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. While driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle hesitated, jerked forward, and the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that there was an abnormal noise coming from the gear shift. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). The failure mileage was 62,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. The contact stated that after making a stop and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, who stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The failure was reported to the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 73,000. The current mileage was 73,592. Updated 7/8/13 *cn the consumer stated when accelerating, the vehicle would surge forward before going into gear. Updated 07/18/13
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.
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 the federal safety agency 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 the federal safety agency) 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?
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. On july 1, 2004, the original transmission was overheating. The vehicle hesitated, and made a grinding and clanking noise when shifting gears from park to drive. The mileage was 28,753. The dealer attempted to repair the transmission by inserting a lube kit. The transmission was replaced on january 24, 2007. However, on february 6, 2007, while shifting gears the vehicle was making excessive noises. On february 14, 2007, a rebuilt transmission was installed in the vehicle. The contact stated that the transmission inserted in this vehicle had the same failure. The dealer advised the contact that although there was noise present the vehicle was operating normally. The noises he was currently hearing from this vehicle was normal. The contact stated that he was currently waiting for a regional manager to test drive the vehicle at the end of march 2007. The current mileage was 31,000. *ak update 4/9
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.
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...
- 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
- How to replenish atf on vehicles with a/t oil jet kits
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 TL hesitation
Is hesitation when accelerating a common problem on the 2003 Acura TL?
14 of 391 owner complaints about the 2003 Acura TL (4%) mention hesitation when accelerating. The model year with the most reports is 2003.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Acura TL?
There is 1 recall and 35 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Acura TL
Transmission failure 103Slipping 45Jerking 39Check engine light 32Airbag light 17Stalling 14Won't shift 14Adaptive cruise 10Headlights 10Grinding brakes 8No deployment 7Overheating 7Sudden acceleration 7Fire or smoke 6Engine failure 5Harsh shifting 5Shudder 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 Acura TL?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history