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 federal safety agency 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.
2003 Acura TL transmission complaints
Page 5 of 9: complaints 101 to 130 of 246, newest first, as owners wrote them.
There is a known transmission issue with acura 2003tl version, even though acura have put it in recall, to do the work the dealer charge anywhere from $350-600. The vehicle chokes up in between the road because of overheating in transmission. The headlights flickering is one another issue which when taken to the dealer called it as computer system mess up in the car and this is not in the recall, the dealer charges about $800 for such repair which is not reasonable for the faulty equipment of acura.
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.
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*
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.
I own a 2003 acura tl. My transmission is not shifting properly unless I baby the engine. The problems gets worse as the car heats up and gets hot. The main problem comes in when shifting from 1st gear to 2nd gear and from 2nd to 3rd as well. Going up hills from a stop is difficult. I brought it to the dealer and they pulled code p1450. The tech told me that there are internal solenoids that are receiving the signal to shift, but are not actuating. I've looked into this problem and saw there is an outstanding recall on this transmission (04v176000). I've been told by acura hq and the local dealer that I've been dealing with (acura of avon in avon, ct) and haven't gotten any results. I understand that my car does not fall within this recall, but I also understand that there is also a class action lawsuit against acura that describes my exact problem. Despite acura's information on VIN number distribution of problematic transmissions, I believe I have a vehicle that is experiencing the problems covered under either the recall or the class action lawsuit. This problem occurs everytime I drive the vehicle. I have to keep the engine at around 2,000 or 2, 500 rpms until the transmission finally shifts. If I do not lay off the gas, the transmission will not shift.
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.
Transmission began slipping at 85,000 miles.
Transmission caused veh to jumped or jerked forward.
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.
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.
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.
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 federal safety agency, 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.
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.
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. The federal safety agency 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/.
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.
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/.
On thursday 7/23/09 as I was on my way home from work, my transmission completely failed. I was pulling out onto a busy road and was almost involved in a very bad collision when my transmission quit working. It lurched me forward into moving traffic however would not accelerate fast enough to get me moving. Luckily, the oncoming semi truck was able to slam on it's brakes and turn to avoid a collision. I could have easily been killed if the driver had not been alert and paying attention. There is already a recall on this transmission (the federal safety agency #04v176000) which according to honda was already done on my car however it obviously was not done properly. It may not lock up as stated in the original recall however a complete failure to move is also extremely dangerous. Checking around online, many many other people are making this same complaint on my year and model. Acura needs to completely resolve these problems or people may be seriously injured or even killed.
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.
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.
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.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. While driving approximately 60 MPH in rainy weather conditions, the transmission shifted into another gear without warning. The failure caused sudden deceleration. The contact is in the process of taking the vehicle to the dealer to determine the cause of the failure. The failure and current mileages were 52,320.
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.
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 the federal safety agency campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission). The failure mileage was 66,000.
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?
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.
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 the federal safety agency 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 the federal safety agency 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.
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