2003 Acura TL: stuck in gear or won't shift

Filed Nov 25, 2019 · Transmission · 111,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. The contact stated that the gear did not shift properly and the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to acura of laurel (301‑498‑3322, located at 3506 laurel fort meade rd, laurel, md 20724) where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced at the contact's expense. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). The failure mileage was approximately 111,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

Filed Mar 3, 2016 · Transmission · NC

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.

Filed Jan 29, 2014 · Transmission · 133,000 miles · MA

I was driving down the highway and my car almost stopped. It was like I had pushed the brake pedal to the floor and held it. It then wouldn't shift into gear and the RPM went up to 6000. It is now unsafe to drive as it doesn't shift into gear and "bucks" as I try to go down the road. I went to an acura dealer and they told me it would cost me $4500 to replace transmission without looking at it so they are very aware of the problem. I called another dealer and left message and they never called me back. In researching this issue I found there was a recall for the exact issue I was having. My car did have the so called "fix" completed in 2004. I took great care of this car and changed my transmission fluid approximately every 30000 miles. I called american honda motor company and they told me I would have to pay to have it diagnosed by the same dealer who quoted me $4500 without looking at it or the dealer who never called me back. This is a known problem with my model transmission and the fact that I was driving down the highway and was almost rear ended because my car basically stopped is unacceptable. It's sad that honda will not take care of the problem. American honda has chosen profit over customer satisfaction and safety.

Filed Jan 23, 2012 · Transmission · 69,202 miles · CA

While on freeway in the morning, the vehicle was slowed down with the traffic. When traffic moved, the car failed to shift into 3 gear. It was stuck in 2nd gear. I was able to pull the vehicle to safety and upon putting it in park then back into drive, it still failed to move past 2nd gear. Switch to 4th setting and then vehicle did shift from 2nd to 3rd but will sudden jerk reaction only. For moment the car did a quick jolt and I had to take quick action to make sure I did not lose control of the vehicle on freeway. Contacted the dealership and there is recall with similar issue of failure to 2nd gear for my car and the VIN is part of the recall by manufacturer. Car was provided to dealership and pictures of the 2nd gear were sent to acura which denied the recall repair of the transmission as the second gear did not show sign of heat wear even though it had failed. The dealer offered a 40% goodwill for total transmission replacement repair charges of 2750. I would like to note that acura has failed to respond correctly to existing recall and limited the recall repairs only if the damage shows some heat wear and not just damage to second gear. As vehicle has been kept in perfect condition, I do not see how the vehicle with recall for 2nd and 3rd gear can have transmission failure which will not be covered by the vehicle manufacturer for a vehicle with only 69k miles, when there are so many of us showing this exact same failure and honda is acknowledge of bad transmission problem by issuing a recall and has been patching the problem instead of fixing it.

Filed Jan 5, 2011 · Transmission · 51,500 miles · NJ

2003 acura 3.2tl-s with only 51,000 miles. Car is immaculate. Transmission began having trouble engaging and would not shift. I took to honda dealer, who told me transmission is completely shot and needs to be replaced at a cost of $4,200! The tranny was subject to recall in 2004 and had an oil injection system added. But acura dealer now tells me there is no extended warranty, even though there are known issues with the transmissions on this vintage tl.

Filed Jan 15, 2010 · Transmission · 87,919 miles · CT

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.

Filed Nov 19, 2009 · Transmission · 71,900 miles · WA

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.

Filed Jun 4, 2009 · Transmission · 68,880 miles · CA

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.

Filed Oct 30, 2008 · Transmission · 104,000 miles · CA

During my drive to work the other morning my car sudden jerked back and forth on the freeway. It was very sudden and it was very scary, I had not control over the vehicle. The tires were screeching during the jerks and I was afraid I was going to crash. A check engine light came on as well as a vsc light and my shifter like d5 was blinking. I made it to work and called my boyfriend to come look at the vehicle. He drove it around the block and noticed nothing wrong, better safe than sorry we switched cars. On his drive home he felt the same thing I did, very sudden jerk and uncontrollable car on the freeway. He mentioned it was like the transmission locking up and then the traction control grabbing. The car would not shift gears. He immediately drove it straight to acura and found somebody to look at it. The dealership said that it was a common problem with these cars and its a ticking time bomb and there was a recall and extended warranty issued out by acura, the dealership also said that the VIN number of my vehicle was out of the range of the warranty. They are offering to cover 60% of the cost for the transmission replacement and I pay 40%. I do not think its fair because while I was there, there was another vehicle exactly like mines and I curiously asked what that car was getting fixed and they told me the exact same problem but that car is being covered completely. This is unfair and not right that just because of the VIN being out of range I am out of luck. This is a common problem and acura should take of all not just some.

Filed Jun 30, 2008 · Transmission · 92,940 miles · NC

My automatic transmission has failed and scared both myself and my wife. At first the car suddenly downshifted when the brake was pressed at a speed of about 35 MPH. Later the transmission would not shift properly at all, but worked after the check engine, tcs, and blinking d5 light came on. The select shift no longer works. I don't plan to confront the dealer over a transmission that was previously recalled because acura stated the car was no longer under warranty.

Filed Aug 15, 2005 · Transmission · 3,979 miles · NJ

Dt: transmission failed twice. In 06-2004 the first time transmission failed. The consumer could feel that the gear shift did not shift smoothly. The consumer found out that there had been a recall on the transmission. The transmission had been replaced in 7-2004. The second time the transmission failed was on 8-15-05. The dealership replaced the transmission again. The vehicle was still under warranty. When she contacted the manufacturer, they told her that if she did not feel safe she should sell the vehicle.

Filed Mar 26, 2005 · Transmission · 31,992 miles · MI

I own a 2003 acura tl type-s. On several occasions, while merging into highway traffic, I've experienced moments when the transmission wouldn't respond to acceleration (I.e. Wouldn't down shift). The car just seem to coast slowly into traffic, causing me to almost get into vehicle accidents. The first transmission I had was replaced due to burnt transmission fluid, I'm just upset that I was allowed to drive a vehicle that had a defective transmission. I had mentioned on several occassions to the dealer where I originally leased the vehicle (acura of troy), about times when the car just seemed to get stuck in second gear. I was told by dealer that nothing was wrong. However, I feel I no longer can depend on the dealer to give me accurate information. This is a very critical problem and dangerous. I'm afraid for my loved ones and myself when driving this vehicle. I took car into another dealer (suburban acura) where they replaced my first transmission under warranty because it was defective, now I'm having even more problems with the second one. I'm starting to get a burning odor from the vehicle now. I've taken the vehicle back in for service but was told nothing was wrong with it. How can someone check a transmission in about 30 minutes or less? I want out of this vehicle for safety reasons. This is not what I paid for, and now I'm driving a vehicle that has reduced performance and a burning odor. Again, I'm afraid for my well-being and those of my family.