2015 Acura TLX: harsh or hard shifting

Filed Jun 8, 2024 · Transmission · NC

The transmission is slow, hesitant and jerky in models with the v6 engine. I almost got into a major car crash due to the transmission’s very hesitant behavior. Other owners have experienced this slow and clunky transmission behavior, after looking in many online forums. The transmission has been way since the vehicle first came out but Honda still has not addressed the issue with the 9 speed transmission. This poses a huge safety risk to me and all other owners.

Filed May 21, 2019 · Transmission · 60,000 miles · AL

Transmission is really rough when shifting to gears 1,2, and 3. It is getting worse the more I drive. Also, very slow and rough shift from park to drive. When I am driving uphill from a full stop, I hear a loud thud and feel a hard jerk when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear and 2nd to 3rd. When I am driving downhill and approaching a stop, it dangerously accelerates the car forward after shifting down to 3rd, 2nd, and 1st gear. It is also very abrupt and jerky during those shifts down.

Filed Aug 9, 2017 · Transmission · 50 miles · TX

Harsh shift from 2nd to 3rd gear.

Filed Mar 30, 2017 · Transmission · 13,000 miles · VA

Vehicle purchase made on 2/28/2016. I have been to the dealership numerous times for various issues since then, mostly for transmission issue. The issues include jerky shifting from 1st to 2nd, and 2nd to 3rd. Acura client relations decided to replace the transmission on my fourth visit/complaint. The rough shifting has somewhat improved, but it is still there. My last visit at the dealership and a test drive with district manager(dm) yielded: a) this is perfectly normal characteristic of the new 9-speed transmission. A feature that comes with wonderful fuel economy. B) vibration from vcm (variable cylinder management). I have never had this issue until the transmission replacement. Yet again, dealership states it is perfectly normal to show this 'characteristic'. Dm's response to my question, "how/why did I not experience this issue on my first full year?" was, "what gas do you put in? Costco? They got less additives. There's carbon buildup forming in the engine". That was the response on a 13-month old vehicle. C) chirping noise from engine room. From research, it may be related to 'high pressure fuel pump' or 'insufficient belt placement', which acura has tsb out for servicing. But, dealership claims they cannot duplicate the noise, even with a recording of the sound. (it has to be audible during the test drive, they say)

Filed Aug 14, 2016 · Transmission · 400 miles · PA

Extremely inconsistent operation of 9 speed zf transmision. Have taken to dealer numerous times where they admitted the rough shift but said it was performing properly. Issues with transmision are as follows. Lags when up shifting in first two gears before neck snapping up shift to next gear. In midrange gears vibratatin can be felt while up shifting. Transmission is slow in down shifting, sometime starting off in second gear. Car drifts back a foot in park.

Filed May 2, 2016 · Transmission · CA

Car has 15k miles-from the time of purchase of my 2015 tlx shawd, vehicle exhibits ( 1)rough shifting, (2) unpredictable transmission response on downshifts on highway affecting the throttle and (3) freefall feel when downshifting on downhill. Issue (1):service bulletin done to "fix" the shifting, and although better, still exhibits the rough shift. Brought the car 3 times to acura and response is "working within spec" even when the tech noticed the hard shift and compared it to a 2016 model with no shifting issue. Now every time I know the 2-3 shift is coming, I anticipate a hard shift and have to tighten my neck muscles just in case it jerks and could cause a whiplash feel. Issue (2): when stepping on the gas pedal to make a pass on the freeway, transmission reaction time is unpredictable when at times, nothing will happen for 2 seconds, then the car will surge. This poses a safety issue due to: a. Not being able to keep up with the speed of incoming traffic due to delayed reaction and, b. The sudden surge after the 2 second delayed-reaction could result in hitting the car in front. Acura released tsb 16-012 to fix this issue but does not cover earlier VIN, which include mine. Issue (3):when going downhill and car downshifts, whether manually or automatically, car surges forward giving a freefall feel before it slows down. Again tsb 16-012 was supposed to fix this but does not cover early VIN ranges. Acura continues to insist that the transmission is within spec and yet, the 2016's have a different part number for their transmission. The fact that it performs differently also proves otherwise that the early versions are faulty.

Filed Nov 26, 2015 · Transmission · 10,000 miles · CA

Hard shifts on 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd causing whiplash-like reaction. Shifts occurs after what it seems to be a pause in acceleration then engine revs for 500 to 1k RPM before shifting, then the car will lunge forward. Acura has performed software updates. It reduced the hard shifts but it is still there. I have to tighten my neck and brace for a hardshift I know is coming.

Filed Nov 6, 2015 · Transmission · 3,000 miles · CA

Hesitation when pressing on the gas pedal not safe when changing lanes on the highway and needing to gain speed quickly. Hard shift from 2nd gear to 3rd gear causes the car to jerk when driving normally on city streets. Unsuspecting passengers may experience whip-lash.

Filed Oct 29, 2015 · Transmission · 200 miles · CA

2015 acura tlx leased from dealer with just 6 miles. The car exhibited very jerky shifts at low speed. There is usually, but no 100% of the time, one rough shift/vehicle motion just it hit a bump when accelerating from standstill, another one at around 15 MPH, and one more of the same just below 40 MPH. At times, the car will jerk forward just before it comes to a complete stop. The car also is very difficulty, nearly impossible, to bring to a smooth stop. Acura dealership had diagnosed the car and decided to update its transmission software. They didn't think anything was physically damaged. The car actually drove worse after the reprogramming. The car was rough and jerky at speed between 1 to 40 MPH. After several days, the car/transmission seemed to have "learned" how to behave and now I am just left with the rough shift, jerking, and slippage like issues as I had before the service. I am going to the dealership for a second time for the stated problem on november 2. I am hoping that everything will be resolved or acura would take ownership of the problems and declare the vehicle/transmission was manufactured with problems that can not be corrected. I would like acura to either provide me with a tlx without the problems, or another comparable acura vehicle to replace the leased vehicle, or buy back the leased acura tlx. I would like the federal safety agency to help address my particular issues as well as help other owners by making acura address the widespread problems with this particular year/model of the tlx.

Filed Oct 9, 2015 · Transmission · 200 miles · MD

After purchasing the vehicle new, immediately noticed hard and delayed shifting. Shifting between 1-4 gears was very hard. At times transmission seemed to be confused and would either pick the wrong gear or would take 2-3 seconds to finally engage into gear. On one particular occurrence while driving in a parking lot at about 15 MPH I approached a stop sign and let off the accelerator. As soon as I let off the pedal the car dropped into gear so abruptly that it made the car lunge forward about a foot or two. On another occurrence I was driving on a residential street going around a traffic circle once again at approx 15mph I let off the accelerator for a moment as I went around the circle. Just as I was exiting the circle I depressed the accelerator to move quickly away since I saw another vehicle entering the circle. At this point the RPM's went above 3500 and the car did not shift and did not move. It appeared that the car was in neutral. It took about 1-2 seconds before the transmission was able to "find" a gear at which point it lunged forward abruptly. Both situation I did not have control of the vehicle because of the transmission. Both situations I was unable to control the vehicle in a safe manor. I have also at times needed to accelerate quickly into a merge lane and when "stomping" on the gas nothing would happen for 2-3 seconds.

Filed Jul 29, 2015 · Transmission · 600 miles · CA

Transmission is very jerky at low speeds when cold and hits a hard shift between 2nd to 3rd gear. All other gear changes are unnoticeable however 2nd going to 3rd always shifts hard. Read online and other owners are having the same issue. Despite the fact that certain cars are being recalled for transmission issues, all tlxs should be checked

Filed Jul 22, 2015 · Transmission · 450 miles · NC

It seems like my brand new acura tlx is having issues with its zf 9-speed transmission. It hesitates and shifts hard going from 2nd to 3rd gear. A lot of tlx owners having this issue and there is currently a 9-page thread on acurazine about this issue. You can read more about this issue from this thread: http://acurazine.com/forums/problems-fixes-420/9at-hard-shift-1-2-2-3-a-919230/ I took the tlx to the dealer and they have done a TCM reset and idle relearn. It seems that for a couple of days, the shifting was smoother after the reset. Unfortunately, the issue then recurred. My tlx still shifts hard between 2nd and 3rd gear. I'm a little bit concerned about safety. Sometimes, this hard shift or hesitation happens as I am turning left from a stopped position. I am concerned that I wouldn't be able to turn as quickly as I need to be. In fact, this exact thing happened this morning. I am thankful that the car that was going straight saw me and slowed down.