2003 Acura TL Type S review from North America

It appears that the transmission on the Acura TL is subject to multiple repairs/replacement, having little or no reliability for the long term.

I purchased a 2003 Acura Type S in May of 2002, and experienced the following:

Transmission replacement #1 at 28,149 miles after multiple visits to the Acura dealership. It appears the technicians need to test drive the car and 're-create' the issue in order to diagnose the problem. In most instances, the original transmission would slip in second gear during rapid acceleration, usually when driven for a sustained period of time or on an incline. Burning transmission fluid was not sufficient enough to present a concern as per the dealership. 3 visits later, and a suggestion to drive the car more than 2 miles appeared to facilitate the technicians ability to re-create the problem.

Transmission replacement #2 was at 66,200 miles, after experiencing a high pitch noise from the transmission, burning transmission fluid when accelerating on an incline, in addition to issues when shifting into 2nd & 3rd gear. Replaced due to unquestionable shifting problems.

Transmission replacement #3 was only 3,000 miles later at 69,224 miles. Leaking transmission fluid and unable to shift into reverse appeared to convince the dealership there was a problem.

This amounts to 4 transmissions, including the original. The present transmission replaced at 69,224 miles does not shift quickly & continuous buring transmission fluid when driving up a steep hill.

Although this car is an Acura, I find that I must drive in the slow lane on highways, drive in the truck lane on a steep hill & avoid rapid acceleration at all times in order to preserve the transmission on this car.

It appears the remedy for the recall is insufficient by virtue of replacing the faulty transmission with a re-manufactured one. It's fair to say there is an inherent flaw in the initial design with no apparent ability to replace with a reliable solution.

Its fair to say that American Honda's remedy is to ride it out until all affected cars reach the extended 7 year / 100,000 mile threshold & simply replace with faulty re-manufactured product in the interim.

A class action lawsuit refers owners to www.hondatransmissionsettlement.com to determine eligibility for class membership for 2003 models via class action case 'In re Chris Collins v. American Honda Motor Company' - Case No. RG03099677 filed in the Alameda, CA Superior Court.

This case suggests eligibility of a warranty extension extending the warranty period to 93 months (8 years) or 109,000.

The transmission issue truly diminishes the value of this car. It's unfortunate that American Honda /Acura has produced a product that cannot be used for its specific purpose (driving) and imposes a safety risk should the transmission lock up while driving.