2003 Acura TL Type S from North America - All Comments

"I can no longer take this site seriously because I know it is ruled by a bunch of GM and Ford salesman...Sorry...but you talk like every time a Acura, Toyota, or Honda breaks that someone switches to GM or Ford. Well their sales do not reflect this and I suspect these are all lies... "

Sorry pal, but you seem to be one of those Import guys who is blinded and only thinks imports are the best. Imports are good, but you don't seem to respect or consider the opinions and thoughts of others who like the domestic market.

Re Acura TL type S year 2002 - My son bought his new and the 1st transmission died suddenly at 67 thousand highway miles in Dec. 2003. The transmission was replaced under extended warranty he had purchased for $800+. I purchased the car from him last year because he tried unsuccessfully for 6 months to sell it after he ordered a Toyota Rav 4.

Now my transmission went out - suddenly 2 weeks ago. ALthough this one had 120,000 highway miles, I say it is still the same issue in 2nd gear. I contacted Honda - the rep said that the transmissions are "updated" every year. We are paying over $3500 for this 3rd transmission because the car is worth too much to dump it. Honda told me that any relief I could get would have to come from the dealer. So far, no luck - seems the service manager is never available and does not return his calls.

My son owned a Honda Accord before the Acura - drove it for over 100,000 miles with no problems. I have owned Nissans since 1978 - never a transmission or any major motor problem. If Honda can't fix this - their reputation is ruined.

I read all of your guy's comments and would have to say that I have never had any problems with my 2002 TL Type-S. I'm a 19 year old kid that drives my car pretty rough. The car also has 115,000 miles on it. So I either got really really lucky, or you guys just got screwed...

17:59 I owned a brand new Acura TL Type S would have never even blinked an eye at domestics. This was the turning point vehicle. GM, Ford did not buy my new domestics and neither did Honda with this. Honda should have bought this back though. The tran(s) sucked meaning plural not just one.........no other way to describe it. Theres no excuse.....none.

I have a question for anyone who might have had a similar problem. My car occasionally slips gears. It feels as if the tranny attempts to downshift momentarily. It happens at various speeds. There are no other indications. The dealer said the tranny was not showing any malfunction codes. I had 2 broken motor mounts replaced and that actually seemed to help, but the problem is still there. Has anyone out there experienced a similar problem?

I have an 2002 Acura TL type s and I'm experiencing the same problems you guys are. Since I don't have an extra $4000 lying around I've had to take it easy on the car and manually shift gears between 2nd and 3rd or else it will slip. Its sad to say but I am pretty disappointed that it had to happen this way because I do love the car.

I love my Acura. Unfortunately I too had the nightmare of multiple transmission failures during the ownership of my 2002 Type-D, along with the CD unit having to be replaced. Much to their credit, Honda replaced everything at no cost to me. I reluctantly got a 2004, but Honda took a proactive stand on the transmission performing service at 700 miles. So far this Acura has been trouble free, but I still feel uneasy based upon my previous experience with the transmission. I would never purchase a used one.

I too have a 2002 Acura TL Type-S. I bought this car used at 80,000 miles, it now has 120,000 miles.

I recently made a 300 mile trip in the car and the car started shuddering. It used to do this around town and I had the cars 100,000 mile maintenance performed. This still did not cure it and it shuddered worse after driving for extended periods of time.

When I first got the car I made a road trip totaling something like 600 miles, and it never shuddered. I am really worried about it because it does not have a warranty, and if the transmission goes I do not have an extra 4k lying around.

I'm really sad to sell it though because I love this car better than any other cars I've had.

After my most recent road trip it is shuddering worse, and it does not have the rubberband effect when shifting gears.

I'm really getting worried now; I read reviews when I purchased the car, but was told nothing about the transmission screw up.

Hi everybody, I recently bought an 03' TL Type S with 79,000 miles. I got it for a decent price because it had been hit in the front bumper.

So about 2,000 dollars later in body work, I get the car back and the tires are flat. 650.00 dollars later I finally get the car to the shop have the fluids checked and changed; at that time I was told the trans fluid was really bad and I should change it again with the next oil change. Hmm, OK, no big deal.

Well about 1,400 miles later the trans light comes on and she starts acting like a piece of crap. Slipping and revving, then clunking when put in reverse. So that's where I'm at right now. Haven't checked with an Acura dealer yet; hope they change it out so I can get rid of it or trade it in I guess.

Any thoughts of comments would be great thanks.

Yes, the is a class action lawsuit against Acura for apparently making a faulty transmission, they were ordered to extend the contract to 114,000 miles and should fix the transmission for free... you will just have to press the issue with them and get all your information together so they don't try to take you for a ride!

I truly believe we should all go for another "Class Action" Lawsuit against Honda Motors.

We replaced our transmission for a second time and just made it under our warranty by 10 days. Safety is an issue here. We only have 76,000 miles on the car and barely met the 93 months. These transmissions don't even last 25,000 miles. I'm so afraid it's going to happen again and all Honda does is sit by and wait for their responsibility to end per the last "Class Action" lawsuit. They never intended to help us and were forced to. You have to beg for help, and they could care less about their customers. The transmission replacements are as bad as the original leading us to believe they fixed them. Trust me, they didn't. These transmissions should be covered with a new warranty each time they are replaced.

Who knew how many transmissions we would need when the first lawsuit showed up as we should have requested more? Some people are on their 3rd and 4th. We are on our 2nd. If they were corrected, we all should not have gotten past the 1st replacement. Shame, Shame, Shame, on you Honda.

We will never buy an Acura or Honda product again after being a Honda customer for 10 years with 2 Hondas and 1 Acura. Good customer support is the product of a company that truly cares. When you make a lemon, don't give us lemonade, too; give us a car that has appeal and durability and stand behind what you make. I'm tired of being a Guinea pig with a worthless car that cost me over $32,000. Who would want it now?

RML.