2002 Acura TL 3.2 TLS from North America - Comments

We purchased a 2002 Acura TL new.

Our first transmission was replaced at 12000 miles, the second at 65000 miles and Acura covered all costs. Each time we were assured by the service manager that the replacement transmission was a new design and would last the life of the car.

The car just turned 113000 miles and the transmission is slipping again and in need of replacement. The dealer quoted a replacement cost of $4000 however, after appealing the overall situation, Acura reduced the cost to $2700. The corporate warranty rep wouldn't discuss the case and referred me to the manufacturer's warranty book for info on continuing our appeal. What a way to do business!!

We will never, ever buy another HONDA product!

I purchased my 2003 Acura TL Type S from a private owner in June 2009 just under 100k miles. He as the original owner and does his regular scheduled maintenance and oil changes. That's the primary reason I bought the car, because I know it was taken cared of.

Well just my luck, the tranny started to jerk and slipped on my just last week. I took it to Honda dealership close by at that time and they confirmed it was the tranny. They quoted me $3600. They also said that my front, side and rear engine mounts needed to be replaced soon. They called and confirmed that my model year was not part of the extended warranty on the tranny. I called Acura myself and they too confirmed this information. Just my luck, tranny broke down 101,000 miles. I wasn't gonna pay $3600 to Honda for the tranny work when all they are going to do is to refer the work to an outside vendor. But, I did let Honda replace the engine mounts since I was going to let them replace my timing belt and water pumps. It was due for a new timing belt anyways...

Back to the transmission issue. Luckily, I have a friend whose brother specializes only in Honda/Acura transmission work. He does only tranny rebuilts and most of his business is from Honda/Acura dealerships. Honda/Acura charges $3600 bucks to the customer, takes it to 3rd party vendors to do the work for half the price.

He had my tranny rebuilt in 3 days. He said that the clutches were all burnt due when he opened it up. Also, when he took the tranny apart, he noticed the 3rd gear clutch was smaller than the others and thought that was kinda weird. So he swapped the smaller clutch and replaced it with a clutch from a Honda Odyssey. He said that my car is going to have a better kick when I get to third gear with the bigger clutch. I got my car back yesterday after he had worked on it for 3 days. I haven't really tested the gears yet because he recommended that I break in the new tranny for a week before I start hitting it hard.

But, after driving the car for the first hour, I did feel the tranny to be a lot smoother between gear changes. I am so happy to have my car back, it's a great car and drives really well.

My tranny mechanic recommend to have the tranny oil replaced every 6 months and only to use Honda tranny oil. Also, if your tranny need to be rebuilt, I recommend taking it to a tranny specialist, because your tranny is only as good as the last person that worked on it.

BTW, it cost me $1500 to have my tranny rebuilt.

I own a 2003 Acura 3.2 TL and the transmission just died at 74,000 miles. I was also not part of VIN list that got automatic power train warranty extension to 100,000+ miles. I paid for 1/2 the transmission cost, but feel cheated because I'm sure Honda knows of this problem. I started a Yahoo alias group for owners who didn't get extension. I figure the more we are, the more likely Honda will include us in extension or we file a class action law suit to include us.

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/2003_acura_tl_transmission_problems/

Make sure you also file a complaint with "http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm"

I avoided further grief by disclosing the defect and selling ours at 41000 miles. I figured someone could use its parts.

My Acura 2002 TL seems to be jerking seriously. I almost had an accident and am really scared about driving it now. Also my D5 light started flashing as well whilst driving. This car has 164000 miles on it. Someone please help me on how to get this situation fix. Thanks, this site has been helpful!

To the Oct 14th poster with the flashing D5 light, I'm no mechanic, but it sounds like your transmission. Mine did something similar - it was jerking and it was flashing several D4 and D5 lights. You need to take it to an Acura dealership if you still think it is under warranty or take it to a trusted mechanic who works on Acuras or Hondas. You might even call the dealership first if you are worried about driving it.

I have a 2002 TL-S. I wish I had done more extensive research before I bought this car to find out people were replacing tranny multiple times. I figured that original owner had replaced the part under warranty earlier so nothing to worry about. Ya right!

Fluid changes and tranny fix stuff has only "band-aided" the issue. Have the 2nd to 3rd gear shudder regularly now. I'm worried about a complete failure on the highway so looking at getting it done at Mr. Transmision for $2975 Ca plus taxes. Crap!

I have a 2002 Acura TL-S with 99000 miles on it, and it has performed flawlessly, but noticed a slight transmission slippage the other day. Took it to dealer and they put in a new tranny the next day under the special 100k transmission warranty, and hopefully the new tranny will last 100k miles also.

I have a 2003 Acura 3.2 TL Type S with 72K miles. I bought it used at a dealership 10 months ago. Already the transmission is starting to go out. I've been having the same exact problems as everyone else with a messed up TL transmission. Excessive jerking and slipping especially in 2nd and 3rd gear. VSA light and d5 lights comes on. I run a diagnostic on the car and the code p0740 comes on just like everyone else.

I take it to an Acura dealership and they say my car isn't included in the extended warranty and they want to charge me $3700. I think that's crap, even though my car has the exact same symptoms as everyone else with a faulty tranny. Obviously they didn't fix the problem in the 2003 models, but they didn't want to extend the warranty either.

I have a 2003 Acura 3.2 TL Type S with 73k miles. My transmissions seems to be having the same problems as everyone else also and I need to get it replaced. And like a lot of people my vin number is not covered under the extended warranty. I feel like I got cheated.

If you have a complaint make sure you file it with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Their website is:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/index.cfm

Our voices need to be heard. We shouldn't have to pay so much to fix such a poorly made product. I mean it's a luxury car.