10th May 2007, 09:01
I purchased my Acura TL “S” in February of 2003. I, fortunately, bought the extended warranty since the car is in the shop today for its 3rd replacement transmission (along with a differential) at 73,000 miles. In between transmission replacements I had a seal leak. I not longer trust the car and understand the transmissions are all rebuilt that are being used, but I haven’t confirmed this yet. I’ll try asking the dealership when I pick the car up.
I’m going to research lemon laws in Virginia and see if anything can be done. Otherwise I’ll have to get rid of the right after the summer. My wife and I use her Subaru Outback for longer trips because we no longer trust our more expensive car.
11th May 2007, 20:51
I bought a used 03 TL-S about 2 weeks ago 47000 miles. After exiting the highway, I came to a stop sign, once I accelerated about 50 yards from the stop sign the car pulled hard to the left. It felt like the brake was stuck, is this a sign the transmission is failing?
15th May 2007, 23:42
Concerning the 03 TL-S suddenly pulling to the left - I think I would call my Acura mechanic (or technician) and tell them what happened. I wouldn't mention "transmission failure" and just see what he has to say.
When my transmission went bad it was simply slipping between 2nd & 3rd gear on the up-shift. Others say they hear a whining noise. Still others say they had no warning - although they may simply not have know what to look or listen for. My husband drives and rides in my car a lot and he didn't notice the slipping gears until I pointed it out.
16th May 2007, 16:55
Can anyone verify that the transmissions on 2003 TL's are covered for 7 years 100,000 miles. I contacted my local Acura dealer and they said no, but what if the car was issued a recall notice regarding the transmission and the issue was fixed in 04?
19th May 2007, 08:43
Try the Honda Transmission Settlement website. If you enter your VIN, it should tell you if you qualify or not. It can also give you information on what the settlement entails.
22nd May 2007, 17:52
It appears my VIN does not fall into the class action category in regards to the transmission recall. I am stuck with a car that does not work. I called Acura and they told me it's out of warranty. Thanks Acura.
24th May 2007, 09:51
My late 03 TL is also not covered in the extended warranty.
61k miles and Trans went out with slipping on the 2 to 3 upshift and when going to rev.
Took it to the dealer - they verified it's not covered under warranty, but made a call to Acura corporate and they agreed to goodwill me a trans for free. I also received a new TSX to drive in the meantime.
24th May 2007, 13:55
The 2002 Acura TLS will be our last Honda/Acura purchase. After being a loyal Honda & Acura family for the past 20 years, we are so disappointed with the transmission slipping. The dealership has not been able to determine what is wrong and has done nothing, even after the mechanic test drove the car and said it was slipping into the automatic third gear. I took it to AAMCO and they determined the transmission to be faulty. I just spent over $3,500 for a new (rebuilt) transmission. Since I have only 55,000 miles on the car, I hope this one will last. The transmission was previously replaced at 18,000 miles under the manufacturers warranty.
6th Jun 2007, 06:37
Hi I have a 1999 3.2 Tl that I bought from my brother in jan. 2004 with 91000 miles. the actuator has not worked since I got the car from him. was there ever a recall on them? and would I qualify? lately I have been having problems. my car is slipping uphills when it goes from 2nd to third gear. I did not know about any transmission recalls or class action lawsuits. I now have 135000 miles on my car. will I be covered for a new transmission? any advice would be very helpful. thanks.
18th Jun 2007, 17:02
I have a 2001 TL. Transmission was replaced at 55,000 miles. Now at 124,000, need another transmission. The dealer says it will pay for the transmission and only charge me for labor ($1100). Is this the best I can expect?
18th Jun 2007, 22:01
I am so glad that I just happened upon this website because I was going to buy a 2002 Acura 3.2TL s-type; and you all have shown me the light. Good lookin out, I'm going to call the bank and cancel the check to the dealership immediately. OMG you guys have absolutely no idea how glad I am that I found this website. Thank U Thank U Thank U For real!!!
19th Jun 2007, 15:29
To the person two posts ahead (transmission broke again at 124k miles)...sounds like your car has too many miles to fall under the court settlement warranty of 109k miles. That stinks. But if the guy is willing to fix it for $1100 you might take him up on the offer and then drive it for about 5k-10k miles more and trade it in. I don't think I could sell it to someone knowing what I know about these transmissions - but I sure could sell it back to the dealer.
To the person who posted above this (going to call the bank to cancel the check)...good idea, cancel away. I love the way this car looks, drive and feels, but in hind sight I wouldn't buy it again. I feel perfectly safe in this car, but I have this deep feeling that once the extended warranty runs out it's going to cost me some money.
Does anyone else wonder that as these cars age and more and more are off the market that the cost of replacing the transmission will go up? There will be fewer of these transmissions available as Acura stops making them... supply and demand. As these cars continue to depreciate (as all cars do over time) do I want to be saddled with a potentially high cost repair?
3rd May 2007, 21:36
I purchased a used 2001 TL back in August of '05 with about 50k miles on it. By December I was having the transmission replaced. It was slipping between 2nd and 3rd gear. I got a new transmission and on the way home it just went berserk! It was not down-shifting correctly, two gears were lit up at once and it was making weird noises. So the next day it went back and a week later I got my car back with another transmission. Acura of Memphis was wonderful during all of this and I never had to pay a dime as the work was covered under warranty.
But now I have a car that I love to drive, but don't trust. It has been trouble free since and now has 68k on it, but I'm always listening to the transmission for signs of failure - that's not good. I hate to spend the money to buy a new car, but with plans to begin a family in the next year or two I don't think I can stick with this car. My plans are to keep it until the warranty runs out in late '08.
Fortunately I haven't seen too many comments about the '01 TL on this board. I have seen many people who have replaced their trannys multiple times, but for those who have had the transmission replaced in the last two years, have you had it fail again since then? Have the more recent replacement trannys gotten better or should I ditch this car while the transmission still works and the car still has some resale value?
PS - My husband's wonderful Honda Civic didn't fair too well in an accident the other day and I'm car shopping for him a nice sedan. Guess which nice sedans I'm not looking at?