2002 Acura TL 3.2 TLS from North America - Comments

I own a 1999 Acura 3.2 TL with 115,000 miles on it, and I just found out that the transmission is on its way out. I contacted Acura and brought the car in to a local dealer to have it diagnosed. Luckily for me, even though it's over warranty, Acura gave me another transmission. I only had to pay $600 for labor. I have a new warranty with this transmission. It's 3 years or 36,000 miles. I couldn't be happier and I feel the company did good by me, because honestly, they didn't have to do a thing for me.

We are very glad to see this site. Yes! It happened to my wife yesterday while driving home. We owned a 2002 3.2 TL Type S and this is the third time for transmission failure. The car has only 43K. It was so lucky there are no accident involved this time. She drove slow in the 25 mile zone, the car suddenly went full throttle max RPM and jumped forward without any warning signs. She applied the brake so hard, but could not stop the car, luckily no car in front. With fast reaction, she turned off the engine key and jumped out. The feeling of death is in reach within a second.

We were lucky there were an Acura dealer (Alex, VA.) employee drove by and he stopped to help us take the car back to the dealer. We are now in the loan car from the dealer and wait for the transmission to be replaced again. We will think hard to trade in for another car soon although we love the car dearly. Safety really concerns us. I hope the Honda/Acura manufacturer put customer safety ahead and stay behind support their products.Thanks.

My 02 TL type S transmission went out after I serviced it amidst concerns of the check engine light and the V.S.A. indicator lights illuminating in the dash.

The mechanic was test driving the car when the transmission failed. He exiting the highway onto an off-ramp when this happened. He was very scared, saying that he had never experienced anything like that before in his life. This happened August 23 2007, and my car has been sitting now for about a month waiting for repair.

I had 2 failed attempts at help from Acura Client Services and the dealer hasn't helped either, wanting me to pay 3.7k for transmission replacement. I can't afford to replace it out of pocket, and I'm scared that the repair won't last once it gets repaired.

Although my V.I.N was included, the class action law suit didn't help since I had 137k when it failed.

The 07 Type S looks really good to me, but I wonder if the lack of customer service will follow me with a new purchase should the same situations and circumstances occur. I love the Acura product line, and I've been a fan for years. But I hate how they resolved this issue with my car.

I actually went and purchased a used transmission from a friend that had his automatic swapped (via special project) with a 6-speed manual. He has only 5k on it and I have high hopes for installing it into my crippled ride, although the dealer will not install it for me.

I feel let down and I am disappointed with the people at the dealership as well as the staff at Acura Client Services because I feel that they could do more to help us. We are victims, people who made a purchase based on reliability and prestige of a product whose reputation speaks volumes about it, or so I thought. We had no idea when we made our purchases that our cars would fail us the way they did. These are ACURA vehicles!! Reliability and safety should never have been an issue here!! How long must this continue before we achieve ultimate customer satisfaction?? What can we do as consumers to get the results that we deserve for the vehicles we fell in love with??

I have a real problem with buying another Acura - after all I will be getting rid of this one much sooner (and at much more expense) then I had planned because of a faulty transmission problem with this model. So why should I give this company more of my money even if it appears they have fixed this problem with the newer models? I'll let another car company vie for my hard earned money.

Also be aware that the TLs made after 2004 are a totally different breed of car. You may like the ride, but personally I did not.

I own a 2003 Acura TL Type S. Very nice and reliable car except for the transmission. I have 47K miles on it and the tranny went. It started to slip between 2nd and 3rd then it got stuck in 2nd and would not shift into third. Also my check engine light, vsa light and traction light went on. Brought to the dealership and I am starting to get a hard time from them. Very annoyed and pissed at them and I am refusing to pay for the transmission. I am going to call the district manager and have a talk with them. Starting to see that many people are have a lot of difficultes with the tranny. Thinking about selling the car very soon!!

WOW, interesting reading! You guessed it, the transmission in my 02TL has just experienced the same symptoms as I've read about (slippage, sudden jerking). I doubt there would be any sort of coverage due to it's high mileage (although according to recall notices I've found, the recall went into effect the day I picked it up (used) at the dealer). I've now read about MANY results for the SAME problem!Love the car otherwise, but this is ridiculous! Does it make any difference if the car was purchased in the US or Canada? ANY information would be appreciated. cljbcoll@hotmail.com.

Wow...my 2002 TL with 97,000 is at Acura repair. I just received call from them confirming that the issues I was having was due to transmission and they are replacing it. I just spent $1600 two weeks ago for 100,000 service and two new tires, timing belt and other minor things. I took the car in due to minor slippage of gear, but also needed to get state inspection and thought that the issues I was having would be taken care of by getting service on car. Obviously, I continued to have some issues and had a bad transmission 'attack' on Saturday night. I returned home and switched cars for the evening. I want to keep this car for another 50,000 or so miles as I love it and it's paid for! Someone hit me this summer and had $6,000 damage repair (not my fault), and I had some dings fixed and the car looks brand new now. I'm amazed by all of the entries on this site, but happy that I do not have to pay for this transmission repair. I asked Acura if I was getting the 'same' transmission with defects, and he told me that it has been updated, and I will be able to tell a difference in the ride of the car when I get it back. I hope that all goes well and I don't have to have this fixed several more times like many others have noted.

I have a 2000 3.2TL, and just this morning it left me on the road. I was driving on the highway on the left lane when the car would not go for more than 40mph. I made my way to the right lane, and took the next exit at 25mph until I got to a safe spot to stop and park the car. It sure is a scary feeling when other cars on the highway are going at least 60mph. As some of you have said Acura did replace one transmission on my care couple of years ago with no problem whatsoever. I will find out how it will go with the second one. This time the car has well over 200K. I sure will do some research before I buy the next car. I also have a 1993 Legend that's a beauty, and bought the TL hoping it would be the same...

I own a 2000 Acura TL with approximately 86,000 miles on it and I am now noticing that when it goes into third gear it shutters for about four or five seconds. I am assuming that it has something to do with the transmission, but I am not 100% sure. Does anyone know if the extended warranty is good for either seven years or 109,000 miles, which ever comes first or is it just 109,000 miles period?

To the owner of the 00 TL with 86k miles on it. The transmission settlement is 7yrs, 9 months OR 109,000 miles. So you may still be eligible - I guess it depends on when your car was originally purchased. My 01 TL was purchased used, but I saved the carfax I ran when I bought the car so I have the original purchase date. If you aren't the original owner of that car and don't have a carfax report I'm not sure how else you could tell. But many others on this site have apparently negotiated well with Acura dealerships to get something paid for even if there car was out of warranty. Maybe you should call your dealership? Good luck.

Just purchased a 2003 TL-S with 53000 miles. My dream car. I drove it 1000 miles and on the way home tonight it stopped cold. I literally glided home. No transmission at all. What a shame for such a good car. Guess I start the process tomorrow with the dealership. I cannot believe this is an Acura. I had thought about buying a new one, but the price difference is a years college tuition. Stay tuned.

I have a 2003 TL Type S with 80,900 miles and quickly realized yesterday when the engine light, VSA sign and the triangle symbol came on, that I had a problem.

Taking it to my mechanic today, I was told to contact the dealer for a recall on the transmission. He pulled the code P0740 torque converter clutch solenoid circuit on a diagnostic test. I called the dealer where I bought it and have had the service done. They said they would need it a half day or more to do a diagnostic test; like they had never had a situation like this.

Next available opening is this Thursday, and I am hoping that it will be as simple as they admitting it is the transmission and will replace it and extend the warranty.

I am "comforted" that I am not alone in dealing with transmission problems. I had no clue there was a problem with Honda/ Acura transmissions until yesterday.

I am one the same boat. I just received the P0740 code this morning and I'm awaiting word from the dealership. Please keep me updated with your situation and I will let you know what happens on my end. Thanks!

My car is a 2003 Acura 3.2 TL with only 58,000 miles. I bought it used from the dealership 16 month ago at 42,000 miles. Needless to say I am quite dissatisfied.

A semi-solution (or at least worth a shot) to having your transmission replaced...

I contacted Acura Client Services. The person I talked to was able to see on his computer screen every oil change and service I have done on my '02 TL-S. He also sees that I am on my third transmission. I have never had to pay a dime, and driving a loner car for a week, complimentary, takes some of the pain out of the situation.

I am however... reaching the 109k mile limit. The person I spoke with said that they have some kind of a "goodwill assistance" program. They will cover the transmission, if I cover the labor. - Something like that.

That is very nice. I love my TL... I really do... but I will never buy (whether or not a problem like this ever comes up again) an acura with an automatic transmission ever again.

So call Acura Client Services. See if they can help you if your warranty is expired. BE NICE THOUGH! You will get better service if you are kind. The number is (800) 382-2238. (you can also find this number under "Customer Service" at www.acura.com)

Good luck!

2003 Acura TL transmission has failed. Dealer and Acura customer service claim repair is out of warranty range. All typical signs mentioned in previous comments have happened, 2nd and 3rd gear slipping, TCS and D5 light flashing. The cut off VIN number must be incorrect, early 2003 models can fail too. Hoping to receive good will and reliable warranty repair. Never had a problem to date on this car until this. We should all discuss what should be done as a team to resolve this issue.