Problems with 2002 Acura TL POWER TRAIN

Transmission down shifted into 1st at 40-45 mph. could have caused crash in traffic.*ak

In fall of 2002, my acura tl type s starting having trouble shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear. it progressed from there by not shifting at all while accelerating or downshifting into a lower gear while driving 45-50 mph and causing the car to jerk. finally, the transmission went out completely. i had to have it towed to the dealership where a new transmission was needed. it was fine for the next two years but i did notice it not shifting as smoothly as it had previously. in august 2004, the dealer informed me that a recall was placed on a part in the transmission having to do with 2nd gear. after this was replaced, my transmission was never the same. it began shifting very hard from 2nd to 3rd and then wouldn't go into gear. it would make a horrible grinding noise sometimes and the car would not go. the vsa lights and check engine light had come on also. this all starting occurring two days before our scheduled appt. with the dealer to have the car looked at. it had to be towed to the dealer (which is where it is right now as i type this letter) and it has to have a brand new transmission again! i am very concerned about this, especially since i have read all the other complaints other acura tl owners have written and most have missed having serious accidents only by the grace of god. something seriously needs to be done about this.

Experience problems with transmission. replaced the transmission, then received recall notice for the transmission. *bf the problm could not be duplicated. *sc

Acura tl-s 2002 *jb

Transmission locked up twice, car failed in the middle of traffic, axle broke 2nd time as a result, car stalls, this is a 2002 with only 40k miles!!! and it's supposed to be made by honda!!*ak

Transmission failed, causing car to come to a complete jolting stop and causing the axle to break over the force of the stop. dealer has stated this is common with 90% of all 2000-2002 acura tl's.. manafacture defect.*ak

Transmission failure created a situation where there was a sudden loss of power due to gear slippage followed by the transmission slamming into gear causing the car to over accelerate creating a dangerous condition. the manufacturer has agreed to replace the transmission, but transmission failures with this model car are widely known. the manufacturer should recall these cars and replace the transmission before dangerous failures occur. *nm

Nhtsa recall 04v176000 on the automatic transmission. the consumer contacted the dealer on november 2, 2004 and was informed that the parts would not be available until january 10, 2005. *jb

Transmission failure. my vehicle will soon have its fourth transmission installed due to a manufacturer's defect. the transmissions have been replaced in the past under the extended warranty given by the manufacturer. however they are using reconditioned transmissions to replace the failed units.*ak

2002 acura transmission problems. *bf the consumer had the recall on the transmission performed, but the vehicle is performing poorly again. *jb *nm

My 2000 and 2002 acura tls have both had total transmission failure. both experienced erratic shifting, flashing drive gear indicator, and finally complete failure in the 50 - 60000 mile range.*ak

The vehicle's transmission failed. *nm *sc

No sounds or signs were given when the transmission gave out on a newly acquired used acura 3.2tl.*ak

Automatic transmission hard shift from reverse into drive; slips from 2nd into 3rd and back. acura has issued recall - dealer replaced trans with rebuilt unit. dealer admits they are aware of documented cases where rebuilt trans installed to resolve issue have failed. dealer recommended i meet with honda district mgr, but admitted honda has been unwilling to offer any other remedy than the rebuilt transmission. *ak

Sudden downshifts while driving at normal highway speed causing extreme speed changes. *la

I have a 2002 acura tl type s, and it has had its transmission replaced approximately 8 months ago. yesterday my check engine light came on, and i have taken it to the dealer. the dealership has notified me saying that a part inside the transmission has failed, and is now being ordered. the part will take a little over a week to come in. i find this to be ridiculous, to have to take my car in for transmission problems. *ak

Failure of acura 3.2 tl-s transmission. *ak

2002 acura tl transmission failure with less than 27000 miles on the car. acura repalced the transmission

I have a 2002 tl lease in november of 2002. got my first new transmission at around 30,000 miles, in late september 2002. it downshifted on the freeway on the offramp to acura oxmoor in louisville going 60 mph, then the engine revved and i couldn't stop it. i thought i was going to die. my now ex-husband insisted we lease the car and now i'm stuck with it in the divorce, it's over milage and in order to get the milage forgiven i have to buy it from them in november at an inflated price and with bad credit from my divorce. the trade in value has fallen $7000 since february. oh yes, at 86,000 miles the second tranny has gone bad. this time it downshifted again while i was driving on a slick street in the rain. these transmissions fail with no warning. this is the thrid transmission and the car has lost all its value because it is a known problem i'm afraid to drive it.*ak

Transmission acting up for months. unable to duplicate problem with dealer on several long visits. transmission was reaching dangerous level, not shifting, revving without engaging, etc. transmission was replaced at 38,000 miles or so (not sure specifically). still having problems. dealership not very helpful. honda is covering up transmission problems. service stinks. *jb

My transmission on my acura 2002 tl type s failed and is being replaced by acura. *ak

Transmission failed while driving on the inter state. vehicle started jerking, and would'nt accelerate to speed of more than 5 mph, before failing to accelerate at all. vehicle was towed to the dealership, where the transmission was replaced under warranty. the cause of the transmission failure was not provided to the consumer. *ak

The transmission on my 2002 acura tl type s failed this week. from other sources, this appears to have happened with many more owners of the same vehicle model. i think a recall should be started to fix all the models containing this transmission and replace it with a better design.

The auto transmission slips from 2nd to 3rd gear. the car did not accellerate in highway. check engine, vsa, and traction lights went on. the d5 blinking. the engine was running in 2-3rd gears only. drove to the acura dealer. they are looking at it right now.

Automatic transmission has been a major problem with this car. already replaced once with approximately 35,000 miles. on my way to another one now. transmission still not performing well. had "oil cooler" recall performed. still having problems. acura needs to address this major safety issue now!*ak

At approximately 35,000 my 2002 acura tl 3.2 type s experienced major transmission failure - complete loss of third gear. the dealership where we bought the car replaced the transmission with a "new" unit. i specifically asked if the unit was new and they told me it was indeed. after one week, the shift pattern was still quite rough and we smelled burnt transmission fluid. we returned the car tot he dealership for evaluation - they discovered metal particle contamination in the transmission. the dealer advised us that the car needed another transmission - this time i verified that the replacement transmission was not new, but a remanufactured unit (the same as the previous replacement). our vehicle had the third transmission installed - however, i am extremely disappointed in the level of customer service displayed by acura and its representatives. *ak

Recall campaign 99v089000; consumer's son was involved in a tragic accident which may have been a result of the automatic transmission recall. *bf *sc (letter from the lawyer, richard kaufman)*jb

I own a 2002 acura 3.2 tl that was brought in to the dealer yesterday due to some problems i was experiencing with the transmission. i was told that i needed a new transmission but they wouldn't explain why. it is astounding that a car this young would need a new transmission and i am frustrated with the persistant promblems with this car. this is one of multiple problems. they have all been under the warranty but it is extremely disruptive to keep bringing it in.

Transmission went 2x in vehicle before a year passed. first time feb 2003 & second time jan 2004. acura do not want to give me another vehicle or end my lease. they just want to keep fixing this car. i am stressssing out over this.*ak i just want everyone to know how acura treats their customer.

Transmission failed without warning. *ak when the consumer put the shifter into drive the vehicle would not move forward. the dealer replaced the transmission. *nm

Noise when going from park to reverse and reverse to park. received recall notice after transmission was replace. *bf *sc

My 2002 acura tl type s, with @ 41,000 miles on it lost its transmission within about 20 minutes of driving time. i noticed slippage and heavy revving on the way home from work on saturday. monday morning i got in the car, backed out of the driveway and could not put it into a forward gear without great difficulty. within two miles, it revved heavily at stoplights and would not move forward. tow truck was called after harrowing exit from six-lane highway.ealer reported that it was "an electronics problem with the third gear clutch bundle."*ak

My vehicle was purchased in 2002 and since then i have had four incidences where while driving the car at 55 - 60 mph the car lost power, there was a grinding noise and the car came to a halt in the middle of the highway. this happened in december of 2003 (50,819 miles), november of 2005 (91,460 miles), november of 2007 (129,435 miles) and most recently july 17th with (201,000 miles). as i drove on the lie driving westbound around exit 40 my car lost power and began to slow making a loud grinding noise. in the previous three cases the car needed a new transmission. i pulled the car over and after towing it to a station i was told i needed a fourth transmission. i have contacted acura and they told me they could not help. the car has the original engine and i have a notice from acura stating early on that the transmissions on the acura 2002 tls were defective. i contacted the attorney general's office to appeal to this agency and apply the lemon law but the law only applies to new cars. they gave me this site to state my case. as i mentioned to acura for a luxury automobile to still have a great working engine and have gone through four transmissions, i believe their is a safety issue with these transmissions. not to mention the fact that the transmission gives no warning when it breaks down and one is left with no power at high speeds on the highway. *tr

I have a 2002 acura tl, transmission failed after 34000 miles. i know acura has a problem, but are they doing anything to fix it. i manage to keep the car steadily on the highway, doing 80 mph when it failed with my wife and son in the car. but i could lose control and hit other cars which i almost did. i know if it was my mom driving it she would have lost control of the car. they need to let us know if this car is safe anymore, at least i need to know. *ak

Automatic transmission failure on acura 2002 tl type s. *la

This is now the 5th transmission in 5 months that has been replaced in my vehicle. it is still not fixed and they are stumped upon what to do. *la

My transmission died on 21 nov 2003, @ 42,500 miles. the dealer replaced it. again, i suffered a failure, on 23 jan 2004...i thought it was the transmission again, but dealer stated it was the idle air control valve...which - he said...can mimic transmission failure due tio improper engine commands. i'm not sure i believe this. this is an acura 3.2 tl/type s model. *ak

Transmission in an '02 acura tl-s failed for the second time, this time on my way to to work. dealer replaced the transmission, and when asked what reassurance i had this wouldn't happen again... the dealer stated they hadn't replaced any transmissions more than once... but they just had mine. the new transmission stills shifts inconsistently and most of the time harshly... especially under hard acceleration (1st - 2nd upshift).

The transmission issues in the 2002 acura tl type s do not appear to be corrected by replacing the transmission. we purchased a certified pre-owned tl type s less than 3 months ago and found out afterwards (dealer did not disclose) that it had two transmissions replaced prior within 29,000 miles. after driving the car 3,874 miles the transmission began displaying problems. the dealer checked it and determined yet another transmission replacement was necessary. less than one week after this third replacement, the transmission failed again. this vehicle is not safe for anyone to drive and acura's attempt to sweep this issue under the rug by offering an extended warranty will do nothing in the event of a major accident. *la

Multiple (3) transmission failures. *ak

The transmission failed on the highway. the vehicle was towed and the transmission was replaced.*jb

Transmission failed after 27000 miles. noticed slipping several months ago, brought car in and was told nothing was wrong. transmission wouldn't engage while driving on a busy street. towed car to dealer. dealer said don't be surprised if it happens again. i'm very disappointed in acura and the nhtsa. rear view mirror also failed, will not dim. cd player was replaced at 8000 miles. *nlm

Dt: the contact owns a 2002 acura 3.2tl. the contact states that in august 2003 the transmission failed, causing the passenger to move forward. transmission went out again on june 28, 2005. both times vehicle was unable to accelerate . one month ago he got into an accident going about 5-8 mph because the vehicle lurched forward. manufacturer has extended the warranty. *ak

The transmission in my acura 2002 tl type s has been found defective 2 times. i am currently having a third transmission installed after almost crashing the car. the first time my transmission was replaced it had about 6k miles. it was an intermittent problem where it would slip in and out of gear. i had to carry it to the dealer several times before they kept it for a week before they finally found that the transmission was defective. this was dangerous because when i was at a stop, and hit the gas to accelerate it would jump into gear after a few seconds and sometimes when i was driving it would slip out of gear no matter the speed i was driving. the second time my transmission was replaced the car had 32k miles. this time i lost control of the car as the transmission abruptly dropped into a lower gear and my speed went from 75mph too less than 10 mph. i ran off the road and was lifted out of the seat because of the force from the car slowing down so quickly. this is a major safety issue because i had no control of the car as this happened and if there were a car or truck next to me i would have gotten into a accident because i was forced to swing the car toward middle lane on a 3 lane highway. the dealer has explained the problem to me with these transmissions and if i kids or currently pregnant wife in the car and crashed or perhaps the force from the seatbelt jerking them back into the seat caused physical damage to them will acura be liable? this car is unsafe and i can and will no longer feel safe driving it. acura has had my car for over 2 weeks and they have not been keeping in touch with me about my car. *ph

Acura lacks in customer support for warranty claims. acura chooses not to repair faulty front wheel bearings under warranty because owner has replaced stock wheel with custom after market wheels even though wheels meet oem specifications. no physical or technical data supports acura's reason for claim denial.

I own a 2002 acura 3.2 tl, type s. my transmission has failed twice. the first time it failed, i had just exited the interstate and had my 3 year old in the car with me. i made it off the road safely, but it made me realize how dangerous it would have been for this to occur on the interstate. the first time it failed, the dealership replaced the transmission with a new one. friday, june 20, 2003 my transmission failed the second time. this time the dealer said that acura does not have any more new transmissions and they want to give me a remanufactured one. i find this very discomforting that acura/honda wants to give me a previously failed transmission. i don't understand why acura would not have enough new transmissions for their customers. i don't feel i should subject my family to further danger. i feel i have the right to a new part as the car is within the warranty period. *nlm

Transmission has failed 2 times in 30,500 mi. it was replaced at 15,000 and now at 30,500 mi. i was assured the first replacement would take care of the problem. both times the transmission failed up hill. very close to an accident. i took the car in 5 months prior to fail to have the transmission checked. acura said there was no problem. *nlm

We were driving on the freeway going 50 miles an hour on our way to drop off our car at the acura dealership when the transmission shifted in to 2nd gear lunging us forward. luckily we were in the slow lane and able to pull over avoiding and accident. car was towed to acura and new transmission was put in. since that incidence we have had an additional 2 transmissions put into the car. one on 11/8/04 and the most recent 5/24/06. *jb

Acura 2002, tl, type s, 26,000 miles, transmission acting up, drop from 5th gear to 2nd, engine reving, slipping, not engaging into right gear, took to dealership twice, where car was bought, in dealer for new "remanufactured" trans. let's see if this one will work. lots of people having trans problems with 2001-02 cl and tl. acura/honda obviously trying to avoid a recall, until somebody gets hurt.

Transmission on 2002 acura tl type-s slipped from 5th to 2nd gear at highway speeds, causing rapid deceleration and high engine rpm. this could have caused a rear-end collision. *nlm