Problems with 2001 Acura TL POWER TRAIN

Transmission fails into mode of down hifting and upshifting inappropriately. this causes the automobile to change speed suddenly and irratically. extremely dangerous for highway driving. note: this problem is not related to the previously reported 2nd gear problem with these transmissions. *ak

My transmission went out on me the other night it was dark and pouring down rain. i was driving on a back road at 55 mph when all of a sudden the car went from 55 mph to 40 mph. i had already scheduled the car to go in the next morning, but realized that the car would not make it until the next morning. i turned the car around and headed for the dealership. i called and told them i was bringing it in. i road with my hazard lights on the way back to dealership. the car would only go as fast as 40 mph with the rpm running at 4500. this was scary for me because it was dark and raining and it was hard to see other cars. i got the car to the dealership and they gave me a loaner car. the next day i got a call from the dealer they said that they confirmed with their computer that the transmission needed to be replaced. i then said, i can't believe it. this will be the 4th transmission put into the car. they said, they have to send this transmission to acura and they would put a new transmission in the car. well from the web sites that i have read today says they are putting rebuilt transmission in brand new cars. they knew about this time bomb and that is why they extended the warranty. i think that the rest of america and world should know what acura is doing to their customers and i think they need to fix this problem right away, or give us our money back so we can go buy another car and not acura. *jb

To whom it may concern, i own a 2001 acura 3.2 tl for 3 years. i am going on my 4th transmission. acura is aware of this problem they just keep putting rebuilt transmissions in a brand new car. they extended the warranty on the car to 100,000 miles. i currently have 82,000 miles on the car. i have two years of car payments left. the dealership said they would see if acura will extend the warranty again. that is fine if they do, but they still have not fixed the transmission problems yet. i have looked out on the internet there are many complaints about transmissions in these vehicles, but yet consumer report still gives these cars the highest rating on there transmissions. i also find that there is pending lawsuit against the honda motor company. i was wondering if you could do a story on this consumer problem and see if there is other people out there then the ones that know how to use a computer. thanks, jacqualine martin 9601 looking glass court bristow, va 20136 (h) 703 335 0119 (c) 703 967 3991 *la

The wife started having transmission problems on 11/3/2003 in the morning. i called the dealership and told them of the problem. they set the appointment for 4 days later. by noon time the transmission would only go into reverse and we called to have it towed to the dealership. the next day they said that someone may have gotten soda down in the shifter and that is what they were going to check out. i called them around 3:00 and they said that they were now going to replace the transmission and they said that the new transmission has the problem fixed. i am very mad at the service dept. of the acura dealership, 1. they know of the problem and would let my wife and our one year old ride around for 4 days like that when you read that some people have the transmission. lock up on them on the highway. are they just trying to save the money on a rental car? 2. they know of the problem and tried to say that soda got into the shifter. 3. is the problem fixed liked i was told or are they just putting in another rebuilt junk transmission for us to have problems later down the road. they are trying to cover up the problem and they should recall the problem and fix it. we tried to call my wife's girl friend who has a cl and let her know about it before something bad happens to her. acura and nhtsa should all do the proper thing and recall the cars today. *la

Numerous transmission failures, 4 each and 1 in a 2001 3.2 tl "loaner". this vehicle just "locks" up when traveling at high rates of speed, downshifting without warning from 45 to 10-15 mph. the engine redlines, and the governor takes over preventing damage to the engine. it is only a matter of time before someone is rear ended and dies in this vehicle. acura keeps installing "new" remanufactured transmissions with the "hope" it is fixed. my last occurance actually broke a hydraulic filled motor mount - that's how much force the transmission failure puts on the vehicle*ak

My 2001 acura 3.2tl transmission died after 35k miles. the car shifted gears on its own for a few months, then finally decided to stop working on 10/18/03 on the way home. the car right now is in the shop waiting for the replacement transmission. i am very concerned as i did my research on the internet. too many complaints filed at(www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/petition-sign.cgi?acura). i don't want to get caught in an accident like others because of the transmission problem. i spent a lot of money for this car. i use it for my business everyday, and i am now afraid to drive it on the street. this problem seems to be a defect and should be classified as a recall. i would like american honda to take my car back and return my money. p.s. i had previously own a 2001 acura rl and had similar transmission problems. my acura dealer tried to fix it 3 times. problems still exists. finally, i returned the car. *la

Problems with automatic transmission. gear slippage, sluggish on acceleration, numerous transmission repairs through dealer, vehicle recalled - still not working properly.*ak

My acura 2001 3.2tl automatic transmisson was started by turning on the ignition. as soon as it was started, with transmission in park, the car took off in reverse. stepping on the brake didn't slow down the car, neither did shifting the gears. the only way the car stopped was when it hit the fence and house across the street. there was significant damage to the car, well over $7000. i called acura customer service and stated that acura should take responsibility for the incident. they didn't help at all. i wrote a letter to the ceo of american honda and they just referred it to acura customer service. they refuse to help at all when it is clear from all the incidents reported in the nhtsa website that there is a clear problem with acura transmissions. the nhtsa should take action since there are many incidents with honda and acura's. i am definitely afraid to drive the car. i don't see any reason to buy a honda or acura again. *ak

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 acura 3.2tl. the contact stated that the vehicle would not pull and began slipping gears. the dealer stated that the transmission was defective and they replaced it under warranty. on a separate occasion, the gears slipped again and the vehicle hesitated. the vehicle was no longer under warranty and the transmission was replaced at the owner's expense. the failure mileage was less than 9,000 and current mileage was over 200,000.

On may 7, 2003, at 32,905 miles my 2001 3.2tl experienced a transmission failure. took it back to dealer who replaced part number 37820-pe8-305rm. this morning while driving into work, the car was once again slow to engage 3rd gear and did not seem to cycle to 4th or above. *ak

Various problems with the 2001 acura tl. bought used and has been in shop 6 or 7 times in less than one year. brakes, transmission replacement, master cylinder. brakes continue to seemingly have a problem...you have to almost go to the floor to stop, but dealership says this is normal on this type of vehicle. true or not-i don't know. also, the check engine light keeps coming on, also the abs and tc lights keep coming on. also, it does not make sense that my car now has 50,000 miles on it when i hardly go anywhere. it seems the odometer is very inaccurate. there is no way i have put 30,000 miles on this car since april of 2003. could not find any other information concerning the odometer issue, but was told by a mechanic that it's possible their could be a speed sensor issue in the transmission, which would also cause the check engine light to come on. *la

While driving the vehicle would either hesitate upon acceleration or slip. there was also a noise in the automatic transmission. *nlm......*ak

Transmission failed in car which almost caused it to stall in acceleration because it was unable to find third gear while accelerating with other cars behind me. i was able to keep the car under control and move it off road to a safe spot. i had researched transmission problems with my car so i realized the symptoms immediately but had less than a day's notice before it happened. others have reported even less notice with their cars on the highway at a high rate of speed dropping from 5th to 2nd gear jerking them forward and causing the car to swerve.*jb

2001 acura tl transmission failure. without warning, the car died while accelerating from a stop (red-light). i was almost rear-ended by the vehicle behind me. my vehicle is only two years old with 31,000 miles. after the incident, i was able to drive the car very slowly. i went straight to acura dealer, who stated the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. while no one was injured in this specific incident, the defective acura transmissions have the potential to cause serious injuries.

At 26,0000 miles, 2001 acura 3.2tl automatic transmission failed. while passing a very slow car, transimission suddenly did not engage and engine rpms soared while power to wheels ceased. tc and engine lights came on. went to dealer immediately without stopping and adivised it was ok to continue driving carefully, one week out appointmment given to me. at appointment, informed of at failure, covered under warranty. returned one week later.

No summary. dt

Automatic transmission has failed with a wining sound and no response from accelerator depressed. the vehicle had to be towed to the dealership due to the system failing. the mechanics going to replace the entire transmission without identifying the actual cause. please describe details. ts

Transmission failed on major interstate was towed to dealership. dt

2001 acura tl transmition fails

While traveling on highway vehicle will stall and hesitate. when taking foot off brakes tires made a squeaking noise. dealership is aware of problem.*ak

I also have had some major transmission failures. my orginal transmission failed on the freeway while going apprx. 65 mph, the transmission appeared to down shift into park or first gear. this problem came without any warning. at those speeds you can only emagine what my back and neck felt like, not to mention all the cars that were skidding behind me attemping to avoid an accident. when this failure occurs there are no brake lights to indicate your slowing down or stopping. the transmission was replaced (no questions asked) than, around 1200 miles later another massive failure. again back to the dealer for them to replace the transmission and try again. this car should be removed from the streets and i should be paid back the money i've invested. these transmissions are a huge safty problem. could this problem get any worse ???????*ak

First noticed the failure after parking the car and then putting it into reverse to back out of the parking lot. proceeded to drive normally, put the car in d5 (automatic mode) and noticed hard abrupt shifts from 1st gear to 2nd gear. 3rd gear seemed like neutral, car just revved and then caught 4th or 5th gear. once in high gear and up to around 60mph on the highway the car suddenly downshifts to what seemed like 1st gear causing the tires to lock up for about a second and then went back into 5th gear. fortunately there was no one behind me following to closely. continued to drive, only slower this time and it did it again at about 45 mph this time. i pulled over and called the local dealership(acura of baton rouge, la) and had the car dropped off for repairs. solenoid replacement didn't solve the problem so he informed me that they would replace it with a remanufactured transmission. car would be ready in about a week and a half.*ak

I own a 2001 acura tl. as i write this it is in the shop for it's third transmission. i was almost in three rear end crashes as the car would not move when i steped on the gas.

Transmission shows a pattern of major slippage and extremely hard shifting between gears d1 and d2. i have been contacted by many other 2001 acura cl owners with the same problem.*ak

This same problem occurred with parent's 2002 acura tl type s and their transmission was replaced at 22000 miles (last week); additionally, there are identical complaints of this online - same car, same problem, same gear, etc.; this is very dangerous and people could easily be injured or killed. *ak

The transmission started siezing up. it will not shift to the next gear while the engine kept revving up. it would eventually jerk badly and shift to next gear. dealer says that the car needs a new transmission. the car only has 34000 miles and it appears that there is a rash of transmission problems with this year and model. how do i know that this will not happen again in another 1.5 years? i was thinking of buying a acura mdx. i have second thoughts now.*ak

None

Approximately 17 months after date of purchase, i began having trouble with the transmission while driving out of town. the car had no power, which eventually lead to my not being able to put the car in reverse, without first having some sort of hesitation. the car was transported to the dealer on july 20th, and a remanufactured transimssion was installed in my car. on july 29th i took my car to the dealer with a complaint of a whistling noise that was heard upon exceleration. i was told that the car was operating to factory specifications. i took the car back on august 5th, because i was still hearing the noise upon exceleration, the noise was heard this time by the technician, and a remanufactured transmission was installed the second time. i took the car back on august 20th, for the third time, because the car had no pick up power upon exceleration, i was told that the transmission was slipping, and an a/b valve was installed. i took the car back for the fourth time, because i was having the same problem once again (the car had no pick up power upon excelerationto), the dealer notified me and said that it was once again the transmission and that they would have to order the transmission. nlm

I took my 2001 acura 3.5 tl to acura of riverside complaining of the transmission slipping. initially, they could not document but totally popped out of gear the following day. they were able to get a code & replaced the transmission at 12,500 miles. my complaint is (1)the dealer tried to tell me that this was an extremely unusual occurrence & that these kinds of thing happen to all makes of cars (2) after ordering the replacement transmission, they tried to give me back the car until the replacement transmission came in. i refused and told them that i felt the car was not safe. after i refused to take the car back until the transmission was replaced, they decided to place me a rental car. their daily allowance for the rental was $30 per day which meant i had to pay more for a bigger, safer car as that amount would only pay for a small car. today in the l.a. times is an article discussing the failure of transmissions on the acura 3.5 tls and the refusal of honda to recall these cars because no one has been seriously injured yet. my concern is, that in my situation, the dealer would not be honest about the problems honda is experiencing with these cars. moreover, i was basically lied too & told that they hadn't heard of any other transmission problems with 2001 acuras. as previously stated, they also tried to give the car back, unrepaired, while waiting for a replacement transmission. i am extremely unhappy with the dealership & acura over the transmission problem. this car is leased & i would like to give the car back (although the transmission has been replaced) as i don't feel that the car is the quality vehicle that i felt i was purchasing. i do not trust the safety of the car considering how dangerous the transmission failure could have been had i been on a busy s. california freeway.*ak

Every now and then gear does not engage, sometimes on the highway vehicle loses power. problem intermittent. consumer feels this is very dangerous. dealer has been contacted.*ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Acura has made many defective transmission for the 2001 and 2002 tl and cl. i think acura should warn their customer of these failures before someone gets hurt for the failure of a transmission. luckly, i noticed mines before taking the car out of park. something has to be done, we are spending to much money for a car that can not stay out of the shop under 50,000 miles. and to add to it all of this acura is doing nothing to my knowledge to contact the owners and help the situation.*ak

Acura 3.2 tl delivered on march, 2002. transmission failed april, 2002. transmission failed once again on feburary 2003.

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

The warranty only covers to 50k miles and the transmission might go out again...there is lots of acura tl owners with bad transmissions including mine which i just replaced, but afraid it will go bad again. please help!!!*ak

While driving automatic transmission would skip from first gear to second gear. had contacted dealer, but problem could not be fixed. please provide more information.*ak

While driving at 65 mph, the vehicle lost power. the consumer pulled onto the shoulder and waited a few minutes. then the vehicle was restarted and everything was back to normal for a little while. after a mile or two, the vehicle jerked and lost power again. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that a new transmission was needed. this problem occurred again and another transmission was replaced. *ak the vehicle had been repaired. *sc the brakes were replaced. *jb

Vehicle failed to maintain speed. consumer has been in close circumstances where vehicle hesitated upon acceleration. nhtsa recall campaign 04v176000: automatic transmission second gear. the dealership will not perform repairs because the failure did not occur within their two minute drive inspection. consumer contacted the manufacturer, but they kept referring her back to the same dealer because the vehicle was still under warranty. consumer was still having problems with the vehicle performing erratically off dealership premises. *ak

These acuras are having a major problem, someone needs to step in before someone gets hurt driving them when a transmission goes or something else. *ak

While driving vehicle hesitates to shift gears.then it will jerk into gear, causing vehicle to launch forward. also does this in reverse gear. contacted dealer. had transmission replaced 2 twice, problem reoccurred. *ak

2001 acura 3.2 tl automatic transmission was slow to shift from 2nd to 3rd gear. problem became progresively worse over a period of a few days. transmission was eventually replaced by dealership.

Many acura 3.2 cl owners have been reporting transmission failures, as well as acura 3.2 tl owners, who have the same transmission units in their cars, and believe that this may be a safety hazard. if the transmission failure occurs while driving the vehicle, the vehicle sometimes slows down abruptly, especially when the driver is accelerating. for example, when trying to pass someone, the transmission will suddenly leave the engine revving high, but the car won_x0012_t actually accelerate and actually slows down, sometimes very noticeably. this can cause someone to rear end you if they_x0012_re coming up from behind you not expecting you to suddenly come to halt for no apparent reason. also, it seems that honda/acura may have known about this problem with its automatic transmissions since the release of the honda v6 accord, which is the platform on which the acura cl and tl models are based. the cl/tl models have increased horsepower over the accord, especially the type s models, and these transmissions may not be able to handle the extra power.

I was passing a vehicle in my 3.2tl when suddenly the wheels seemed to have locked and my car came almost to a screeching halt. the next day i found out that the transmission failed. this is a very dangerous situation. the vehicles behind me could have easily rear-ended me and caused a chain reaction pile-up. luckily the car did not stop completely, so i was able to recover from the incident without personal injury and/or property damage. it angers me that acura is not owning up to the aparent transmission troubles that have been occurring. just a few weeks ago, my supervisor informed me that his transmission failed on his 3.2cl at only 18k miles. another concern is that the warranty is 4 years/50k miles and acura needs to extend the warranty until they figure out the problem with these transmissions. what am i supposed to do when the warranty ends? acura needs to be held accountable.*ak

One week ago i noticed that my car's transmission (2001 acura tl) was slipping between 2nd and 3rd gear as well as when shifting into reverse. i went to acura honolulu yesterday and they confirmed the issue was with the transmission slipping. they estimated that the repair costs would total $6600 (nearly what the car is worth). i did some online research and found out that this year's model has a faulty transmission and they had offered an extended warranty, however, because my car is over seven years old, they will not honor this warranty even though my mileage is within the accepted coverage of 100,000 miles. i'm now stuck with a car that is unsafe for me and other drivers on the road yet acura is unwilling to assist in the repair costs. i have contacted my dealerships service manager as well as their corporate offices, but they were unwilling to offer goodwill assistance. i take good care of my car and it is unfortunate that acura is willing to keep a bad product on the market while leaving the owners to pay ridiculous repair costs.. *tr