2003 ACURA TL

On TL Type-S trim level car, right side rear sub-frame for engine/transmission has rusted through upper layer of welded box-frame just behind control arm mount from air conditioning condenser drain tube dripping on the that section of sub-frame. Dealer claimed they have never heard/seen such a problem but wanted to replace both front and rear section of sub-frames (~$3,500). Independent shop said only the rear was needed. Upon visual inspection, I agree. All other areas of both rear and front sub-frame are in good, rust free condition. Independent shop is performing the work for the rear section at ~$2,600 including an NOS Acura part ($1,077). Others on internet forums experience this same problem. Been afraid to drive it till it could be worked on. Pictures available upon request.

Clear coat and paint coming off in multiple locations. Auto Body shop said many Hondas and Acuras have this problem as there is no UV protection in the defective product used at time of manufacture. And
American Honda is not willing to correct.

I bought my Acura 3.2TL in 2010 not knowing any of this list of known issues with the car. A month after buying it the cd player got jammed with a cd. I took it back to the dealership and they tried twice installing a new one but had difficulties with the factory codes. I told them I wanted an aftermarket stereo and they ended up handing me a check for $350 the price of a factory player. In 2012 the timing chain and several other items needed to be replaced. The motor mounts had gone out, one of the known issues and I was instructed to do the timing belt water pump and mounts at the same time. 6 months later the transmission went out! Had the acura in Reno Nevada rebuild it and thought I had a brand new car with all these issues fixed. One month after the warranty went out the transmission went out again! I’m currently looking for a used transmission as I can not afford the $4500 Acura wants me to pay. Since purchasing my car has depreciated $4500 and paying $4500 is $2500 under the cars value. I just got a job and need reliable transportation but have no idea what I’m going to do for a car. I pray there is nobody in the market for a 2001-2003 Acura TL or CL!

3.2TL: Transmission – complete failure at 76334. Rebuilt and failed again at 118,107 (41,773 miles). Rebuilt and failed again at 172,221 (54,114 miles). Rebuilding again for the third time!! Defective transmission design. Talked to Acura and they won’t give me one dime towards repairs. DO NOT BUY ACURA!!! This car has many problems all the time. Despite being Honda’s luxury badge Acura’s are junk – DO NOT BUY ACURA!!!

I have encountered an unsafe condition on my 2003 Acura 3.2 TL (made by Honda). This condition was shown to me by mechanic who indicated that the vehicle is unsafe to drive due the front passenger cross frame member is completely rusted through (photos are available upon request). The condition was found after 96,746 miles during a repair after a routine oil check. The apparent cause is the hose line connected to the air conditioning unit is positioned in such a way that it leaks onto the sub-frame, causing it to rust out. The cost for the frame repair was $ 2,052.970, but what is more disturbing is that I was driving this car with my grandchildren and family under the risk of an accident without my knowledge of the condition. Also, disturbing is to know there may be other cars with the same issue being driven today.

ACURA 2003 3.2 TL. CAN TURN OFF ENGINE WITH CAR IN DRIVE AND REMOVE KEY. CAR THEN ROLLS BACKWARDS. THIS HAS HAPPENED REPEATEDLY ALL AFTER THE INITIAL FAILURE AND CAN BE REPEATED. I CALLED DEALERSHIP IN ORANGE PARK, FL AND THEY TOLD ME MY VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR HELP IN HAVING REPAIR MADE. PRICE FOR REPAIRS OBTAINED FROM INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, NOT DEALER, AND REPAIR HAS NOT BEEN MADE. THANK YOU.

It has been brought to my attention that the passenger side of my vehicle’s subframe is completly rusted/rotted due to the A/C water drainage

The transmission on my 2003 Acura TL – 3.2 suddenly gave out while the vehicle was being operated on the freeway. The car was taken to the closest dealership, which also happens to be the same dealership I bought the vehicle from. I was never notified of the recall concerning the transmission in 2004, and Acura refuses to fix the transmission at no cost to me even though the transmission was defective.

There is a tick in the dash. The rear windows leak. The sun roof squeaks. The paint has severly chipped on the hood, roof and trunk. All of this has happened in the first 25,000 miles or less than 1 year.

The engine light went on suddenly at 11,000 miles making a clunking noise. Was in repair 15 days. Rebuilt automatic transmission & Torque Converter was replaced as well as broken engine mount. At 19,713 engine light went on againfailure VSA & ECM units replaced. At 25,596 miles engine light goes on,transmission does not go into reverse due to internal failure, replaced PCM & transmission (rebuilt)Lock-up Control Solinoid Assembly, replaced lost transmission fluid.Left dealer’s service dept & upon reaching home, engine light came on, had to return back to Service Dept. On the way, the vehicle suddenly & without notice locked 6 times at 50 mph, decelerated down to 30 mph making booming noises, car behind almost crashed into my vehicle, had to pull over, slowly driving to dealer scared to death as the vehicle was so erratic & making booming noises. My son was driving, called me on his cell phone as to his experience, finally made it to the service dept. Honda/Acura voluntarily extended warranty in 2002 on the transmissions due to defects as well as in 2003 offered enhanced PCM Powertrain service due to defects in another notification. NHTSA conducted investigation & should have recalled the 3.2TL Type S vehicles as well as other models as they can potentially cause serious injuries and/or death to everyone concerned without notice at highway speeds especially. These transmission defects were known by Honda/Acura yet vehicles were being sold to the public anyway. Honda/Acura now claims the 2004 models will be redesigned. Does this include their faulty transmissions? Who can you ask if NHSTA allows this to occur year after year. Leasing this vehicle requires prayers that no one gets killed. Yes, I’m angry!! A vehicle should be enjoyed & not a hazard that cannot be corrected.

See failures

my transmission literally locked up over 6 times while driving at speeds over 65mph causing my car to try and come to a complete stop while driving this fast ..I had no warning prior ,that anything was wrong with the transmission . It literally was about to throw me through the windsheild ,it left bald ares on my tires from this and the service guy who drove it stated it almost threw him through the windsheild and he was only driving 30mph …this has injured my neck and arm ,left arm and I am now scared to death of driving this car as this was such a scary expierience ,never knowing when it was going to happen .. I am involved in a forum online for other acura owners who have had their transmission replaced up to 4 times.. I want OUT of this DEATH TRAP!

Brakes warped at 7000km, coming home on hwy. yesterday and brakes feel warped again (excess in pulsation coming to steering wheel)-Tranny feels on the rough side, worried that it will malfunction shortly.-Acura…fix the problem already!

Acura 3.2TL Type SStarted a cold engine and started to backup to turn and leave my driveway, engine accelerated in reverse before or after fire started in engine compartment. Ended up half on and half off my driveway and fire spreading from engine to passenger compartment, I could not open the drivers side door and was pulled from the car by a neighbor and he pulled me out of car and helped me away from car and 30-40 seconds later the fire reached the gas tank and exploded.I suffered 2nd & 3rd degree burns on my legs and permanent nerve damage. Lucky to be alive.

I still have yet to get the car repaired. I waiting to see what the best option is at this time.

Car was purchased in 2007, in which the Transmission was slipping and had to be replaced. It was replaced in Tallahassee, Florida @ Proctor Acura. I currently live in Jacksonville, Florida and had it serviced in Orange Park, Florida @Orange Park, Florida Acura on Saturaday the 28th of August. In which I was told the Transmission had to be replaced again. Orange Park Acura informed me they would only pay 75% and I would be responsible for 25%. The total price for Transmission Replacement 4,518,89 in which, I have to pay 1,225.65 including tax.

2003 acura tl jerks like the driver is pressing on the brakes even though she isn't. *kb the consumer stated the vehicle would suddenly stop and then go again. also, the engine light illuminated. *jb

2003 acura 3.2 tl. consumer states problem with transmission slipping. *tgw the consumer stated the transmission has started to slip again for the second time. the consumer stated the vehicle was recalled for transmission problems, but she was never informed about it. *jb

Consumer complaint concerning an acura 3.2tl auto transmission. *ts *jb

My 2003 acura 3.2tl was put in service in august, 2003. recently, the srs light has come on and the dealer's service department is now making the second attempt to correct it; however, they advised me in writing as follows: "advised customer not to leave any electrical device on pass seat, will cause light to go off" i.e., cell phone in my wife's pocketbook could turn srs off. this explanation does not seem plausible. if the system is that sensitive, it is not dependable!

Summer of 2014 i can to a stop light at a complete stop. my tl type s kept idle at 3500 - 3700 rpm. drove the car about quarter of a mile before having to shut of the engine. that fix the problem for the time being. this would happen 2-5 times a week for three weeks until i figured out the cause. come to find out it was the cruise control lever at the throttle that was getting stuck. eventually just unhooked the cable for the cruise control. hasn't been fix since.

Rust through condition on right sub-frame supporting engine, transmission, right front suspension. air conditioning condenser drain tube drips condensation/water directly onto this area of the sub-frame causing severe corrosion and eventually part failure leaving engine, transmission, right front suspension without proper alignment and support that can happen at any speed. acura denounced any knowledge of this problem. left side of same part is not effected at all. internet search has discovered numerous instances of this problem. tsb has been issued for 1999-2002 honda accord cars with this same problem. but manufacture's solution was to move the location of the drain tube in future model years of the car. i paid an independent repair shop $2,600 to replace the rear sub-frame section. the dealership wanted to replace both front and rear sub-frames but the front section was not effected and did not require replacement. the repair shot i took my car to to have the work done praised the car for being spotless underneath except for the effected area. problem was discovered on august 16, 2016.

Takata recall - other 2003 acura tl cars are considered to be in a"high risk population". . . with a very dangerous defect...risk posed by these airbag inflators is grave...it is critical they be repaired to avoid more deaths." the passenger side air bag on my car has not been repaired, nor is it on recall. my vin number was not in your system when i had it checked. has my car been overlooked. it had the drivers side air bag fixed in 2015, but the passenger side air bag is takata and has not been fixed. please look into this. [xxx] i have tried to tell people about this problem. please look into it. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).”*jb

Despite replacing very expensive bulb twice, the electrical system burns the lights out within minutes. the electric check revealed that it will cost over $600 to replace this entire light because of the design flaw.

Auto has only 49,072 miles on it and the frame beam has serious rust showing.

Loss of transmission at only 105,000 miles.

Why not require replacement of takata airbag on passenger's side as well as for the driver's side? both would create the same hazard that stimulated the original call to replace the inflator for the driver"s side of the automobile!

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving 35 mph around a curve, the vehicle failed to brake or accelerate and the transmission seized. the steering wheel also became very difficult to turn. as a result, the contact lost control of the vehicle and left the road. the contact crashed into an embankment and a tree. the air bags did not deploy. the driver sustained injuries to the hands, wrists, head, ankle, chest, and shoulder. medical attention was required and the contact visited his physician after the crash. a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the contact stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). the approximate failure mileage was 263,138.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle made a whining noise coming from the transmission. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 87,000.

By accident, i am able to turn off the engine and remove the key from the ignition with the transmission still in gear. campaign #10v364000 covers honda version of my car, #12v573000 covers acura mdx only, nothing for my acura version of the honda sedans.

Interlock operation of ignition switch does not function properly allowing ignition key to be turned off and the key removed without shifting the transmission to "park." this is the same defect described in nhtsa campaign no. 05v025000, although that campaign was for acura tl model years 1999-2000, and did not include model year 2003. i have recently experienced this problem where the car rolled back after i exited the vehicle requiring that i open the driver's door, jump into the car while in motion and depress the brake. i understand that there have been similar defects that have caused serious injuries and deaths. i reported this to acura today (case no. 05011338) but was told that my car was not included in the prior recall and no repairs would be covered by acura.

Takata recall i contacted acura three times to resolve this but nobody ever calls me or writes me a letter to get the problem resolved. i live near escanaba, mi and the nearest dealership is in appleton, wi which is a four hour drive away from me or 200 miles one direction. i cannot afford to travel the distance and would like to get it repaired locally. the operators i've spoken to tell me they need to speak with their supervisors... who never come to the phone, who instead tell me they will contact me at a later date to resolve the problem... like i've stated i have never received a return phone call, voice message, or letter in the mail regarding my request... i want to get this addressed as soon as possible.

Honda replaced my airbag and i still get the srs malfunction light. acura does not want to take this safety issue and is wanting me to replace the safety components at my cost. srs light is on and i suspect faulty seat belts. but honda does not warranty seat belts and safety components after 10 years.

My car's check engine light and tcs light came on. had my car scanned at my local obii service center and recieved code p1676. still experiencing same problem after, i then took my car to the local honda dealership service center to get a verification of this code and saw a flyer for recalls. i review the information, (i own an acura, honda was unable to provide the recall repair service) and found that recalls pertaining to the code generated from the initial scan for when the check engine light came on pertained to the code. i called in reference to the recalls posted on the nhtsa.gov website. i was informed that a recall repair for the transmission/power-train (04v176000) and timing belt (02v226000) were made to my vehicle however i am still having the same problem including excessive vibration & hesitation during acceleration especially between 50-60mph), cruise control has shut off without warning/notice while driving , and inability to pass nc emissions inspections. i contacted the nhtsa and was informed with 2 different reasons why my vehicle was not eligible for repair. (1) vehicle batch number was not affected and then (2) the repair had already been made in feb 2005 by previous owner. all these problem started occurring after i took my car to leith acura of cary, nc for the recall on the tarkata airbags(15v320000). i have been denied safety repairs to my vehicle. leith acura of cary, nc is requiring me to pay $131.00 inorder to do a diagnostic scan only that i already have proof from several ase certified inspection stations (which were free of charge). i does not include the amount that may be required to fix the problem pending it is not totally a recall repair. i believe that the repair was done incorrectly or the current transmission is not the one that replaced the original transmission after the recall repair. if so, i should be allowed repairs.

Air bag warning light is on.d5 light flashing on transmission

Takata recall, srs light came on in my car and my car has not been in an accident, i have had fuses checked , and nothing wrong with any of my safety equipment my light still stays on. called acura dealer just got the run around again and again. the vehicle was in motion when light came on street driving .

Rear subframe rusted

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, with the accelerator pedal depressed, the vehicle jerked and hesitated. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift above third gear. there was no warning light illuminated. the contact referenced the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with a defective speed sensor. the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 230,000.

The paint on all 2003 acura tl the paint fails badly. the transmission also went out on me soon as my car hit 100,000 miles which sad for an acura. i owned a 96 tl and never had any of these issues. *tr

2003 acura t.l was in motion when the vehicle started slipping on 2nd gear. then when vehicle was stationary it would not move in reverse gear. as i was on highway the car started jerking out of control, i could not accelerate, vehicle barely wanted to move so i put it in #2 gear so it work catch and i was able to drive to safety without anyone getting hurt. very frightening and dangerous. problem must be addressed immediately.

Srs light is on

Tl* takata recall. the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 19v182000 (air bags). the contact stated that the brake light illuminated and the brakes squeaked. the dealer was not notified. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but was not able to confirm when the parts were to become available. the failure mileage was unknown. parts distribution disconnect.

I need to make a complaint against american honda motor co., inc. this entity has been sending me letters, calling me and knocking on my door for the last two years about an airbag inflator recall. each type they contact me i tell them i no longer own this vehicle. it was traded in over two years ago. even though i may still be registered as the owner, i have no idea who truly owns this vehicle as it was traded in at a dealership. i filled out a vehicle transfer notice over two years ago but honda acura keeps contacting me about this recall on a monthly basis, to the date! someone please get them to stop or further advise me if i should just ignore their letters. thank you!

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that the gear did not shift properly and the check engine indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to acura of laurel (301-498-3322, located at 3506 laurel fort meade rd, laurel, md 20724) where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced at the contact’s expense. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). the failure mileage was approximately 111,000. parts distribution disconnect.

While driving on the highway and doing about 60 mph my car suddenly down shifted into 2nd gear. i nearly lost control of the car and caused an accident. there was no prior indication that something was wrong with the car. i'm a mechanic, and have been one for over 20 years and i have never seen or had a transmission give out on me in such a way. called the dealer and was told that the car was not covered anymore by the recall. recalls for this model and year acura. now, i think, no i know that this is a real safety concern that someone might possibly lose their life over. upon doing some research on my own i learned that the transmission problems that this 2000 to 2003 honda's and acura has is due to shoddy workmanship. now i'm if the manufacturer knows this and they should cover any and all vehicles still on the road with recalls that they should honor.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that the driver's side headlights failed to illuminate while driving at night. also, the passenger side headlight assembly retained steam. the vehicle was taken to joe rizza acura (located at 8150 w 159th st, orland park, il 60462, (708) 403-7770) where it was diagnosed that the headlight units needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired due to the repair fees. the contact stated that the failure intermittently occurred on several occasions. the manufacturer was not notified of the failures. the approximate failure mileage was 76,000.

"takata recall" last few digits of vin 002098, im contacting you because we had out recall fixed over a week and the vin still comes up as incomplete this is hindering me from starting my job with uber ive contacted homda on several occasions just teo days ago i spoke with a lady (can't remember her name) whom was extremely rude by overtalking me and became very argumentative as o tried to explain my situation and let her know that i needed honda to update this repair with nhtsa in order to start my jon with uber, and that the paperwork would do me no justice, uber needed the update specifically in the system as repaired and not incomplete she basicly told me, it wasnt their ("hondas") problem, even tho they fixed it she said it was acura's problem leaving me even more confused and frustrated as i've been inconveniently, and unwilling unwilling placed inn this situation, this has cist me tome and lots of money from not being able to work and not even my fault to began with. all i want is this issue to be resolved so i can start work, to top evreything off, they didn't give us any paperwork my husband was told to sign a document that the repair was fixed and he was smart enough to take a picture which i will try to attach to this complaint and i pray you are able to resolve this as quickly as possible. i also showed this document to uber and they specifically said, they could not except it because it needs to show in the system online that the recall attached to my vin has been completed/repaired, and again unfortunately after blood sweat tears and mounts of frustration , inconvenience, and loss wages it still has not been resolved. please help us!!

Tl* takata recall. the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v320000 (air bags). the vehicle was taken to esserman international acura (305-477-6666, located at 10455 nw 12th st suite a, doral, fl 33172) where the recall repair was performed; however, the air bag indicator flashed on and off. a couple of years later, the contact received another notification for nhtsa campaign number: 19v182000 (air bags). the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer and the technician stated that a diagnostic test needed to be performed at the contact's expense. the contact stated that the air bag indicator illuminated after the initial repairs were performed. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was not provided.

Update nthsa safety issue id 11132318 today my 2003 acura tl again tcs. cel. d5 blinking. ny car mileage is 123599 now i'm driving d4. not d5 if i d5 driving car sharking. dear. nthsa what can i do? thank you for help & i hope transmissions recall.. nor when i take picture only check sign. but obd ii scanner 5 code showing.

Frame and undercarriage of this auto condemned by service dept. due to premature rusting of frame. auto always garaged. frame rust appeared at 40,000 miles.

On september 26 . 2018 my acura tl 2003 is tcs on. cel on. d5 blinking. after that i have obd ii scanner (actron cp9680) they have 5 code. i search the google this code means my transmisson is dead. this car now little sharking. but repair cost is more than $2.000. i also search for acura & honda forums. many same cases. but now 2018 . but my is 2003 who got the transmission recall.

“tamara recall” before taking off the car had trouble going into gear. once the car was in motion it began to have a hard shift then once i gained speed of 45 on the highway it wouldn’t accelerate any more it actually started to slow down so i pulled off the road i put the car in park and heard a fast clicking noise turned the car off turned it back on tried put it in gear and it wouldn’t move

In forward motion, freeway. electrical. tranny. car currently reads 138,356 miles. around roughly 134,000 miles the vehicle check engine light began to flash as a result from rpms reaching about 6 on the cluster rpm display due what felt like slipping into to 3rd or 4th gear. slipping however usually results with what i would consider a slamming experience from eventually catching and shifting into the correct gear. this happened as i was merging onto freeway. car did not catch gear but nuetralized until i switched to sport shift mode and displayed 4 gear and the vehicle jetted off. cel has remained on and 3rd gear still a issue. did much maintenance, replacement of solenoids,fluid flush, etc. problem solves then returns. this has went on for about 6mon this last month seemed issue had resolved itself after two more atf flushes in the prior month. this last week my lady and i coming home from our date night, luckily thats wednesday(hump day) for us, so freeways at 12:30-1am in san diego hold few traffic.i say luckily because going about 70-75 mph the car suddenly felt like what slamming into a wall head on at 75 mph must feel like. jerking us forward, uninjured due to seatbelts, thank god. the scariest thing however was the fact that in the far right lane at that speed after the jolt caused the vehicle to neutralize and any accelaration that would occur would instantly give a less intense jolt but rapidly slowed the vehicle down making it extremely difficult and drastically increasing our levels of danger of something worse ,as i made my way over to far left side of freeway. reaching safety i examined vehicle found nothing visually wrong. after letting car cool and letting warm to normal op.temp i put vehicle in sport mode exited freeway and took city streets home only using d2,no problems occurred. today repeated the maintenance as before. runs okay but i'm nervous

Motor frames or engine cradle on the passenger side is badly rusted, and it about to fall apart. i have been looking for replacement part, and everyone of them that that i have found has the same problem. i found out the problem when i was trying to replace the front rotors back in june of this year 2018 and i have not been driving it because i also need to replace the drive axle and i couldn't find the engine cradle for replacement, i couldn't do anything with it.

Vehicle was in motion, while going on the highway at 65 mph all of a sudden it jumped to 20 miles per hour making me and every body unsafe on the road, luckily the cars that were behind me were far enough and were able to react quickly. i never had any warning signs or check engine lights that would warn me there was something wrong with the car. i called the dealership and they said they couldn't do anything to cover the repair because the recall was closed back in 2005. i feel there was poor workmanship when they looked at the vehicle back when they inspected it putting peoples lives in danger.

I bought this car new. i only have 79,300 miles on my car. i kept miles low so i could drive it longer. due to a/c hose dripping on metal, this weakened (rust) the passenger side of my subframe. i found this out when i went in to get the break fluid changed. they told me my break line and fuel line both needed replacing due to rust. furthermore, due to the subframe issue, the acura service department told me i would need to replace the subframe too. $2,000 for a subframe and labor. it was recommended i trade it. i asked if the next owner would be aware of the issue and was told no. this is a huge safety issue right now. i see quite a few 2003 acura tl's for sale and someone needs to hold someone accountable here. this should have been recalled. now, is the time, before people (driver, other drivers, and their passengers) get hurt both physically and financially. the acura manufacturer should have replaced these at the onset. i called the manufacturer. both my dealer and the manufacturer would do nothing. no compensation, repair, no offer at all. they say, it is out of warranty. the service department recommended me not drive my car much more than a week. a week to find a car isn't easy for anyone, especially me! i have health issues. buying a car is very complicated, takes research, and car testing takes time. i didn't want anyone to get hurt in my car, so i drove it until the break line totally gave out. besides, i had a huge financial personal project i had to complete with in that month. that took all of my time and was hard enough to complete, due to health issues. i do not work due to my conditions. i am not happy that the dealer did not inform me about this issue sooner, so i could prepare and plan. now, i am listing it with all it's issues on craigslist. i have no car to look for cars or do anything else.

The passenger side subframe has rust damage. the driver side subframe does not have rust damage. the rust damage is occurring from the top of the frame, caused by the air conditioner drainage line dripping on top of the frame. acura dealerships are seeing more and more of the older vehicles coming into shops with this defect. the 2000 honda accord has the same problem and was reported in 2009. so far my car has not fallen apart, and will soon have problem repaired. i expect honda/acura to do the right thing and repair/recall and fix the problem. reference the channel 5 investigations in cleveland ohio on you tube for honda rust problem.

Takata recall. the airbag light is on constantly, indicating a safety alert and the need for repair.

Subframe rusted out. $2600 to repair. garage kept vehicle. understand there have been similar complaints and the root cause is known. unbelievable that such a large and supposedly reputable manufacturer can not assume any responsibility for a design flaw. last acura or honda i will ever purchase.

Takata recall passenger airbag warning light stays on

The frame that supports the engine is rusting out!....it only sounded like a squeak...but the issue is way bigger than anticipated...it only makes a sound when backing up or turning....other parts related to the frame are also affected.

Tl* the contact owned a 2003 acura tl. while the vehicle was idling at an intersection, it was rear ended by another vehicle. as a result, the contact's vehicle rear ended the preceding vehicle. due to the crash, the driver's seat collapsed into the back seat and fractured into two pieces. the passenger side air bag deployed, but the driver's side air bag did not. the driver's side air bag was just replaced eight months before per the takata recall. a police report was filed. the contact received medical attention for cuts under the right knee and also x-rays for his right shoulder, which located a torn right rotator cuff. surgery was required. the vehicle was towed to an independent holding yard. the vehicle was deemed destroyed. the failure mileage was 190,000. the vin was unavailable.

My check engine light came on. i took 2003 acura tl to (2) local auto parts store (advance auto parts and autozone) to have it scanned using the diagnostic tools provided by technicians on site. was given an exact recall diagnostic error code (a/t. when i call the recall center they said that this repair had already been done in 2005. this obviously could not have been done properly. i called again when i started having other problems with my car including hesistation during accelaration . this time i was told that my vehicle's "batch" number was not affected by the recall. i called my local acura dealer (leith acura in cary,nc) to get an estimate of the repairs which was more than the value of the car which did not include the "official diagnostic test" which was $131.00 alone. then was told i would have to pay for the test even though i already had 2 scan reports from my local retail store b/c the store only scans only gave a "general" scan and that their scan was more specific. i asked how can it be more specific when it shows the exact recall description. i was then told that if that was the case then i would be reimbursed. .

Tl* takata recall. the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v320000 (air bags) and stated that the part needed for the repair was not available. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure. parts distribution disconnect.

Takata recall i don't know if this is the right forum for my complaint. but i have been dealing with acura for 6 months trying to get my recalled airbags replaced on my 2003 acura 2.3tl. the closest dealership to where we are stationed (husband in the navy) is 2 hours away. acura put in a request with rick justice honda in meridian, ms to do the repair for me, but they refused. rick justice honda informed me that acura will not pay them to do the repair, acura claims this is not the case. i have made dozens of attempts to contact acura customer care to get this figured out. no one is able to help me, and my case manager (case 04757404) never calls me back. i have requested a rental car since it is my understanding that i absolutely should not drive my car, especially since i live in a gulf coast state. they told me i would need to drive 2 hours to pick it up since rick justice, 30 minutes from me, will not help me. i feel acura/honda are doing nothing to help me or insure my safety. i feel rick justice honda should be able to do the repairs since acura and honda are virtually the same!

The left rear door will not open from either the inside or the outside.

Takata recall. i have received several notices to replace the air bags on my 2003 acura. the honda dealer 25 miles from my home will not replace it. the nearest acura dealer is 60 miles away. twice i have talked to your people, they attempted to set up an appointment with the honda dealer but that has not happened. now the government says i should not drive my car at all. as such the only option is for you to send a wrecker to pick up my vehicle, repair the airbag, and return it to me. acura apparently built and sold a dangerous vehicle. it is not my responsibility to drive 120 miles and waste most of a day to correct your mistake.

Recently purchased an 03 acura tl. 64000 miles at time of purchase. i drive it using the slap stick and mostly highway driving. i notice when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gears, at approximately 20-25 mph the car seems to jerk, or jump in the front end. also between 3rd and 4th gears. depending on how fast i accelerate and change the gears, sometimes there is more jerking...at lower speeds....and less jerking when accelerating at a faster rate. the vehicle now has 76000 miles on it and i am concerned there are going to be transmission issues soon. this is my second acura tl, the first one having over 205k miles with no issues with transmission, that was replaced by dealer @ 55k. is there anything that can be done with this issue that i am not aware of. there are no other issues with this vehicle. did i miss the recall cut off date, was there never recall, or did acura miss group of vin #s? if this is truly a safety concern, from acura, they should stand behind there products, correct the "known issues" with the transmissions, for there drivers to be safe, so they are there for future purchases.

When i put the car in gear and turn off the switch, the car keeps rolling and does not provide any hindrance due to engaged gear from rolling it. i think this is a problem, as my other cars don't do this. on my mazda cx-9, if i put it in gear and trun off the switch, the gear stays engaged and prevents the car from rolling. i think my acura has a manufacturing defect in the transmission since it lets the car roll even when it is in the gear and engine is off. i have asked my dealer in fremont to take a look at it, and he says there are no recalls. but my mechanic said that there are recalls for this defect. i will appreciate if you can please help me with this. this problem is constant, and it has not been resolved. i am afraid this can cause accidents.

My brother was driving my car one then it all the sudden car just stopped when was going and bad part was it stopped in traffic he almost got hit it was scary. i got lots of problems with this car please help!

Dealer unable to repair within 60 days. may take up to 5 months to repair.

This car has always hadd scheduled maintenance and recalls performed asap. transmission was shifting erratically so it was taken to transmission place before due and it was flushed and inspected. it still shifts incorrecly but intermittently. i decided to do some research and found numerous safety issues with the transmission. i bought this because it was rated as such a safe car for my teenager. i am beginning to rethink my original decision. all the scary results of this symptom have happened after the purchase. we have had it since sept 2014.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. when the contact placed the gear selector from reverse to the drive position, the vehicle would not shift into gear. the vehicle hesitated and then finally went into gear. the vehicle was sluggish and rough as if it were shifting into the neutral gear. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where it could not be diagnosed. the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

Transmission. recall. transmission died while driving at high speed on interstate 76 west. acura should replace under recall.

Power steering pressure hose leaking and power steering pump leak. years 2004-27 have been recalled for this; 2003should be, as well. right engine mount and rear engine mounts cracked or broken.

Clear coat is peeling off of the trunk, sides of the car, and roof.

Tl* the contact owned a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that while driving at 65 mph, the vehicle encountered a pot hole causing the vehicle to jerk violently. as a result, the vehicle veered off the road and flipped over. the air bags did not deploy. the contact's left shoulder strap seat belt was detached from the vehicle leaving behind only the waist strap seat belt as the contact shifted from the driver's seat to the passengers seat during the accident. furthermore, the contact's head was partially hanging out of the window after the accident. the vehicle was destroyed. the contact sustained a fractured wrist, chest pains, multiple lacerations and a concussion. in addition, the contact's stomach was severely twisted out of shape and the contact vomited and fainted numerous occasions after the accident. the contact required medical attention. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 123,000. the vin was not available.

I am having trouble with my transmission slipping between 2nd and 3rd gears. when i bought the car new in 2003, i got a letter from acura informing me that they were going to warrantee the transmission for an extra 12 months and 12,000 miles because they were having trouble with them. now that i am, acura refuses to help me with repairs.

!!!warning this is a safety issue and needs to be addressed!!! "cruise control control box defect!" 2003 tl type s automatic 4 door without cruise control on car engine began to rev out of control while driving, tried to apply brakes but engine is too strong, once vehicle hit 80 mph from this on highway i calmly turned ignition off one click so steering wheel would not lock and coasted to safety. i had to detach module as well as speed control wire going to the idle control of engine. if i was inexperienced i could have been killed either by getting into an accident or by my airback being deployed and killed from the takata inflator. "clear coat" 2003 tl type s black clear coat paint flaking off and massively discolored due to the dry winter cold and the uv heat during summer. "instrument panel lighting problem" 2003 tl type s problem with part of instrument panel where odometer is as well as outside temp not illuminating.

The passenger-side subframe has major rust and some parts are rusted through. a mechanic and further research has narrowed the problem on the a/c condenser hose dripping onto the metal. the driver-side part of the subframe has minimal surface rust. this problem is common among honda accords and acura tls alike, according to the mechanic. $1500 to replace subframe with a used part, or $2500 at the dealership. was told by the dealership the vehicle is too dangerous to drive.

2003 acura 3.2tl. consumer writes in regards to airbag module recall notice issues. *smd the consumer has been trying to get an appointment since the end of march 2015. *jb

In june 2015 a light suddenly came on the dashboard when i turned on the ignition indicating a problem with the front passenger side airbag. i took it to my acura dealer who said it malfunctioned and had to be replaced. it was replaced and i was charged $753.84. i asked if it was never used how could it malfunction and why did i have to cover the charge. in november 2014 the front airbags were replaced by the dealer at no cost to me. since your agency is looking into side airbags, can i be reimbursed for my payment of $753.84, and if so, to whom do i make this request? do i need to have any other airbags replaced in my car?

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving at 30 mph, the vehicle hesitated and violently shifted gears. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the torque converter clutch circuit failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 173,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic for a routine oil change, the technician noticed that the sub frame as corroded and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 180,000. updated 1/12/16 *cn

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving at 15 mph, the transmission started hesitating and jumped into gear. the transmission was repaired under a manufacturer's recall in 2008, however, the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 142,000.

For some time, the interlock device has not been working and it allows me to remove my key when the vehicle is in gear. this has allow the vehicle to roll away on hills.

Nhtsa recall number: 04v-176 i bought this car in 2012 and have been having issues since. i have had issues with my transmission under 40 mph. it does not act up all the time, but i an concerned that it could cause an accident. the prior owner noticed the same issues from time to time. it does not act up all of the time. the acura dealer said there is nothing wrong and that my model did not need the 2004 recall for transmission issues. that is the same info on acura and your website, but i am concerned about the accuracy. could you check if my exact vin needed the recall? and if repair was needed, confirmation that the recall repair was completed. i am the 2nd owner of the car and i know the 1st owner of the car. all maintenance since the car was purchased new have been done at the same acura dealer in st. louis and i have all the records from the dealer since 2003.

The accelerator stuck when pulling into my driveway then accelerating. the engine stuck in the accelerated mode. i had to brake with 2 feet and put the transmission in neutral, then turned the ignition to off. i was fortunate that i did not drive through the garage door. examination of the engine's throttle body showed the breakage of the plastic cruise control "pulley" on the throttle body actuator shaft, causing the cruise control cable to hold the throttle open. the plastic part cracked at the cable retention notch. i have noted that other acura owners have also experienced this problem. ref: acurazine.com/forums/second-generation-tl-1999-2003-98/cruise-control-repair-suggestion-833196/

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that the recall notice for nhtsa campaign number: 15v320000 (air bags) was received in 2014. after contacting the dealer and the manufacturer on multiple occasions, the contact was informed that the parts needed to repair the vehicle were still not available and no estimated time for receiving the parts could be given. the contact had not experienced a failure.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact received a notification for nhtsa campaign number: 15v320000 (air bags) and stated that the parts needed were unavailable. the dealer was uncertain when the parts would become available to service the vehicle under the recall. the manufacturer was notified. the contact had not experienced a failure.

In 2006 i purchased this vehicle 2003 acura tl types vehicle...the vehicle only had 53,000 miles on it at the time of purchase....i replaced the transmission in 2008 it only had 103,000 miles then...now 2015 i need.another transmission with only 165,000 miles on it now...i see where there is a recall on the transmission in 2004 i didn't have the vehicle at that time. i need to know what i need to do about this.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle hesitated, jerked forward, and the check engine warning light illuminated. in addition, the contact stated that there was an abnormal noise coming from the gear shift. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). the failure mileage was 62,000.

Sudden and premature transmission failure at highway speeds

I was leaving work at about 7pm. i noticed it took the transmission an extra few seconds to shift into drive but it was cold so i let it warm up and things seemed to be fine. as i started to get on to i-93 i noticed my tachometer spike to about 4k rpm. i couldn't catch 3rd gear and the car behind me had to veer around me as i started slowing down. after i pulled over on the side of the on ramp for a minute the car seemed to be safe to drive so i headed home slowly in the breakdown lane and it slipped at about 35 again. i've always felt comfortable driving my car, but this made me second guess buying it in the first place. people could've gotten hurt and on a transmission with less than 125k this shouldn't be happening. i purchased it in 2013 from my uncle and put less than 10k on the odometer. he had purchased it in 2008 certified from an acura dealer. neither of us were aware of the recall on those models of hondas and i would think the dealership would've taken care of the issue. *tr

Vehicle was driving at 65 miles on highway and suddenly shifted to lower gear withot prior warning. looks to be a trans torque converter . *tr

2003 acura 3.2tl. consumer writes in regards to a defective transmission. *smd the consumer stated his wife experienced the following while driving the vehicle: three lights illuminated; two unknown and the engine light, there was a delay of 30 seconds when taking off from a stopped position and the gears jerked and when she stop and took off, it felt as though the vehicle had no power. the consumer was informed by a local repair shop, the transmission needed to be replaced. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign id number: 14v351000 (air bags) and stated that the part needed was unavailable to perform the recall repair. the manufacturer was notified of the issue. the contact had not experience a failure.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign id number: 14v351000 (air bags) and stated that the parts needed were not available. the dealer was unable to provide a specific date when the parts would become available. the manufacturer was contacted and could not provide an estimated date for when the vehicle would receive the recall repairs. the contact was not experiencing a failure.

Srs light came and wont go off. can i go to a honda dealer near me and have problem fix asap.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving at unknown speeds, the transmission seized while shifting between first and second gear. the failure recurred multiple times. the contact was made aware of nhtsa campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered to pay for part of the repairs. the failure mileage was 122,000.

This 2003 acura tls was recalled for airbag defect. after 3 visits i am now told i will need a $700 repair to the airbag sensor. it is extremely odd that the 2 items happened at the same time. i believe the two items are one in the same and should have the scope of the recall expanded to encompass this sensor. i noticed another complaint on the same issue with the srs light. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that the air bags were a safety concern, if deployed. the contact was concerned that the air bags would rupture with metal fragments striking and potentially injuring the passenger and driver. the manufacturer was notified. the contact had not experienced a failure.

2003 acura tl transmission slipping *cn the dealer stated the transmission was not sliiping. however, the did service the transmission. a year later, the consumer took the vehicle back to the dealer because the engine light illuminated. it was then, the dealer informed the consumer the transmission needed to be replaced.

My daughter died in a accident on november 7, 2013 in the acura tl 2003. she had been telling me that it felt like the ignition was sticking and would speed up. i would check with my local mechanic and he told me acuras are known to idle high. i believe that her car problem was the cause of the accident and the police could not give me a reason for the accident. she was 19 and a senior in high school and was a good child. *tr

Transmission failure/transmission lock-up while driving at about 40 mph. luckily i was able to avoid a very close call collision when the transmission locked up. someone could have been severely hurt or even died due to this known issue. what is it going to take for acura to issue a full recall? how many people need to experience this issue and how many people need to die? something needs to be done and an investigation needs to be opened. acura and honda are not standing behind their product, even with the fact that there is an open campaign. extending the warranty does nothing for a car that is only driven a few miles to work daily. i have just over 80,000 miles on my 2003 tl. i guess it is shame on me for not driving 15k miles a year. had i been driving the national average the transmission would have seized up many years ago and it would have been covered by the extended warranty. what a scam. thanks for nothing honda/acura. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the srs warning light illuminated continuously. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where an unknown repair was performed. the failure recurred thirty days after the vehicle was repaired. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 87,994. dr updated 09/05/14*lj updated 09/10/2014 *js

I was pulling off the interstate and came to a red light on a hill right before haywood road. i had to stop because the light was red and when the light turned green i pulled onto haywood road and the car went through 1st gear, 2nd gear and right before it went into 3rd it slipped out of gear and just revved to around 4000 rpm. when the car went into 3rd and started sipping i had a pile of cars that bunched on my behind. i had two guys in a truck scream and yell obscene gestures. *tr

There was a recall on my transmission in 2004. i bought my acura from an acura dealership in macon ga in 2007. i had to pay for a new transmission in 2013. i feel that i should be refunded for my transmission. i was never told anything about the recall anytime i was at the acura dealership nor did i find anything when i looked up my vin number until after the transmission was already fixed. on the recall it says "if have already paid to have transmission replaced, you may be eligible for reimbursement". i sent all my information to acura about 3 weeks ago and still haven't heard anything from them. *tr

I have encountered an unsafe condition on my 2003 acura tl (made by honda). this condition was shown to me by mechanic who indicated that the vehicle is unsafe to drive due the front passenger cross frame member is completely rusted through (photos are available upon request). the condition was found after 96,746 miles during a repair after a routine oil check. the apparent cause is the hose line connected to the air conditioning unit is positioned in such a way that it leaks onto the sub-frame, causing it to rust out. the cost for the frame repair was $ 2,052.970, but what is more disturbing is that i was driving this car with my grandchildren and family under the risk of an accident without my knowledge of the condition. also, disturbing is to know there may be other cars with the same issue being driven today. *tr

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated while driving approximately 65 mph she crashed into a guard rail. the air bags did not deploy. the contact stated that she injured her head, and knee. there was no police report filed. the vehicle was destroyed. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 124,000. rk updated 03/31/14*lj

I was driving down the highway and my car almost stopped. it was like i had pushed the brake pedal to the floor and held it. it then wouldn't shift into gear and the rpm went up to 6000. it is now unsafe to drive as it doesn't shift into gear and "bucks" as i try to go down the road. i went to an acura dealer and they told me it would cost me $4500 to replace transmission without looking at it so they are very aware of the problem. i called another dealer and left message and they never called me back. in researching this issue i found there was a recall for the exact issue i was having. my car did have the so called "fix" completed in 2004. i took great care of this car and changed my transmission fluid approximately every 30000 miles. i called american honda motor company and they told me i would have to pay to have it diagnosed by the same dealer who quoted me $4500 without looking at it or the dealer who never called me back. this is a known problem with my model transmission and the fact that i was driving down the highway and was almost rear ended because my car basically stopped is unacceptable. it's sad that honda will not take care of the problem. american honda has chosen profit over customer satisfaction and safety. *tr

Transmission locked up at 40 miles an hour. transmission has been locking up and also slipping recently. had engine light on - went to jiffy lube...gave me code tcc circuit malfunction p0740 abd p1740 dtc definition not found...spoke with manger[xxx] at niello honda and agreed need new transmission - cost is $3400. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Dear safercar.gov, i have a 2003 acura 3.2 tl navi. it has approximately 132,800 miles on it as of 30 november 2013 (car is in shop, so i can't verify exact mileage). on saturday, 30 nov 2013, i took it in to acura, because the engine check light is on. i also asked that the transmission be checked, because it didn't seem to be engaging correctly. this model as well as other acura model vehicles, etc, had a previous recall on the transmission (2004). i also previously had to have the car towed (26 aug 2004) to acura because the transmission failed while driving and the car broke down. the car has been well-maintained - body and mechanically, i had the 120k service performed on 22 october 2012, where mileage was 125,226. on 11 march 2011, i had the transmission fluid flush service performed. the service record states "flush entire unit of all old and suspended debris using a safe and effective cleaner to dissolve the varnish and gums in the transmission & torque converter. install new transmission fluid to factory specification. today (01 dec 2013), i was told that the entire transmission and some associated parts need to be replaced and will cost me between $4000 to $5000 (estimated now, but could go up). it's difficult for me to fathom that this transmission was verified to manufacturer specs in 2011 and now a complete failure at 132800. i believe this transmission failure is the result of the previous problems, as stated in the recall. the recall i'm citing is from nhtsa in april 2004. the nhtsa campaign id number is: 04v176000; recall date: 13 april 2004; component: power train: automatic transmission; potential number of units affected: 1,099,796. as a result of the history of problems with this transmission, and the recall, i'm requesting assistance in having this transmission replaced by acura at no cost to me. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Upon driving on a freeway going around 50 mph my transmission suddenly pulled my car to a quick slowing down motion as if being moved from gear down to first or second. luckily, there were no vehicles behind me as i was in a far right line. it is an older vehicle however it is a recurring issue it appears as there was a recall on it already before. the dealerships have given me conflicting stories on the vehicle history as far repairs and recalls on the vehicle and i do wish to have the nhtsa look into the history of this recall as well as warn the current owners of the vehicle of this issue as i had not had a problem with the transmission since becoming the owner and was not told of the recall upon multiple visits to the dealership.

Can remove key from ignition while the vehicle is in d (drive).

The car started shuttering or bucking as i take off and the car shifts into another gear. i have had the car serviced previously for a transmission recall. when i took the car to the dealership they said there was a known defect with the transmission. acura needs to step up and fix this problem before someone gets hurt. *tr

I got my acura 2003 tl type s back from my local dealership and was told that the subframe on the passenger side of the vehicle was completly rusted and that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. the car's a/c drain is right above the area of the subframe rust. this a major defect in the car that is causing the subframe to be rotted through and unsafe. i also found that the honda accord 1999-2002 has the same problem with the subframe rust from the a/c drain. i notified the car manufacturer of this probelm and they are denying that there is anything wrong with the car's craftsmanship. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that while entering the vehicle, the driver's side curtain air bag inadvertently deployed. the contact sustained injuries to the left shoulder and became numb on the left side of the back up to the spine. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who replaced the driver's side frontal air bag but did not inspect the side curtain air bag. the cause of the inadvertent air bag deployment was not determined. the failure was reported to the manufacturer. the failure and current mileage was 45,000.

I owned a 02 tl first and replaced the trans in it 3 times when acura supposedly fixed it well they didn't and wouldn't honor their work so i paid $3500 for another trans then someone hit me totaled it 3 wks later! so we bought a 2003 acura tl that already had the recall done in july 2005 literally less then 24 hours of purchasing the car i was picking up my daughter from school on way home the transmission went!! it started jerking real bad like someone was slamming the brakes on which was scarey as hell because i didn't want to get rear ended or cause others to be in accident! had to keep pulling over shutting it off to try to make it home but gears got worse and worse the check engine light came on!! i don't understand why they just don't fix the things right the first time and if not honor your luxury reputation and stand by your workman ship!! now i have to pay to tow it to acura dealer to see if they will consider fixing it. there should never be any doubt when thousands upon thousands of people have had same problem time and time again they should pay for all repairs give us all a rental to drive and reimburse for towing expenses!! i am truly surprised that there is not a huge class action lawsuit against acura for all of us that have been affected by this! if something would have happened when my kids were in the car god help acura. i truly hope acura gets some kind of repercussions for all this cuz its just ridiculous and now i can't get to work get to store nothing stranded yet again thanks acura. *tr

I am now familiar with the 2004 work done on the transmission. in 2008, with 70k miles, acura had to replace the transmission under the warranty. now, at 132k miles, the transmission had to be replaced again. acura gave me a 10% discount. *tr

2003 acura tl. consumer writes in regards to vehicle sudden acceleration. *smd the consumer was able to put the vehicle in neutral and came to a stop after a few more miles. both of the front rotors were warped from braking. the plastic bushing on the throttle cable had broken and wedged the throttle plate open.

My car begin to idle to 5 rpm and not change gears while driving. pulled over and contacted local mechanic. i was instructed to bring car into honda dealership in lake city, fl. the result was need a transmission flush and had it done. after test driving, the car continued to perform poorly. at this point i consider the car should go to the acura dealership. my car was towed to gatorland acura of gainesville, fl. after diagnostics completed a transmission was needed. a vehicle odometer reading at 80533, should not require a new transmission was my first response. i gave them no answer at this time as to what to do because i am thinking this is absurd. after two days of seeking advice and research,i found a recall was submitted for transmission issue. upon contacting the dealer, i was given the price for repairs. regardless of informing and debating this should not be a cost for consumer. the service department staff and manager was not very helpful nor professional. this should have been completely covered by warranty/highway safety recall. i wrote a letter to honda headquarters and contacted the department by phone. almost two weeks later, gatorland acura offered to replace the transmission and i would be responsible for the labor. i was not pleased with the outcome but needed transportation because there was none offered to me. to this day, i have not returned there to pay for maintenance because of the trustworthiness of gatorland acura or honda headquarters. the recall issue was posted around february 2008 and my car was in for the exact issue may 2008. continuously unhappy consumer. *tr

I was applying the brake due to stopped traffic ahead of my car. as i did so, the car accelerated rather than slowed down. my car contacted the left rear of the car in front of mine, and as i tried to straighten out the car, it again accelerated. veered to the right, and struck the stone wall of the bridge on the shoulder of the highway. according to the police report, there was a malfunction with the throttle mechanism. "officers witnessed, when starting the vehicle, the rpm indicator quickly rise to approximately 5,000/5,500 without any pressure applied on the gas pedal. the floor area did not exhibit items, including the floor mat, which would potentially be the cause." *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that while attempting to brake, the vehicle erroneously accelerated. the contact shut off and restarted the vehicle as it began to function properly. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the failure could not be replicated. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted about the issue. the failure and current mileages were 103,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving approximately 25 mph, the transmission began to slip gears without warning. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer three separate times where the transmission was replaced each time. on november 5, 2012, the failure recurred with both the vsa and engine warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the contact was able to drive cautiously with the transmission responding at a reduced speed. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 44,619.

Cpsc#1280657a. 2003 acura tl. consumer stated that the passenger side airbag was leaking a sticky substance around the perimeter of the housing. *ln

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that the vehicle front passenger air bag was leaking. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 66,000. ..updated 10/03/12 *bf updated 10/04/12

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that the transmission failed. the contact took the vehicle to their mechanic and was told that the failure occurred because there was no cooler in the transmission, which caused the transmission to run hot and seize. the contact mechanic stated that the transmission could not be repaired. the failure and current mileages were 125,000. the vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl 2.5. the contact was reversing from a residential driveway when the stalled without warning. the contact was able to restart the vehicle and shifted into drive but the vehicle would not respond. the contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic for a diagnostic test. the mechanic could not diagnose the vehicle and suggested taking the vehicle to the dealer. the dealer performed a diagnostic test which determined that the gear shift and transmission were defective. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 131,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl 2.5. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the vehicle stalled and the transmission started slipping out of gear. the contact maneuvered to the side of the road and shut the vehicle off. the failure continued upon restart. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic for a diagnostic test. the test results indicated a defective transmission. the vehicle was then taken to a local dealer for another diagnostic test. the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle had been repaired under nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission) previously. the remedy repair did not solve the defective transmission failure. the failure mileage was 143,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, he noticed that the second and third gear shift would take longer to engage. the contact inspected the vehicle and advised that the transmission would usually respond slower when it was overheated. in addition, he noticed that the transmission coolant was low and the contact replenished the coolant, which repaired the failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vin was unavailable. the approximate failure mileage was 142,000 and the current mileage was 144,000.

I was on my way to work driving my acura 3.2 tl on the same route i always take to work and my vehicle seemed to functioning properly. i made my way to the freeway on ramp and was stopped at the light used to stagger traffic on the ramp to the freeway. when the light went green i stepped on the gas and the car was very sluggish, almost the feeling that it was going to stall. i got up to about 35 mph when i was needing to merge onto the freeway and the transmission went out completely. it was stuck in 5th gear and flashing on the display. there way no way for me to merge onto the freeway safely at 35 mph during rush hour when a solid block of cars are traveling 65 mph +. this caused a huge disruption to traffic and several vehicles panicked and cut me forcing me off the road. i was very lucky to have not been in a serious collision and almost caused several other collisions due to the faulty transmission. i have never felt safe traveling in my vehicle again and especially not comfortable with traveling on the freeway which is a very costly inconvenience. compensation is necessary. *tr

Tl* the contact owned a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that while driving 55 mph on a wet surface, she lost control of the vehicle and was involved in a rollover crash. the air bags did not deploy. a police report was filed. the contact stated that she injured her back, neck, and sustained bruises and contusions. the vehicle was destroyed. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileages were 138,000.

A routine service diagnostic showed high resistance points in the ignition switch due to the condition of the solder joints in the switch. the higher current draw is a potential fire hazard. i asked the service advisor whether there was a recall in effect for the switch, and was told there was not at the present time. replacement of the ignition switch remedied the problem. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that four months after having repairs performed under nhtsa campaign id number: 11v260000 (air bags:frontal:driver side inflator module), the srs warning lamp illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the driver side air bag and the passenger side seat belt buckle needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was previously repaired under a recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 63,299 and the current mileage was 65,406.

While on freeway in the morning, the vehicle was slowed down with the traffic. when traffic moved, the car failed to shift into 3 gear. it was stuck in 2nd gear. i was able to pull the vehicle to safety and upon putting it in park then back into drive, it still failed to move past 2nd gear. switch to 4th setting and then vehicle did shift from 2nd to 3rd but will sudden jerk reaction only. for moment the car did a quick jolt and i had to take quick action to make sure i did not lose control of the vehicle on freeway. contacted the dealership and there is recall with similar issue of failure to 2nd gear for my car and the vin is part of the recall by manufacturer. car was provided to dealership and pictures of the 2nd gear were sent to acura which denied the recall repair of the transmission as the second gear did not show sign of heat wear even though it had failed. the dealer offered a 40% goodwill for total transmission replacement repair charges of 2750. i would like to note that acura has failed to respond correctly to existing recall and limited the recall repairs only if the damage shows some heat wear and not just damage to second gear. as vehicle has been kept in perfect condition, i do not see how the vehicle with recall for 2nd and 3rd gear can have transmission failure which will not be covered by the vehicle manufacturer for a vehicle with only 69k miles, when there are so many of us showing this exact same failure and honda is acknowledge of bad transmission problem by issuing a recall and has been patching the problem instead of fixing it. *tr

I have a 2003 acura 3.2 tl with 96k miles, i purchase from an acura dealer in june 2005. in december 2011 one day i was driving and i noticed jerking and slipping. usually between 3 and 4 gears. while pressing down on the accelerator, the engine's rpm woud go up, but car would not accelerate. and then suddenly car would shift to the higher gear with a jerk. when i took the car to acura dealership for service on thursday, december 22, 2011 and reported this problem, the service center at the acura dealership responded back in about 1 hour that my car's transmission needs to be replaced. the lady at the service center told me that it would cost $5000. she also told me she would see if she could get a better price for me, but i never heard from them. on the 23rd of december i took it to a local transmission shop and they repared it for me at a price of $2,630.32. they told me that with the amount of milage i had on the car i should not of had any transmission proplems. i feel that acura should reimburse me for these costs in total due to apparent faulty manufacturing, in addition reimburse me for a rental car that cost me $120 for the period i had my car in the shop thank you jw

The first indication a problem maybe beginning, was the tcs light starting flashing for no reason. a couple of days later while coasting to a stop, the transmission locked up in second gear, but did work after the stop. then the car started jerking when shifting from first into second gear. that is when i took it to muller acura in hoffman estates, il and was informed the transmission has failed. this car is one of the vehicles recalled for the transmission problems with the second gear and did have the remedial repair work completed as recommended by acura. this vehicle was in the shop 32 times for a multitude of repair work the first couple of years i owned the car at fayetteville auto park, fayetteville, ar. *tr

Transmission broke on 2003 acura tl s. sucks as i have always changed n maintained services. *tr

Hi sir, i have recently purchased the above used vehicle from a local dealer in aug 2011. it is indicated in the carfax report that there was a safety recall (#r55) for a/s drivers airbag inflator. the "srs" light is illuminated . when i took the car to godson acura at 1750 e, airport freeway, irving texas. they informed me that i have to pay for this service. can you advise me on this. if it is a recall, shouldnt it be repaired by the authorised dealer? [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

I was driving my car to the work on 10/19/11 in ma @ 50mph and suddenly the car slowed down even though i had my foot on the accelerator . i was lucky that all the drivers behind me were pro-active to apply the brakes to avoid a major pile up. i was told at the acura service center that this was due to the transmission issue . i am trying to understand how can a cars transmission fail in 5 years . the same car was part of recall for transmission and was fixed in 2005 by acura (this information was received from acura corp ) . i have only 51,700 miles on this car and i am looking for answers on how nhtsb can allow a company to get away when there are so many complaints on this model on similar issue. *tr

As i was accelerating onto the highway, the car continued to accelerate. at 89mph i hit the brakes hard to see if i could slow down. would not happen. put the transmission into neutral and shut off the engine and braked to the side of the road. when the dealer examined the throttle body they found the plastic cam for the cruise control had broken and the cable for the cruise had jammed the throttle wide open. when asked if that part was replaceable i was informed the whole throttle body would have to be replaced at ~$500. the alternative was to remove the cruise cable and tie it up away from the throttle body. since the dealer told me this was the second one they have had with this problem, it was rare. oops if this would have happened in town i would have hit several cars before getting it shut down. the throttle cam is made of metal where the cruise cam is plastic and both are on the same butterfly shaft. just to save a few cents makes for a very hair raising ride. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated while driving at 30 mph the accelerator was depressed and the vehicle would not accelerate over 30 mph. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic test that located the failure in the transmission clutch pressure, and sensor. the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 128,000.

2003 acura 3.2 tl. fleet manager writes in regards to safety recall notice *tgw the dealer refused to honor the recall, stating they would not get paid for the work.*jb

Upon a normal recall invitation for the air bag inflator ( per manufacturer requirement) a separate normal inspection was done to vehicle. the mechanic found the front and right front motor mounts have collapsed. i know several other owners of honda and acura of the same year and suv models with the same failure.

2003 acura tl. consumer writes in regards to air bag recall. *tgw the consumer stated he objects to having to pay for the inspection and defect correction and then having to seek reimbursement. *jb

2003 acura 3.2tl, unit 1 was traveling westbound on the ohio turnpike when it lost the left front wheel, while attempting to enter the great lakes plaza. *bf there was damage to the left front wheel, left front rotor, left front fender and undercarriage. (ohio traffic crash report # 10-0344-91)*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. the contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired for the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission). while driving approximately 65 mph, the transmission failed and the vehicle would no longer accelerate. the vehicle coasted to a stop and was towed to an authorized dealer. the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 155,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that when turning on the air conditioner, it did not dispense any air. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer who advised her that wiring harness burned which caused the blower to fail. the wiring harness and the blower were repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. the failure and current mileages were approximately 158,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated while driving 25 mph the vehicle vibrated and the automatic transmission gear was shifting from first to second gear. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated they had to replace the transmission and pay $4500 for the repairs. the manufacturer was contacted and stated the local dealer could make a decision on how to repair the vehicle. the dealer offered no further assistance. the failure mileage was 75,900.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl-s. the contact stated that when shifting gears, the vehicle would violently jerk or there would be an abnormal increase in engine rpms before engaging. the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where it was diagnosed that the transmission was defective and would need to be replace. the manufacturer was contacted who referred him to the dealer. no further assistance was offered. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 91,000.

Was driving on interstate 295 at 60mph. pushed down gas to accelerate past the car on my left and switched lanes. car made grinding noise and then acted as if in neutral. i checked to ensure the car was still in drive. i kept trying to accelerate but the engine just revved, then the check engine light came on. the car behind me almost hit me due to the sudden lack of acceleration. i pulled to the breakdown lane and experimented with accelerating slowly. once it shifted to 3rd gear, i lost all acceleration. i would have to turn the car off and back on to utilize 1st and 2nd gear. i had the car towed to my mechanic. the transmission had blown. i called acura to see if they would be willing to help pay for the cost since they had extended the warranty on the transmission for several years because they must have known it was defective out of the factory. it was about 8 months past the warranty expiration. acura would not offer to pay for the replacement cost. my mechanic rebuilt the transmission and the car now drives fine. *tr

2003 acura tl. consumer states headlight failure. consumer attributes failure to a manufacturing/design flaw *tgw the consumer stated both headlights failed within the same year due to a faulty inverter which was very expensive. the inverter was designed to improve headlight performance. *jb

Power steering pump leaked and failed at 54,000 miles, steering became difficult,replaced by dealer under warranty. power steering pump leaking and squealing at 122,000 miles. contacted acura and they are requiring $1700 to repair the failure. dealer added steering fluid and noise decrease temporarily. steering starting to get stiff, february 16, 2011. *tr

I have a 2003 acura 3.2 tl with 75k miles, i am the original owner of this car which i purchase from acura dealer in may 2002. in january 2011, one day i was driving and i noticed jerking and slipping. usually between 2 and 3 gears. while pressing down on the accelerator, the engine's rpm woud go up, but car would not accelerate. and then suddenly car would shift to the higher gear with a jerk. when i took the car to acura dealership for service on friday, february 4, 2011 and reported this problem, the service center at the acura dealership responded back in a few hours that my car's transmission needs to be replaced. the lady at the service center told me that it would cost $5000 to replace the transmission and acura has agreed to cover 80% of the cost. that means i'd have to pay $1230+tax =~ $1345 out of pocket for acura/ honda's faulty transmission !!! the dealership would not let me take the car out of dealership as they said that it would be unsafe to drive. they handed me a loaner for the weekend and asked me to confirm if they should proceed with the transmission replacement work by monday (feb 7, 2011). acura should bear the complete cost of transmission replacement and provide lifetime warranty. this transmission problems are a potential safety hazard! *tr

2003 acura 3.2tl-s with only 51,000 miles. car is immaculate. transmission began having trouble engaging and would not shift. i took to honda dealer, who told me transmission is completely shot and needs to be replaced at a cost of $4,200! the tranny was subject to recall in 2004 and had an oil injection system added. but acura dealer now tells me there is no extended warranty, even though there are known issues with the transmissions on this vintage tl. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact noticed that water entered into the housing of his headlights, leaked down into the balance and blew the bulb. the contact did not inform the dealer. the manufacturer was contacted but offered no assistance. the current mileage was approximately 200,000. the failure mileage was approximately 13,000. the vehicle was not repaired.

Definite problem with transmission slipping. clutch doesn't engage sometimes. trying to accelerate from a complete stop and the car won't move. service engine light came on, d5 light has started blinking and the tcs light is coming on intermittently now. took it to an acura dealership yesterday and they said the transmission is bad and definitely needs to be replaced. i bought the car used and it had a slight miss in it but i didn't realize it was the transmission until the last few days when it started slipping so back and not even engaging. then started looking online for similar problems and this particular year and model of car, there are hundreds, maybe thousands of people with the same problem. i called acura and they don't plan to replace the transmissions because they don't see it as a safety hazard, but it clearly is if you read the reports of other people that have had very bad experiences, some traveling at high speeds and the car is out of control. a transmission on a vehicle should never go bad this soon. acura definitely needs to be held responsible for this as it is clearly a defect in the transmission and people (like me) don't have $3,000 - $4,000 to replace the transmission. i just bought the car 3 months ago from a used car dealership who only offered a 30 day warranty and they aren't willing to pay for it either. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that the transmission failed. the vehicle was repaired by the contact's personal mechanic; the transmission failed again. the contact called the dealer who offered no assistance. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the vehicle had not been repaired. the current mileage was approximately 95,100. the failure mileage was 93,592.

Transmission failed with 60,000 miles .vin number does not fall under recall .pay out of pocket for repair. *tr

While driving on a major highway, my car died in the middle of traffic. after taking my car to get looked at, it was discovered that my transmission no longer worked. afterwards, i found out that there was a recall on my particular make and model. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving 65 mph, the transmission locked which caused both front wheels to lock and the vehicle to skid. the contact maintained control of the vehicle and continued to drive until it reset itself. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 106,000. updated 02/10/11 *bf the consumer stated a tear down of the transmission revealed premature failure of the 3rd gear clutch pack. the failure appeared to be excessive heat from lack of lubrication similar to the 2nd gear breakage problem. the debris from the failed clutch pack was found clogging the filter and valve body which caused erratic unintended down shifting and possibly multiple gear engagement. updated 04.22.11

On sept 3 2010 i was in an accident with my 2003 acura tl type s. i was traveling around 45 mph getting onto the highway from the service road when someone came from the far left and hit me on the drivers side front - front left fender and front light, and bumper were damaged. the passenger side air bag went off - note there was no one in the passenger side. the drivers side air bag did not go off as well as the restraint did not hold me back on impact. *tr

I was on my way to work. while sitting at a traffic light my car started jumping. when i pulled off from the light i noticed the engine would race but the car would not accelerate over 30 mph. once i got to the next light i tried to pull off but the car just stalled and would not move any further. i broke down in the middle of the highway during rush hour without any warning or any failure lights showing. the car just stopped working without warning even though it's had all it's required maintenance. acura recalled the transmission once and it was replaced at approx. 47k miles. i've put approx. 97k miles on the car and the transmission is completely gone for the second time. i've called several local repair shops for estimates and one shop told me that have replaced transmissions in 34 other 2003 acura tl's in the last year alone. and, all of these were transmissions that were initially replaced by the manufacturer. the second transmission they put in my car is defective. i was originally told that it was warrantied up to 100k miles. when i called in for service i was told that the warranty on the new transmission was one for 50k by one dealer and then a second dealer told me it was only for 36k. i am not the only person with an acura tl 2003 replacement transmission from the honda motor co. (acura) with this issue. acura has done nothing to try to resolve the issue. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. the contact was driving on the highway at 60 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost transmission power. the contact was driving up a hill when the vehicle began to move backward. the contact pulled over and the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the automatic transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was being repaired. the contact called the manufacturer who stated that the vehicle was not included in recall 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission). the current and failure mileages were approximately 86,500.

Transmission failed while driving up a hill. caused car to lose acceleration, nearly got rear ended while pulling off the road to safety. initial transmission failed at 23,000 miles. this is the 2nd transmission failing with only 116,000 miles on it. defective transmission. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. the contact was driving approximately 70 mph when the vehicle failed to accelerate any further. the engine continued to display a high level of rpms and the contact shut off the vehicle. the vehicle was then towed to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 118,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. the contact was driving approximately 65 mph when the vehicle began independently braking. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission would need replacing. the dealer advised that the vehicle could potentially fall under nhtsa campaign id number: 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission). the manufacturer was contacted but it was not confirmed if the vehicle was included in the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 109,779.

1. the gears in my acura 2003 tl begin to slip between 2nd and 3rd gears on a saturday morning at the end of a family beach trip and soon there after on the way back home which was over 200 miles away the check engine light came on. 2. about halfway home(100 or so miles), the transmission completely failed on the open highway, and my wife and i was left stranded in the rural north carolina with a 1 year old and a 5 year old. 3. after all this happened, i learned of a recall on the acura tl 2003 transmission. according to acura.com and the dealership, this defect was fixed by installing an ¿oil jet kit¿ or ¿oil cooler return line¿ to help lubricate the 2nd gear and keep the transmission from overheating. i do not think it was fixed because of the symptoms of my transmission failure. i have called the honda\acura corporate office, the nearest acura dealership and the dealership of the original purchase of the vehicle. i have gotten the same answer from all of them, "there is nothing we can do". i think this is unacceptable and very frustrating. i have also become aware of a warranty extension that was made on 2003 acura cl and tl models because of a class action lawsuit filed against honda of america. the extension was for 93 months or 114,000 miles. my car is under the 93 month extension but outside on the 114,000 miles. *tr

1. the gears in my acura begin to slip on a saturday morning at the end of a family beach trip and soon there after on the way back home which was over 200 miles ways the check engine light came on. 2. about halfway home(100 or so miles), the transmission completely family on the open highway, and my wife and i was left stranded in the rural north carolina with a 1 year old and a 5 year old. 3. after all this happen, i learned of a recall on the acura tl 2003 transmission. according the acura.com and the dealership, this defect was fixed. i do not think it was fixed because of the symptoms of my transmission failure. i have called the honda\acura corporate office, the nearest acura dealership and the dealership of the original purchase of the vehicle. i have gotten the same answer from all of them, "there is nothing we can do". i think this is unacceptable and very frustrating. *tr

Acura 2003 tn-s can turn off engine with car in neutral. i did and it rolled away. it is repeatable. *tr

A day before while driving my acura's vsa light came on and within few miles engine light came on. by the end of the trip the car was having problem shifting gears especially in lower. next day the problem worsened and the car just stopped while i was trying to make a turn in the middle of the busy intersection. i had to tow it to nearest dealer where they informed me that its the transmission. it has been fixed back in 2004 and it will cost me $4900 to fix it now. i asked them about recall and they said i don't have the warranty anymore so it is not covered. i have talked to acura case manager about helping us but they only are going to assist with about 500 dollars that's not much. *tr

2003 acura tl sudden downshift from 5th to 2nd. *tr

2003 acura tl jerks like the driver is pressing on the brakes even though she isn't. *kb the consumer stated the vehicle would suddenly stop and then go again. also, the engine light illuminated. *jb

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving approximately 35 mph, the transmission began to slip out of gear without warning. the contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned the engine off. the vehicle resumed operation and the failure continued. the contact had driven with caution at an extremely low speed. the contact stated the failure was contributed to the transmission. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was 71,900.

2003 acura 3.2 tl. consumer states problem with transmission slipping. *tgw the consumer stated the transmission has started to slip again for the second time. the consumer stated the vehicle was recalled for transmission problems, but she was never informed about it. *jb

Replaced transmission 20,000 miles ago with the dealer and now is acting up again. i have a surging problem with the rpm's in which it goes up to 4,000 rpm's at times. this problems often occurs everyday while im driving in heavy traffic. i've had an accident in the past but nobody was injured , and almost hit a pedestrian on the streets. i replaced a couple of parts and have done work to the car so the problem could go away but has continued often and everyday and i still have the old parts with me. i've had service appointments with the dealer. the dealer replaced the transmission and gave me a lifetime warranty on the new one . i believe they don't want to put a new one in , but i am concerned with my safety and others who i put in my car . *tr

Was traveling on i-20 with family and transmission in 2003 acura type s just blew out with no warning traveling seventy miles an hour. coasted to side of interstate and had to get out and push car further out of harms way. hot transmission fluid created smoke from engine compartment and left us stranded sixty miles from home. new transmission was installed in this vehicle in 2007 at dealership with 50,000 miles on it and now it goes out again with about 50,000 miles on it. dealer would only give ten percent towards goodwill fix paid thirty two hundred out of pocket. this year and model was involved in a lawsuit in california but the vin number on my car as well as numerous others was not included but should well have been. acura service manager told me this is a weak product but that was putting it mildly after getting on the internet and reading all the consumer complaints on this exact model and year across the country. these transmissions are still defective and should be replace by honda for free. consumers are trading and getting rid of the cars because they feel they are a safety threat to their family. my daughter was driving us to a graduation when this happened and it scared her to death happening at that speed on the interstate. this product is well documented as being a piece of crap but consumers like me have no recourse but suffer the loss and hope for the best out of the next transmission. when people have to put three and four transmissions in a car with a hundred thousand miles on it somebody needs to step in and protect the consumers. i would like to know what difference was made during the vin number on my car and same models before it that were covered under the lawsuit. evidently the same transmission problems still existed in all these models. just read all the threads on www.carsurvey.org/reviews/acura/tl/r71264/comments. *tr

Purchased used acura tl3.2 feb. 1, 2010. transmission failed. slippage in 2nd and 5th gear. car unsafe to drive because in traffic would not accelerate because of slippage. contacted dealership where car was sold originally. refused any assistance. called acura hot line and refused any assistance. contacted 12 reliable sources regarding replacement. contacted 6 reliable mechanics and paid for installation of rebuilt transmission. sent letter to president of customer service and telephone call placed to me advising no assistance. inferred because used car not purchased from acura dealer and installation of new rebuilt transmission not done by acura dealership would not offer any good faith assistance. believe recall should be done on this vehicle. already did one on 2nd gear and added something regarding oil and reheating. also timing belt recall. recall on 2nd gear obviously did not work. would advise anyone not to purchase this model vehicle!! previously owned honda accord and acura integra excellent vehicles. 3,.2 tl not excellent vehicle manufacturer needs to recall vehicles and reimburse customers for cost of transmissions. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2 tl. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 mph, the tcf light illuminated. the vehicle downshifted and began sputtering. the contact called the manufacturer and filed a complaint. the contact was advised to take the vehicle to an authorized dealership for repair. the contact was also informed that the vehicle was not included in recall 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission) and he would be responsible for repair costs. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the current and failure mileages were approximately 71,000.

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) acura 2003 3.2tl common transmission failure codes po740 and po730. shifts erratically like millions of others. vin # is not on the list. we have learned this is the 2nd time in. honda city in wisconsin - dealer scammed us. carfax did not list the repair!!! dealer is telling us to drive it in and risk our lives!!! !!! the dealer should drive it himself. honda corporate is not taking any action. 1-800-422-2872 amanda case # [xxx] . why is the government not taking action !!! *tr

There was a sudden downshift in gears while driving in the vehicle and changing freeways late at night. the car, as a result, decelerated quickly in fast moving traffic almost causing an accident. the car was pulled over to the side of the freeway and was rendered inoperable due to transmission failure. the car was part of the acura 00-04 cl & tl a/t recall (automatic transmission second gear inspection). as part of the recall, if the car was over 15,000 miles, the dealer would inspect the gear for heat discoloration. if they found discoloration, a new transmission would be installed. the car was over 15,000 miles at the time but the dealer reported no discoloration. as a result, only an oil jet kit was installed only. due to a large number of cases of transmission problems with the tl and a class action lawsuit, acura extended their transmission warranty for model years 1999-2002 and included only some 2003 depending on vin number. my vehicle is a 2003 model, but did not fall within the vin number cutoff. therefore, my car does not qualify for the transmission extended warranty. i have a found a large number of other complaints on this website, as well as others, regarding 2003 acura tls that did not make the vin number cutoff but still suffered from transmission failure. obviously, there is a safety issue regarding these cars and their transmissions that was not addressed in the initial recall. (the appropriate repairs were not made). the second recall, with the extended warranty, also does not appear to cover all vehicles effected by this transmission problem. *tr

My 2003 acura tl-s transmission, 83,000 miles. based on the research i've done online. it seems that there are major problems with this model. *tr

I own a 2003 acura 3.2tl, the transmission failed while i was driving it home the other day. i almost caused a major accident on the highway i was traveling on. if it wasn't for the other driver on the road i would have been in a serious accident. after finding thousands of acura tl owners all across the country who have experienced the same. i think it only fair to have this mater investigated by your company. acura needs to accept that they designed a poorly functional transmission that should be replaced regardless of vehicle mileage. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated while driving at approximate speeds of 60 mph, the vehicle shifted from drive to neutral without driver intent, causing the vehicle to stall. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic and testing. the dealer advised the transmission would need to be replaced. the dealer would not offer any assistance. the vehicle had not been repaired. the approximate failure and current mileages were 72,000.

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) 2003 acura tl 3.2, [xxx] mileage: 55,189 after driving for a few minutes, auto transmission does not pull, similar to the transmission being placed in "neutral". acura taken to leith acura, cary, nc on 4/14/10. dealer service dept identified the following computer codes: p0740-torque converter clutch, p0730-gear incorrect ratio, & p0700-shift malfunction. based on these codes, dealer recommended transmission & torque converter to be replaced (total cost approx $ 3400). dealer contacted the regional acura office, which provided a 45% adjustment to the original cost. net charge by dealer $ 1,783.19. this vehicle was subject to a recall in 2003-04 (nhtsa campaign id # 04v176000). the modification to this safety recall was completed on 9/10/2004 by tischer acura, laurel, md with mileage @ 8,426. per the invoice from tischer & since the mileage was less than 15,000, the recall instructed the dealer to "install an oil jet kit", which was completed. note, if the vehicle had more than 15,000 miles, the safety recall instructed the dealer to "replace the transmission". based upon the history of this particular acura, i believe the dealer in 2004 should have replaced the transmission instead of installing an oil jet kit. many acuras manufactured prior to the 2004 model had serious "transmission problems" which were included in other "recalls". *tr

Complete failure of the automatic transmission in my 2003 acura tl 3.2 with only 70,000 miles. *dt

Ltr regarding problems she is experiencing with her 2003 acura 3.2tl. she would like a thorough investigation into this matter. *tgw the consumer stated the vehicle would hesitate when accelerating. on august 14, 2009, the vehicle stalled. the consumer was able to get the vehicle to the dealer. the problem was thought to be the battery and timing belt and the consumer was charged $ 1,371.49. on december 12, the vehicle started jerking into gear. the vehicle was dropped off at the dealer. the consumer received a call from the dealer stating the vehicle needed a new transmission. *jb

2003acuratl 4 door. the passenger airbag light come at different times when driving the car with someone in the seat. the gas pedal also is starting to stick and hard to push down to move the car forward. could there be a recall maybe a investigation. *tr

2003 acura tl transmission suddenly failed car had 99,500 miles ,was towed to acura dealer , told $4300for new transmission because i didn't fall with-in vin # for 105,000 mi free replacement (early 2003) i feel problem was not fixed in mid 2003 and i should be covered. *tr

When i shift gear i notice the car pulling forward. it's becoming more of a problem it happens constantly. *tr

I already filed a claim, but have further information. my husband and i own a 2003 acura 3.2tl there is a recall on the transmissions of these cars (both in age and make and model), but our vin # is not in the lot of vin's under the recall. three days after i filed the complaint with you the transmission seized while my husband was driving 40 mph. luckily he avoided an accident. he stopped driving the vehicle and had it towed to the acura dealership. we had them replace the transmission. their original bid was for $4,600. we had bids from transmission shops to do the job for $2,000. the dealership negotiated and did the work for $2,000. i spoke with robert from the nhtsa and he said that the recall was for transmissions seizing when the vehicles were being operated. i feel that it is important to add this information to my original complaint. *tr

There is a known transmission issue with acura 2003tl version, even though acura have put it in recall, to do the work the dealer charge anywhere from $350-600. the vehicle chokes up in between the road because of overheating in transmission. the headlights flickering is one another issue which when taken to the dealer called it as computer system mess up in the car and this is not in the recall, the dealer charges about $800 for such repair which is not reasonable for the faulty equipment of acura. *tr

I purchased a 2003 acura tl type s 2 years ago with 99,000 miles on it. last week the transmission was slipping from 2nd to 3rd gear and wouldn't go into 3rd gear. that problem still persists and has gotten worse. the car now has 139,000 miles on it, i put 40,000 miles on it the last 2 years. i called acura to see if they would stand behind their product but they said since the car is out of warranty they cant do anything. i took out a loan to buy this car and i still owe on it. i don't know if i will ever buy another acura because of this experience. *tr

2003 acura tl transmission failure with out warning. upon traveling at 50 mph my vehicle dropped gears causing it to decelerate at rapid rate. the car tacked up to approx 5000 rpm. the failure caused the transmission to down shift rapidly and loose speed and could possibly cause driver to loose control. i was able to pull over without incident. there have been many transmission failure admitted by acura causing them to extend warranty on some models but they are not admitting to the total problem and potential hazards. *tr

My 2003 acura tl has accelerator problems similar to the toyota problem. two years ago it stuck twice and the vehicle reached speeds up to 90 mph before i could stop it by putting both feet on the brake and downshifting it. i really thought i was going to die. i took it to the dealership, they tested it and said it was probably a bad transmission so they replaced the transmission. the car had about 50,000 miles on it at that time. a month ago the same thing occurred. again i took it to the dealer. they said it was probably the transmission however they would not replace it without the warranty people actually seeing it malfunction. they charged my $110 and sent me on my way. i am afraid to ride in the vehicle, my wife and co-workers will not ride in the vehicle. i had to buy a replacement vehicle and now cannot sell this one in good conscience. i am going to ask the dealer to take it back and give me fair market value for the vehicle. they can do with it what they want. what other alternatives do i have? tw*

Faulty transmission in our 2003 acura 3.2 tl. we purchased this vehicle new. at around 80,000 miles it started to shudder when accelerating between 20 and 30 mph. we didn't think much of it. we now know that it was the transmission. acura extended the warranty from 50,000 miles to 100,000 for this reason, but we were never notified. now the car has 112,000 miles and this week the transmission started slipping between 2nd and 3rd gear, and now between 1st and 2nd there is a bang and a lurch. currently it is far too dangerous to drive the car. we took it to a transmission specialist who diagnosed the car and researched the problem. he said that acura has a recall for this exact issue and our car should be covered. we met with the local acura dealership and they say our car isn't in the "batch" of vin's covered in the recall. they further say that since we don't have a maintenance record showing that we have serviced the transmission every 30,000 miles, we have lost our chance of them working with us at all. our manual clearly states to do the first transmission service at 120,000 miles. we have records for having done all other routine maintenance, but never did anything about the transmission, because their information says not to. not once has anyone from acura ever informed us that contrary to what our manual says, we should service the transmission every 30,000 miles. there was a recall on a part of the transmission that they did replace when the car had 50,000 miles, and acura says that is also a reason they don't have to help us today.*cw

I own a 2003 acura tl. my transmission is not shifting properly unless i baby the engine. the problems gets worse as the car heats up and gets hot. the main problem comes in when shifting from 1st gear to 2nd gear and from 2nd to 3rd as well. going up hills from a stop is difficult. i brought it to the dealer and they pulled code p1450. the tech told me that there are internal solenoids that are receiving the signal to shift, but are not actuating. i've looked into this problem and saw there is an outstanding recall on this transmission (04v176000). i've been told by acura hq and the local dealer that i've been dealing with (acura of avon in avon, ct) and haven't gotten any results. i understand that my car does not fall within this recall, but i also understand that there is also a class action lawsuit against acura that describes my exact problem. despite acura's information on vin number distribution of problematic transmissions, i believe i have a vehicle that is experiencing the problems covered under either the recall or the class action lawsuit. this problem occurs everytime i drive the vehicle. i have to keep the engine at around 2,000 or 2, 500 rpms until the transmission finally shifts. if i do not lay off the gas, the transmission will not shift. *tr

Transmission caused veh to jumped or jerked forward. *tr

I was driving my 2003 acura with my 3 year old child in it when suddenly the transmission went into neutral and few seconds later went back into gear and later started slipping out of gear, mind you my vehicle only has 75,000 miles on it. many others have had similar problems with the same type of car and with even lesser miles on it. *tr

Transmission began slipping at 85,000 miles. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl type s. while accelerating on the highway the transmission began to slip out of gear and into neutral. the rpms began to rev and increase; yet, the vehicle did not accelerate. he was able to drive 25 mph to the dealer who stated that the transmission had to be replaced at the owners expense. the current and failure mileages were 100,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving 45 mph the vehicle had suddenly stopped on its own and could not be driven past the second gear without stopping. the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. there were no prior warnings and the transmission was replaced by a local mechanic. the current and failure mileages were 107,000.

While driving approximately 55 mph in fifth gear, the transmission automatically shifted into second gear without assistance. there were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the failure was related to the transmission,current mileage-54000. *tr

So, the report for pe02081 says that the transmission problem for the 2000-2003 acura tl / cl is rare and erroneous and isn't realistic, but i've done a lot of research and i am a member of acurazine.com. but i am having the same issues as was listed (i.e. slipping of gears, sudden harsh downshift from 65mph to redline limit at 50mph on freeway nearly causing an accident). after the incident i had taken my vehicle to dealership because i was told there had been an extended warranty on the vehicle to 109,000 miles. i was at nearly 108,000 miles when my car was at the dealership. that was when the service gentleman told me i needed to replace my transmission which would cost about $3800 because i had been after the cut-off point for the extended warranty. that service was denied and they sent me on my way even though i was having the exact same problems as the vehicles that were before the vin # cut-off. i have since, then, replaced my transmission with another shop for $3500 but only after losing my job and failing my college classes for the semester because i could not afford to repair my car at the time. i wish someone would hold the acura corporation responsible for their mistake and for the safety of every other driver on the road. if you look on acurazine.com, there is a transmission (tranny) failure thread that goes on for 64 pages with other owners of the same vehicle having the same problems and not receiving help from acura just like me. i know there was a class action law-suit in 2006 for this issue and i feel there will be another law-suit against them if this problem is not treated correctly. i also know that acura/honda manufactures their own transmissions, unlike a lot if not all of the other car makers whom use universal transmissions. i hope this complaint will help persuade the nhtsa, bbb, and consumer protection agencies to act on the problem at hand. even if i am not helped personally, i just don't think anyone else should have to experience this. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the accelerator would repeatedly get stuck, which caused unintended acceleration. she took the vehicle to the dealership, and the accelerator was replaced. however, the failure resurfaced. she took the vehicle to another dealer, and the technician stated that the accelerator was installed too tightly. he then re-installed the accelerator pedal. the repair remedied the failure. the current mileage was approximately 85,000. the failure mileage was approximately 1,000. updated 12/07/09 *bf the consumer stated the problem was the accelerator under the hood. the throttle cable was adjusted. updated 12/09/09.*jb

Out of the blue transmission is starting to slip from 2nd to 3rd gear. car was brought in for a transmission recall in 2006 with 36000 miles. dealer installed oil injector said transmission was fine. car has 82000 miles now and dealer says need new transmission. of course vin number is 5000 over the limit of the transmission extended warranty. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving 40 mph the vehicle down-shifted without any prior warnings. the vehicle was taken to a local repair facility, and a mechanic concluded that the gears in the transmission were slipping. the vehicle was towed to a dealer. the technician advised him that before repairs could be performed he would have to pay an $140.00 diagnostic fee. no repairs were made. the technician concluded that he would call the manufacturer to determine what recourse they would provide. the failure mileage was 63,300. updated 11/06/09. *lj the ball joints were replaced. updated 11/10/09

Driving the car one afternoon, when suddenly the cars rpm rapidly went up, nearly touching the red line part of the rpm. looking at the meters on the dash the check engine light come on. to my understanding the 3rd gear was not working correctly. had it check at an local auto part store and was told "something is wrong with the gear ratios." it was a problem that never went away. bring it in for an inspection i was told that the transmission needs to be replace. so with the amount to replace it being about $3700 i declined the service. looking online for issue involving the cars transmission i found out that the car had a recall that was issue in april 2004 so i called the dealership and ask them about the recall and was told the it had already been done and fix in 2004. which i wouldn't had know about because the car was brought in 2007. the car not being under warranty i am left with the cost to replace it. im complaining because i did have the car in 2004 and the car never got a recall replacement and now that i am the new owner of the car i experience the failure and is left with no other option but to pay for something that could of been fix at the time. *tr

With 2 year old son and 4 year old son in car, the tcs (traction control system) light turned on and engine revved but car slowed. went from 40mph down to 30mph. continued down road and engine continued to not respond. had to hazard and barely made it off road. most dangerous position i put my kids in. went to dealer and got told flare in shifting. they ran full diagnosis and retrieved code p0730 incorrect gear ratio and code p0740 tc clutch failure. told needed to replace transmission for $5k. ask to escalate to factory district rep of acura who agreed to pay half out of good will and total cost around $1.85k. not in list of original vin numbers who got automatic powertrain extension to 100,000 miles. from class action lawsuit, sounds like acura/honda gave judge empirical data that showed they had "fixed" the transmission problem and our vehicles don't need to be included. given my transmission failed and looks like a few others, i think we should have been included. nhtsa should monitor these transmission failures because we are 6-7 years in vehicle life and at 10,000 miles per year, if trend holds...quite a few transmission mind die in next year. very dangerous. created a yahoo newsgroup and alias for owners with vin numbers not included in warranty extension. http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/2003_acura_tl_transmission_problems/. *tr

Transmission slipping from second to third gear - transmission freezes completely when car becomes warm and has been driven for period of time - acura claims vin number not included in warranty extension for transmission recall. *tr

We have a 2003 acura 3.2 tl purchased in september of 2002. there was a recall issued for our model and our car was brought in to our dealer to have it checked in january of 2005. the dealer stated the automatic transmission was updated (an oil jet kit was installed) and we continued to drive the car until august 2009. there was a sudden jerk while driving on the nj turnpike and the car suddenly stopped. we had to have the car towed and it started driving again a couple hours later. we brought it in to the acura dealership and they stated that the transmission had to be replaced. we ended up paying almost $4000.00 to have the transmission replaced. according to http://www.hondatransmissionsettlement.com there has admittedly been a problem with honda/acura transmissions. unfortunately, the vin of my car is not covered under the lawsuit, nor does the warranty cover our repairs. i don't understand why my car is not covered when it obviously has the same transmission issues that have been reported by thousands of acura owners. i have tried contacting the dealer as well as acura and they have not been helpful at all. i feel that i should not be paying for acura's transmission design flaw. for reference: http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/acura/tl/r71264/comments/ and http://www.acuraworld.com/forums/f47/look-me-another-transmission-thread-32947/. *tr

While traveling on the pennsylvania turnpike in a 2003 acura 3.2tl, the vehicle experienced a total loss of power due to complete failure of the transmission (automatic). the vehicle was traveling with cruise control engaged at 65 mph. engine rpm began to climb. cruise control was secured. within 1-2 minutes all clutch engagement in the transmission was lost with a corresponding total loss of power (engine was still operating, but no forward or reverse gears/power to the wheels). with family members in the car, and no power, the car was coasted to the side of the turnpike. acura dealer said that codes on vehicle indicated total transmission failure, no cause provided. i view this failure as a defect, related to prior transmission problems found on 1999-2003 acura 3.2 tls that resulted in a class action suit, with corresponding extension of warranty on the transmissions, but the vehicles included in the group covered by the suit did not include my vehicle. *tr

On thursday 7/23/09 as i was on my way home from work, my transmission completely failed. i was pulling out onto a busy road and was almost involved in a very bad collision when my transmission quit working. it lurched me forward into moving traffic however would not accelerate fast enough to get me moving. luckily, the oncoming semi truck was able to slam on it's brakes and turn to avoid a collision. i could have easily been killed if the driver had not been alert and paying attention. there is already a recall on this transmission (nhtsa #04v176000) which according to honda was already done on my car however it obviously was not done properly. it may not lock up as stated in the original recall however a complete failure to move is also extremely dangerous. checking around online, many many other people are making this same complaint on my year and model. acura needs to completely resolve these problems or people may be seriously injured or even killed. *tr

Hello, my name is gillieume gonsalves with a 2003 acura tl. the car was purchased in 3/07 from price acura in dover delaware. the sales man whose name is bill whistler told me that the car had no problems, the car was inspected for a safety recall dealing with the transmission and should last well through the acura warranty and the life of the car. after about 6 months worth of driving, i was on the highway and driving about 65 on the highway and lightly stepped on the brakes and noticed the tachometer go well below the normal idle speed and all of a sudden the car jerked and slipped out of 5th gear into 2nd gear causing a sudden deceleration and almost causing a pile up on the freeway. i went to the acura dealership for them to diagnose the problem and they said it will be noted in the computer and will be covered under the warranty even after it runs out. i complained to honda america and the dealership that im not concerned about breaking down on the side of the road, i was more afraid that the car will lock up on the highway and me or my family will end up dead in a car crash or roll over, just like some other complaints i have seen on the internet, they both said there was nothing they can do and they cannot honor anything posted on the internet. the problem happened again just after the car came out of warranty and acura said if i pay $3400 acura will put a used the transmission that had already failed and rebuilt in the car, i declined. 2 months later the transmission slipped out of 5th gear when i took my foot off the accelerator during rush hour and the police witnessed the sudden downshift and told me to tow it home. the next day i had aamco transmissions look over the car and the mechanic said the car almost put him through the windshield twice and i should leave it or someone is going to get killed. i had to pay $4000 to have a newly rebuilt transmission installed in my car. which is crazy because honda is too cheap to replace this defect in my car. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. the contact stated that the transmission does not shift and the rpms rinse when the vehicle is not traveling at high speeds. the vehicle jerks when the transmission stalls and the instrument panel lights flash. the contact was concerned that the jerking could cause a crash. the dealer offered to pay 50% of the repair cost, but the contact feels that the manufacturer should pay for the entire repair since the vehicle has 68,880 miles and the cause of the failure cannot be determined. the current and failure mileages were 68,880.

While driving the transmission slipped almost into neutral and has progressed to get worse causing the vehicle to run for a few moments and then not move at all until it sits for 20-30 minutes. i have contacted acura and my vehicle has had the recall done so i contacted my local dealership to see if there was any kind of warranty on the recall and was told no. this vehicle has less then 70,000 miles on it and has had all maintenance maintained on it. upon researching the problem i'm apparently not the only owner who has had this problem and someone is going to get seriously injured or possibly loose their life if the manufacture does not fix these problems. my first encounter i was exchanging from one major highway to another and because my car accelerated and then stopped if i wouldn't have gone off onto the shoulder, who knows where i would be today. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. the contact stated that the transmission's third gear clutch pack has failed. the transmission slips out of third gear before reaching 40 mph. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that she would have received a deduction on the repair cost if her vehicle had been serviced by acura. the manufacturer stated that the vin was excluded from nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission). the failure mileage was 66,000.

Transmission in my 2003 acura tls had been recalled oct, 5th, 2004 for an oil jet install. i bought the vehicle used from a certified acura dealership in franklin, tn. on june 3rd, 2006. was never disclosed of this issue. i learned of this problem on nhtsa web site. recently in march of 2009 and with 95,000 miles on the car, i noticed a hesitation while accelerating. i took the car to my dealer and they said the transmission had to be replaced. my warranty was up at 100,000 miles. they replaced the transmission, or so they say, and it had the same problems as i drove it off the dealer lot. upon returning the car to the dealer the next day, they assured me they would replace that 2nd transmission with a 3rd. however, the warranty would only cover to the original 100,000 mile extension leaving me with 5 thousand miles to test this 3rd transmission. the known failure rate on these(check nhtsa) is astounding. what is wrong with these transmissions? are they putting these same known defective parts into these remanufactored transmissions? why doesn't acura stand behind each one with a new separate warranty? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving approximately 60 mph in rainy weather conditions, the transmission shifted into another gear without warning. the failure caused sudden deceleration. the contact is in the process of taking the vehicle to the dealer to determine the cause of the failure. the failure and current mileages were 52,320.

My 2003 acura tl-s having 50300 miles almost crashed on rt 270 near gaithersburg because transmission started slipping. i took exit and let the engine cool down then i drove car slowly to rosenthal acura. when i searched on internet, several site says that acura has extended warranty on transmission to 7 years and 100,000 miles but acura company says my car is not covered. if transmission warranty is extended, then why it does not show on your website. (http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/1999-to-2003-acura-tl-2.htm). i see so many complains about transmission slipping of honda cars and your department is giving them free pass. if the warranty is extended then consumer and nhtsa should be reported. acura must replace transmission of my car free of charge and honda should be asked to replace transmission all the affected cars. honda has not reported to nhtsa about list of defective transmission of various cars and they are replacing it on their own choice. what is use of replacement of transmission after failure if someone die? my whole family would have died on rt 270 if i was not near exit. *tr

On march 20, 2009 i experienced shifting problems suspected to be the transmission. the vehicle was diagnosed to have transmission problems by a mechanic that specializes in transmissions. i called honda corporate office (case #b012009-03-2000-288) and explained the problem to a representative. i was told that i would have to pay for the inspection and new transmission being that the recall that affected my vehicle had been fixed. i complained to the acura dealership that since the purchase of the vehicle, it has a straining noise each time i drove the vehicle; however, the technicians could not locate the problem every time i took the car to service it at open road acura in wayne, nj. there is no reason for a 2003 acura tl with 90,000 miles to have transmission problems. the transmission problem that i'm currently experiencing appears to be related to the recall that was supposedly fixed by the dealership. furthermore, the acura representative informed me that certain cars that were recalled (including 2003 acura tl) had the warranty for the transmission extended for up to 7 years and nine months or 100,000 miles. presently, i fall under both criterias. currently, the acura has a little less than 91,000 and have owned it since september 2002. please guide me what i should do regarding this issue. i am in no position to pay for the transmission if it seems to be recall that the automaker should be responsible for. thank you in advance. *tr

Engine started idling at about 3000 rpm unexpectedly, could not make it stop. it was hard to control the vehicle when it would not go under 3000 rpm. fortunately it stopped after about 10 minutes. took to dealer, found problem was idle control mechanism on top of engine, it was replaced. *tr

I bought a certified pre owned 2003 tl type s in 2006, was never notified by the dealership that the car was on a recall list of any sort. on 2.04.09 i left a stoplight accelerated to 40mph, transmission slipped, car dropped to 1st gear forcing me to pull over, engine emission light came on, vsa light came on. after stopping the car, the vsa warning cleared. delivered the vehicle to the dealership the next day. dealership ran diagnostics, received 2 transmission codes and stated the transmission must be placed at a cost of $3700. dealership called corporate and the stated corporate would apply a $1200 credit on this vehicle. dealership just inflated the price of a transmission replacement to cover costs, sounds like collusion to me. interestingly aamco charges $2300 to replace the whole transmission. called corporate again to file a complaint, no resolution, awaiting a return call. did an internet search found multiple complaints of the same nature on this vehicle. honda clearly knows this is a problem as they promptly offered a credit. car remains at dealership. *tr

2003 acura 3.2 tl on december 5, 2008 a faulty ignition switch on our 2003 acura 3.2 tl allowed the key to be removed in any gear, resulting in a rollaway accident causing head, foot and hip injuries to our daughter after she parked the car in our slightly inclined driveway. dealer agreed ignition switch was definitely faulty. key should never come out in any gear but park. our mileage on the date of accident was 82,430 miles. shortly after we bought this car new, it started having intermittent no start/no crank problems, and sometimes it would start 5 or 10 minutes later. each time the dealer could not duplicate problem and assured us they checked everything and couldn't find any problem. the car would be fine until it happened again. this problem continued up until just a few months ago. it has been well maintained and taken to dealer many times for same problem . they probably never inspected the ignition switch because our year car was never included in previous recalls of ignition switches, as it should have been. a faulty transmission on this same car went out on our daughter once about 5 months ago when she was driving. it was replaced under the extended warranty due to previous transmission recall. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. while driving 35 mph, the contact attempted to shift gears, but the gear locked into neutral. he waited a few minutes and drove the vehicle to the dealer. the dealer found failure codes with the clutch and control module. the dealer is charging $2,400 to replace the transmission. a report was filed with the manufacturer and they stated that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission); therefore, they would not assist with the repair. the vehicle has not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were 82,000.

Driving my 2003 acura tl to work. no previous indication of a problem. driving between 65-70 mph. without any warning the transmission dropped from 5th gear to what felt like 2nd gear. the front wheels practically locked up. my speed dropped from approx. 70 mph to approx.30 mph.(the engine revved over 6500 rpms) in just 1-2 seconds. the car shifted back to 5th gear after a few seconds. there were no warning lights (transmission or check engine) before or after the occurrence. fortunately, i had my seatbelt on and no one hit me from behind. the sudden change in speed however, jerked my neck very hard which did result in a severe headache. the last several miles to work was a continuation of the initial incident. my speed was slower through town so the jerking was not as abrupt. i scheduled an appointment to have it checked at the honda dealer near work before driving home. the transmission was serviced. the flush lessened the jerking, but did not eliminate it. the next day, october 31, 2008, i was pulling into a parking space and there was a noise like a slipping clutch. the car would not engage in either forward or reverse. i had to call a tow truck. currently december 27,2008 the car is still in the shop waiting for a replacement transmission. i am upset to find,via the internet, that this may be a common problem with this particular model transmission and no one at the dealership where i had the service done nor the dealership where i purchased the car in february 2008 told me about it when i asked. i checked the carfax report again just in case i missed it, but there is no mention of a transmission recall on this car. this is a severe safety issue. it should be widely address. if a driver does not have the experience to react correctly or be lucky enough(as i was) to be on a straight, dry road, this defect has the potential to be deadly. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. in may of 2006, the was a class action suit against acura for the same problem. on december 8, 2008, the transmission failed and the vehicle was towed to a repair shop. the dealer stated that the transmission was serviced on december 14, 2004 according to nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission). a report was filed with the manufacturer. the manufacturer stated that the contact could take the vehicle to the dealer; however, he would be responsible for the repair costs. the current and failure mileages were 108,000. updated 2/5/09 *cn the consumer stated the transmission began to act erractic and would slip from 5th gear. updated 02/10/09. *jb

My 2003 3.2 tl acura started to jerk so i took it to my dealership to have it fix they just said that i needed my oil changed and a tune up i got all of that done then it still continued to jerk again. it seemed that my car was having a hard time getting into gear. so i took it to get put on a machine and they said i just needed another tune up. well two months after that my transmission light went off so i pulled on the side of the road and read my acura's manual book i read the instructions and followed them. turned around and went back home the manual said wait and let the car cool off. the next day i drove it and my car broke down on the side of the road. i got it toad home and then i started to call around to try to get it fix. i did some research and found out that my 2003 3.2 tl acura's transmission had a recall that i was not informed by my dealership. ever since i purchased this car i have been having problem. the dealership put my life at risk to sell me a lemon i really do not appreciate that. i have called acura corp. numerous of times and my car still have not been fixed it has been over a month. i need my car i am a homehealth care assistant i have been missing work and i have lost two of my clients because lack of transportation. *tr

Pulling out of my garage this morning, i noticed my car was making a clunking sound on the passenger side. it disappeared promptly as i exited the garage and pulled out onto the street, and i figured it was simply due to the chilly weather, with it being about 25f outside. about 5 miles down the freeway, i noticed the clunking sound came back, and was quite violent this time, and i started to smell burning rubber. i pulled over to the side of the road, hoping to ease my way to the nearest service station to see what was wrong; however, my car did not make it. i got out and inspected all sides, and that's when i saw that the tread separated from my front passenger side tire, and there were chunks of tire on the road. according to the dealer at the last visit two months ago, there still had been .7 cm left of tread, and what they told me was plenty to drive on for quite some time. to correct the issue, i replaced the tire with a spare, and have an appointment to get new tires tomorrow. *tr

Motor mount broken. *tr

The driver side seat warmer failed. reported by acura that the seat 'burnt-out.*tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. the contact stated that the transmission failed at 91,000 miles and needed to be replaced. on december 24, 2004, the contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission), honda recall number 222110. the vehicle was repaired with a kit instead of being replaced. the failure has recurred and the transmission needs to be replaced at the cost of $1,800, which is half of the repair cost at honda american. the vehicle was towed 100 miles away and she was informed to have the vehicle towed back to a local dealer for repair. honda issued an extended warranty on the transmission; however, the contact did not receive one. the failure mileage was 91,000. updated 01/23/09 *bf the consumer stated the transmission was slipping. updated 01/23/09. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. after parking the vehicle and walking approximately two feet, the vehicle began rolling backwards on its own. the vehicle was stopped when it crashed into the passenger door of another vehicle. there were no passengers in either vehicle at the time of the crash. the other vehicle was damaged and the contact's vehicle sustained scratches to the rear bumper. the vehicle was driven to the dealer and they stated that the ignition interlock was defective and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the current mileage was 70,000 and failure mileage was 68,088. updated 12/12/08 *cn updated 12/15/08. *jb

During my drive to work the other morning my car sudden jerked back and forth on the freeway. it was very sudden and it was very scary, i had not control over the vehicle. the tires were screeching during the jerks and i was afraid i was going to crash. a check engine light came on as well as a vsc light and my shifter like d5 was blinking. i made it to work and called my boyfriend to come look at the vehicle. he drove it around the block and noticed nothing wrong, better safe than sorry we switched cars. on his drive home he felt the same thing i did, very sudden jerk and uncontrollable car on the freeway. he mentioned it was like the transmission locking up and then the traction control grabbing. the car would not shift gears. he immediately drove it straight to acura and found somebody to look at it. the dealership said that it was a common problem with these cars and its a ticking time bomb and there was a recall and extended warranty issued out by acura, the dealership also said that the vin number of my vehicle was out of the range of the warranty. they are offering to cover 60% of the cost for the transmission replacement and i pay 40%. i do not think its fair because while i was there, there was another vehicle exactly like mines and i curiously asked what that car was getting fixed and they told me the exact same problem but that car is being covered completely. this is unfair and not right that just because of the vin being out of range i am out of luck. this is a common problem and acura should take of all not just some. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. while driving and initially accelerating at 10-20 mph, the rpm's increase on the instrument panel. the vehicle does not respond immediately and then jerks into gear and goes the proper speed. the vehicle was previously repaired according to nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission); however, the failure persists. the current mileage was 103,000 and failure mileage was 102,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving approximately 55 mph in fifth gear, the transmission automatically shifted into second gear without assistance. there were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the failure was related to the transmission. the vin was not included in the recall, although the failures were identical. the vehicle has not been repaired. the nhtsa campaign id number was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 105,722.

I bought a 2003 acura 3.2tl approximately 2 months ago from a small used car dealer (k&s auto sales, 600 w. st. georges ave., linden, nj 07036; 908-925-4411). they represented this car as being in excellent condition with no problems whatsoever. we paid $10,270. cash for this vehicle. not even 5 weeks after the purchase, the transmission went on the car. when approached to look into the necessary repairs to the car, they vehemently denied any wrong doing and refused to even look at the car. they would only honor new jerseys 30 day warranty that they must do anyway. they never mentioned any trouble with the trans nor the fact that the car had been in an accident prior to us purchasing the car and front fender, door, etc has been replaced. it has now been 4 weeks that the car has been in a transmission repair shop as honda/acura keeps sending the shop the wrong parts to fix the problems (clutch pack failure, 2nd gear shaft locking up, i don't know what else they have to repair) since there was a recall on this vehicle for the same transmission problems, is the car still covered? i don't know if the car was repaired when the recall was first initiated, and even if it was, it is now a recurring problem. it took all the money we had to pay for the car in the first place, now we have had to rent a car for 3-4 weeks while the car is being repaired, and it is supposed to cost anywhere from $2500-$3500 to repair. is there any way that honda/acura of america can help with the cost of the repairs/replacement since this was a nhtsa recall that was obviously not fixed properly in the first place, if at all. i feel the dealer knew there was a problem, but being a mother/daughter buyer, was just interested in the sale. not honesty. please, is there anything you can do to help defray the costs we are now faced with? any help your corporation can give at this point would be a huge help as i feel the huge expense to repair this car should not have to be paid by us. thank you *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. while driving less than 60 mph, the vehicle downshifted into second gear from fifth gear. the vehicle is powered by an automatic transmission. the contact was able to maneuver the vehicle off the road. the vehicle would not go over 45 mph. the dealer stated that the transmission would need to be replaced. there was a recall on the year, make, and model vehicle; however, the previous owner already had the recall repairs performed. the dealer stated that the transmission would be replaced at the estimated cost of $4,000. the failure and current mileages were 105,000. updated 05/26/09 *bf the vehicle was shifting rough between second and third gear. the vehicle would not go over 40 mph. updated 05/28/09.*jb

2003 acura 3.2tl recall notice. consumer wants to be reimbursed for the recall since car was within the warranty and a recall had been issued. *nj the consumer stated the rpm's would get high and the transmission slipped and banged into gear. *jb

I purchased my 2003 acura tls brand new. i had to have my first transmission replaced two years ago when driving at 40 mphs, the car slipped into first. just three months ago, i had problems with the car surging and the dealer replaced the transmission again. just last week (3 months after the last transmission was installed), a third transmission was installed because the car would not accelerate while trying to merge onto the freeway (pretty scary). i purchased an extended warranty when i bought the car even then my car is covered under the recall. my car has 83,000 miles on it and i'm not thrilled about having to buy another car. i sure don't want to sell this to anyone knowing it has a problem that can't be fixed or may possibly kill someone. *tr

I have a 2003 acura tl type s. i bought it used in 2004 with 22,000 miles on it. shortly after honda issued a recall for the transmission. the solution was to take it to the dealership and have them check for a damaged 2nd gear and if there was no visible sign of damage they would install a jet kit to keep the 2nd gear cooler. my car at this time had about 35,000 miles on it. the dealership installed a jet kit my car and reported no damage. around 50,000 miles i noticed my car slipping while accelerating. i took my vehicle back to the dealership. they replaced my transmission stating that the jet kit did not work and that the transmission was damaged. i thought that everything was fixed. around 95,000 i noticed that my transmission was starting to shift hard and slip a little. i took it to the dealership. they said that the transmission was fine and checked good. at 105000 miles i recently took my car down to charlestion sc and was returning home on i95 in nc. i pulled off an exit to get gas and noticed my car was jerking real bad and was having problems staying in gear. soon after i started to smell something burning and my check engine light came on. i pulled into a auto tune shop and had the technicians read the engine code. the code came back as a transmission controller fail. i towed my vehicle to the nearest dealership about 50 miles away. they checked the car and reported that the transmission need to be replaced. this would be my third factory transmission! what if my vehicle had seized up while on i95 where vehicles are traveling at 70 mph. why does a car need three transmission at 105,000 miles! something is wrong! please look into it! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving approximately 35 mph with the accelerator pedal depressed, the vehicle stopped and surged forward without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the failure mileage was 104,000. updated 7/3/08 *cn the consumer stated the transmission had been replaced previously. updated 07/03/08

Bought new michelin tires in feb 2008 from costco stores, hackscross road, memphis tire: size 205/60r16 92v made in 2007. in use for 2,500 miles. rear right tire blew from the side wall while driving in interstate. the entire side wall came out as a donut. no accident occurred. no injury. concerned about the tire quality of michelin tires. please advice. contact mr. perryadolpus automotive manager at costco phone 901 214 0071; who inspected the defective tire and mentioned that it is a manufacturing defect. a new tire was installed. greatly concerned about the durability of the other new michelin tires installed at the same time in my 2003 acura tl vehicle. mileage 67,000. *tr

My automatic transmission has failed and scared both myself and my wife. at first the car suddenly downshifted when the brake was pressed at a speed of about 35 mph. later the transmission would not shift properly at all, but worked after the check engine, tcs, and blinking d5 light came on. the select shift no longer works. i don't plan to confront the dealer over a transmission that was previously recalled because acura stated the car was no longer under warranty. *tr

Traveling at freeway speed car suddenly downshifted to 2nd gear causing rapid deceleration and lockup of the seatbelt. took to dealership diagnosed as transmission failure. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving at any speed, the gear shift becomes stuck. the vehicle has not been inspected by the dealer. the cost to repair the vehicle is $2,500. nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission) was referenced. the failure mileage was 70,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving 60 mph, the "check engine" and "tcs" warning lights illuminated. the transmission slammed into gear and caused the vehicle to jerk for approximately 30 seconds. the vehicle stopped in the middle of the road and was towed to the dealer. the dealer stated that the transmission failed due to gear breakage. the transmission was replaced in the summer of 2004 as part of a recall. no campaign id number was found for the recall. the current and failure mileages were 95,000. updated 04/03/08. *lj the consumer stated the replacement transmission exhibited the problems.

Transmission failure. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. the contact has been experiencing transmission failure for a few weeks. while driving approximately 50 mph, the transmission surged and the contact lost control of the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to a shop and the mechanic stated that nothing could be done. the vehicle was then towed to the contact's residence. through research, he found a recall for the transmission. he called the manufacturer and was informed that his vehicle had already been checked for that recall in 2004 and they found no failures at that time. the manufacturer refused to repair the vehicle under the recall. the recall number was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 69,000.

On monday february 4, 2007 i was driving my 2003 acura tl type s and came to a stop and heard a weird noise coming from under the hood. once traffic began to proceed the car simply would not move from first gear. i manage to pull over and let it sit for about 1-2 min. and it went into gear although sluggish. once on the road again i proceeded about 3 miles when the car would not engage in any gear at all. i was right in front if the honda store when the second failure happened. i had the diagnostic done and come to find out that i am in need of a new transmission and motor mount due to over heating (from the service tech). my car was towed to the local acura dealership that notified me that i did infact need a new transmission and motor mount at a cost of approx. $3500.00. this i now find is a huge problem for acura with this model year and the automatic transmissions. i would like for acura to correct the problem and if needed recall all the cars as it poses for a serious safety issue. *tr

My automatic transmission was slipping into 3rd gear on my 2003 tl-s. i had it rebuilt at 73,900 miles. the torque converter had failed and was loosing hydraulic pressure & overheating. i bought this car new in 2003. it's a late 2003 vin and acura would not cover it under warranty. my dealership wanted $3,750 plus tax to replace it. an independent shop did the work for $2,600 incl tax with a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. while driving 40 mph, the contact experienced difficulty when shifting gears. the vehicle would also automatically brake while his foot was depressing the accelerator pedal. he has to drive with the hazard lights activated in order to prevent a rear end crash. he took the vehicle to the dealer when the traction control indicator light illuminated. the light gave no indication as to whether or not the feature would disengage. the dealer stated that they could not inspect the vehicle due to warranty issues. the dealer stated that this was a common failure and the contact would be able to drive the vehicle. while driving to his residence, the vehicle would not exceed 40 mph. the vehicle then began to gradually downshift to 20, 15, and finally 10 mph until it automatically braked. he returned to the dealer and was informed of nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission) and nhtsa action number pe02081, in which his vin and warranty were not included. the dealer also stated that they would provide him with a rental car due to incorrectly informing him that the vehicle could be driven home. the failure and current mileages were 72,000.

2003 acura tl transmission failure. i felt a lurch in the vehicle one day and was told the next day by the acura dealership that the transmission need to be replaced. i researched on line and determine that there was a recall on "some" 2003 acura tl's but mine was not included in the recall . *tr

Brake light comes on and i was told by the dealer that it was caused by a sticky float in the master cylinder reservoir that had to be replaced with anew design that would eliminate the issue. *tr

2003 acura tl transmission locked during driving. car is non operational need of a new transmission,car has only 30,000 miles. *jb

My '03 acura tl is having the transmission replaced at 50,000 miles. also the rotors are defective and warp causing me to have them resurfaced all the time.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. while driving 60 mph, the transmission locked up. the transmission was repaired under warranty. more recently, while driving 70 mph, the transmission came apart and spilled transmission fluid. smoke was present. the contact pulled over and all the passengers exited the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they informed him that the transmission needed to be replaced. the current and failure mileages were 81,000. updated 01-16-08. *kb the transmission was replaced again as a goodwill gesture. updated *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura 3.2tl. while driving 55 mph, the gear shift indicator shifted into neutral without warning. the dealer replaced the transmission gear shift. approximately two years later, while driving 55 mph, the vehicle shut off without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the dealer stated that there was a failure in the transmission. as of august 16, 2007, the dealer has not repaired the vehicle. nhtsa campaign number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission) was referenced. the failure mileage was 2,000 and current mileage was 51,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that the transmission was replaced four times, including once when it was recalled. the last time the vehicle was taken to the dealer they worked on the transmission and stated that they would no longer warranty the repairs. the powertrain was unknown. the failure mileage was 90,795 and there is no current mileage because the vehicle has been sold.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. while driving about 0-35mph the vehicle began shaking and making a continuous loud noise. when the vehicle came to a stop, he had to restart the vehicle and it began shaking rapidly on three occasions. the reverse gear box and the transmission failed. he was able to drive to the dealer. the current and failure mileage on the vehicle was 96,400. the purchase date was unavailable. updated 01-11-08. *kb the dealer stated vibration when braking. updated 12/12/07 *tr

Transmission slipping. *tr

Transmission locked up. i was riding on the interstate highway and the transmission locked. it just would not move and finally kicked into gear with a hard thrust. this went on an off, and i finally coasted ,and i was lucky not to be killed. i had the car towed to the acura dealer ,and called the 800 number. they tell me vehicle was not part of recall due to vin. acura neede d to include all 2003 in te recall from the other complaints i read. i had 55 thousand miles, and have had all service done with acura on time. recall needed to be done, and i wa s waiting for the acura service team that had the car to get back to me. my complaintwa s consistent with the other complaints i read. *ak

Transmission locked up. i was riding on the interstate highway and my transmission locked up on me. it just would not moved and finally kicked into gear with a hard thrust. this went on an off and i finally coasted and i was lucky not to be killed. i had the car towed to the acura dealer and called the 800 number and they tell me my vin number was not part of the recall. acura needs to include all 2003 in the recall from the other complaints i read. i have 55 thousand miles and have had all my service done with acura on time. recall needs to be don and i waiting for the acura service team that has my car to get back to me. my complaint is consistent with the other complaints i read. *ak

The automatic transmission in my car, a 2003 acura tl, started "jerking" and acting very strange. i almost got in an accident on the highway when it suddenly jerked into another gear. i have owned the car 1 1/2 months and was told that my vin # was not one of the group of vin 3's whose transmissions were recalled and had extended warranties placed on them. i called acura who "brushed" me "off," and i will have to spend $3000-$4000 to replace the transmission and then i will trade it in for another car because i feel my life is at risk in this car; however, i don't want anyone else to buy it, because i think there life will be at risk. i have read a ton of complaints on the '01-'03 acura tl's transmission problems and there were recalls and extended warranties; and here mine is dangerously breaking apart, and acura is telling me "too bad" because i bought it used so it's probably the fault of the person who owned it before me. i have never felt this problem in any other car i've ever owned, and it was so bad, i had it towed to the dealership. it is a very dangerous problem, and acura should pay for the replacement of the transmission on my car. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. on july 1, 2004, the original transmission was overheating. the vehicle hesitated, and made a grinding and clanking noise when shifting gears from park to drive. the mileage was 28,753. the dealer attempted to repair the transmission by inserting a lube kit. the transmission was replaced on january 24, 2007. however, on february 6, 2007, while shifting gears the vehicle was making excessive noises. on february 14, 2007, a rebuilt transmission was installed in the vehicle. the contact stated that the transmission inserted in this vehicle had the same failure. the dealer advised the contact that although there was noise present the vehicle was operating normally. the noises he was currently hearing from this vehicle was normal. the contact stated that he was currently waiting for a regional manager to test drive the vehicle at the end of march 2007. the current mileage was 31,000. *ak update 4/9 *tr

I was driving from ossining, ny to takoma park , md , 260 miles on i95 when at 70 mph smoke started coming out of the exhaust and the engine compartment. the tachometer went up to 7000 rpms. i was using cruise control. i immediately touched the brake pedal to release the cruise control. however, i had no power from the transmission. i was fortunately able to coast to the right side shoulder from the left most lane of the highway and call onstar. apparently the transmission had blown, and all the transmission fluid was all over the highway and the shoulder where i eventually stopped. the transmission was replaced at no cost to me. however, i was 160 miles from home. this was the second new transmission that has been replaced in this vehicle- once at 77000 miles and now at 10700 miles. *ak

Tl*- the contact stated that while driving his 2003 acura 3.2 tl at 63000 failure milage at 30 mph the front driver's side of the vehicle dropped. the driver steered the vehicle onto the side of the road. the vehicle had to be towed to the dealer. there had been no diagnosis as to the failure , and the vehicle had not been repaired. *ak

Purchased an acura-certified 2003 3.2tl in january 2007. had abrupt shifting failure of transmission from 5th to 2nd gear at 35 mph today, 3/5/07, entirely consistent with other reports on this site. my wife has permanent spinal cord damage; and had she been a passenger in the vehicle, would more than likely have been killed by the unexpected jolt. *jb

Ignition lock failed allowing key to be removed in any position and not securing the auto in a parked condition. hence the vehicle rolled back into another car. the vehicle in question has only 87243 miles on it and this part should not fail, especially as it did to allow the car to move when it was supposedly turned off, and in park. this vehicle has had previous transmission issues as well and was the subject of a recall. *jb

I was driving my 2003 acura tl type s home from work when i noticed the transmission slipping as my engine revolutions went up and the car would not accelerate. i was in heavy traffic at the time and was able to stop the car, but not maneuver without power. it was a dangerous situation as the other vehicles around my car were unaware of my inability to move out of their way. i drifted to the curb and the car would not back up or move. there was no shoulder area and i had to use my hazard lights to keep other cars from hitting my car. after a few minutes i was able to move the car to a safer location. *jb

On 21 december 2006, i was driving our 2003 acura 3.2tl type s with an automatic transmission when the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly decelerated violently from 50 miles an hour to a full stop. the tires were squealing as if the brakes had been applied. this nearly caused me to be rear ended by the car behind and could have caused a multi-car collision. after the incident, the car had no drive gears available, including reverse. after sitting on the side of the road for approximately 30 minutes, the vehicle could be driven in 1st gear only and i took it directly to the acura dealer where it still sits. *jb

Immediately following the purchase of my new acura 3.2 tl type-s i began experiencing unusual jerking and shifting while operating my vehicle. i have taken my vehicle to the dealer on numerous occasions to be serviced for this as well as due to the check engine light being on. initially they stated they could not duplicate my complaint in comparison to other similar vehicles. i have already had the oil jet kit installed, and have also had the transmission replaced once. as i am filing this complaint my vehicle is currently at the dealer awaiting its third transmission. i have purchased three cars manufactured by the honda motor company and am appalled at the continuous problems, inconvenience and safety issues pertaining to my acura tl. in addition to the transmission problems we have experienced we have had problems with our radio code after servicing the transmission and the dealer wanted to charge us $140 to enter the code or reset it. also our on star remote diagnostics appear not to be working; on star is claiming we don't have them when we have utilized this service before. the service attendant and technician i spoke with at the dealer claims they aren't aware of any remote diagnostics being possible, despite the fact i have used this feature before to detect trouble. being able to use this feature would be great considering all the problems i have experienced. i was driving home from vacation the car began to jerk and it appeared to be shifting and slowing while we were on the interstate fwy. i was fearful that the transmission would go out and that i would have an accident, so i proceeded to pull over and waited for assistance to get my family home safe. my car has now been in the shop for over two weeks. yesterday i was told that due to a spilled drink in my car that they need $914 dollars to repair a faulty circuit board and replace the center council with the exception of the shift knob before they can get authorization for a third transmission. *nm

After having my transmission's serviced in my 2003 acura 3.2 tl type-s, i began experiencing various electrical problems in my car. i have had the oil jet kit installed and one replacement transmission. i am awaiting my third transmission. since the work on my transmission various other problems have surfaced. my on-star is claiming i no longer am capable of having remote diagnostics done on my engine. also, my srs light has come on as well as my check engine light paired with more sporadic shifting. i am constantly getting the "error code" reading on my radio and i have heard extremely loud echoing in my car when i attempt to make and receive calls via my on star communication service. i am beginning to question the computer system in my vehicle. i am hoping the there can be an investigation of the electrical circuit boards and the powertrain; transmission communication module to find out if there are computer problems directly correlated with the transmission problems. this is beginning to be quite frustrating. together my girlfriend and i have bought and paid off five vehicles from the honda motor company and are surprised at the way this issue is being handled. *jb

I was on the highway with heavy traffic and i was at a full stop on the right lane when my car lunged forward. i pressed the brakes harder and when nothing happened i tried to get into the exit lane which luckily was right next to me. unfortunatley i hit the rear right hand side of the vehicle in front of me and the car still did not stop. it kept going at which time i released the brake and pressed it again thinking maybe it locked up or something. the vehicle still did not stop. i was almost out of the highway when i put the car in neutral and it finally slowed down. i put it in park and turned off the engine. needless to say i was in shock and trembling uncontrollably. the car went off so far it took the other driver approximately 5 minutes to reach me. i read about 7 complaints of the same thing happening and nothing was done in 5 incidents. two of the vehicles had an idle air control vavle replaced which i hope solved the problem. i sent these complaints to my insurance company and to the repair shop. i think this is an issue that needs to be addressed by acura immediately. this is not a faulty head light, it's a safety issue. had i been just a little closer to the vehicle in front of me, the accident could have been worse and involved more vehicles. the officer said i might have had my foot on both the brakes and the gas pedal but i am 120% positive that my foot was only on the brakes. this was also not human error. i was fully stopped and aware, i was not playing with the radio or on the phone. if this is not resolved i do not want this car. *nm

Fourth transmission and today started making noises again and my acura extended care extended warranty expires in 4000 miles. *nm

I have the above vehicle, purchased new on 1/27/2003. at 55000 miles the car was recalled to add a second pump (at least that what i was told) in the transmission. from then on i have had a shuddering problem with my transmission when it up-shifted at low speeds. i was able to finally prove to the acura dealer that there was something wrong with the transmission after 3 visits to the service department (curry acura in westchester county, new york). they claimed that the transmission was replaced and that all was well. this was in 9/21/2005. however, after another 20k miles, i am having the same problem at a lesser level and i am sure that the dealer will claim that i am imagining the symptoms because they cannot duplicate them. in addition, i was told that the car will only be covered up to 100k miles. i now have 99k miles. *nm

The paint on my black tl-s has been continually deteriorating since a couple months after purchase. every bird dropping, road grime, hard water mark on my car seems to eat through 3 coats of meguiar's wax and take off the paint. friends have witnessed how well i take care of my cars (witness my 10 year old mitsubishi with no such problems and it was not garaged!) and agree that the paint quality on my acura is extremely poor. i have been reading of other customers with similar problems and i believe acura should have to send out a service bulletin to repaint those cars exhibiting this peeling, flaking, cracking, etching problem. i use a car cover and immediately wash off anything that lands on my car.... often the contaminant does not wash off (bonds to the paint?) or just takes the paint off with it! talked to three acura dealers over the years and no one will take responsibility. it's disappointing for a company my family has done business with for 18 years (7 honda products so far). never saw this problem on any of the other honda / acura products either. *nm

Faulty transmission. acura recalled vehicle, but my vehicle did not fall under the "vin" recall. *nm

The carelessness of the workers completing construction on interstate 275. i have had to replace two high performance tires; due to a screw which caused my tire to blow with the first tire on the interstate at 4:45 am, had to spend $266.46 to replace tire. then a week and a half later while driving on the same interstate going to work had to replace another tire due to a nail, another $200.00. i think it is the responsibility of dot to make sure all screws and nails are cleared off the interstate since people are having to travel in order to get to work each day. to have to pay over $400, in a week and half; money that i don't have it is taking a toll on me financially. i think dot needs to step up and take responsibility for all the loose nails and screws being left on the interstate. *jb

Steering failed - steering wheel would turn freely without affecting the front wheels. occurred in a parking lot so the driver was able to stop the vehicle before hitting anything. a serious problem. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds, the vehicle violently jerked as the automatic transmission shifted gears. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer who determined the automatic transmission needed to be replaced. after the initial replacement, the problem persisted and the vehicle was returned to the dealer for further inspection. the dealer determined the automatic transmission needed to be replaced again. the manufacturer was alerted.

The car lost power, the engine rpm red lined but the car would not go. it left me stranded in the left lane of a 5 lane highway. i coasted into the center lane. the car would not go. fortunately the police pulled behind me and turned on their flashers. i turned off the engine, after a few minutes restarted the car and was able to slowly pull the car off the road. i was within a mile of my home and was able to get the car home and had it towed to the dealer. i found websites about 2002 and 2003 acura tl transmissions failing and being covered under service bulletin 04-020. almost every entry described the exact problem i had. acura extended the warranty to 100,000 miles for certain vin numbers and was replacing the transmission free of charge under warranty. unfortunately my vin was not within the required recall. acura said it was because they fixed the problem. obviously they did not. the safety issue continues and i suspect you are receiving other complaints. *jb

On 8/16/06 while driving my 03 acura 3.2tl at 55 mph i accelerated to app 60 mph to pass a car. my car slammed from 5th gear to 2nd gear resulting in a violent jerk. it was so violent i thought i could have been rammed from behind by another vehicle. no warning lights. app 1 mile later going 45 mph the car violently jerked several more times as it apparently shifted from 4th or 5th gear to 2nd gear or neutral. again quite violent and no warning lights present so i slowed down and continued on toward home. i traveled 2 more miles at 30 mph and experienced almost 12 more jerks before my warning lights started flashing. i then pulled over and sat for a moment. then the warning lights stopped flashing and stayed on. i was only a couple of blocks from home so i waited for a break in traffic and pulled back onto the road. my car did not want to accelerate and continued jerking violently in and out of gears until i reached home. my car had previously (a couple of years earlier-july 2004) had a recall to place a oil spray jet on my transmission. i received no notice from acura about another transmission problem or recall until i had this major problem and took my car in. my husband dealt with the service dept at southern motors acura in savannah, ga. they replaced the transmission at no expense. my husband told the service mgr that he feared what happened could have caused an accident. he was assured that the people having 3 and 4 transmissions replaced was before honda engineers figured out the problem and that i should not have another problem. he was told that they would extend my warranty to 100k miles or 7 years (not in writing). since getting my car back with its "new" transmission, i believe my car has "slipped" out of gear once more but at a much lower speed. i am not confident that this problem has been adequately resolved and am concerned for my safety while driving this vehicle. i feel that acura is covering up an issue that could cost lives. *nm

Acura claims my 2003 acura 3.2tl type s is out of the vin# range that is covered by the extended 7/100k power train warranty to cover the defect in transmissions. i find out that the 03 i purchased a few months ago has had three different transmission replacements by acura and now needs its fourth. they claim that since its not included in the vin range of the warranty they won't cover it all and want me to pay $1200. clearly the service history shows a defect with this car and transmissions. the acura dealer diagnosed it and agrees i shouldn't have to pay, but the manufacturer doesn't agree. they still won't acknowledge that this vehicle should have been included in the vin range of the tsb. *jb

2003 acura 3.2 tl fell out of gear four times while driving on the highway. *ts the consumer's vehicle was not covered under the extended warranty because acura limited the warranty to certain vins. the consumer had the transmission and torque converter replaced at his expense. *nm *nm

Consumer complaint concerning an acura 3.2tl auto transmission. *ts *jb

2003 acura 3.2tl type s transmission fell out of gear on the highway at 17,014 miles. *kb the consumer's vehicle was not covered under the extended warranty because acura limited the warranty to certain vins. the consumer had the transmission and torque converter replaced at his expense. *nm

Paint clear coat cracking and coming off "b" pillar on doors. *nm

Complete transmission failure resulting in disengagement of drive train. acura help line requested vin number for car, so i exited vehicle to get the number from the window. car was in park, however car rolled backwards down hill into path of oncoming vehicle. i was able to run after it and jump in to apply brake just before collision would have occurred. this is similar to the issue under pe02081. acura is replacing the transmission, and claim that this issue as highlighted in pe02081 has been resolved and that my vehicle is not covered in the extended warranty program. my concern is that acura know about this potential problem, they have not contacted any owner to alert them of a problem, there is no indication such as engine warning light on the vehicle to indicate transmission overheating they are waiting to get some one killed... thank heavens it wasn't me. *jb

2003 acura tl type-s experiencing excessive wear on only the driver's side front tire. car was taken to an acura dealer for service. upon inspection of the vehicle, the acura mechanic indicated that the problem has been seen previously on several other vehicles of the same make/model and that the problem was related to the traction control system (vsa) allowing slippage of the front driver's side tire during right turns. acura stated that there was no resolution available and the only recourse was to rotate the tires on a more frequent basis. tire dealer was asked if there were any known issues with the tire itself (michelin) and indicated that there were no service notifications issues from the manufacturer. the wear on this tire is heavily accelerated and was only noticed on a routine examination of the vehicle. based on the statements by the acura mechanic, i believe there to be a problem with the traction control system that allows the front driver's side tire to slip, thereby causing the excessive wear. given winter driving conditions, this slippage was increased due to the loss of road traction. if unnoticed, the tire would have failed (with less than 28000 miles) potentially causing significant damage to the vehicle. the worn tire is available for inspection and pictures of the tire in comparison to the passenger side front tire are available upon request. *nm

With 17,014 miles on my garage kept 2003 acura 3.2tl type s the transmission failed leaving me stranded on the side of the road at night. the dealer replaced it but i a still having trouble with it shifting improperly i cannot trust my car on a long trip or at night. the dealer will not extend my warranty. *jb

When accelerating onto the freeway the transmission malfunctioned leaving no power and creating a rapid decel while merging into traffic. car was towed to the dealer and the transmission was found to be faulty. further investigation indicates this is a common occurrence on acura 3.2 tl, but the dealer denies any warranty coverage. *jb

Premature tire tread wear. *jb

Currently own a 2003 acura 3.2tl with 31,000 miles on it. transmission problem. racing at 65 miles an hour without pressing gas pedal. *jb

2003 acura has vibration in lower gears when shifting and a humming noise. *ts the dealer found internal transmission component failure. the transmission and torque converter was replaced. *jb

I had my 2003 acura tl transmission fail. while traviling at highway speed the car suddenly downshifted very hard. this occured no less than 3 times before getting the vehicle to a place where it could be towed. i see that nhtsa has opened and closed an investigation about these transmission failures. my car was not included in the 7year/100,000 mile extended transmission. the mileage at time of failure was 34500 miles. i called acura customer service to ask that my car be covered by the extended warranty, and at first was told i would have to purchase an extended warranty because my vin was not covered under the extended warranty. i stated that i was not going to pay for acura's problem and asked to be contacted by a supervisior. i was called back by a service rep who told me acura would grant me the extended warranty, but because i live in florida i would have to sign a waiver that excludes me for persuing any lemon law violations against acura for the transmission failure. i have lost faith in the safety of my car, and know of many owners who have had multiple replacement transmissions installed on the same vehicle. installing a rebuilt transmission does not seem to cure this issue. acura/honda needs to address this failure with a widespread recall to fix this problem once and for all. *nm

Multiple issues over a 2.5 year period with a new 2003 acura 3.2 tl type s. i have had a transmission replaced after receiving a safety recall. secondly, the car has had an idling issue for 2.5 years that was just recently resolved with the replacement of an engine control valve. third, the a/c was not working properly and the compressor was replaced. fourth, the idle air control system was bad and had to be replaced. fifth, and most worrisome, is that i have had white smoke come from under my hood on 3 separate occasions. the acura dealership has told me they are unable to reproduce the problem and cannot assist me in resolving the issue.*jb

Transmission failure at 45,747 mi no previous problems transmission was replaced. *nm

My car makes a loud clunk when i am backing out of a parking place or driveway and turn the wheel and apply the brakes. i brought the car into the acura dealer and was told that they were aware of the problem and that it is characteristic of this model and also the mdx that was made that year. i was told there was nothing wrong with my car, however, how do i resell the car with such a noise present? i feel there should be a recall and the problem fixed. *jb

Dt: transmission failed twice. in 06-2004 the first time transmission failed. the consumer could feel that the gear shift did not shift smoothly. the consumer found out that there had been a recall on the transmission. the transmission had been replaced in 7-2004. the second time the transmission failed was on 8-15-05. the dealership replaced the transmission again. the vehicle was still under warranty. when she contacted the manufacturer, they told her that if she did not feel safe she should sell the vehicle. *ak

Dt: consumer states he has an intermittent shuddering when the transmission shifts. the dealer cannot duplicate the problem. he says acura knows there is a transmission problem/ they have extended the warranty to 100,000 miles. he has 66,000 miles on the car. he states this problem started happening around 55, 000 miles. consumer states he is afraid that the problem will get worse and the car will break down while he is far away from home. *nm the vehicle was recall prior to this failure for the transmission overheating. the dealer installed and addition pump to rectify that problem. the consumer believes this problem is related to the recall repairs made.*nm

Tire failure. second tire failure on the same wheel, on the same side of the vehicle within 4 months of each failure.

Consumer complaint regarding a defective acura. the vehicle made a loud roaring sound and all the dashboard warning lights illuminated.***no answer required***. *mr the vehicle was taken to the dealer but no problem was found. the oil jet kit had been install previously under recall 04v1700 and the consumer believes this component may have failed again. the consumer believes the entire transmission should be replaced. *nm

While slowly pulling into a parking space at my local fitness club vehicle suddenly made a roaring noise, accelerated, plunged forward, and struck two parked vehicles. this happened in a matter of seconds. after the car stopped, i put it in park and turned off the engine. i notified the owners of the other vehicles, and promptly called the police. when the police officer arrived, he completed exchange of information forms for all involved parties. he also told me to be sure to have the car checked out mechanically. the car was towed to a body shop for repairs. then, it was taken to the car dealer service department to have it checked for internal mechanical malfunctions. the service manager said they could not find anything wrong with the car. he said there were no error messages or indications of malfunction. however, later i noticed that the cruise control buttons may have been replaced with a new set. i am positive that the car malfunctioned due to an acceleration problem.*ak

I started the acura 3.2tl type s at 6:45am, the acura had not been started or driven the previous 14 hours. engaged transmission in reverse, the gear locked up and rapidly accelerated backward and at the same time a fire started in the engine compartment, i managed to stop the acura after 30 feet where i was ½ on and ½ off my parking area at my house. by the time i had stopped the car flames, smoke & fumes were filling the passenger compartment, i could not get the drivers side door opened, my neighbor noticing the large amount of smoke coming from under the hood rushed to my aid for he could see that i was in the car and i was pushing on the door with my feet in an effiort to escape the burning acura. i was overcome from the fumes and smoke when he pulled me out of the now the rapidly burning acura, the flames having advanced to the front seat. he pulled me out with my heavy jacket on fire and the bottom ½ of my pants aflame. he managed to get my jacket off and the flames out on my pants and we managed to get away from the burning acura then in thirty to fourty seconds the fire had progressed to the rear of the acura and the gas tank exploded and the whole car was a fireball. i suffered 2nd & 3rd degree burns on my legs. appletree acura, fletcher, nc had performed recall (campaign id #: 04v176000) on december 8th, 2004 at 42,000 miles in which they did not replace transmission but performed a revision to the oil cooler return line. the acura was a total loss. *ak

I own a 2003 acura tl type-s. on several occasions, while merging into highway traffic, i've experienced moments when the transmission wouldn't respond to acceleration (i.e. wouldn't down shift). the car just seem to coast slowly into traffic, causing me to almost get into vehicle accidents. the first transmission i had was replaced due to burnt transmission fluid, i'm just upset that i was allowed to drive a vehicle that had a defective transmission. i had mentioned on several occassions to the dealer where i originally leased the vehicle (acura of troy), about times when the car just seemed to get stuck in second gear. i was told by dealer that nothing was wrong. however, i feel i no longer can depend on the dealer to give me accurate information. this is a very critical problem and dangerous. i'm afraid for my loved ones and myself when driving this vehicle. i took car into another dealer (suburban acura) where they replaced my first transmission under warranty because it was defective, now i'm having even more problems with the second one. i'm starting to get a burning odor from the vehicle now. i've taken the vehicle back in for service but was told nothing was wrong with it. how can someone check a transmission in about 30 minutes or less? i want out of this vehicle for safety reasons. this is not what i paid for, and now i'm driving a vehicle that has reduced performance and a burning odor. again, i'm afraid for my well-being and those of my family.*ak

Consumer's vehicle was stopped in traffic when another vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed rear ended consumer's vehicle, pushing it into another vehicle, and causing driver's seat to collapse into the back seat. consumer sustained injuries, and taken to hospital for pain in his arm and legs. consumer was x-rayed, and then informed he had nerve damage, and was referred to an orthopedic s. impact, air bags did not deploy.*ak

Vehicle hesitated before shifting gear prior to the automatic transmission recall 04v176000 repairs being performed. but after repairs were done the problem became worse. dealership has been notified.*ak the dealer installed the oil jet kit per the recall. after leaving the dealer, the problem continued and became worse in a few weeks. the dealer was notified, but refused to fix the problem. the vehicle no longer drives in third gear. *bf

While driving accelerator stuck. consumer hit the brakes in ordeer to stop. turned the vehicle off. consumer took the vehicle to the dealer where the accelerator cable was replaced.*ak the cosumer stated that the dealer replaced the entire throttle body. *tc

Within 1 week of taking delivery of the vehicle, the transmission started showing signs of a problem. *nm recall campaign : 04v176000. while driving in fifth gear the transmission would hesitate and feel like it was hunting between gears causing the vehicle to shutter. the second incident was the same as the first and included the engine revving as the transmission slipped into neutral even though the vehicle was in d5 in automatic mode. the vehicle coasted to the shoulder and stopped. regardless of what gear the transmission was in no power went to the front wheels. the consumer smelled a burning smell coming from the vehicle. after the transmission was replaced the problem still existed. the transmission was replaced again and the problem still existed. *tc *jb

While going through an intersection, pausing to let another vehicle pass. then, transmission failed. consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, and was told that transmission failed. *ak

'recall campaign' issued for 2003 acura tl transmission failure. *bf the consumer is upset that the dealer knowingly sold him a vehicle that had a recall and did not disclose the information, however the dealer stated they did not find out about the recall until nov 2004. the consumer contacted acura client service and was told the dealer knew about the recall 2 months prior to the consumer purchasing the vehicle. (recall 04v176000). *jb the consumer requested reimbursement for the out of pocket expenses for improvements, interest and payments. *sc *jb

Upon starting the vehicle to warm it up before taking off the defroster takes about 15 minutes to clear the back window. windows steam up very badly. *ak

Vehicle is a 2003 acura3.2 tl. the engine accelerates at random and while in park or in gear.*ak

I was slowing down to make a left turn. the steering failed. i wrestled the car -- bruising my hand -- into the turn and ended up on the curb. the engine apparently had stalled, causing the steering failure. i was able to restart and go on my way, after backing off the curb.

While driving approximately 45 mph transmission locked, causing vehicle to crash into a wall. the cause of why this happened was undetermined.*ak

The transmission on my 2003 acura tl type s failed at approximately 38000 miles. the transmission was recently serviced pursuant to a notice by acura. this is the third acura that i have owned that has had transmission failure. the first vehicle (2002) was replaced within two weeks. the second vehicle had two failures and was eventually replaced with a 2003 model after negotiation with their mediation group. it is very apparent that the transmissions are in fact defective, given the fact that honda motor co. ltd did finally issue a recall notice. based on my personal experience i am very concerned as to the safety of the vehicle, even with another transmission. i also fear for my safety as well as my family?s safety when operating the vehicle. this is amended information provided over the phone.*ak

I own a 2003 acura tl type s. recently i have been having transmission problems. i took the car into the cealership and they told me that i need a recall done. what they did was install an oil jet to lubricate the 2nd gear better.(2nd gear is the supposed cause of failure) . after the oil jet was installed the dealership informed me that i would need a transmission replacement. i was outraged. i have to pay out of my pocket because they have a design flaw. on the way home from the dealership the transmission flat out died. the car wouldnt shift gears and i have to drive it home in 2nd gear. i dont know what to do, i am in no financial position to replace the transmission.*ak

Nhtsa recall 04v176000 concerning transmission failure. after having revising the oil cooler return line consumer heard a loud knocking noise coming from the transmission. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, but cause could not be determined. *ak

Faulty no bent or scratched on rim. should be reimburse for tire. *bf the vehicle tire had a rip in the inside wall. the consumer wanted to be reimbursed. *tc

I took my acura tl-s 2003 in for the 30,000 mile service on october 27, 2004. at this time i was informed that the automatic transmission would be examined for damage due to incorrect lubrication. i was not aware of the recall before this. the examination was done, and i was told that the transmission looked fine and they had installed an oil jet kit. on november4, 2004 my transmission failed as i was driving in traffic home. the transmission appeared to lock causing a sudden deceleration then alternated between slipping and locking. luckily i was not on the highway where if this had happened, i am convinced i would have had a bad accident. as it was i nearly was rear ended by an unsuspecting motorist behind me (it was dark outside and of course my brake lights did not alert that motorist). the check engine light also came on, and the traction control system vsa off light lit up. i had the vehicle towed to acura where they "condemned" the transmission. they told me they will be putting a refurbished transmission in the vehicle. this is very concerning since they looked at my previous one, made the changes that they believe will fix the problem, and then my transmission still failed. someone is going to get killed by this problem, sooner or later!*ak

A plug fell out of the passenger side rear wheel well holding the plastic body material to the fender. it fell out and caused me to find a metal screw to hold it in place, i went to the dealer to see if they would repair/give me a new plug, i was told that it would cost me $254,00 & labor and an auto bdy shop to put it on. how ludicrous can that be. am i wrong it my challenge to the dealer.*ak

Twice, my acura tl has slowed drastically as i was driving at high speed in the freeway fast lane. both times i pulled into the right lane, and by then the car seemed to be functioning normally. i was lucky i wasn't in heavy traffic. i called the car dealer after the second incident and was told they had "never heard of anything like that." my internet research found the nhtsa investigation of acura tl transmissions. i called the dealer again, and they have agreed to inpsect the transmission.*ak

While driving vehicle stalled. consumer drove vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic could not be duplicate the problem. *ak

The transmission failed on the highway. the vehicle just stopped. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. after picking the vehicle up, the timing chain broke. *jb

2003 acura tl type-s, 36960 miles: recurring transmission slippage when shifting between 2nd and 3rd gear (automatic 5-speed transmission) and nearly caused car crash when driving on highway during rush hour traffic three times. currently driving a rental waiting to have replacement transmission installed. ("oil jet kit" was installed by dealer 2 months ago in response to recent recall by acura.)*ak

Vehicle stalled while driving. consumer pulled vehicle off the road. consumer was unable to restart the vehicle, and it was towed to the dealership. the dealership inspected vehicle three times, but was unable to fix it. *ak

Recall was found on the internet. after contacting the manufacturer about not receiving recall letter, consumer was told they could not send him the letter again, their obligation was fulfilled with recall 04-v176000 concening transmission failure. however, transmission was still defective. *ak

Acura 2003 tl transmission defect. first failure transmission locked up at speed of 70 mph happened 6 times . transmission replaced.second failure transmission locked up going 55 car following behind me crashed into me . signifigant injurie's resulted from this crash that involved 3 vehicles.*ak i have reported this info to "this" site 3 times and go back to find my submission and it mysteriously dissapears! honda acura's recent safety recall for this transmission defect keeps claiming there are no crashes or injurys' as a result of this defect . this is false !!!! i know of atleast 3 other incidences that involve injury's due to the severe defect that causes the transmission to lock up with out warning!

I brought frist tl in 2002 and at 2003 the car's transmission broke and i traded the tl and bought new 03 tl type-s in 2003. then july of 2004, the transmission broke again with my new 03tl again. i almost got accident becase the car just shift it's gear itself. *ak

Bucking and front wheels locked up momentarily. highway speeds, very dangerous. 2003 acura and now the dealers says they will replace the transmission. i was lied to when i bought this car, dealer said all 2003's were not inflicted. now i found out different. my experience was scary. recall now!*ak

Car was driven on the interstate highway and sudden transmission failure. car surge and transmission went out, no shifting in any gear at all. mil check engine light comes on. owned to the dealership and diagnosis show tranny failure. new transmission is replaced. *ak

While driving our 2003 tl-s on the hwy, the car suddenly violently jerked and the transmission seemed to be failing. sure enough i had the car towed to the dealer who informed me that the transmission needs to be replaced. i am extremely upset that my pre-owned vehicle with only 22000 miles has to have the transmission replaced. the car was very dangerous and could have caused an accident with the way it was causing whiplash. the company should do a recall on the transmission not just an extension of the warranty. so far we have experienced many of the complaints listed on the nhtsa website. we have had the tire sidewall bulge, which i had to pay to have the new tire replaced once it blew out on the hwy. we had to have the radio missfire fixed and now the transmission replaced within the last 6 months. this car is definitely not reliable.*ak

Transmission failure on acura 3.2tls. *ak

I am a claim representative for nationwide insurance. our insured, john miholic's son, was driving the 2003 acura 3.2tl at night. he lost control of the vehicle and struck the right front end of his vehicle. a cause and origin report conducted by lange technical service indicated that due to the impact, the ignition of combustible materials form the high intensity head lamp bulb that was displaced caused the fire which totaled out the vehicle. *jb

I own a 2003 acura tl type s. at 18,434 miles, the transmission failed. it was replaced, but this transmission is exhibiting the same symptoms the original transmission did before it failed. the symptoms are hesitation and jerking at highway speeds. some acura tl owners were given an extended drivetrain warranty. i was told mine was not part of that offering even after my transmission failed, so i am not covered by the warranty. based on the fact that the replacement transmission is having the same problems, in addition to all of the acura tl owners who have had two and three replacement transmissions, i feel there should be a recall for these transmissions. *ak

Transmission failure. *ak

The transmission in my 2003 acura 3.2tl type s has been replaced twice and is going back in on monday for another check.*ak

My transmission literally locked up over 6 times while driving at speeds over 65mph causing my car to try and come to a complete stop while driving this fast ..i had no warning prior ,that anything was wrong with the transmission . it literally was about to throw me through the windsheild ,it left bald ares on my tires from this and the service guy who drove it stated it almost threw him through the windsheild and he was only driving 30mph ...this has injured my neck and arm ,left arm and i am now scared to death of driving this car as this was such a scary expierience ,never knowing when it was going to happen .. i am involved in a forum online for other acura owners who have had their transmission replaced up to 4 times.. i want out of this death trap!

The engine light went on suddenly at 11,000 miles making a clunking noise. was in repair 15 days. rebuilt automatic transmission & torque converter was replaced as well as broken engine mount. at 19,713 engine light went on again failure vsa & ecm units replaced. at 25,596 miles engine light goes on,transmission does not go into reverse due to internal failure, replaced pcm & transmission (rebuilt)lock-up control solinoid assembly, replaced lost transmission fluid.left dealer's service dept & upon reaching home, engine light came on, had to return back to service dept. on the way, the vehicle suddenly & without notice locked 6 times at 50 mph, decelerated down to 30 mph making booming noises, car behind almost crashed into my vehicle, had to pull over, slowly driving to dealer scared to death as the vehicle was so erratic & making booming noises. my son was driving, called me on his cell phone as to his experience, finally made it to the service dept. honda/acura voluntarily extended warranty in 2002 on the transmissions due to defects as well as in 2003 offered enhanced pcm powertrain service due to defects in another notification. nhtsa conducted investigation & should have recalled the 3.2tl type s vehicles as well as other models as they can potentially cause serious injuries and/or death to everyone concerned without notice at highway speeds especially. these transmission defects were known by honda/acura yet vehicles were being sold to the public anyway. honda/acura now claims the 2004 models will be redesigned. does this include their faulty transmissions? who can you ask if nhsta allows this to occur year after year. leasing this vehicle requires prayers that no one gets killed. yes, i'm angry!! a vehicle should be enjoyed & not a hazard that cannot be corrected.

Consumer felt that the tires on this vehicle were not the proper size. consumer had to replace five front tires due to blow outs at the sidewalls. *ak

Failed transmission in both a 2002 and 2003 acura tls vehicle. *ak

While having an oil change performed, the dealership noticed an oil leak. the oil was leaking through the transmission casing. the dealership indicated that the casing was faulty and replaced it with a previous manufactured part. this was a common problem in these vehicles. *ak 20% of the cast transmission casing was defective. the consumer felt that he did not need a new transmission with less than 3k miles. the consumers extended warranty was excluded. *sc *jb

Automatic transmission was leaking fluid. dealer replaced it with a rebuilt transmission , consumer asked why transmission was replaced with a rebuilt and not brand new transmission. *ak

Transmission failed at 30,000 miles in my 2003 acura tl-s, leaving me going 30mph trying to merge onto a freeway.*ak

Transmission problems with sudden harsh jerk. transmission is on its second replacement also front brake caliper bolt sheared off at 75 miles per hour resulting tin the front tire locking up. ventilation problems with mold in the recirculation system.*ak

My 2003 acura tl currently has 3500 miles on it. the other day it started making a grinding noise - no noise was present prior - turns out the rear brakes and rotors were bad (the front ones were fine). *ak

While driving, the transmission slipped gears. the consumer managed to drive home and had the vehicle towed to the dealership. please provide more information. *jb

2003 acura 3.2 tl previously reported sudden downshift from 5th gear to 2nd gear at highway speeds. vehicle inspected by gettel acura in sarasota, fl. told "cannot reproduce problem so honda/acura will not authorize any repairs". vehicle is still at dealer, they are attempting to reproduce problem. have been told by acura customer care that my vehicle is "outside the vin number series covered by previous nhtsa investigations" and my vehicle is not a candidate for repair, despite the 7 year, 100k mile extended warranty. was told "we believe you, but if we cannot reproduce the problem, there is nothing we can do...why should we dump thousands of dollars in parts into your car if we can't find anything wrong?" i explained their liabiliy and the potential safety hazard, as, the vehicle had suddenly downshifted from 5th gear to 2nd, twice in last 5 days. acura/honda appears to be stonewalling, and i will have to seek legal counsel in order to compel them to comply with the terms of the extended transmission warranty...before the transmission failure causes an accident or injury to myself or my family. acura insists the transmission problems were "fixed" before the car was built, so there is no way i could be having the same problems, and i was chastized for quoting information from nhtsa investigation results...they told me "you aren't a mechanic, and trying to get a new transmission because you read something on the web doen't mean your car has a problem". this was courtesy of "robin" at acura customer care department on 2/24/04. . the dealership called today, stated it was raining, so they couldn't take my car out to run diagnostics..and they'll try again "tomorrow". if they find nothing wrong, they plan on returning the vehicle to me, unrepaired. . i am most certainly scared to get back behind the wheel of this vehicle, due to the two sudden downshifts that nearly caused loss of control of the vehicle. . acura is not complying with it's agreement with nhtsa.*ak

Sudden downshift of automatic transmission while driving in d-5 (5th gear) at approximately 60mph while merging onto highway. momentary loss of control, regained when 5th gear re-engaged. motor suddenly revved to near red-line causing torque steer feel and deceleration. reviously notified dealer of transmission-related issues, was told "no problem found" at gettel acura in sarasota, fl. plan on taking vehicle back to shop again.*ak

My wife was in a collision on 12/12/03 which involved another vehichle that ran a stop sign and my wife's new 2003 acura tl hit the vehicle at fault in the drivers side door. i have included pictures of the property damage incurred. the front airbags did not deploy. i reported this incident to the acura dealer in fort walton beach immediately that i purchased this from and gave them a chance to test the airbags before the car was fixed. they declined and informed me they would test the airbag system once it was repaired. the case file# with the dealer was b012003-12-1601041. everybody that i spoke with regarding this was amazed that the airbags did not depoy on a front end crash that caused $7183 dollars worth of damage. the core support of the car had to be replaced. i have heard of other acura failures for front airbags and wanted to see if there was a defect in this particular model. the dealer was not that helpful. mr. kirk perks the district manager did agree to meet with me to discuss and the dealer performed an airbag test , however the auto repair shop stated to me that there was no way to accurately test the airbag system. my concern now is obviously if these airbags will deploy on any future incidents.*ak

2003 acura tl type s experiencing transmission problems. *mr the transmission shifted roughly in addition to missing when the cruise control was engaged. when the consumer pressed the cruise control to increase the speed the engine surged on two occasions back to back as the consumer tried to disengage the cruise control. (faulty tl transmissions were a widely known problem for acura) *sc

Transmission problems with 2003 acura tl type s. *ph the transmission shifted roughly in addition to a missing cruise control. there was also a time where the vehicle had no reverse gear. *sc

I leased an 03 acura tl-type s in 4/02. this vehicle is unsafe and the manufacturer is either unable or unwilling to correct the problem. he transmission began slipping, shuddering and bucking at 15k miles. the rpms would also rev without pressing the gas pedal . i brought the car in on 12/2/02, and the dealer reported that there were "no codes" and that the "problem could not be duplicated." at nearly 22k miles, the problem evolved into a high-pitched whining noise. on 4/16/03, dealer said the transmission needed to be replaced. at first the new transmission seemed to perform better, but differently and somewhat more slowly. at about 26,000 miles the shuddering and bucking at various speeds returned. i took it back to dealer on 7/21/03, and again they said "no codes" and the "problem could not be duplicated," precisely as had been indicated before the first transmission was replaced. they did flush the transmission fluid. on 10/22/03 during a roadtest with dealer's service department, the transmission did in fact exhibit the behavior i have been documenting. after the computer revealed no codes, the vehicles egr ports were cleaned and dealer believed that would fix the problem. however, the problem continued. i have taken the car back on a half dozen occasions and each time am told they can't duplicate the problem. acura corporate management admits there is a problem with the transmissions and replacement transmissions have also failed. they are not sure why. they insist if there are "no codes" or if dealer cannot readily duplicate there is not a problem. i am unwilling to wait for a complete failure which can result in the transmission locking up at highway speeds and lead to an accident. i began at the end of november documenting the dates, times and speeds at which the transmission malfunctions and can provide this data. it is inconsistent and it is very difficult to duplicate, but that does not mean it is not a problem. *ak

Vehicle type: acura 3.2tl model year: 2003. vehicle periodically failed to start. vehicle periodically stalls in traffic. *ak

Paint on rear trunk lid extremely thin and peeling when car is washed. despite having 5 coats of wax on the car, washing the car (by hand with maguiar's soft car soap and soft terry toweling) peeled sections of the paint off the trunk lid. car had sat for two weeks (standard wash interval for the car due to my work schedule) outside (car is covered when first cleaned). no reason for the paint to have come off. no response to my letters from manufacturer. dealer referred me to acura customer care so no help there. *cb

Burning smell emanating from exhaust area into cabin at 9800 miles. terrible - can smell it on the outside from 25 feet away. the stench inside the back seat of the cabin is enough to make you gag. car is only 100 miles overdue for an oil change (3100 miles) running manufacturer recommended oil weight. car has had trouble since i bought it - but mostly external until now (peeling paint). *cb

Problems with high beams on acura 3.2 tl. *mr the high beam's were distracting. (errant high beam reflection) *sc jb*

Two transmissions in my 6 month old in my acura 3.2 tl . the first failure consisted of my tranny locking up while traveling at 65mph or more and almost throwing me through the windshield. the tranny was replaced with a new one. the snd occurence consisted of my tranny locking up in lunch hour traffic ,traveling around 55 car behind me was not prepared for the lock up slammed into me, police report and injurie's sustained that are still ongoing. this is a deffinate safety issue alway's has been ,if a car stalls on the highway ,there is no question that it is a safety issue ,this is worse then an engine stalling,there are no brake light's ,it all happnes too fast ! who decides what is a safety issue? i'll tell you the people who dirve these and have had accident's or near death expieriences. *ak

My 2003 tl-s has been manufactured in december of 2002, seven months after the date that acura supposedly addressed the transmission failure issue. i was shocked when my transmission failed after 9 months and less than 9,000 miles. at this point i do not trust that acura has really addressed the transmission issue.

"yaw rate sensor" for the vehicle stability assist (vds) system may be improperly mounted. this can cause either of the front wheel brakes to be suddenly and firmly applied without warning for up to one second. a possible result is lost of control or rear end collision (brake lights are not activated). improperly mounted sensor will also cause the vds to deactivate until engine restart, activate vsa system indicator warning light on the tachometer face, and set a yaw rate sensor diagnostic trouble code. honda has started supplying yaw rate sensors with a locating pin which prevents improper mounting. but there is no indication that honda has recalled to check those vehicles built or repaired with units lacking the locating pins. the unit is easily accessible to check for proper mounting. this problem pertains to 2003 & 2002 type-s versions of both the 3.2tl and 3.2cl models. *la

I bought an acura 3.2tl type s in july 2003. the vehicle is 3 months old with 4,000 miles on it and it is having the transmission replaced. i was not aware of this problem when i purchased the car, nor was i told about it when i inquired about recalls, since this is not an official "recall." *la

'03 acura tl3 engine raced at full throttle (tach red zone), threatening driver, pedestrians, and other vehicles. required driver to put full weight on brake to stop car, then downshift and shut down engine. this occurred twice. acura dealer replaced idle air control valve. *la

High intensity discharge headlights on the acura 3.2 tl are much too bright and poorly aimed. they tend to blind on coming traffic. *la

Vehicle's low beams are aimed to low failing to provide illumination.*mr high beams caused reflections high up on vertical objects at the sides of the roads. dealer stated that was the way the lights were designed and they could not be corrected. *ph *jb

Consumer complained about gas pedal problem. it would accelerate on its on. this has happened four different times, where the vehicle switched by itself , and it almost felt like gears werre switching into neutral. dealer had been contacted, and stated that since vehicle did not do it when they were driving there was nothing that they could do.*ak

Transmission slips and revs at approx 55-65 mph, so strongly car loses direction while driving and passenger feels 'jolt', dealership has replaced transmission twice, also replaced egr valve, problem continues to occur. axle not properly replaced; transmission fluid leaking out which caused car to smoke. met with regional service rep who was condescending and patronizing, and offered 'accessories'. transmission #1 was 'refurbished' and guaranteed by acura by 150,000 miles-->was replaced by #2 which was 'new'...still having the same problem-extremely unsafe!! i just want a car that is safe and works!!

Have taken my 2003 acura tls into the dealers approximately four times for the same problem. dealer states they cannot do anything because they cannot duplicate the problem.*ak while driving the gas pedal self-depresses and locks, but the car feels as though it has shifted itself into neutral--leaving me no alternative but to cruise to the side of the road until the gas pedal 'pops' itself up and i regain control of the car.

All four vehicle tires lost pressure while driving. *mr while driving all four michelin tire lost tire pressure. upon inspection the technician noticed a sidewall tear 1.5 inch in length, perpendicular to tread. inspection of the other three tires revealed that one other tire had a bulge in the sidewall about 2.5 inches in diameter. (michelin pilot hxmxm4, dot# b938 cttx1102) *scc *nlm

Vehicle's timing belt broke resulting in engine damage. when taken to service dealer for 15,000.00 mile checkup the dealer did not make the consumer aware of the problem. the car has been repaired since and offer a 22,000.00 mile check up free of charge. the consumer fells that it is not enough compensation for the anguish possibility that it could have been a serious accident.*mr *cb

Vehicle downshifting without warning while traveling at a constant speed. *mr this happened randomly. the dealer was unwilling to fix the unit they could verify the problem. eventually the transmission failed while the consumer was on the highway, where he/she was able to coast to the berm with no incident. the transmission was replaced. there have been several other reports of this problem. *scc *jb

Transmission downshifts without warning when traveling at various speeds, and causes occupants to be jerked backwards. problem occurs randomly, and acura refuses to fix without dealer duplication - despite issuing a warranty extension for the transmission.*ak

Consumer called complaining about air bags stated that her son was driving and was involved in a front collision, and the air bag on the driver's side did not deploy. the only air bag that did deploy was the front passanger's side.manufacturer was not contacted at the time of this call.dealer was contacted, and stated that they will send somebody to see the car accident was on july 6, 2003.*ak

High beams reflect light to vertical objects at the side of the road, such as trees, structure, etc, causing distracting flashes of light, and momentary diversion of driver's attention. low beams do now seem to go out far enough to give a good view of the darkened road without using high beams. the headlights on 2001 and earlier models were excellent and did/do not present the same problems. i do not know of headlights used on 2002 models were the same as mine. dealer states problems not correctable in that lights operate as designed by manufacturer. *ak there was a rattle in the front seat belt housing, the center console was hard to open, and the sill plate was loose. *scc *jb

Vehicle had an acceleration problem. dealer was contacted, and stated that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. consumer had stopped at a red light and vehicle accelerated on its own.*ak

While driving, the consumer heard a "whirring" noise and assumed it was road noise. took vehicle to dealer, who diagnosed the wheel bearings had failed. consumer had to pay $26 for repairs. *ak *cb *jb

Consumer attempted to stop for a traffic light, but car continued to accelerate with foot applied to the brake pedal. consumer had to place vehicle in neutral in order to stop. dealer diagnosed failure of "iac valve", part no. 121187.*ak *ts *jb

Timing belt tensioner was defective. the vehicle made a "grinding" sound when driving. the dealer replaced the tensioner. *ak the dealer thought at first, the problem was the a-pipe and replaced it. the second time the dealer thought the problem was the catalytic converter and it was replaced. the third time the timing belt tensioner was replaced, which solved the problem. *scc *jb

Consumer has problem with the heater and the air conditioner.*ak

Tires- 4 tires in 3 months due to sidewall bubbles. *nlm

While driving 10-15 mph the passenger side front tire ruptured after it struck a shallow pothole. the replacement tire ruptured 2000 miles later when it hit a manhole cover. michelin agreed to reimburse the consumer for the one tire. the consumer plans to replace all four tires. *ak *cb *scc *nlm

Took delivery of new acura 2003 3.2tl type s on may 10, 2002. with about 7,000 miles on vehicle started to notice slight "shimmy" / "shutter" when applying brakes...greater impact at speeds 40 - 70mph. this indicates warped brake rotors. finally insisted that dealer address issue. dealer first offered to "turn" rotors; i declined and asked that they contact honda for replacement of rotors. honda agreed on, "good-will one time basis." furture warranty coverage will be by "turning" rotors. rotors and brake pads replaced at 9,675 miles. i have been told that the cause is "owner distinctive driving habits." when asked for a definition, i was told that i must live on and or drive on long - steep hills which necessitates extened use of brakes. this is totally incorrect and they were advised of that. if normal use of the brakes will cause warping, then the brakes are not fit for their implied usage as defined under the uniform commerical code-implied warranty mechantability. in discussion with a member of the acura staff, it was disclosed that about 50% of the vehicles experience this problem. honda/acura technical service bulletins have been made unavailable to consumers; however, i have been advised that the tsb addressing this issue calls for rotor replacement or "turning" rotors. it is clear that honda/acura is in it's normal mode of denial of a problem. a problem which is most likely caused by engineering design defect and/or improper heat treatment/hardening of the rotor material in conjuncition with the composition of the brake pad material. this is a serious defect and safety hazard.

Took delivery of new 2003 acura 3.2tl-type s on may 10, 2002. was unaware that honda/acura had an on-going transmission problem since model year 1999. transmission started acting up over the past several thousand miles. on may 15, 2003, dealer confirmed transmission problem and has ordered new transmission. honda has a major problem since this has occurred in model years 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 & 2003. while they have extended the warranty to 7 years / 100k miles, this is totally unacceptable. *jb

Car was in park, went to remove keys. car accelerated at high speed slamming into wall. *nlm

Transmission shudder and balking on new 2003 acura tlc type-s

My 2003 acura 3.2tl was put in service in august, 2003. recently, the srs light has come on and the dealer's service department is now making the second attempt to correct it; however, they advised me in writing as follows: "advised customer not to leave any electrical device on pass seat, will cause light to go off" i.e., cell phone in my wife's pocketbook could turn srs off. this explanation does not seem plausible. if the system is that sensitive, it is not dependable!

I noticed that nhtsa has opened an investigation into tranny failure. i bought an 03 acura 3.2tl-s back in march. i really didnt know than when the tranny would "catch up" that it would be a defect. the sad part is that i want to get rid of the car but i cant sell it because of financial loss. therefore, im forced to stay with this car that may some day kill me. i have heard of other stories; numerious other stories. i have a feeling that the tranny may go soon but its no way to get it looked at beacuse the "failure" didnt happen yet. im scared and dont know what to do. please help

Consumer states that the vehicle would intermittently shaft into park while driving. dealer and the manufacturer has been notified. feel free to provide any further information.

While driving at highway speeds automatic transmission slipped without touching gear shift. vehicle spinned out, hitting a wall on freeway.*ak

While driving the vehicle at the speed of 65 mph the engine stalls. dealer mentioned that the timing belt was broke. mr consumer stated that the cd unit was broke after a few days. the vehicle took to the dealer for repair, but the repair was not done due to back order of the cd unit. *yh

Consumer states that while waiting for an appointment to have vehicle serviced ,defect stated in recall happen.engine caught on fire. nlm

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. the contact stated that after making a stop and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, who stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the failure was reported to the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 73,000. the current mileage was 73,592. updated 7/8/13 *cn the consumer stated when accelerating, the vehicle would surge forward before going into gear. updated 07/18/13

My transmission began slipping when shifting between 2nd and 3rd gear. i took it to a mechanic who told me about a "silent warranty" that acura had on '03 tl models that was extended 7 yrs or 100k miles. whew! i'm in luck, i thought, i'm in the 7th year and i have less than 100k miles! i took it to acura who said that my vin number wasn't covered under the warranty. i don't understand how my vin number wasn't covered when acura admitted there was a problem with this particular model. acura said they'd pay for half of my transmission as goodwill, but we'd be out of pocket $1750!!! unacceptable as far as i'm concerned. the more i've looked into this issue the more i realize how many people are out there who have this same model year and have the same exact problems. the transmission should be replaced free of charge since acura admits fault with the model. i now have a luxury honda paperweight sitting in my driveway. can't sell it, can't trade it in and refuse to pay the money to get it fixed. bad form acura, bad form!! i won't be buying anymore acura or honda products that's for sure. *tr

I have a 2003 acura 3.2 tl type s with 71k miles. one day i was driving and i noticed excessive jerking and slipping. usually between 2 and 3 gear. when i try to reverse, it would take a while to get into gear and then it would jerk hard. it seems like sometimes when i would try to accelerate it would get stuck in neutral and the engine just revs up to 5000 or 6000 rpms. this happened to me when i was trying to change lanes to make an exit. i feel unsafe driving this car on the highway, because i fear one day im going to get rear ended. my d5, vsa, and check engine lights came on so i took it to and autozone to run a diagnostic. the computer gave the code p0740. i took it to an acura dealership and while driving there my car gets stuck in 2nd or 3rd gear. im on the highway going 45 mph and revving my engine up to 5000 or 6000 rpm. when i got there the dealership wanted to charge me $3700 to replace the transmission. supposedly my vin number wasn't covered in their extended warranty, even though my car has the exact same problems as other tls that were covered under the warranty. *tr

This is a 2003 acura tl-s that had a transmission failure. acura contacted customers to extend the transmission warranty to 100,000 miles but that does not resolve the problem. my car is just over 7 months old and the transmission already failed. this must be a known issue at acura and should be investigated. transmission failures are extremely dangerous and deserves a recall. dt

While in d5 waiting to let head-on traffic go, could not complete left turn due to suddenly disengaged transmission, as if in neutral. *ak

Transmission locked up at 55 mph causing the vehicle to skid.*ak

Consumer states while driving, a car suddenly cut into consumer's lane. consumer turned the vehicle to avoid hitting the other car and used the brakes immediately. vehicle span out of control, making 2 complete rotations and then hitting another vehicle. there was damage to both vehicles, but no one was injured. consumer feels the abs and tracking system failed to prevent the accident. *tt

From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. after prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. the rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. see 2016 blomquist report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in us vehicles are under recall. these "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.in some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004l that does contain a desiccant. none of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. certain subsets of desiccated psan inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. all takata inflators produced with propellant 2004l contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004l are under recall for a degradation concern. there have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated psan inflators.it is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. this means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. while no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.three entities -- takata (now known as tk global), the independent testing coalition, and exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of takata desiccated psan inflators using propellant 2004l (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. the research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. to date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004l is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. however, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004l.the office of defects investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated psan frontal inflators manufactured by takata. this investigation will require extensive information on takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated psan inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaid=ea21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). this investigation does not supersede ea15-001, which remains open.

From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. after prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. the rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. see 2016 blomquist report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in us vehicles are under recall. these "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.in some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004l that does contain a desiccant. none of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. certain subsets of desiccated psan inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. all takata inflators produced with propellant 2004l contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004l are under recall for a degradation concern. there have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated psan inflators.it is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. this means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. while no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.three entities -- takata (now known as tk global), the independent testing coalition, and exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of takata desiccated psan inflators using propellant 2004l (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. the research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. to date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004l is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. however, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004l.the office of defects investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated psan frontal inflators manufactured by takata. this investigation will require extensive information on takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated psan inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaid=ea21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). this investigation does not supersede ea15-001, which remains open.

See attached report.

The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. no evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's insistence, all 10 vehicle manufacturers initiated a regional recall within approximately two weeks of the opening of the investigation.the regions recalled initially included florida, puerto rico, hawaii, and the u.s. virgin islands, areas with high absolute humidity and climatic conditions believed to be a significant factor in the inflator ruptures.as part of the recall actions, inflators removed from remedied vehicles are to be returned to takata for testing.takata's initial test results on passenger inflators from remedied vehicles indicated a much higher than anticipated rupture frequency for inflators returned from florida.accordingly odi requested all 10 manufacturers expand the regional recalls for passenger inflators to include other geographic areas where high absolute humidity conditions exist, including the gulf states and other coastal areas.takata's testing of the passenger inflators to date continues to indicate this geographic area as having the highest risk, with no ruptures occurring from inflators returned from outside the expanded recall regions.during pe14-016 four additional passenger inflator field events occurred, all in vehicles from the same expanded geographic region.also during pe14-016 four additional driver inflator field events occurred including two in vehicles from regions not known for high absolute humidity, specifically california and north carolina.accordingly, odi requested all five of the affected vehicle manufacturers currently using the subject takata driver inflators expand to nationwide recalls.significantly, neither of the affected vehicle manufacturers or takata provided any explanation to account for these two driver air bag inflator ruptures outside the area of high absolute humidity.takata testing of returned driver inflators indicates a lower rupture frequency as compared to passenger inflator testing.all test ruptures reported by takata to date have occurred on inflators returned from high absolute humidity areas.the investigation now includes all manufacturers and vehicles known to be affected at this time.odi's investigation will focus on, among other things, root cause analysis, other potential defect consequences, identification of affected vehicles scope, and adequacy of the remedy.the five odi reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/searchnhtsaid under the following identification numbers: 10537899, 10568848, 10585224, 10605877, 10651492

The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. no evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's insistence, all 10 vehicle manufacturers initiated a regional recall within approximately two weeks of the opening of the investigation.the regions recalled initially included florida, puerto rico, hawaii, and the u.s. virgin islands, areas with high absolute humidity and climatic conditions believed to be a significant factor in the inflator ruptures.as part of the recall actions, inflators removed from remedied vehicles are to be returned to takata for testing.takata's initial test results on passenger inflators from remedied vehicles indicated a much higher than anticipated rupture frequency for inflators returned from florida.accordingly odi requested all 10 manufacturers expand the regional recalls for passenger inflators to include other geographic areas where high absolute humidity conditions exist, including the gulf states and other coastal areas.takata's testing of the passenger inflators to date continues to indicate this geographic area as having the highest risk, with no ruptures occurring from inflators returned from outside the expanded recall regions.during pe14-016 four additional passenger inflator field events occurred, all in vehicles from the same expanded geographic region.also during pe14-016 four additional driver inflator field events occurred including two in vehicles from regions not known for high absolute humidity, specifically california and north carolina.accordingly, odi requested all five of the affected vehicle manufacturers currently using the subject takata driver inflators expand to nationwide recalls.significantly, neither of the affected vehicle manufacturers or takata provided any explanation to account for these two driver air bag inflator ruptures outside the area of high absolute humidity.takata testing of returned driver inflators indicates a lower rupture frequency as compared to passenger inflator testing.all test ruptures reported by takata to date have occurred on inflators returned from high absolute humidity areas.the investigation now includes all manufacturers and vehicles known to be affected at this time.odi's investigation will focus on, among other things, root cause analysis, other potential defect consequences, identification of affected vehicles scope, and adequacy of the remedy.the five odi reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/searchnhtsaid under the following identification numbers: 10537899, 10568848, 10585224, 10605877, 10651492

The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. no evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's insistence, all 10 vehicle manufacturers initiated a regional recall within approximately two weeks of the opening of the investigation.the regions recalled initially included florida, puerto rico, hawaii, and the u.s. virgin islands, areas with consistently high absolute humidity and climatic conditions believed to be a significant factor in the inflator ruptures.as part of the recall actions, inflators removed from remedied vehicles are to be returned to takata for testing.takata's initial test results on passenger inflators from remedied vehicles indicated a much higher than anticipated rupture frequency for inflators returned from florida.accordingly, odi requested all 10 manufacturers expand the regional recalls for passenger inflators to include other geographic areas where high absolute humidity conditions exist, including the gulf states and other coastal areas.takata's testing of the passenger inflators to date continues to indicate this geographic area as having the highest risk, with no ruptures occurring from inflators returned from outside the expanded recall regions.during pe14-016, four additional passenger inflator field events occurred, all in vehicles from the same expanded geographic region.also during pe14-016, four additional driver inflator field events occurred including two in vehicles from regions not known for high absolute humidity, specifically california and north carolina.accordingly, odi requested all five of the affected vehicle manufacturers currently using the subject takata driver inflators expand to nationwide recalls.significantly, neither of the affected vehicle manufacturers or takata provided any explanation to account for these two driver air bag inflator ruptures outside the area of high absolute humidity.takata testing of returned driver inflators indicates a lower rupture frequency as compared to passenger inflator testing.all test ruptures reported by takata to date have occurred on inflators returned from high absolute humidity areas.the pe is now closed/upgraded to an engineering evaluation (ea15-001) to include all manufacturersand vehicles known to be affected at this time.odi's ea investigation will focus on, among other things, root cause analysis, other potential defect consequences, identification of affected vehicles scope, and adequacy of the remedy.the recalls related to this pe are: 14v343, 14v344, 14v348, 14v351, 14v353, 14v655, 14v700, 14v701, 14v752, 14v763, 14v770, 14v773, 14v787, 14v802 and 14v817.the number of vehicles affected are an estimate since some vehicles may have both the driver and passenger side inflators recalled. the five odi reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/searchnhtsaid under the following identification numbers: 10537899, 10568848, 10585224, 10605877, 10651492

The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. no evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's insistence, all 10 vehicle manufacturers initiated a regional recall within approximately two weeks of the opening of the investigation.the regions recalled initially included florida, puerto rico, hawaii, and the u.s. virgin islands, areas with consistently high absolute humidity and climatic conditions believed to be a significant factor in the inflator ruptures.as part of the recall actions, inflators removed from remedied vehicles are to be returned to takata for testing.takata's initial test results on passenger inflators from remedied vehicles indicated a much higher than anticipated rupture frequency for inflators returned from florida.accordingly, odi requested all 10 manufacturers expand the regional recalls for passenger inflators to include other geographic areas where high absolute humidity conditions exist, including the gulf states and other coastal areas.takata's testing of the passenger inflators to date continues to indicate this geographic area as having the highest risk, with no ruptures occurring from inflators returned from outside the expanded recall regions.during pe14-016, four additional passenger inflator field events occurred, all in vehicles from the same expanded geographic region.also during pe14-016, four additional driver inflator field events occurred including two in vehicles from regions not known for high absolute humidity, specifically california and north carolina.accordingly, odi requested all five of the affected vehicle manufacturers currently using the subject takata driver inflators expand to nationwide recalls.significantly, neither of the affected vehicle manufacturers or takata provided any explanation to account for these two driver air bag inflator ruptures outside the area of high absolute humidity.takata testing of returned driver inflators indicates a lower rupture frequency as compared to passenger inflator testing.all test ruptures reported by takata to date have occurred on inflators returned from high absolute humidity areas.the pe is now closed/upgraded to an engineering evaluation (ea15-001) to include all manufacturersand vehicles known to be affected at this time.odi's ea investigation will focus on, among other things, root cause analysis, other potential defect consequences, identification of affected vehicles scope, and adequacy of the remedy.the recalls related to this pe are: 14v343, 14v344, 14v348, 14v351, 14v353, 14v655, 14v700, 14v701, 14v752, 14v763, 14v770, 14v773, 14v787, 14v802 and 14v817.the number of vehicles affected are an estimate since some vehicles may have both the driver and passenger side inflators recalled. the five odi reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/searchnhtsaid under the following identification numbers: 10537899, 10568848, 10585224, 10605877, 10651492