CarComplaints.com Notes: The 1999-2003 Acura TL has a known & widespread defect with the transmission.
Honda fixed some vehicles with a recall in 2004 by changing the oil cooler return line. To settle a class action lawsuit in 2006, Honda extended the transmission warranty on some of these Acura TL's to 93 months / 109,000 miles.
Now these vehicles are past the warranty limit, so buyer beware.
THIS ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON AND OFF-I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER FOR ADVISE ALSO.
TO OTHER MECHANICS AND BEEN GIVEN ALL TYPES OF ANSWERS AND FIXES, AND THE PROBLEM JUST RETURNS BACK A WEEK OR TWO LATER. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE TRANSMISSION SHOP ALSO-WITH THE SAME RESULTS. I AM FINDING OUT NOW THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE TORQUE CONVERTER---AND WAS TOLD TO CALL IN FOR A RECALL CHECK ON MY CAR.
transmission started acting up about 35,000 mi, i changed the fluid,it looked like mud
read up and saw you have to change it 3 times to replace all the fluid, so I changed it again at 40,000 and again at 47,000, i now have 50,000 and shifts fine. now I see that it has a external transmission filter and one in the pan, I'm thinking of changing both before I have any more problems
I'm putting this on here to let people know, you should change the fluid and filters. I know a lot of people maybe change it once in 50 or 60,000 miles, but if you do change it more often, you might not have the problems you have. that's why I like to do it myself,to see what the oil that comes out looks like it might look clean on the stick, but it aint, ha
hope this might help people that forget about the transmission till its too late
Let me preface this with stating that I did take care of the recall issue in 2004 at my dealership.
My original transmission developed a problem with the automatic transmission shifting from 4th to 5th gear prematurely at about 125,000 miles. However, as the miles wore on, the car engine would slow down and I would have to give it more gas to get going. Had the transmission remained in 4th gear, this would not have happened. Because this vehicle has no timing to adjust, I felt as though the transmission was failing. About a year ago, I began hearing "grating" noises when it shifted from 4th to 5th gear. I ignored it until February 2014, when it got worse. At 175,000 miles, I took it in for an inspection and discovered I needed a rebuilt transmission. So far, the 5th gear is bogging down, maybe worse than the original one, with no grating sound.
Is there any way the timing can be adjusted on this vehicle? I feel that this would remedy my situation.
- Scott S.,
Springfield, VA, US
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
THIS ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON AND OFF-I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER FOR ADVISE ALSO.
TO OTHER MECHANICS AND BEEN GIVEN ALL TYPES OF ANSWERS AND FIXES, AND THE PROBLEM JUST RETURNS BACK A WEEK OR TWO LATER. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE TRANSMISSION SHOP ALSO-WITH THE SAME RESULTS. I AM FINDING OUT NOW THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE TORQUE CONVERTER---AND WAS TOLD TO CALL IN FOR A RECALL CHECK ON MY CAR.
THANK YOU.
Larry M.
- larry61lm, Lexington, US