Why does the transmission in the 2001 acura 3.2tl last only 70,000 miles? My mother in law was previuos owner, we purchased in 2007. There was apparently a recall in 2004 but maybe not for the same issue we have. Took to thue dealer who was very nice, it is skipping 3rd gear. Upon review the dealer went to acura for help as the vehicle is out of warranty. acura instead of $5,000 transmission will do it for $3100. I still feel very cheated and they are not standing behind their product. 1) recall in 2004 and now 70,000 mile and the tranny is shot! What do i do , except get a new one?
Well known problem in the TL and Honda Odyssey, these were practically the same transmissions. 1999-2001 4 speeds in the Odyssey were the worst, 2002-2004 5 speeds were somewhat better but still have many of them go bad. You can read hundreds of similar sad stories about these transmissions at www.acurazine.com
I have a 2003 3.2TL that I purchased last year with 60k on it. It belonged to a co worker of mine and he had all the service records for it. There was a recall that involved proper lubrication of the tranny and this car had that repair work done in 2004. After a while, I noticed a whine in the transmission that changed in pitch as the car shifted. I contacted my Acura Service Manager (at the dealership where I bought it and where it had been bought by my co worker new. Also, all the required service/oil changes/etc. had been done at this dealership). I made an appointment with him to check this out. By this time, my car had 70,100 miles on it. He drove it and acknowledged the noise and then had his lead service tech also drive it. The tech said it sounded like a “balance shaft” problem. The Service Manager gave me a new Acura TSX loaner and kept the my car for further evaluation. He called me about 4 hours later and said the car needed a new transmission. He said that Acura and the dealership would be picking up the entire cost of the replacement. When I picked up the car the following Weds., not only was the tranny replaced, but they washed it and cleaned the interior as well. Needless to say, I’m very satisfied.
Acura and Honda transmissions had a lot of problems in those years. Some people are getting no goodwill help at all, so their offer to you is better than nothing.
Assuming the rest of the car is in good shape, I’d fix it for that price, drive it for a few years, and then sell it before the replacement transmission starts acting up.
wow that is great. Unfortunatley my mother in law owned the car, it is 2001 with only 70000 miles. i don’t see where the recall happened or that it was taken care of. The dealer in Cincinnati, Columbia Acura has been great, it is Acura that i thought might help more. They have me in a loaner 2010 TL ( which i don’t want to give back) and will do the new tranny for $3100. Still with the recall in 2004 i beleive they should be taking care of this .
here is the recall info , do i have anythig to stand on , no warranty !!!
RECALL: 2000 - 2004 Acura 3.2TL
NHTSA Campaign Number: 04V176000 www.nhtsa.dot.gov
Manufacturer AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.
Recall Date: 04/15/2004
Potential Number Of Units Affected: 1099796
Description POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Summary ON SOME MINI VANS, SPORT UTILITY AND PASSENGER VEHICLES, CERTAIN OPERATING CONDITIONS CAN RESULT IN HEAT BUILD-UP BETWEEN THE COUNTERSHAFT AND SECONDARY SHAFT SECOND GEARS IN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, EVENTUALLY LEADING TO GEAR TOOTH CHIPPING OR GEAR BREAKAGE.
Consequence GEAR FAILURE COULD RESULT IN TRANSMISSION LOCKUP, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy ON VEHICLES WITH 15,000 MILES OR LESS, THE DEALER WILL UPDATE THE TRANSMISSION WITH A SIMPLE REVISION TO THE OIL COOLER RETURN LINE TO INCREASE LUBRICATION TO THE SECOND GEAR. ON VEHICLES WITH MORE THAN 15,000 MILES, THE DEALER WILL INSPECT THE TRANSMISSION TO IDENTIFY GEARS THAT HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED DISCOLORATION DUE TO OVERHEATING. IF DISCOLORATION EXISTS, THE TRANSMISSION WILL BE REPLACED IF DISCOLORATION IS NOT PRESENT, THE DEALER WILL PERFORM THE REVISION TO THE OIL COOLER RETURN LINE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 21, 2004, FOR PILOT, ODYSSEY, AND MDX OWNERS. OWNERS OF THE ACCORD VEHICLES WILL START RECEIVING LETTERS ON JUNE 28, 2004, AND ON JUNE 29, 2004, FOR OWNERS OF THE TL AND CL VEHICLES. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238.
There is always some samples that will be at one tail end or the other of the distribution curve. In other words the next one might last 200,000 miles if you are foolish enough to not change it as recommended.
Did you check to see if they had a warranty on it?
yes, did ,no warranty… bummer. i gott get it done, just thought that maybe acura would step up to the plate
Get a new transmission or new car unfortunately.
$3100 is steep but likely decent price for an Acura warrantied tranny(I believe 3yrs/36k).
It is uncommon for a tranny to fail like this typically for all makes however the car is 9 years old.
It’s not uncommon for the TL’s or Odyssey’s. A lot of people have changed tranny fluid every 30,000 and the tranny fails early.