Have you had any more issues with the trany? My 2000 TL just blew out with 81k. They said they are using the "redesigned parts". Most of the older reviews have multiple rebuilds. If I'm going to drop the cash, just want to make sure that they have figured out the problems. Thanks for your help.
I had my 99 TL transmission replaced with some redesigned parts - Acura picked up 40% of the cost, the other 60% was me - ended up spending like $1200.
So far no problems, but it has been only 3 months/ 3k miles since I had mine replaced.
I have a '99 with 116,000 miles on it, and the original transmission, which was the old 4-speed, not the 5-speed automatic introduced in for '00. How many miles did your '99 have on it when the transmission went, shiva70?
ok- Here is the outcome- Engine: Turns out, the insurance company, after doubting me, and refusing to split the difference, hired an engineer and performed oil-analysis at the cost of $1500, only to find out that I was right. The engine did hydrolock about 18 months ago and 14,000 miles. So anyone that tells you an engine won't run after being hydrolocked is simply wrong. Transmission- The Acura dealership, or I should really say, one particular individual, was terrific. As soon as they took the car for a ride, they agreed that there was a problem, and replaced it at no cost- under warranty. I had only driven the car 24,000 miles after purchasing the vehicle- so had not changed the fluid. And on that note- unless you do it yourself- or no how, the risk might be greater than the reward. I had a long time ago, serviced the rear differential on a Chevy Blazer which had only 30k miles. My father questioned why I was doing it. I said because that is what is recommended. 2 weeks later, the rear-pinion seal broke, fluids drained, and I limped back to the dealership (where it was serviced) with the gears almost melted. The dealership, refused to take ownership. So caution- find a good mechanic you can trust. By the way- my father recommended a great mechanic who installed a used engine (54k miles) for two grand including labor.
Interesting accounts, Dan. Although I'm not a mechanic, I've had a life-long interest in cars, and I had never heard or read about an actual example of hydrolocking, in Edmunds or elsewhere. For this reason. I imagine that hydrolocking is very rare. Did your dealer tell you what caused the hydrolocking phenomenon to occur in your engine?
They Hydrolock occurred from when I got caught driving home in deep water... I knew the possibility...air filter was wet...and no one was for sure that water was induced into engine. The insurance company did not handle the first claim correctly..just sent it to the body shop to repair the fog light, turned on the engine, and said the car was fine...when, of course, it wasn't.
This is a little late as I just found/joined this forum. However, your acura dealer probably meant that your TL Vin # was not in the range of transmissions affected and therefore wasn't covered by their extended warranty. I also just purchased an '03 TL and my Vin # is well outside the highest # Vin of the cars with problem transmissions. Now, does that mean I won't experience the problem....who knows. Check your Vin # against the link to check for sure. In the mean time, enjoy your car.
Well i did some research on my 03 acura TL(not type s) with navy. It had gotten into a big accident at 20.000 miles, but it doesn't seem to have any affect on how the car works now. and i also found out that my car had gotten recalled at around 20.000 miles and had an "airkit" placed in my tranny for a precaution, they did no work to the tranny because it looked fine on there end, so that's all they did. i got scared when i first bought it and was gonna go out and get a warranty off the garage where i got my car but i decided not to. i bought it with 67.000 clean clean car. now it just hit 71.000. and i have gotten used to driving it and it rides really nice.. no problems, knock on wood. i had the cura dealership flush the tranny fluid at 70.000 the fluid looked blackish and didnt look like it had ever been changed. cost me 170$ and when i bought the car i did notice that one of the heating pads for my driver side was burnt out. and the radio works when it wants to giving me an "error" sign. but i didn't buy the car brand new... so i said ****** and hooked my car up with an alphine deck, 10" EV (in place of the factory sub) tweeters up front, and two 12" in the trunk. and i also bought some greed envy 20" inch chrome wheels for the summer.. so i have to say so far i love the car!! :shades:
I bought my '03 TL last week from my local Acura dealership. In this case, I knew the previous owner and the kind of care he takes with his cars. This one only had 60,000 miles on it and was in perfect condition. He traded it in for a new '09 TL. The dealer went through it and found some minor issues....weak battery, cabin air filter and replaced them. They also put on a new set of premium tires with alignment and did preventative maint such as flushing the brake lines and replacing the brake fluid. The brakes pads were at 7 tenths, so nothing needed there. The requirement for transmission fluid change is 120,000 miles or 6 years on the 03 TL, so I had them flush the transmission also....$125.00. A day after I bought the car, the steering wheel controls for the radio started to work eratically.....pushing the volume up or down actually changed the station or track on the cd. They fixed that in a short time....it was a grounding problem with the buttons in the steering wheel. Works fine now. I also found that the driver's seat heating grid wasn't working (the seat back worked fine), so the dealer fixed that at no charge. They gave me a new 09 TL to drive while they ordered the part and replaced it. Since I'm an older gent.....I won't be doing any custom wheels, etc., but will probably have the windows tinted since the interior is dark charcoal/black. The car should last me quite some time since I only drive about 7500 per year. However, I got a 2 year/24,000 mile no deductible full coverage warranty on it and will probably trade it in before the warranty is up. Will probably go for the TSX (certified used) since I don't really care for the looks of the new body of the TL. Anyway, I'm quite pleased with my '03 so far.
hello everybody i got a 99 3.2 tl an while driving it shutdown an the dashboard lights comes but i notice that the shifter locks and and the check engine light stays off only when the shifter unlocks and the check engione light come back on it start again . another thing is that at night when i turn on the head lights the interior lights blinks and were it measure the outside temperature stars decreasing for exam ple it could be 45 but iut goes down to 15 . the other day i lefted on for about 20 minutes when i when back outsite it was off and it took me a few minutes to star it again i hope someone coulod help me
I have a similar problem; cd player gives an error message sometimes when i try to change to a different disc. it was an elevator problem. had it repaired and it worked throughout the winter and now with the warm weather it sometimes gives me the error message when the car is hot. so ridiculous i might just put in an aftermarket.
Hello to all. I have been looking at some used 2003 Tl's and found one for $8000 with 86,600 miles on it. This was what I believed to be a pretty good deal until I did some research and discovered the potential tranny problems. What a bummer, I had a 1992 Acura Vigor which was the best car ever and I have been looking forward to trading in my 2000 Impala and becoming an Acura owner again. So, based on all the consumer information I guess it won;t be in my or my budget's best interest to invest in a 2003 TL, I am VERY dissappointed in Acura
You could do some research and verify if the transmission was already replaced by Acura. If so, then I would think it's a good investment. Most 03's (based on my research) don't have tranny problems as the issue was rectified for the previous years. I own an 02 TLS and had my tranny replaced for free @ 86k due to a warranty the vehicle still had. I am sure all warranties are probably void now for 2nd year gen TL's. As of right now I'm @ 123k, I have no problems and the power is great! Do some research, contact Acura with the VIN # and see if its already been replaced. Good luck.
Thanks for the advice! I have checked the VIN# against the supposed affected vehicles and it did not fall within that range, however I have heard of other consumers having problems with vehicles that didn't fall within this range. I will try to obtain the name of the previous owner and check carfax and with Acura as well. Thanks again for your helkp, I feel like I'm taking a big gamble with this car.
Just wanted to update those interested that I decided against the used 2003 TL. I got the name of the old owner and discovered that it has been in at least 2 accidents. That being said on top of the potential tranny issues was enough to turn me off. I have, however located a 1997 Acura 2.5 RL with just one owner and only 14,000 miles!!!!!!!!!! Seems unreal, I'm thinking it was an elderly person's car. I'm going to try to go check it out tomorrow, it is a little over an hour away from where I reside. They're asking $8995 for it, I'm hoping to talk them down to $7500. Cross your fingers that I get there before another Acura obsesser beats me to the punch!
Now, regarding the low mileage 1997 Acura you mentioned, there's no such thing as a 2.5 RL. Acura made a 2.5 five cylinder TL and a 3.2 V6 TL, and a 3.5 RL, but the model designation you mentioned doesn't exist. The good news is that the three models mentioned above are solid cars but, obviously, old.
The 2.5 TL was the successor to the 2.5 Vigor, and, except for the engine, is very similar to the 3.2 TL of that year. The 2.5's suspension was tuned more for sportiness, the 3.2's for luxury. The 3.5 RL is a larger luxury car than the TLs. It's good, but some would say it's somewhat boring.
The mileage, 14,000 miles over 12 years, is good and bad. The good part is obvious. As for the bad, if the car sat for months at a time, say, that's not such a good thing. I'd try to find out about the maintenance, why it was driven so little, and how it was driven.
My mistake, the Acura I am looking at is indeed a 3.5 RL. You provided a lot of good background information about Acura's and now I see why I am drawn to the TL model...it reminds me of my Vigor I loved so dearly!
The car was owned by an elderly lady who just passed away and her family traded her car in to purchase an Audi....silly them Someone had put a deposit on the car but financing hadn't officially gone through. If it doesn't I should be next in line to get it. We'll see what happens!
Thanks! The only reason I traded my Vigor in was because after I had my son I realized just how small the backseat was. His infant seat literally touched the back of my drivers seat, and I'm only 5'1".
As long as Acuras continue to be good to me, I will be a lifelong customer!
Yeah, you're right, the Vigor's back seat was indeed cramped. I really liked the styling and stance of that car, though, and the five cylinder engine was excellent.
Circling back to the very low mileage RL you're considering, be prepared to change the fluids, belts and hoses if the haven't been replaced according to the schedule in the owner's manual (not the Acura dealer's schedule). Belts and hoses, and some fluids (eg. brake fluid and coolant, but not engine oil) not only wear with mileage, but also deteriorate with age. If the car checks out, it should provide excellent service for you.
My 00TL's transmission is failing but it's out of the extended 7 year 109K warranty. I checked my VIN number and it is covered in the settlement and according to acura, the issue with the transmission is "OPEN" as in they never fixed it. (They did install an oil jet cooler of some sort years ago). Is there anything I can do? I can't afford to have the transmission replaced. I talked to the dealership and he told me to bring it in to see about goodwill but it's been 2 days and he said he still hasn't looked at the car yet and the service record he gave me looks like I'll be paying $115+ just for him looking at it and says nothing of possible good will. Any advice? I took it to scarsdale Curry Acura which is where the car was originally purchased 9 years ago...
We are considering an 03 TL for our son - it has 85k miles. The recall on the transmissions is a big concern - I've looked at the recall notice, but can't determine if this car is included in the recall - can anyone help? VIN is 19UUA56662A048754.
If it is included, is there an average mileage when the transmissions failed?
My 2003 TL Type S failed at 30K and 33K- got frustrated with the second failure and sold it.I think a majority of the 03 as well as the 02 were affected by this recall.
My 2003 acura tl transmission just failed at 133,000 mile i am now left with the repairs and the bills. Not happy. Check the recall on the car and recall has been fixed. Can i still get this check out for the recall if it has already been fix? Any suggestion or help? please let me know.
My 2003 Acura tl 3.2 with 117000 just went today, I called the dealer and he said my VIN number doesn't qualify. He said the repair cost is $4500 and it is on me. I am talking with the service managerand he is "checking into it". Anybody get their transmission done on a 2003 Acura TL 3.2 with similar miles or more?
I have an Acura 3.2TL (2000) with 130K miles. The water pump needs replacement. I was told the timing belt needs to be removed in order to replace it. Is that true? The estimate was around $1K.
Im buying a new Acura TL and i was wondering how many miles an Acura tl has when it comes into the dealers lot. In other words, when its coming from the factory.
I love my Acura...but I have been experiencing a hesitation in the shifting and if it's cold it shifts hard in to gear...with raised rpm's. I have taken good care of my car .I am afraid that this is the transmission slipping but my vin # say's it's covered but I bought the car as second owner and I now have 133,000 miles, I'm not sure if I'd still be covered under this without it coming out of my pocket???
Don't know if you will be covered but I have a 99 tl and around 130 or 140 my trans went out. The crazy thing is that it will run how it is for awhile and then go out on you. You could try that Lucas tranny fluid but prepare to get a new one. It cost me 3500 out of pocket and it took like 5 days. The dealer wanted to charge my like 4800 or something like that. Runs much better now plus I use 91 which makes a huge difference. Sorry if I'm not much help. I'm no mechanic.
I think you would have to come out of pocket now if you have a defected tranny. I was told the recall would last 7 years / 109,000 miles. I've read posts from others indicating that their TL's exceeded this, however they also indicated that they had a more sympathetic acura dealership to work with so that they didn't have to come out of pocket. I never experienced what you are experiencing so you might be dealing with something entirely different. In 2007 when my tranny went out, it drove perfectly, then all of the sudden on the freeway it went from 5th gear to seemingly 2nd gear, then it couldn't catch anymore, just reved the whole time. Thankfully I got a new defect-free tranny without having to pay as I have an 02 TLS. Your cold shifts and raised rpm's sounds very typical for most aging Honda/Acura. I'm sure after the engine is warm the shifting is normal and the rpms are no longer raised, however I could imagine how irritating that is. I'd get a diagnosis if I were you.
My '02 Acura's transmission downshifted to 2nd and locked up going highway speed. Luckily, the highway was clear and there was no crash but my husband hurt his back from the violent lock up. We have about 116000 miles on it. Closest dealerships are 100-150 miles away, so I didn't want to have the car towed until I knew the cost. Our's was part of the recall, but only the jet kit had been installed. One dealership's service employee was chuckling when he found out it was out of warranty. I didn't find any part of this situation funny. Second dealership didn't want to give me a price, had the service manager and "master" mechanic on the phone ganging up on me and acting defensively about my questions. They say "no help" from Acura. I wrote to Acura Client Services. What a joke. Obviously, they are paid to bully customers. They said they may provide goodwill and to have the service manager contact them. Service manager said he did and they have no record of my contact with them and will provide nothing towards the cost. Dealers quotes were from 4,000 to 4500 for a remanufactured transmission. Local guy came in at 4500 with engine mounts for Acura remanufactured. I have also asked about whether the "kits" are installed on the remanufactured transmissions to prevent this from happening early on again, and their answers aren't meshing. When the car is started the engine is revving up and down now, too. Does anyone know what that is? The cost of repairs on this may be overwhelming, so car may need to be scrapped. If anyone has access to service bulletin or tech paper from Acura about replacement transmissions would you please provide. Thanks and I hope no one else has to experience this terrifying experience only to be bullied by Acura.
Sorry about your transmission problem. I'm wondering whether, if there's a Honda dealer that's closer to you than 100-150 miles away, whether it would be authorized to repair your TL's transmission. I'm suggesting this because, (1) your Acura's transmission may be identical to that of a Honda V6, and, (2) a Honda dealer may charge you less than an Acura dealer. I don't know whether these things are true, but it couldn't hurt to check them out.
If your car is well maintained and runs well, other than for the transmission, it should be worth more than scrap value, regardless of what the used car pricing books may tell you. It would be difficult to replace a good '02 for $4,000 - $4,500.
Transmissions aside, TLs are well designed and well built cars, that can last well over 200,000 miles with proper maintenance and reasonable care.
Everything is negotiable. The dealers, including Honda and Acura, aren't doing that well these days.
I'd begin by asking why they (the Honda dealer) charges a lot more than the Acura dealer. I wouldn't disclose what you were quoted by Acura, other than it's considerably lower than what they quoted, and then only if they ask. You don't owe them any information.
For the record: When my transmission failed 2 years ago ('99 TL, out of extended warranty period but within mileage guidelines), Acura nat'l made me a deal based on my low mileage: I paid about $1,500 and they supposedly comped me 50% (I think it was 50%...not sure now), which would have made it about 3,000 or so for the new tranny. It's been 2 years, and everything's fine. I doubt if there are any cars out there that are within mileage or warranty period for the transmission problems of the old TLs, but it sounds like $3K should be in the sweet spot for a replacement.
I'm original owner of Acura TL type S with 90,000 miles. My trans was replaced at 48,000 miles. This was my first car from Honda & at first, I was disapointed with the make, but they replaced the Trans. and computer & it runs great, love it compared to the new ones. I agree that the 100K timing belt, plugs, water pump $, seem excessive. But I plan to keep it another 50K or more.
In fact my other leased car, I can't wait to turn it back in. It's a large crossover & only get's 20 Miles per gallon on open road & doesn't drive as well as my "old" Acura which doesn't burn oil and gets 28-29 miles per gallon--and it's paid for. LOL
So here's the deal... this past weekend I was driving on the highway when the TCS and Check Engine lights both illuminated simultaneously. Last time this happened, it was a bad ignition coil that needed replacing. About 20 min. later, it felt like someone put my car in neutral, I was on the interstate and my car began to slow, but when I hit the gas, the engine revved but I was still slowing down. Finally when it got down to about 20-25 mph the gears caught again and I was able to get off an exit. When I looked at the bottom frame of the car, there was transmission fluid leaked everywhere. When I checked the transmission fluid itself, it was higher than the normal line, and looked diluted as though something was leaking into it, and it was consequently getting displaced somehow. As I opened up the hood, the transmission itself emanated white smoke for about 5 minutes.
I got the car towed home and about 5 hours later started it back up. It drove as though nothing was wrong, took it up to about 70-75 mph and through each gear and nothing slipped or felt off. I took it into a transmission specialist to get it checked out anyways.
The mechanic told me it looked pretty bad, on the report it said Code 740 - 4th Pressure Switch Failure, and Code 1740 - TC Clutch System Failure. They said they can rebuild the transmission and will get back to me tomorrow on the cost.
A few questions for everyone:
1) Is it worth the rebuild or should I just replace the transmission? 2) I have a friend who recently put in a new transmission on a 2000 Accord, is this transmission similar enough to that one? 3) If I need to limp the car along for a few weeks before replacing/rebuilding the transmission, would using something like a Lucas Transmission Fluid Stabilizer allow me to do this?
Comments
So far no problems, but it has been only 3 months/ 3k miles since I had mine replaced.
Good luck with your replacement !
http://www.autosafety.org/uploads/AcuraTransTSB.pdf
135K miles
Ran like a dream
I was hoping to get 200K out of it...
c'est la vie!
Now, regarding the low mileage 1997 Acura you mentioned, there's no such thing as a 2.5 RL. Acura made a 2.5 five cylinder TL and a 3.2 V6 TL, and a 3.5 RL, but the model designation you mentioned doesn't exist. The good news is that the three models mentioned above are solid cars but, obviously, old.
The 2.5 TL was the successor to the 2.5 Vigor, and, except for the engine, is very similar to the 3.2 TL of that year. The 2.5's suspension was tuned more for sportiness, the 3.2's for luxury. The 3.5 RL is a larger luxury car than the TLs. It's good, but some would say it's somewhat boring.
The mileage, 14,000 miles over 12 years, is good and bad. The good part is obvious. As for the bad, if the car sat for months at a time, say, that's not such a good thing. I'd try to find out about the maintenance, why it was driven so little, and how it was driven.
Good luck, and let us know what happens.
The car was owned by an elderly lady who just passed away and her family traded her car in to purchase an Audi....silly them
Why did you get rid of the Vigor you loved so dearly?
As long as Acuras continue to be good to me, I will be a lifelong customer!
Circling back to the very low mileage RL you're considering, be prepared to change the fluids, belts and hoses if the haven't been replaced according to the schedule in the owner's manual (not the Acura dealer's schedule). Belts and hoses, and some fluids (eg. brake fluid and coolant, but not engine oil) not only wear with mileage, but also deteriorate with age. If the car checks out, it should provide excellent service for you.
If it is included, is there an average mileage when the transmissions failed?
Thank You!
The water pump needs replacement.
I was told the timing belt needs to be removed in order to replace it.
Is that true?
The estimate was around $1K.
The cost was $2000.
Im buying a new Acura TL and i was wondering how many miles an Acura tl has when it comes into the dealers lot. In other words, when its coming from the factory.
If your car is well maintained and runs well, other than for the transmission, it should be worth more than scrap value, regardless of what the used car pricing books may tell you. It would be difficult to replace a good '02 for $4,000 - $4,500.
Transmissions aside, TLs are well designed and well built cars, that can last well over 200,000 miles with proper maintenance and reasonable care.
Good luck, and let us know what happens.
I'd begin by asking why they (the Honda dealer) charges a lot more than the Acura dealer. I wouldn't disclose what you were quoted by Acura, other than it's considerably lower than what they quoted, and then only if they ask. You don't owe them any information.
Good luck, and let us know how it goes!
How many miles did your '99 TL have when the transmission failed? Are you the original owner?
In fact my other leased car, I can't wait to turn it back in. It's a large crossover & only get's 20 Miles per gallon on open road & doesn't drive as well as my "old" Acura which doesn't burn oil and gets 28-29 miles per gallon--and it's paid for. LOL
By the way, timing belt and water pump are scheduled at 105,000.
So here's the deal... this past weekend I was driving on the highway when the TCS and Check Engine lights both illuminated simultaneously. Last time this happened, it was a bad ignition coil that needed replacing. About 20 min. later, it felt like someone put my car in neutral, I was on the interstate and my car began to slow, but when I hit the gas, the engine revved but I was still slowing down. Finally when it got down to about 20-25 mph the gears caught again and I was able to get off an exit. When I looked at the bottom frame of the car, there was transmission fluid leaked everywhere. When I checked the transmission fluid itself, it was higher than the normal line, and looked diluted as though something was leaking into it, and it was consequently getting displaced somehow. As I opened up the hood, the transmission itself emanated white smoke for about 5 minutes.
I got the car towed home and about 5 hours later started it back up. It drove as though nothing was wrong, took it up to about 70-75 mph and through each gear and nothing slipped or felt off. I took it into a transmission specialist to get it checked out anyways.
The mechanic told me it looked pretty bad, on the report it said Code 740 - 4th Pressure Switch Failure, and Code 1740 - TC Clutch System Failure. They said they can rebuild the transmission and will get back to me tomorrow on the cost.
A few questions for everyone:
1) Is it worth the rebuild or should I just replace the transmission?
2) I have a friend who recently put in a new transmission on a 2000 Accord, is this transmission similar enough to that one?
3) If I need to limp the car along for a few weeks before replacing/rebuilding the transmission, would using something like a Lucas Transmission Fluid Stabilizer allow me to do this?
Thanks in advance for all your help!!
-Jared