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.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
78,046 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2000 Acura TL transmission problems

transmission problem

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2000 Acura TL Owner Comments (Page 2 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #61

Jul 152008

TL

  • 125,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Started having trans problems after extended warranty ran out. Not going into gear, harsh or no shifting, engine revs high while in gear & driving, D5 flashing. Service engine light on. Honda Canada would not cover anything. Although dealer provided free diagnosis, estimated trans replacement was going to be $4000. Approx mileage 125,000 mi. Traded for new domestic (Taurus). This well known problem should have been a recall rather than extending warranty.

- Petersfield Mb Ca, 00, USA

problem #60

Oct 212008

TL

  • 87,000 miles
The contact owns a 2000 Acura 3.2tl. While driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle would hesitate and the engine would rev continuously. The contact drove to a dealer and they stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were 87,000.

- Wilmington, MA, USA

problem #59

Oct 012008

TL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
2000 Acura 3.2 TL has transmission problems. Consumer believes the problem is a faulty transmission from day one and not related to the implied lack of adequate transmission maintenance. The consumer stated the second transmission that was installed presented severe problems. Shifting from second gear into third gear became impossible, and the maximum speed achievable was between 20 and 25 mph. The consumer had the vehicle towed and the next day, the consumer was informed the transmission needed to be replaced.

- Collierville, TN, USA

problem #58

Sep 232008

TL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 130,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2000 Acura 3.2tl. The contact stated that his transmission was replaced at 70,000 miles due to NHTSA campaign id number 04V176000 (power train:automatic transmission). There were no failures prior to the recall repair. He had it replaced because it was recommended. After the recall repair was made, the contact noticed that the transmission would skip, 'buck', and hesitate in fifth gear. The most recent failure occurred while driving approximately 40 mph. The vehicle has not yet been taken to the dealer. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The current mileage was approximately 138,000 and failure mileage was approximately 130,000. Updated 11/7/08 updated 11/13/08.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #57

Aug 212008

TL

  • 118,000 miles
The contact owns a 2000 Acura TL. While attempting to park the vehicle, the contact removed the key from the ignition before placing the vehicle into park. He later noticed that his vehicle had rolled down the driveway and crashed into his neighbor's landscaping. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. Prior to the failure, the contact noticed that the vehicle was becoming harder to shift. The current mileage was 123,000 and failure mileage was 118,000.

- Mutton Town, NY, USA

problem #56

Jul 312008

TL

  • 180,000 miles
The contact owns an Acura 3.2tl. While driving approximately 60 mph, the transmission locked up. The vehicle vibrated excessively and was unable to shift gears properly. Prior to the failure, the engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the failure was related to the transmission gear. The vehicle has not been repaired. There was a prior recall related to the transmission in September of 2005. The contact experienced identical failures as the ones mentioned in the recall. The recall notice was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 180,000.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #55

Aug 132008

TL

  • 71,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I own a 2000 Acura TL type S, I am the second owner of this automobile, I took ownership in 2003. The car suffered a complete transmission failure on November 11, 2004 while going 60mph. No loss of control happened as the car simply went into what felt like "neutral". the transmission was replaced due to a recall on their transmissions. The car only had 71000 miles on it and was the warranty was extended until 109000 miles. On August 10th, 2008, my car once again suffered a transmission failure this time happened as I pulled out of my neighborhood and going about 15mph. Acura is acknowledging they have faulty transmissions but in my case are not willing to replace the previously replaced transmission due to it being "out of warranty". the replaced transmission only lasted 58000 miles, way below what should be considered normal, yet Acura is wanting me to pay full price for the faulty part and labor. There is obviously a serious safety issue here that need to be looked at, certainly if they are unwilling to address the issue of having me replace my transmission at their cost then I will no longer be a Honda customer. However, seems there are ticking time bomb out in the road with these transmissions and surprised I haven't heard anything about recalls being issued nationwide for their specific year of faulty transmissions.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #54

May 222008

TL 6-cyl

  • 138,000 miles
Transmission failed suddenly. Transmission was defective design and part of a class action suit that Honda settled without admitting fault. Transmission had a safety recall issued to install an oil jet pump on the transmission. This was performed on my car without any explanation to my as to why.

- Warrenton , VA, USA

problem #53

Aug 042007

TL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
I purchased a 2000 Acura 3.2 TL in April 2005. A few months ago, I began noticing my car jerking when I would back up. It was also stalling as I began to accelerate. I decided to do research on the car and I found that the transmissions were faulty. I immediately called the Acura company and I was instructed to take my car to a local Acura dealership and get a diagnostic check. After the diagnostic check was completed, it was called to my attention that the transmission was slipping. Acura offered to pay 25% of the cost which would have left a balance of $3000 for me to pay. I declined because I felt like they should pay the entire cost being that it was an error on their part. It was explained to me that my extended warranty had ended on the car that stemmed from a class action suit. I told them I was unaware of the suit and they replied that I should have been notified as the owner. I then called the dealership where I purchased the car. The dealership was unaware of the recall and stated they were never contacted about the recall. I called back and was given the "run around". I contacted Consumer Affairs. I received a letter from Consumer Affairs. After Consumer Affairs contacted Acura, I received a letter from Consumer Affairs stating that my car was not serviced because there was another problem other than the transmission. However, this information is false- I have the diagnostic report stating that my transmission was slipping.

- West Columbia, SC, USA

problem #52

Jan 032008

TL

  • 115,000 miles
While entering the highway today, I accelerated and my 2000 Acura 3.2 TL went from automatic to sport mode. I was terribly frightened and thanked god that my son was not in the car. The D5 and #3 were lit at the same time. Since the shift was in automatic mode, I could not shift to any other gear. I had taken my car to the dealer about a month ago because of a strange noise when my car was in reverse. I told them that I thought it was the transmission.the car was placed on a machine and the dealer told me it was my air conditioner. I found it very strange that I never heard the noise again after that visit. I called the dealer today and he informed me that it sounded like the transmission. I asked him why the last diagnostic test did not find a problem with my transmission (my car had already been sluggish, slow to shift into gear, etc). He informed me that the test would not have found anything if it just happened. I have faithfully kept my car maintained. Now that I am about 15,000 miles over the warranty, I do not think that I should be having this problem. When my car was still under the original warranty, I asked the dealer what would happen if my transmission went out after the extended warranty ran out. He informed me that it would be handled on a case by case basis. I will see tomorrow. Since owners are still having problems with these cars, evidently the extending of the warranty did not help. Peoples' lives are still in danger.

- Clemmons, NC, USA

problem #51

Feb 282007

TL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 99,439 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I tried to put my car in reverse after starting it one day to no avail. I placed a screw driver in the shift lock position as the owner's manual stated. I called the Acura dealership and told them the problem. They didn't have a loaner car available and asked me to come in a day later. On my way to the dealership for my appointment the next day, I had complete brake failure while going 65 miles an hour on a tollway. The next 14 miles I tried to get the car to slow down. I tried to shift to neutral and put the car in accessory, but nothing worked including the emergency brake. In fact the car accelerated without me ever touching the accelerator. Finally I exited off the highway and purposely wrecked the car to avoid injury to others at such a high rate of speed. The car was on fire when I finally stopped. Luckily I was alive. I broke my foot and popped 2 vertebrae in my neck.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #50

Oct 192007

TL 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 85,000 miles
I took my car into one of the local Acura dealerships because my car would downshift, and vibrate when driving. At the same time, I was informed that there was a recall on my model car for the transmission, (which I suspected the problem to be). My car was diagnosed, but told it wasn't transmission. After several instances of similar experiences I take my vehicle in to another local dealership, and state the same issue. Always told the same thing, not your transmission, now after several visits and repairs later they now diagnosed it to be my transmission. My first visit was in 2005, I was within warranty guidelines from this company, all other visits stem in Feb. 2007 and around 112,000 miles. 3000 miles over the required maintenance requirement, now 6,000 miles later they say different. They offered to pay 50% as a good will gesture, but I feel all along their tech's knew, but kept putting a bandaid on the problem until now, I've had several things repaired and I don't think they could come up with anything to replace.

- St Petersburg, FL, USA

problem #49

Oct 102007

TL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 138,000 miles
The contact owns a 2000 Acura TL. While driving 45 mph, the vehicle decelerated to approximately 20 mph without warning. As of October 12, 2007, the dealer had not inspected the vehicle. The contact stated that there was recall work performed for the automatic transmission in 2004, however, the NHTSA campaign id number was unavailable. She felt that the automatic transmission caused the current failure. The current and failure mileages were 138,000. The consumer stated the vehicle was inspected by the dealer who stated the transmission failed yet again and this is the third transmission for this vehicle. Updated 11/1/07

- Rowlett, TX, USA

problem #48

Aug 302007

TL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
The contact owns a 2000 Acura 3.2tl. In 2004, the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA recall number 04V176000 (power train:automatic transmission). The contact stated that the transmission has failed again three years later. Acura stated that the replacement transmission was re-manufactured and they would have a case manager review her complaint. The current mileage was 160,000 and the failure mileage was unknown.

- Willimington, DE, USA

problem #47

Jul 182007

TL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 124,000 miles
The contact owns a 2000 Acura TL. The contact received recall notice # 04V176000 (power train:automatic transmission) at 65,000 miles. He took his vehicle to the dealer and they performed a revision to the oil cooler and stated that the vehicle was fine. At 105,000 miles, the transmission failed and was replaced by Acura. The contact is currently experiencing failure with the vehicle, which he believes to be the transmission. He believes that one transmission is being replaced with another transmission that will fail in a couple of years. The current and failure mileages were 124,000.

- Sheffield, AL, USA

problem #46

Sep 032006

TL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2000 Acura 3.2tl. While driving 65 mph, the transmission failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was repaired in October of 2006. In may of 2007, the transmission failed again. The vehicle was taken to a different dealer who will not provide her with a warranty. The VIN and engine size were unknown. The current mileage is 118,000 and failure mileage was 100,000.

- San Fransciso, CA, USA

problem #45

Apr 122007

TL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 81,400 miles
Transmission began to slip during normal driving, I then researched this problem on the internet and learned that this was not an isolated incident and I became concerned for my family's safety due to descriptions of other peoples history with this car. I took car to dealer and they determined that a replacement was warranted. PCM unit was also replaced. They replaced transmission with a re-manufactured unit, old part is not available.

- Madison, WI, USA

problem #44

Mar 162007

TL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 138,000 miles
- the contact stated that while driving the 2000 Acura 3.2tl with 138000 failure mileage on two separate occasions the vehicle began to jerk, the D5 icon started to flash on the dashboard, and the vehicle was idling at a high rate. The contact had an appointment on 3/19/07 with a mechanic.

- Cincinnati, OK, USA

problem #43

Jan 022007

TL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 103,000 miles
While there was a recall on the transmission of 200-2004 Acura Tls, it appears that the remedy identified by the manufacturer does not fully resolve the issue, and while the manufacturer graciously extended the warranty to cover up to 100,000 miles, the failures of the transmission as documented widely on the internet generally take place between 100 and 110 thousand miles as was the case with the transmission in my vehicle which failed at 103,000 miles. Instituting such a remedy realizing the minimal value to consumers of the remedy is simply unethical.

- Oviedo, FL, USA

problem #42

Aug 012006

TL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 120,000 miles
: the contact stated that a noise was heard from under the vehicle while driving various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that the rear differential bearings had failed and the transmission needed to be replaced.

- Erie, PA, USA

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