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:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
100,724 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.

2003 Acura TL drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2003 Acura TL Owner Comments (Page 2 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #47

Jan 012003

TL

  • 153,000 miles

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

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 turn 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.

- Fremont, CA, USA

problem #46

Mar 252016

TL

  • 112,000 miles
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.

- Hot Springs, AR, USA

problem #45

Feb 072016

TL

  • miles
Transmission. Recall. Transmission died while driving at high speed on interstate 76 West. Acura should replace under recall.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #44

Feb 082016

TL

  • miles

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

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.

- Lake Waccamaw, NC, USA

problem #43

Feb 012016

TL

  • 139,000 miles
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.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

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problem #42

Oct 082015

TL

  • 173,000 miles
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.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #41

Mar 062015

TL

  • 142,000 miles

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

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.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #40

Oct 222014

TL 6-cyl

  • miles
2003 Acura 3.2tl. Consumer writes in regards to a defective transmission. 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.

- Severn, MD, USA

problem #39

Dec 032012

TL

  • 65,000 miles
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.

- Ballwin, MO, USA

problem #38

Jun 282015

TL

  • 62,000 miles
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.

- Santa Rosa, CA, USA

problem #37

Jun 292011

TL

  • 76,334 miles

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

Sudden and premature transmission failure at highway speeds

- New Richmond, WI, USA

problem #36

Mar 062015

TL 6-cyl

  • 124,000 miles
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 Honda and I would think the dealership would've taken care of the issue.

- Methuen, MA, USA

problem #35

Jan 262015

TL 6-cyl

  • 149,000 miles
Vehicle was driving at 65 miles on highway and suddenly shifted to lower gear withot prior warning. Looks to be a trans torque converter.

- Troy, MI, USA

problem #34

Jun 252013

TL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
2003 Acura TL transmission slipping 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.

- Saint Louis Park, MN, USA

problem #33

Aug 292011

TL

  • 122,000 miles
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.

- Westampton, NJ, USA

problem #32

May 162014

TL 6-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
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.

- Whittier, CA, USA

problem #31

Apr 022014

TL 6-cyl

  • 130,000 miles
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.

- Easley, SC, USA

problem #30

Mar 082013

TL 6-cyl

  • 159,099 miles
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.

- Otto, NC, USA

problem #29

Jan 142014

TL 6-cyl

  • 133,000 miles
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.

- Methuen, MA, USA

problem #28

Dec 032013

TL 6-cyl

  • 161,200 miles
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.

- Houston, TX, USA

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