2001 Acura Tl

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF AN ACURA TL 2001. AT 40K MILES AS I WAS DRIVING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY THE CAR STARTED JERKING, I WENT FROM 40 MPH TO ALMOST A COMPLETE STOP IN SECONDS. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS PLACED AS IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY. THE CAR NOW HAS 108K MILES. MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING YESTERDAY ON A BUSY HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH AND THE CAR DID THE SAME THING AGAIN. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER TODAY AND THE HAVE INFORMED US THAT IT NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION AGAIN. MY FIRST CONCERN IN ALL THIS IS THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY. MY HUSBAND COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED YESTERDAY. HE WAS ON A BUSY HIGHWAY IN WHICH THE SPEED LIMIT IS 65 MPH WE FEEL VERY FORTUNATE THAT THE CAR BEHIND HIM WAS FAR AWAY ENOUGH THAT IT DID NOT RUN INTO HIM. LOOKING BACK I WAS VERY LUCKY WHEN IT HAPPENED TO ME. THIS TRANSMISSION PROBLEM CAN CAUSE A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT. MY SECOND CONCERN IS THAT THE DEALER SAYS THE WARRANTY ON THE TRANSMISSION IS ONLY GOOD TO 109K MILES NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT. I STARTED DOING RESEARCH ON THIS PROBLEM AND FOUND THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THEIR TRANSMISSIONS THREE TIMES. THIS LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE REPLACING THEM WITH FAULTY TRANSMISSION WHICH CONTINUES TO BE A HAZARD ON THE ROAD. I FEEL THAT ACURA IS NOT DOING ENOUGH TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC AND TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. *NM

WE WERE RETURNING ON 10/02/06 FROM A 1,000 MILE ROAD TRIP TO PA, ON THE WAY HOME (AT NIGHT, IN THE POURING RAIN, WITH A TODDLER) WE LOST OUR TRANSMISSION. THIS WAS ON A 65 MPH HIGHWAY. THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED FROM 2000 RPM-5000 RPM AND BACK A FEW TIMES. BY THE TIME I COULD GET SAFELY PULLED OVER, THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. WHEN I TRIED TO DRIVE IT TO MOVE SAFELY OFF OF THE HIGHWAY, IT WAS REVVING AT 5000 RPM AND MOVING A 2 MPH. I OBVIOUSLY DID NOT WANT TO DO MORE DAMAGE, SO WE SAT ON THE HIGHWAY IN THE MIDDLE OF AN OFF RAMP UNTIL ASSISTANCE ARRIVED. WE HAD IT TOWED TO A LOCAL GARAGE. THEY CALLED THE NEXT DAY TO TELL US THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS GONE AND THEY HAVE SUCH A HIGH FAILURE RATE THAT THEY GO FOR $2000 EVEN AT SALVAGE YARDS. THEY QUOTED US $3650 FOR A REBUILT, WITH A NEW COMPUTER (ACURA REQUIRED!!!) AND LABOR. THE KICKER IS, WE HAD ONLY BEEN OVER OUR WARRANTY MILEAGE BY 3K. WE WERE ALSO GIVEN NO WARNING (NEITHER WARNING LIGHT NOR DRIVING) THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT HONDA/ACURA CAN HAVE THE #2 MOST RELIABLE VEHICLE REPUTATION. AFTER SIMPLY SEARCHING FOR "2001 ACURA TL TRANSMISSIONS" THERE WERE PAGES UPON PAGES THAT HAVE HAD THEIR TRANSMISSIONS REPLACED AS EARLY AS 25K AND SOME HAVE EVEN HAD TWO TO FOUR REPLACEMENTS. HOW IS THIS THE #2 MOST RELIABLE CARE COMPANY? I DO NOT THINK A TRANSMISSION SHOULD GO AT 100K, IF MAINTAINED PROPERLY, THERE IS NO REASON FOR IT. I AM DISGUSTED THAT WE JUST BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE LAST YEAR AND STILL OWE 2 AND A HALF MORE YEARS ON IT!! EVEN WORSE, SINCE WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE, WE WERE NEVER MADE AWARE OF ANY RECALL BY ACURA AND WERE NOT ABLE TO BRING IT TO ACURA (FOR FREE) TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WAS OK. HAD WE BEEN MADE AWARE WHEN WE TOOK POSSESSION (I AM SURE ACURA HAS RECORDS OF NEW OWNERS AS WE JUST GOT A RECALL ON OUR USED 2002 CHEVY), WE COULD HAVE AVOIDED THIS. RIGHT NOW, WE ARE RENTING A CAR SINCE WE BOTH WORK FULL TIME JOBS, ON TOP OF A $3650 REPAIR. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING 70 MPH, WITHOUT WARNING, BLACK SMOKE APPEARED FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND THEN THE STEERING COLUMN. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER AND IT BURST INTO FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A STORAGE LOT, WHERE THE INSURANCE COMPANY DETERMINED THE FAN MOTOR FAILED CAUSING THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS DEEMED A TOTAL LOSS. UPDATED 06/19/06. *JB

HONDA CLAIMS TO HAVE A GOOD REPUTATION FOR BUILDING STABLE VEHICLES. I BOUGHT MY ACURA BRAND NEW IN 2001 AND MY TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED ONLY 100,000 MILES LATER. THAT IS WORSE THAN A OLD FORD ESCORT. HONDA HAS BEEN ATTEMPTING TO DECEIVE CONSUMERS BY CLAIMING THEY WILL ADDRESS A TRANSMISSION DEFECT THEY IDENTIFIED SINCE IN 2004. I HAVE SEEN DOZENS OF COMPLAINTS INDICATING THAT THEY ARE NOT HONORING THEIR COMMITMENT TO CONSUMERS. A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IS NEEDED TO PREVENT THIS COMPANY FROM ABUSING THEIR CUSTOMERS. SOMEONE IS GOING TO LOOSE THEIR LIFE IF HONDA DOES NOT FULFILL THEIR OBLIGATION. THEY ARE GIVING CONSUMERS THE RUN AROUND BY CLAIMING THAT THE INSPECTION WAS ALLEGEDLY COMPLETED AND NO BREAKAGE IN THE GEARS WERE DETECTED SO THAT THE COST OF REPLACING TRANSMISSIONS WILL NOT BE INCURRED BY THEM. THE ACURA TRANSMISSIONS ARE NOW BEGINNING TO FAIL AT A RAPID PACE AND HONDA IS REFUSING TO REPLACE THEM. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS MATTER BEFORE PEOPLE STARTS LOSING THEIR LIVES BECAUSE OF THIS COMPANY'S NEGLIGENCE. WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN DOING IS ATTEMPTING TO STALL THE PROCESS BY PASSING FAULTY TRANSMISSIONS AS OPERABLE THEN WAITING UNTIL THE WARRANTY EXPIRES TO TRAP THE CONSUMER WITH THE COSTS OF REPAIRS. THIS IS UNSCRUPULOUS AND UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR. IF MY CAR ISN'T REPAIRED IMMEDIATELY I AM GOING TO INVITE MEDIA ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER AS I HAVE EVIDENCE OF THIS WRONG DOING. *NM

AFTER REAR-END COLLISION (MY FAULT ON SLICK PAVEMENT, GOING EST. 15 MPH WHERE BRAKES LOCKED UP AND CAR SKIDDED FOR AT LEAST 15-20 FEET) THE FRONT END OF MY CAR SIMPLY HAD A DENTED FRONT END AND GRILL AND LEFT (DRIVER'S SIDE) HEADLIGHT. A FEW MINUTES LATER A SMALL FLAME BROKE OUT AROUND THIS BROKEN HEADLIGHT AND THE FLAME QUICKLY GREW BEFORE THE FIRE ENGINES COULD GET THERE, W/IN 5 MINUTES THE ENTIRE ENGINE AREA WAS ON FIRE AND THE CAR IS NOW TOTALED. THE FIRE CHIEF TOLD ME THAT HE HAD NEVER SEEN A HEADLIGHT CATCH FIRE AND THEN SPREAD THE WAY THIS DID. I'M QUESTIONING WHETHER THIS WAS A MECHANICAL OR ELECTRICAL DEFECT IN THIS MODEL OF ACURA AND WHETHER I HAVE A CLAIM AGAINST ACURA. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE FRONT RIGHT LOWER BALL JOINT FAILED WHILE DRIVING. THE BALL JOINT CAME APART, CAUSING THE COLLAPSE OF THE SUSPENSION, AND LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE SPEED WAS AROUND 10-15 MPH. HE HAS TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE SERVICE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK UPDATED 11/29/2005 - THE PART NUMBER IS 51210-S84-A02 , SUPERSEDED BY ACURA PART 51210-S84-305. *NM

AS I WAS DRIVING THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS IN MONTEAGLE TENNESSEE MY TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. MY CAR ACTUALLY STARTED ROLLING BACK DOWN THE MOUNTAIN, BECAUSE I COULD NOT ACCELERATE, BUT I WAS ABLE TO BACK IT INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE AS I WAS ROLLING BACKWARDS. I WAS FRIGHTENED TO DEATH BECAUSE TRUCKS WERE COMING UP ON ME AND IT WAS NIGHT TIME. I WAS STRANDED FOR SIX HOURS IN THE MOUNTAINS BECAUSE MY CELL PHONE DID NOT WORK AND I DID NOT KNOW WHERE I WAS BECAUSE I WAS ON A TRIP TO CHICAGO FROM ATLANTA. LUCKILY A TENNESSEE STATE TROOPER SAW ME AND HE GOT ME A TOW TRUCK. I HAD TO STAY IN A HOTEL FOR TWO DAYS AND I HAD IT TOWED TO PYE ACURA IN CHATTANOOGA TENNESSEE. MY CAR HAD 90000 MILES AT THE TIME. PYE ACURA REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION UNDER THE 100000 MILE WARRANTY WITH NO PROBLEM AND HAD ME BACK ON THE ROAD. HOPEFULLY THIS TRANSMISSION WILL LAST, FROM WHAT I HAVE BEEN HEARING, EVEN THE RE-MANUFACTURED TRANSMISSIONS ARE BAD. I WAS STILL UPSET THOUGH BECAUSE I LOST A LOT OF MONEY PAYING FOR A HOTEL AND A TOW TRUCK, AND I WAS GOING TO CHICAGO FOR MY BIRTHDAY SO I MISSED MY PARTY. *JB