NHTSA Complaint #10170000 — 2001 ACURA TL

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