NHTSA Complaint #10315460 — 2002 ACURA MDX

WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH ON HIGHWAY DURING A VACATION, CAR TRANSMISSION LIGHT CAME ON, STARTING SMELLING FUNNY, READ MANUAL AND IT SAID IF THIS LIGHT WAS ON TO PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY - SEVERE DAMAGE CAN OCCUR IF YOU KEEP DRIVING. WE PULLED OVER IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. FLUID HAD SPILLED OUT ALL OVER ENGINE. THEY SAID THAT WAS FROM IT OVERHEATING AND BOILING THE FLUID OUT. WE SAT FOR A WHILE AND LET IT COOL DOWN. THE LIGHT WENT OFF, BUT WE DROVE AROUND 50 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY THE REST OF OUR TRIP. THE CAR RESUMED TO WORK FINE. HOWEVER, WE HAVE CONSTANTLY HAD ISSUES WITH IT SLIPPING. WE TOOK TO OUR MECHANIC AND THEN TO ACURA. BOTH PARTIES AT FIRST DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING WAS WRONG, BUT THEN BOTH SAID THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED REPLACING. ACURA WOULD NOT GIVE ANY DISCOUNT, SO WE ENDED UP GOING WITH THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR COMPANY BECAUSE IT WAS ONLY $2200 INSTEAD OF $4500 BY ACURA. WAS WITHOUT A CAR FOR TWO WEEKS. A FEW MONTHS LATER IT BEGAN SLIPPING AGAIN, SO WE TOOK BACK AND THEY REPAIRED AGAIN, BECAUSE THIS COMPANY OFFERED A 12 MONTH WARRANTY. AGAIN, WAS WITHOUT A CAR FOR TWO WEEKS. NOW 7 MONTHS LATER, WAS DRIVING AT NIGHT ON BUSY ROAD. I WAS BRAKING COMING UP TO A RED LIGHT. THE LIGHT CHANGED, SO I SWITCHED TO PUSH THE GAS PEDAL BEFORE I WAS FULLY STOPPED AND THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY WENT OUT AND WOULDN'T ENGAGE AT ALL. MY CAR CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RED LIGHT AND CARS WERE SWERVING ALL AROUND US TO AVOID HITTING US. IT WAS A MIRACLE WE WEREN'T HURT. I PUT DOWN TO PARK, TURNED OFF CAR, AND THEN IT BEGAN WORKING LIKE NOTHING WAS WRONG. WENT BACK TO TRANSMISSION REPAIR PLACE AND THEY SAID THAT NOTHING SEEMED WRONG. THEY TOOK APART TWICE AND FINALLY REPLACED OUT 5TH GEAR EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKED COMPLETELY FINE. THEY SAID THEY HEARD THE WHINING NOISE, TOO, BUT COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THEY DID REPLACE THOUGH AND HOPED THIS WOULD FIX IT. WE STILL HEAR THE WHINING NOISE AND NOW DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING OUR FAMILY IN THIS VEHICLE. *TR