NHTSA Complaint #10325921 — 2003 ACURA TL

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) 2003 ACURA TL 3.2, [XXX] MILEAGE: 55,189 AFTER DRIVING FOR A FEW MINUTES, AUTO TRANSMISSION DOES NOT PULL, SIMILAR TO THE TRANSMISSION BEING PLACED IN "NEUTRAL". ACURA TAKEN TO LEITH ACURA, CARY, NC ON 4/14/10. DEALER SERVICE DEPT IDENTIFIED THE FOLLOWING COMPUTER CODES: P0740-TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH, P0730-GEAR INCORRECT RATIO, & P0700-SHIFT MALFUNCTION. BASED ON THESE CODES, DEALER RECOMMENDED TRANSMISSION & TORQUE CONVERTER TO BE REPLACED (TOTAL COST APPROX $ 3400). DEALER CONTACTED THE REGIONAL ACURA OFFICE, WHICH PROVIDED A 45% ADJUSTMENT TO THE ORIGINAL COST. NET CHARGE BY DEALER $ 1,783.19. THIS VEHICLE WAS SUBJECT TO A RECALL IN 2003-04 (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID # 04V176000). THE MODIFICATION TO THIS SAFETY RECALL WAS COMPLETED ON 9/10/2004 BY TISCHER ACURA, LAUREL, MD WITH MILEAGE @ 8,426. PER THE INVOICE FROM TISCHER & SINCE THE MILEAGE WAS LESS THAN 15,000, THE RECALL INSTRUCTED THE DEALER TO "INSTALL AN OIL JET KIT", WHICH WAS COMPLETED. NOTE, IF THE VEHICLE HAD MORE THAN 15,000 MILES, THE SAFETY RECALL INSTRUCTED THE DEALER TO "REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION". BASED UPON THE HISTORY OF THIS PARTICULAR ACURA, I BELIEVE THE DEALER IN 2004 SHOULD HAVE REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION INSTEAD OF INSTALLING AN OIL JET KIT. MANY ACURAS MANUFACTURED PRIOR TO THE 2004 MODEL HAD SERIOUS "TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS" WHICH WERE INCLUDED IN OTHER "RECALLS". *TR