NHTSA Complaint #10353422 — 2002 ACURA TL

ON 7/23/10, WHILE TRAVELING EAST BOUND ON I-95 OUTSIDE OF SAVANNAH, GA AT APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH IN MY 2002 ACURA TL TYPE-S, I NOTICED WHITE SMOKE IN MY REAR VIEW MIRROR. INITIALLY I IGNORED IT AND ASSUMED IT WAS DUST FROM THE INTERSTATE. AFTER TRAVELING A FEW HUNDRED FEET, I LOOKED AND NOTICED THE SMOKE WAS STILL THERE. I IMMEDIATELY LOOKED DOWN AT MY RPM GAUGE AND FOUND IT NEAR THE RED LINE WITHOUT ANY FORWARD MOMENTUM AND WONDERED IF THIS WAS ANOTHER TRANSMISSION FAILURE'IT WAS. AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE I WAS IN THE FAR LEFT LANE OF A FOUR-LANE INTERSTATE. I ONLY HAD SECONDS TO TRY AND CLEAR THE LANES AND REACH THE SHOULDER ON THE RIGHT SIDE AS CARS SPED BY ME. IT WAS A HARROWING EVENT. THIS IS THE THIRD TRANSMISSION FAILURE OVER THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE DESPITE NHTSA INVOLVEMENT IN 12/02. UNLIKE THE OTHER FAILURES, THERE WERE NO WARNINGS OF THE CATASTROPHIC EVENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO SOUTHERN MOTORS ACURA IN SAVANNAH, GA. A FOURTH REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION WAS PLACED IN THE VEHICLE 7 YEARS AFTER ACURA INFORMED NHTSA THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THESE REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION ARE UNSAFE AND HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO CREATE VEHICLE CRASHES CAUSING SERIOUSLY BODILY INJURED OR DEATH. *TR