NHTSA Complaint #10365222 — 2003 ACURA TL

DEFINITE PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION SLIPPING. CLUTCH DOESN'T ENGAGE SOMETIMES. TRYING TO ACCELERATE FROM A COMPLETE STOP AND THE CAR WON'T MOVE. SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, D5 LIGHT HAS STARTED BLINKING AND THE TCS LIGHT IS COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY NOW. TOOK IT TO AN ACURA DEALERSHIP YESTERDAY AND THEY SAID THE TRANSMISSION IS BAD AND DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I BOUGHT THE CAR USED AND IT HAD A SLIGHT MISS IN IT BUT I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION UNTIL THE LAST FEW DAYS WHEN IT STARTED SLIPPING SO BACK AND NOT EVEN ENGAGING. THEN STARTED LOOKING ONLINE FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND THIS PARTICULAR YEAR AND MODEL OF CAR, THERE ARE HUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I CALLED ACURA AND THEY DON'T PLAN TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSIONS BECAUSE THEY DON'T SEE IT AS A SAFETY HAZARD, BUT IT CLEARLY IS IF YOU READ THE REPORTS OF OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD VERY BAD EXPERIENCES, SOME TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEEDS AND THE CAR IS OUT OF CONTROL. A TRANSMISSION ON A VEHICLE SHOULD NEVER GO BAD THIS SOON. ACURA DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS AS IT IS CLEARLY A DEFECT IN THE TRANSMISSION AND PEOPLE (LIKE ME) DON'T HAVE $3,000 - $4,000 TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR 3 MONTHS AGO FROM A USED CAR DEALERSHIP WHO ONLY OFFERED A 30 DAY WARRANTY AND THEY AREN'T WILLING TO PAY FOR IT EITHER. *TR