NHTSA Complaint #10383075 — 2003 ACURA CL

ACURA CL 3.2 2003 W/ 60K MILES, MAINTAINED ON A REGULAR BASIS EXCEEDING OWNERS MANUAL RECOMMENDATIONS AND DRIVEN CONSERVATIVELY BY A PROFESSIONAL FEMALE: CAR BEING DRIVEN ON HEAVILY TRAFFICKED ROAD NORMALLY, AND VERY ABRUPTLY/SUDDENLY GEARED DOWN TO LOW GEAR FROM HIGH GEAR. VIOLENTLY JERKED AND SHIFTED, CAUSING THE CAR TO INSTANTLY GO FROM AROUND 50 MPH TO ONLY AROUND 10-15 MPH. NO WARNING LIGHTS OR PREVIOUS PROBLEMS. IF CAR HAD BEEN BEING DRIVEN ON THE BUSY, HIGH SPEED INTERSTATE LEAVING SAN FRANCISCO AT 60+ SURROUNDED BY TRAFFIC (LUCKILY HAD JUST EXITED THE INTERSTATE AND WAS ON SECONDARY ROAD), IT COULD EASILY HAVE CAUSED FATAL ACCIDENTS. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO IMMEDIATELY ACCESS A SHOULDER TO PULL OVER. DROVE CAR TO ACURA SERVICE ON SIDE ROAD WITH FLASHERS ON - TOOK NEARLY AN HOUR TO GO 6 MILES. WARNING LIGHT FINALLY CAME ON A HALF MILE FROM THE DEALERSHIP, ALTHOUGH PROBLEM HAD HAPPENED SEVERAL MILES BEFORE AND COULD EASILY HAVE CAUSED MAJOR ACCIDENTS, BASED ON DRIVING SITUATION. ACURA SERVICE DETERMINED THAT TRANSMISSION WAS DEFECTIVE AND REPLACED IT. EVEN THOUGH I LATER LEARNED THAT THE SAME MODEL AND YEAR HAD BEEN PUT UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND WAS THE SUBJECT OF A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT, I HAD NEVER RECEIVED ANY NOTIFICATIONS. FURTHER, I WAS TOLD BY ACURA CORP AND THE DEALERSHIP THAT MY VIN NUMBER WAS NOT PART OF THE PROBLEM/ LAWSUIT AND I WAS REQUIRED TO PAY FOR THE NEW TRANSMISSION, ON THE ACURA WITH 60K MILES THAT WAS IN OTHERWISE EXCELLENT CONDITION.. *TR