NHTSA Complaint #10443977 — 2001 ACURA MDX

TRANSMISSION FAILURE CAUSED BY PLUGGED FLUID COOLER IN RADIATOR.FOLLOWING OCCASIONAL UNDIAGNOSED HIGH TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURE FLUID WARNINGS WHEN TOWING A TRAILER, CAR SHIFTED UNEXPECTEDLY INTO 2ND GEAR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. JUST PRIOR, SHIFTING HAD BECOME SLIGHTLY ERRATIC, INCLUDING SHARP ENGAGEMENT ABOVE IDLE WHEN PULLING AWAY. ERRATIC BEHAVIOR WAS NOTICEABLE, BUT NOT DISCONCERTING. ONCE THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SHIFTING INTO 2ND GEAR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WAS SLOWED, AND PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY BRIEFLY TO COOL. UPON RESTARTING, ERRATIC SHIFTING CONTINUED. TRIP COMPLETED BY HOLDING CAR IN 2ND GEAR. VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY NEXT MORNING DRIVING TO SHOP. DIAGNOSIS WAS COMPUTER UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT GEAR TRANSMISSION WAS IN. SHOP PERFORMED COMPLETE TRANSMISSION OVERHAUL. CAR THEN OPERATED NORMALLY - UNTIL TRAILER TOWING AGAIN ATTEMPTED. TRAILER HAD BEEN TOWED WITH INDETICAL LOADING FOR SOME 6+ YEARS WITHOUT PROBLEMS, INCLUDING MOUNTAIN PASSES IN 3RD GEAR. NOW WHEN TOWING TRANSMISSION OVERHEATED WITHOUT WARNING IN COLD WEATHER, INCLUDING OVER-TEMPERATURE LIGHT, & TRANSMISSION FLUID SPRAYING OUT, WETTING THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CAR & EXHAUST SYSTEM, CREATING SMOKE CLOUD. REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO FIX WERE UNSUCCESSFUL UNTIL TRANSMISSION SHOP FINALLY FOUND FLUID COOLER INTEGRAL TO THE RADIATOR PLUGGED SOLID, ALLOWING NO FLUID FLOW THROUGH THAT COOLER OR THE FACTORY-INSTALLED TOWING PACKAGE COOLER. WARNING! IF YOU HAVE AN OLDER ACURA THAT EXPERIENCES TRANSMISSION FLUID OVERHEATING, RADIATOR REPLACEMENT IS LIKELY NEEDED. IT IS LIKELY THAT THE OVERHEATING HASTENED THE FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION. THE SEVERE DECELERATION OF THE VEHICLE WHEN DOWNSHIFTING ON ITS OWN INTO 2ND GEAR AT HIGHWAY SPEED COULD EASILY HAVE RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ARE COMMON WITH THIS MODEL OF VEHICLE. I AM SURPRISED THAT HONDA HAS NOT DONE SOMETHING ABOUT IT. *TR