NHTSA Complaint #10500889 — 2001 ACURA TL

I WAS EXACTLY HALFWAY THROUGH A 350 MILE ROAD TRIP, DRIVING UPHILL ALONG A BUSY INTERSTATE IN THE LEFT LANE WHEN, WITHOUT WARNING, MY 2001 ACURA 3.2 TL BEGAN LOSING SPEED DESPITE CONTINUED THROTTLE ACCELERATION. THE ENGINE RPM'S WERE CLIMBING AS IF THE TRANSMISSION WERE IN NEUTRAL. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO ROLL TO RIGHT SHOULDER AND COME TO A SAFE STOP. MY TRANSMISSION SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY. THE REVERSE AND ALL DRIVE GEARS BEHAVED AS NEUTRAL. I WAS LEFT WITH ONLY PARK AND NEUTRAL. I OPENED THE HOOD AND SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING. WHEN I CHECKED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID IT WAS BLACK AND SMOKING. JUST 3 HOURS EARLIER WHEN I CHECKED ALL MY FLUIDS BEFORE LEAVING, I NOTICED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS THE NORMAL SHINY RED. I WAS GIVEN NO WARNING SIGNS, NO SYMPTOMS OF SHIFTING PROBLEMS, AND NO CONSOLE INDICATION THAT MY TRANSMISSION WAS RUNNING HOTTER THAN NORMAL. I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON MY YEAR MAKE AND MODEL, AND THAT MY TRANSMISSION WAS INCLUDED IN THAT RECALL. WHY DIDN'T ACURA FIX THIS PROBLEM? MY VEHICLE HAS ONLY 103,000 MI; THIS SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED. *TR