NHTSA Complaint #11193930 — 2016 ACURA MDX

WE PURCHASED OUR 2016 ACURA MDX NEW, BACK IN 2016. STARTING IN 2018, WE BEGAN EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH THE WAY THE VEHICLE CHANGED GEARS. WHEN WE ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE, IT WOULD NOT. THE TACHOMETER WOULD REV UP, AND THEN THE GEAR WOULD VIOLENTLY ENGAGE. WE TOOK IT IN MULTIPLE TIMES TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WERE ADVISED THAT THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. ON 1/8/19, WHILE MY WIFE WAS OUT OF TOWN, WE EXPERIENCED A "CATASTROPHIC FAILURE" OF THE TRANSMISSION, LITERALLY POUR OUT TRANSMISSION FLUID AND OTHER MECHANICAL PARTS OF THE TRANSMISSION AND LEAVING MY WIFE STRANDED OUT OF TOWN. WE WERE TOWED TO THE ACURA DEALERSHIP IN THE AREA, AND THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED. WE GOT THE VEHICLE BACK ABOUT A WEEK LATER ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT THE SAME SYMPTOMS THAT EVENTUALLY THAT LED TO THE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE ARE STILL ON GOING. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO THE LOCAL ACURA DEALERSHIP AND MET WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER WHO ADVISED ME THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE 9 SPEED TRANSMISSION, AND PRECISELY WHY ACURA REPLACED THIS TRANSMISSION WITH A NEW 10 SPEED TRANSMISSION IN THE LATER MODELS. THE SERVICE MANAGER ADDED THAT SINCE THERE WAS NO FIX, THERE WASN'T ANYTHING THEY COULD DO FOR ME AND REFERRED ME TO THE "CUSTOMER SERVICE" CORPORATE LINE. FOR WEEKS I WORKED WITH A CASE MANAGER TO REACH A REASONABLE RESOLUTION. MY ASK WAS TO EITHER 1) FIX THE KNOWN DEFECT IN MY TRANSMISSION, 2) EXTEND THE WARRANTY TO COVER THE EVENTUAL FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION, AGAIN, OR 3) BUY BACK THE VEHICLE. THEY CLOSED MY CASE YESTERDAY AND ADVISED ME THAT THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN DO FOR ME DESPITE THIS AGAIN, BEING A KNOWN ISSUE. MEANWHILE, I'M STUCK WITH A LEMON. I DON'T HAVE FAITH IN THIS VEHICLE AND CERTAINLY DON'T FEEL SAFE WITH MY WIFE AND CHILDREN TRAVELING IN IT. ITS A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE IT BREAKS DOWN AGAIN, LEAVING US STRANDED. *JS