Faults:

My first transmission blew at 37,000 miles when the car was just over 1 year old. It was still under warranty and they kept it for a month. They paid for my rental car for a month as the dealer was out of loaners. Yet the dealer I took it to claims to have no record of this.

Today my second transmission blew and the dealership is telling me that the manufacturer has no record of the first transmission being replaced.

The car has been a decent vehicle. It has get up an go and since the majority of my driving is highway that is a feature I appreciate.

However, after reading the comments on this blog and a few other websites it appears that this model has several transmission issues. According to the Acura Service team these are known issues. I now find it hard to believe that the manufacturer nor the dealer have any record of my past transmission issues.

Additionally, I've replaced part of the ABS once and the entire ABS just under a year ago.

I am not at all hard on vehicles. I service my vehicles regularly and I am religious about it. I ordered a 1994 Ford Explorer and drove it without a single maintenance issue until 1999. I then sold it out right to a friend who drove it without issue until 2003.

I had a 1988 Cougar that I bought used with 18,000 miles on it. It was a dealer car. I drove that car for 3 years and sold it for $200 less than I paid for it.

I would not recommend an Acura.

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the car and I've not had to take it in to the dealer for anything.

The right rear seat back is starting to look like it's going to crack, which is strange, and is the only thing that has not met my expectations of the car.

General Comments:

The car is quick, comfortable, handles well and produces great gas mileage (28-31 mpg) for a car of it's size and power. The engine is silky smooth, and the looks are handsome and understated, just what I like. My only beef is that the driver's power seat doesn't seem to go down far enough - I feel like I'm riding on top of it rather than in it. But a few miles in it and it seems normal.

I've had no transmission issues.

Faults:

I just had the automatic transmission rebuilt on my 2003 TL-S. Bought it new and have 73,900 miles on it. It's a late 2003 VIN, and Acura would not cover it under warranty. It was slipping into 3rd gear. Dealership wanted $3750 plus tax, independent shop did the work for $2600 incl tax with a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty. The entire torque converter was wasted and was losing hydraulic pressure. The rebuild kit included the latest updates and fixes (better than original).

General Comments:

I hope the rebuilt transmission will last at least 100,000 miles, because I really love the car, and everything else about it.