Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1997 Acura Cl submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 17 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
1997 ACURA CL. CONSUMER STATES TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP WHILE DRIVING INTERSTATE SPEED. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE CAME TO AN ABRUPT AND VIOLENT STOP, WITHOUT ANY FORWARD OR REVERSE. *JB
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 ACURA 3.0CL. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT IT WOULD COST $3000 TO REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION. THERE ARE NO RELATED RECALLS OR WARRANTIES AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000.
PURCHASED VEHICLE @ 103,000 MILES, DROVE IT 2000 MILES AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ONE, "D" STARTED TO FLASH AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT COME OUT OF 2ND GEAR. AFTER PROPER DIAGNOSIS, FOUND INTERNAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE(AFTER RESEARCH FOUND OUT IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM) REPLACE TRANSMISSION WITH OEM UNIT, STILL (AND HAVE HAD SINCE DAY ONE, A HESITATION UPON ACCELERATION)PRIOR TO TRANSMISSION PROBLEM HAD THROTTLE BODY CLEANED, STILL HAD HESITATION WITH OR WITHOUT AC ON-PRIOR OWNER HAD SAME PROBLEM, UNABLE TO CORRECT PROBLEM TO THIS DAY. *TR
CAR STALLED ON FREEWAY - FULL ELECTRICAL SHUTDOWN - GAUGES DROPPED. PUT CAR INTO NEUTRAL, RESTARTED IGNITION, SLIGHT GRIND AT STARTER, AND CAR STARTED. PULLED OVER WHEN SAFE & WHEN PUT CAR IN REVERSE, HEARD WHINING/GRINDING NOISE AND IT WOULDN'T ENGAGE. DRIVE WORKED FINE SO DROVE TO DEALER. DEALER FOUND IGNITION TO BE DEFECTIVE AND COVERED UNDER RECALL - IT CAUSED THE STALL. DEALER SAID TRANSMISSION NEEDED REPLACEMENT FOR $4800 - WON;T COVER IT AND SAY THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND STALL HAVE NOTING TO DO WITH EACH OTHER. THE STALL WAS VERY UNSAFE AND SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL WAS BEST SAFEST MANUEVER (AGREED TO BY DEALER AND ACURA USA), BUT THEY ARGUE NO CAUSALITY. SEEKING REMEDY THROUGH BUREAU OF AUTO REPAIR, LAWSUIT IF NECESSARY. *NM
MY TRANSMISSION ON MY ACURA 3.0 FAILED AFTER ONLY 68,000 MILES. THE DEALER AND ACURA HEADQUARTERS REFUSE TO HANDLE THE ISSUE. *NM
THE VEHICLE JUMPS OUT OF GEAR, AND SOMETIMES STICKS. TRANSMISSION IS DEFECTIVE. DEALER STATED THAT HE COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM.*AK *TC
DRIVE AXLE ON MANUAL TRANSMISSION IS LOOSE AND MAY COME APART AND CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. *JB
ABOUT A ACURA CL 1997 , SEEMS LIKE THE COMPANY KNEW ABOUT THE TRNSMISSION PROBLEMS THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD AND NEVER RECALLED IT. THE 2.2 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ARE VERY POORLEY BUILT.*AK
FAULTY SHIFTING 1997 ACURA CL TRANSMISSION. *JB
MR. ROBERT GIBBONS OF ACURA OF USA PROVIDED THE PARTS, BUT I HAD TO PAY $680 FOR THE LABOR AND $318.84 FOR A CAR RENTAL WITH A TOTAL OF $998.84. WHICH HE DECLINED TO REIMBURSE ME FOR, STATING THAT THE PARTS WERE OFFERED AS A GOODWILL GESTURE, AND THUS HE MADE ME A PARTNER IN A FAILING ACURA. HOWEVER, THE UNITED STATES FEDERAL LAW REGARDS THIS GOODWILL GESTURE AS A HIDDEN WARRANTY AND OBLIGATES THE MANUFACTURER TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE FULL AMOUNT. DT
8/14/00 - TRANSMISSION FAILURE - ACURA REPLACED TRANSMISSION AT ACURA PASADENA (GOOD WILL GESTURE FROM ACURA PROVIDED RE-BUILT TRANSMISSION), AND I PAYED FOR THE LABOR - OVER $1,000.00. ON 10/21/02 ANOTHER TRANSMISSION FAILURE THIS TIME AT 68 MPH, ON THE FREEWAY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, 210 FWY, EAST BOUND BETWEEN LOWELL AVE & LA TUNA CANYON ROAD. CAR WAS TOWED TO ACURA PASADENA, WHERE ON 10/22 I WAS INFORMED BY THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED AND THAT THE COST WOULD BE $4,600.00 OUT OF MY POCKET. A WARRANTY ISSUED ON THE REBUILT TRANSMISSION WAS FOR 36 MONTHS/36,000 MILES. TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 38,387 MILES.
DURING A COLD START, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILS TO SHIFT GEARS PROPERLY UNTILL THE ENGINE IS WARM. EVERYDAY SINCE I HAVE HAD THE CAR, THIS HAS HAPPENED. THE CAR IS NOT UNDER WARRENTY SO REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION WOULD COST ME A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS, WHICH I AM NOT PREPARED TO SPEND.*AK
MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON. DEALER INFORMED ME THAT THE PRIMARY CONTROL MODULE FOR THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED. I WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THE TESTS TO ISOLATE PROBLEM AN FOR LABOR TO REPAIR. ACURA WILL REPLACE THE PCM AS 'GOODWILL' BUT AS MAINTANANCE WAS DONE PER ACURA RECOMMENDATIONS THIS PROBLEM SHOULD HAVE BEEN CAUGHT.*AK
WHEN VEHICLE IS PLACED IN REVERSE ON THE SELECTED GEAR SHIFT POSITION VEHICLE CONTINUES TO MOVE FORWARD. ALSO, THERE IS A DELAY IN RESPONDS WHEN SHIFTING. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER. DEALER STATED TRANSMISSION NEEDED REPLACING. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION LOCKED IN 4TH GEAR AND WOULD NOT DOWNSHIFT.
WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION BECAME LOCKED IN FOURTH GEAR, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE D4 INDICATOR ON DASH BEGAN TO BLINK. DEALER SAYS CAUSE WAS RUSTED INTERNAL VALVES IN THE TRANSMISSION.
TRANSMISSION FAILURE. STUCK IN FOURTH GEAR AND WOULD NOT SHIFT.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .