Acura Power Train: Automatic Transmission

Acura is recalling about 1,099,796 vehicles over a problem with the power train. Gear failure could result in transmission lockup, which could result in a crash.

Campaign
04V176000
Manufacturer
HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.)
Reported
15 April 2004
Vehicles
1,099,796
Built between
Jul 1999 – Jan 2004
Models
6
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
27 April 2004
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between July 1999 and January 2004. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2001-2003 Acura CLBuilt July 1999 to June 2003
  • 2001-2002 Acura MDXBuilt August 2000 to September 2002
  • 2000-2004 Acura TLBuilt July 1999 to November 2003
  • 2003-2004 Honda AccordBuilt June 2002 to January 2004
  • 2002-2004 Honda OdysseyBuilt July 2001 to December 2003
  • 2003-2004 Honda PilotBuilt April 2002 to January 2004

What the defect is

On some mini vans, sport utility and passenger vehicles, certain operating conditions can result in heat build-up between the countershaft and secondary shaft second gears in the automatic transmission, eventually leading to gear tooth chipping or gear breakage.

What could happen

Gear failure could result in transmission lockup, which could result in a crash.

What gets fixed

ON VEHICLES WITH 15,000 MILES OR LESS, THE DEALER WILL UPDATE THE TRANSMISSION WITH A SIMPLE REVISION TO THE OIL COOLER RETURN LINE TO INCREASE LUBRICATION TO THE SECOND GEAR. ON VEHICLES WITH MORE THAN 15,000 MILES, THE DEALER WILL INSPECT THE TRANSMISSION TO IDENTIFY GEARS THAT HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED DISCOLORATION DUE TO OVERHEATING. IF DISCOLORATION EXISTS, THE TRANSMISSION WILL BE REPLACED IF DISCOLORATION IS NOT PRESENT, THE DEALER WILL PERFORM THE REVISION TO THE OIL COOLER RETURN LINE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 21, 2004, FOR PILOT, ODYSSEY, AND MDX OWNERS. OWNERS OF THE ACCORD VEHICLES WILL START RECEIVING LETTERS ON JUNE 28, 2004, AND ON JUNE 29, 2004, FOR OWNERS OF THE TL AND CL VEHICLES.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJuly 1999 to January 2004
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA15 April 2004
  3. Owners notified27 April 2004

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 15 April 2004.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Manufacturer contact

Owners should contact honda at 1-800-999-1009 or acura at 1-800-382-2238.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
P30/P31
Recalling manufacturer
HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.)
Recall initiated by
MFR

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Honda recall nos. P30 (odyssey and PILOT),P31 (mdx), P38 (accord) and P39 (acura).customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand