Nine Speeds and Another Problem for Honda's Gear-iest Transmission

Acura has a tough job ahead of it. As the brand tries to grow volume and retain some of the clout it lost in past years, it finds itself with too many cars and two few SUVs in a market that demands more of the latter, not the former. Meanwhile, the impressive reborn NSX, now a hybrid, hasn’t captured the imagination of sports car fans in the same way as its long-lived predecessor.

Keeping up with — and in some cases, getting in front of — technological trends is part of Acura’s comeback plan. Naturally, in the interest of technological advancement and environmental appeasement, it was necessary to bring a multi-cog automatic transmission on board. However, a series of manufacturer service bulletin point to two potential weak points in the company’s nine-speed.

Late last month, Acura issued two service bulletins to dealers — one covering the 2015-2016 TLX sedan, the other dealing with the 2016 MDX. In it, Acura warns that some transmission warmers were “improperly manufactured,” allowing engine coolant and automatic transmission fluid to mix.

Should this occur, “the engine and transmission may be permanently damaged and require replacement.” In the case of the TLX, the vehicles’ transmissions were already replaced once before to remedy a leaking transmission warmer.

“In rare cases, these vehicles may have also overheated but because the issue was under investigation, a standard repair procedure hadn’t been developed,” the bulletin reads. “Further action is needed before the vehicle is completely repaired.”

The same issue afflicts 2016 Honda Pilots. Owners will be notified by the manufacturer to take their vehicles back for a checkup. If the component falls outside the affected manufacturing date, there’s no problem. However, if it does prove suspect, the vehicle will receive a bevy of new parts — among them, a transmission, transmission warmer, radiator, thermostat, coolant hoses, coolant reserve tank, and ECT sensor O-rings.

It’s possible owners will also find themselves driving away with a new short block and cylinder head, plus the transmission and coolant trappings.

This isn’t the only issue to strike nine-speed Honda and Acura models. In a series of service bulletins issued in September, the automaker warns of transmission end cover leaks on the 2015-2017 TLX, 2016-2017 MDX, 2016-2017 Pilot, and 2018 Honda Odyssey.

“During assembly, the transmission end cover sealing gasket gets torn,” the automaker states in its bulletin. To remedy the issue, the manufacturer will replace the dodgy gasket.

After reaching a U.S. post-recession sales high in 2015, Acura’s annual sales tally has dropped considerably. October 2017 sales dropped 1.3 percent, year-over-year. Until the brand fields more utility vehicles, it’s difficult to see the MDX and RDX offsetting losses in the declining passenger car segment.

[Image: Acura]