44 of the 214 complaints filed about the Acura RSX are about the transmission — 21% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2002.
44
Complaints
21%
Share of all complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
POWER TRAIN
The car stopped at an traffic intersection when making a left turn. Fortunately, the traffic was light. Later, a broken driver side cv axel was identified, which had sever corrosion inside the damper. the narrowest diameter is only 16mm vs 25mm of the axel.
NHTSA complaint #11531158 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
WHEN TRYING TO SHIFT INTO 2ND GEAR IT GRINDS AND POPS OUT. IT IS SO BAD THAT NOW IT WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO PUT IT IN 2ND AT ALL. SYNCHROS ARE BAD...COMMON PROBLEM WITH RSX. ACURA SHOULD BE FORCED TO FIX THIS ISSUE SINCE IT IS SO COMMON IN THESE VEHICLES.
NHTSA complaint #10558969 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 ACURA RSX TYPE S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10-60 MPH, THE THIRD GEAR SHIFTED OUT OF GEAR. IN ADDITION, THERE WAS A VERY LOUD GRINDING NOISE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY A DEALER NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 119,000.
NHTSA complaint #10451004 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
2002 FORD EXPLORER XLT 4.0 LITER JERKS WHEN ENGAGING INTO REVERSE. VEHICLE JERKS HARD ENOUGH THAT THE BRAKES ARE NOT ENOUGH TO STOP IT FROM MOVING. NO OTHER GEAR IS LIKE THIS. UPON FURTHER STUDY FROM ONLINE JOURNALS AND DISCUSSIONS PAGES AS WELL AS SPEAKING WITH TRANSMISSION TECHNICIAN, THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM IN THESE.
NHTSA complaint #10426544 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
THE MECHANICS AT ACURA FOUND GALLING ON ONE OR MORE CAM SHAFT LOBES IN MY ENGINE. THE SYMPTOMS OF THIS PROBLEM ARE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND A NOTICEABLE, LOUDER THAN NORMAL, CLICKING/TAPPING NOISE FROM THE VALVE COVER AREA. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE THAT HAS CAUSED ME GREAT CONCERN. GALLING IS A CONDITION WHEREBY EXCESSIVE FRICTION BETWEEN HIGH SPOTS RESULTS IN LOCALIZED WELDING WITH SUBSEQUENT SPLITTING AND A FURTHER ROUGHENING OF RUBBING SURFACES OF ONE OR BOTH OF TWO MATING PARTS. WITH RESPECT TO MY CAMSHAFT, IT SHOULD HAVE A MIRROR-LIKE SURFACE TO PREVENT FRICTION DURING NORMAL OPERATION, BUT INSTEAD IT APPEARS PITTED AND IS SUBSEQUENTLY AFFECTING MY CAR'S PERFORMANCE AND SAFETY. ADDITIONALLY, DUE TO THE LOCATION OF THIS PROBLEM AND ITS SUBTLE SYMPTOMS, IT IS DIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE/FIND WITHOUT PHYSICALLY REMOVING THE ENGINE'S VALVE COVER AND INSPECTING THE CAMSHAFT LOBES; IT COULD VERY WELL EXIST FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MILES UNDETECTED. IN MY COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH SEVERAL HONDA DEDICATED ENTHUSIAST WEBSITES, I HAVE FOUND THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE WORLDWIDE HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE EARLY K-SERIES ENGINES. I HAVE HEARD/READ RUMORS THAT THIS IS A RESULT OF POOR CASTING AND IMPROPER HEAT TREATING IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS. THE MECHANIC AT ACURA EVEN STATED COULD BE DUE TO IMPROPER HEAT TREATMENT, WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THEY ARE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, YET IT GOES UNDETECTED AND UNANNOUNCED AT OUR EXPENSE. OBVIOUSLY, I AM CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY AS WELL AS THE SAFETY OF MY PASSENGERS. I TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN MY CAR AS WELL AS THE HONDA/ACURA NAME WRITTEN UPON IT AND I WOULD NOT BE VERY HELPFUL IF I DID NOT BRING THIS ISSUE TO YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION.
NHTSA complaint #10402713 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
WHEN SHIFTING TO 3RD GEAR FROM 2ND OR 4TH IN MY 2006 RSX TYPE S, THE GEAR WILL GRIND, EXTRA FORCE WILL BE REQUIRED TO SUCCESSFULLY SHIFT, OR THE SHIFTER WILL POP OUT INTO NEUTRAL. THE APPROXIMATE INCIDENT DATE IS THE LATEST DAY THAT THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED. THE CAR WAS BOUGHT NEW IN DECEMBER 2005; THE PROBLEM FIRST OCCURRED A FEW MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR. AFTER BRINGING IT INTO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED, NO ISSUES WERE FOUND. MULTIPLE DRIVERS OF THE CAR HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME SYMPTOMS. THE PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN THE CAR IS COLD OR WARM, AND IN VARIOUS TYPES OF WEATHER. AFTER OVER 85,000 MILES DRIVEN, THE PROBLEM HAS NOT GOTTEN WORSE OR BETTER.
NHTSA complaint #10383913 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
ACURA 2006 RSX S VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT NEW. WE HAD DRIVE TRAIN PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE SHIFTING INTO GEARS AND POPPING OUT OF THIRD GEAR. REPAIR WORK WAS DONE NUMEROUS TIMES WHILE UNDER WARRANTY, BUT THE PROBLEM WAS NEVER FIXED. ACURA CORPORATION, AND THE ACURA DEALER KEPT CLAIMING THERE WAS NO PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE THE TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP CAUSING A NEAR REAR END COLLISION. THERE ARE CURRENTLY 2 TSB LISTED FOR PROBLEMS RELATED TO THIS. ACURA CLAIMS THEY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING BECAUSE THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY NOW. DESPITE THE FACT THAT I HAVE STATED OUR POSITION IN REGARD TO WHAT WE ARE REQUESTING FROM ACURA CORPORATION. OUR RSX HAD, BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE NEW TRANSMISSION WAS PUT IN, A GRINDING, SHIFTING AND POPPING OUT OF GEAR PROBLEMS. THIS DEFECT IS WELL DOCUMENTED, BY WRITTEN, VERBAL AND CELL PHONE RECORDS, OF CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN ME, AND MANY INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, BEING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY CONNECTED TO ACURA. IT IS VERY SAD THAT IT APPEARS SOMEONE NEEDS TO BE KILLED DUE THIS VEHICLE DEFECT, BEFORE ANY ACTION IS TAKEN. I INFORMED ACURA THAT WE WILL SEEK LEGAL ACTION TO RECOVER OUR LOSS. TYPICAL DEALER & MANUFACTURER MODUS OPERANDI. WEAR THE CUSTOMER DOWN UNTIL THE WARRANTY EXPIRES, AND TELL YOU NOW YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR.
NHTSA complaint #10330374 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
TRANSMISSION GRINDS WHEN SHIFTING INTO 3RD GEAR, POPS OUT OF 3RD GEAR, OR IS HARD TO SHIFT INTO 3RD GEAR. THESE SYMPTOMS CAN BE INTERMITTENT ANDSOMETIMES MORE NOTICEABLE IN COLDER CLIMATES.
NHTSA complaint #10314872 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 ACURA RSX. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 65-70 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SLIP OUT OF GEAR FOLLOWED BY A LOUD GRINDING NOISE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. WHEN THE CONTACT WOULD DOWNSHIFT TO A LOWER GEAR, THERE WAS A LOW POWER RESPONSE AND A GRINDING NOISE WAS HEARD. THE FAILURES OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, THE FAILURES INCREASED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION, BUT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, BUT THERE WERE NO RESOLUTIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. APPROXIMATELY FOUR MONTHS LATER, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000.
NHTSA complaint #10276275 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
COMPONENT: POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION DETAILS: WHEN SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND THE TRANSMISSION GRINDS. THE COLDER THE TEMP. IS THE WORSE THE GRINDING.
NHTSA complaint #10273795 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
WHEN SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND THE TRANSMISSION GRINDS. WHEN GOING FROM 3RD TO 2ND IT'S MORE OF A KLUNK WITH A LESSER GRIND. THE COLDER THE TEMP. IS THE WORSE THE GRINDING. THE TRANSMISSION HAS POPPED OUT OF 3RD TO NEUTRAL A FEW TIMES (VERY SELDOM).
NHTSA complaint #10272733 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
MY PROBLEM IS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. I HAVE A 2004 RSX-S. IT HAS A SIX SPEED TRANSMISSION. WHEN SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO SECOND, GEAR GRINDS, AND SOMETIMES LOCKS OUT. WHEN SHIFTING FROM SECOND TO THIRD, GEAR GRINDS AND SOMETIMES POPS OUT. DEALERSHIP GIVES ME THE RUN-A-ROUND SAID THEY COULDN'T FIX SINCE MY CAR IS PAST WARRANTY. WHY WAS I NOT CONTACTED BY AMERICAN HONDA ABOUT THIS FAILURE ON AN OBVIOUSLY IMPORTANT SAFETY MALFUNCTION? I ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT CAUSED BY NOT BEING ABLE TO GET THE CAR INTO GEAR. DEALER SAID I HAD TO FORK OVER THE $$$ FOR THE REPAIR MYSELF WHICH IS UNHEARD OF. I BOUGHT THIS CAR FOR IT IMPECCABLE RECORD, NOW TO FIND OUT I AND COUNTLESS OF HUNDREDS MAYBE THOUSANDS, HAVE PURCHASED A LEMON WHEN AMERICAN HONDA KNEW THEY HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. AMERICAN HONDA, WE, THE UNFORTUNATE 2004 ACURA RSX TYPE S OWNERS ARE NOT !!PLEASED THE WAY YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR LOYAL CUSTOMERS.
NHTSA complaint #10269826 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 ACURA RSX. WHEN SWITCHING FROM SECOND TO THIRD GEAR, THE SHIFTER WOULD POP OUT OF GEAR AND MAKE A GRINDING NOISE. THE MANUFACTURER COULD NOT ASSIST BECAUSE THERE WERE NO RECALLS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 76,500.
NHTSA complaint #10259928 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
I'VE HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS EVER SINCE I PURCHASED THE NEW RSX IN 02... THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN WIDELY REPORTED ON THE INTERNET... HOWEVER ACURA HAS FAILED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE... THE PROBLEM ONLY GOT WORSE OVER TIME AND FINALLY THE ENGINE BLEW OUT COMPLETELY AND STARTING SMOKING WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY... WAS VERY FORTUNATE THAT NO CRASH OCCURRED BUT INJURIES/FATALITIES COULD HAVE EASILY RESULTED. ACURA HAS FAILED TO OWN-UP TO THIS ENGINE/TRANSMISSION FAILURE ISSUE, EVEN IN CASES WHERE THE WARRANTY IS STILL VALID... I FEEL VERY MUCH MISLEAD AS I HAVE COMPLAINED TO MY DEALER SINCE PURCHASE AND THEY ALWAYS REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM... I THINK THE FACT THAT ACURA HAS STOPPED MAKING THE RSX IS AN INDICATION OF THE SEVERITY OF THESE "HIDDEN" ISSUES.
NHTSA complaint #10253920 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
I WAS DRIVING AND SHIFTED FROM 2ND TO THIRD AND I LET OUT THE CLUTCH AT 30 MPH AND THE TRANSMISSION CAME APART WITH GEARS ON THE GROUND. ACURA NEVER CALLED THE WARRANTY COMPANY SO IT WAS NEVER FIXED AND THEY REPOSED IT.
NHTSA complaint #10227767 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
MY 05 ACURA RSX TYPE S WITH A 6-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION HAS A PROBLEM WHERE DURING SHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 3RD GEAR (WITH THE CLUTCH FULLY ENGAGED DURING THE SHIFT) IT POPS OUT OF 3RD GEAR WHEN THE CLUTCH IS DISENGAGED. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS ABOUT ONCE EVERY 7 HOURS OF DRIVING FOR ME. WHEN THIS OCCURS, THE CAR SHIFTS EASILY INTO THIRD, LIKE IT NORMALLY WOULD, THEN POPS OUT WHEN THE CLUTCH IS DISENGAGED. OCCASIONALLY THERE IS A POP SOUND WHEN THIS HAPPENS BUT SOMETIMES IT CANNOT BE HEARD. THIS HAS LEAD TO SOME FRIGHTENING INSTANCES WHERE THE CAR HAS BEEN IN NEUTRAL, WHEN I THOUGH THE SHIFT WAS SUCCESSFUL. ON MY COMMUTE THIS OFTEN HAPPENS WHEN TURNING LEFT THROUGH AN INTERSECTION AND WHEN MERGING ON TO THE FREEWAY. I HAD ONE INSTANCE WHERE I MERGED ONTO THE FREEWAY IN SECOND GEAR ON A SNOWY DAY, ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT TO THIRD, AND HAD THE CAR POP OUT OF GEAR TWICE, SLOWING ME DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF BRAKE LIGHTS. LUCKILY THE CAR BEHIND ME WAS ABLE TO MOVE INTO THE OTHER LANE TO AVOID BRAKING HARD IN SNOWY CONDITIONS. I HAVE BROUGHT THE CAR IN 12 TIMES TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM REPAIRED AND IT STILL IS NOT FIXED. THIS APPEARS TO BE A GROWING ISSUE WITH HONDA 6-SPEED TRANSMISSION.
NHTSA complaint #10221296 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE SRS LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHICH MADE THE CONTACT CONCERNED THAT THE AIR BAGS MAY NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. THERE WAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN #637638. THE CONTACT EXPRESSED THIS WAS SAFETY DEFECT. THERE ALSO HAS BEEN TROUBLE WITH SWITCHING GEARS FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR. IT MADE A GRINDING SOUND WHILE GOING INTO SECOND GEAR. THIS PROBLEM DEVELOPED AT 12,7000 MILES. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TO A SERVICE DEALER TO ADDRESS EITHER PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #10170437 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
I HAVE A 2004 RSX-S A-SPEC . IT HAS A SIX SPEED TRANSMISSION. WHEN SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO SECOND, GEAR SOMETIMES GRINDS, WHEN SHIFTING FROM SECOND GEAR TO THIRD, GEAR GRINDS AND SOMETIMES POPS OUT. DEALERSHIP GAVE ME THE RUN-A-ROUND SAYING THEY "COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM". I HEAR OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #10159105 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
AFTER MY RSX TYPE S SITS FOR A FEW HOURS I GET IN IT TO DRIVE, AND WHEN I SHIFT FROM 1ST GEAR TO 2ND GEAR THE GEAR GRINDS.
NHTSA complaint #10153667 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
I RECENTLY PURCHASED 2002 ACURA RSX WITH 21,200 MILES, 5SP MANUAL TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE PASSED 150- POINT INSPECTION THAT WAS PERFORMED AT WHITE BEAR LAKES ACURA SUBARU, MN DEALERSHIP. THE VEHICLE WAS ACURA-CERTIFIED, BUT I DECIDED NOT TO PURCHASE $1,600 CERTIFICATION PROGRAM BECAUSE OF MONEY CONSTRAINTS. NOW, WHEN TEMPERATURES AROUND HERE DROPPED TO 0 DEGREES F, THE VEHICLE DEVELOPED 1-2 SHIFTING PROBLEM. SHIFTING TO 2ND GEAR IS REALLY HARD TO DO. MY 2ND GEAR SYNCHROS ARE ALWAYS GRINDING AND ESPECIALLY, NOW AT 20F I AM GETTING CONSTANT THE 1-2 NOTCH SHIFTS. I'VE NOTICED LOTS OF PEOPLE IN INTERNET NEWS GROUPS AND FORUMS ARE HAVING THE SAME IDENTICAL PROBLEM. JUST READ IT: HTTP://WWW.PETITIONONLINE.COM/RSXGRIND/PETITION.HTML I KNOW FOR THE FACT THAT HONDA MOTORS COMPANY ON JULY, 1, 2002 ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN 02-016 DESCRIBING GEARS GRINDING WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS SHIFTED BETWEEN GEARS. THEY CONCLUDED- WORN SYNCHRONIZERS! CORRECTIVE ACTION: REPLACE THE EFFECTED SYNCHRONISM SLEEVES SET(S). THE TSB ONLY APPLIES TOWARDS 2002 RSX TYPE S FROM VIN JDC530.2C000001 THROUGH JDC5302C033312. GOOD LUCK GETTING IT FIXED FOR OTHER VEHICLES. I CALLED LOCAL BUERKLE ACURA BROOKLYN PARK MN, NEW AND USED CAR DEALER AND INFORMED THEM MY FINDINGS. IN ADDITION, I INFORMED THAT I HAVE A COPY OF TSB DESCRIBING THE IDENTICAL SYMPTOMS THAT HAVE DEVELOPED WITH MY VEHICLE. THEY RESPONSE WAS TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN AND PAY US $150 FOR INSPECTION. WHEN PRESSED FOR MORE INFORMATION, THE SERVICE WRITER AT ACURA CATEGORICALLY DENIED ANYTHING AND STATED THAT THEY HAVE NO SUCH TSB IN THEIR POSSESSION. IN MY OPINION, ACURA RSX HAS A SERIOUS TRANSMISSION FLAW THAT CAUSES NORMAL SHIFTS INTO SECOND GEAR TO GRIND. THIS PROBLEM HAS HIGH FREQUENCY IN ALL MODEL YEARS. ACURA CONTINUES TO IGNORE THE PROBLEM.ACURA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND ACURA DEALERS EITHER IGNORE THE PROBLEM OR BLAME OWNERS ABUSE AND/OR POOR DRIVING TECHNIQUE.
NHTSA complaint #10149461 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.