Angry Honda and Acura owners have forced the automaker to fix a problem with their cars.

Kicking Tires explains, "Owners of certain vehicles claimed the car had a transmission problem involving the third gear randomly popping into neutral and grinding incessantly."  Honda "claimed to know nothing of the problem and refused to issue a recall."

However, according to the Consumerist, Honda owners began "holding protests in front of dealerships about the widespread transmission problem."  The Consumerist posts video of news coverage of the protests.  In response, Honda has issued a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) to dealerships about the problem.

What is a TSB?  It's not exactly the recall protesters wanted, but it's close.  When a recall is issued, an automaker sends owners a mailing altering them to a potential problem with their car and asking them to bring the car in for a free repair.  When a TSB is issued, the automaker doesn't contact owners.  Instead, dealers simply fix the problem for free whenever a car is brought into the dealership for any service.

So while the TSB is a positive step, if you own one of these cars, it's your responsibility to get it to the dealership so that they can fix the transmission problem.  Honda won't be getting in touch with you to arrange the repair.

You can see the TSB (in PDF format) for Honda vehicles here, and for Acura vehicles here.

The following vehicles are included in the TSB:

• 2003-2007 Honda Accord V-6 with Manual Transmission
• 2008 Accord V-6 coupe with Manual Transmission
• 2007-2008 Civic Si sedan
• 2006-2007 Civic Si coupe
• 2003 Acura 3.2CL with Manual Transmission
• 2002-2006 Acura RSX with six-speed
• 2004-2008 Acura TL with Manual Transmission

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