2004 Acura Tl

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 ACURA TL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING POWER STEERING FLUID AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE POWER STEERING HOSE HAD A LEAK AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 08V091000 (STEERING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 174,000.

I AM THE 2ND OWNER OF A 2004 ACURA TL THAT I PURCHASED IN OCTOBER OF 2007. IT HAS BEEN A GREAT VEHICLE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A RECENT DEFECT ISSUE. THE DASHBOARD HAS CRACKED MULTIPLE TIMES DIRECTLY OVER THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG AS WELL AS OVER THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. IT APPEARS THIS IS A COMMON DEFECT REPORTED BY SEVERAL OTHER OWNERS OF THIS YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL OF VEHICLE. I'M AFRAID THE CRACKS MAY CAUSE INADVERTENT AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT WHICH WOULD BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO MYSELF OR ANY OTHER OCCUPANT THAT MAY BE IN MY CAR. I STRONGLY BELIEVE ACURA NEEDS TO STEP UP AND HANDLE THIS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

PASSENGER AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT HAD BEEN ON FOR AROUND 5 MONTHS PRIOR TO INCIDENT DATE WHERE THE DASHBOARD HAS CRACKED RIGHT DOWN THE CENTER OF THE AIRBAG LOCATION AND TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE DASHBOARD AS WELL. WE ARE IN FEAR OF THE BAG CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH DUE TO DEPLOYING SPONTANEOUSLY OR NOT DEPLOYING CORRECTLY UPON THE RESULT OF A COLLISION. I RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM AS I AM METICULOUS ABOUT MY VEHICLES AND ALWAYS KEPT THE INTERIOR SURFACES PROTECTED AS WELL AS USED A SUN SHIELD TO KEEP THE UV RAYS FROM AFFECTING OR FADING THE SURFACE OF THE DASH. I HAVE NOT GONE TO A DEALERSHIP AS I SEE THIS IS A MAJOR MANUFACTURER ISSUE AND ACURA SEEMS TO BE TURNING IT'S BACK ON IT'S LOYAL CUSTOMERS. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT I NEED TO DO TO PURSUE THIS FURTHER OR JOIN IN A MASSIVE LAWSUIT. *TR

THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG LIGHT ON THE ACURA STAYS ON DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE DASH IS CRACKING SO BAD AROUND THE AIR BAG THAT IT APPEARS THE AIR BAG COULD VERY EASILY POP THROUGH THE DASH. I CONTACTED ACURA AS SOON AS I SAW THE CRACKS BUT OF COURSE THEY CLAIM ITS NOT DEFECTIVE JUST USUAL WEAR AND TARE!! BUT THROUGH RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THAT THERE ARE MANY ACURA OWNERS COMPLAINING OF THIS ISSUE BUT ACURA WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS! SO DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE DUE TO A MALFUNCTIONING PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG BECAUSE OF THEIR DEFECTIVE DASH ISSUES. THIS ISN'T A NEW ISSUE FOR ACURA OWNERS HOWEVER, US OWNERS CANNOT FIND A WAY TO BE HEARD AND GET ACURA TO FIX THIS ISSUE. YOU TELL ME IF ITS SAFE TO SEE A DASH THAT WILL SWELL UP IN THE HEAT OF SUMMER AND CLOSE THE GAPS IN THE CRACKS ON A DASH AND THEN SEEM THEM VERY OPENLY GAPPED OPEN IN THE WINTER DUE TO THE COLD. STILL WAITING FOR THE WORSE TO HAPPEN SO ACURA OWNERS CAN GET JUSTICE FOR THIS DEFECT IN A $50,000 CAR!!!! *TR

I BOUGHT A CERTIFIED USED 2004 ACURA TL IN 2011. THE CAR WAS IN AWESOME SHAPE. THEN IN OCT. 2014, I NOTICED TWO CRACKS RUNNING FROM THE WINDSHIELD ALMOST TO THE GLOVE BOX. IT APPEARED TO OUTLINE THE AIRBAG ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. HAIRLINE CRACKS IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF WEEKS. THEN A COLD SPELL HIT AND THE CRACKS BECAME MUCH LARGER. NOW A CRACK IS RUNNING ACROSS THE AIRBAG AREA. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY DUE TO THE AIRBAG BEING COMPROMISED BY A CRACKED DASH. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHERE I HAVE PURCHASED 3 ACURA TL'S FOR MY FAMILY. THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS A VERY WELL KNOWN PROBLEM BUT THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. THEY SUGGESTED USING LEATHER CONDITIONER TO SOFTEN THE DASH IN HOPES OF STOPPING THE SPREAD OF THE CRACKS. THEY BLAMED IT ON ARMER ALL TYPE PRODUCT USAGE ON THE DASH. THEY EVEN GAVE ME A LEATHER CONDITIONER KIT TO APPLY. NOW, I HAVE RESEARCHED THE THOUSANDS OF OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT ACURA TL DASHBOARD/AIRBAG ISSUES WITH CRACKED DASHBOARDS IN 2004-2008 MODELS. SAFETY IS BEING COMPROMISED WHILE ACURA/HONDA REFUSES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A DASHBOARD CRACK LIKE THIS IN THE 40 YEARS OF CAR OWNERSHIP! IT SCREENS DEFECT AND MUST BE RECALLED. *TR

IN MARCH OF LAST YEAR A CRACK IN THE DASHBOARD RUNNING PARALLEL TO THE DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG APPEARED AND EXTENDED FROM THE WINDSHIELD TO THE TO GLOVE COMPARTMENT. IN THE INTERVENING MONTHS, SEVERAL MORE CRACKS NEAR THE AIRBAG HAVE APPEARED AND THE SRS WARNING LIGHT IS ON WHENEVER THE IGNITION IS LIVE. GIVEN THE RECENT PUBLICITY REGARDING AIRBAGS, AND THE MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS I HAVE READ FROM OTHER OWNERS OF 2004 ACURA TL'S, I AM INCREASINGLY CONCERNED THAT THIS DEFECT IS BOTH WIDESPREAD AND DANGEROUS. SINCE ACURA IS AWARE OF THE HAZARD THESE SIGNIFICANT FAILURES PRESENT, AND TO DATE HAS TAKEN NO ACTION TO CORRECT THEM, I BELIEVE THE NHTSA MUST ACT TO COMPEL ACURA TO RECALL AND REPAIR THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. *TR

I NOTICED A SMALL CRACK OVER MY PASSENGER AIRBAG AREA OVER A YEAR AGO. THAT SMALL CRACK HAS NOW GROWN TO A MUCH LARGER CRACK, IN SIZE AND DEPTH. SEVERAL CRACKS NOW ALL OVER DASHBOARD. THE ONES OVER PASSENGER AIRBAG CONCERN ME DUE TO ITS LOCATION. I HAVE READ THAT IT HAS CAUSED THE AIRBAG LIGHT TO TURN ON. I HAVE CONTACTED ACURA TO POSSIBLY REPLACE IT BUT BECAUSE MY WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED, THEY REFUSED. *TR

IN THE LAST 10 DAYS, THE SRS DASH LIGHT CAME ON WITHOUT A KNOWN INCIDENT. RESEARCHING ONLINE ACURA INFORMATION, MANY AREAS REFERS TO CRACKING OF THE DASHBOARD AS A POSSIBLE REASON FOR THE SRS LIGHT TO STAY ON. UPON INVESTIGATION, THERE IS A 15 INCH CRACK ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, GOING DOWN THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AIRBAG PLACEMENT. REPORTS SAY CRACKS WILL CONTINUE, ACURA KNOWS OF THE ISSUE HOWEVER WILL NOT RECALL OR CORRECT THE ISSUE. FOR THE NUMEROUS REPORTED ISSUES OF CRACKING DASHBOARDS, ACURA SHOULD TAKE THE CORRECTIVE ACTION NEEDED. THIS HAS BEEN MY BEST PURCHASE TO DATE AND HAVE UNQUESTIONABLE FAITH IN THE CAR. WITH THE MULTITUDE OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE, HOW CAN IT BE IGNORED? BEFORE THIS, I WOULD NOT CONSIDER PURCHASING ANYTHING OTHER THAN ANOTHER ACURA HOWEVER A $36K VEHICLE SHOULD NOT HAVE A KNOWN REPETITIVE ISSUE THRU SEVERAL YEARS OF MODELS. I CALLED ACURA CLIENT RELATIONS IN THE US ((800) 382-2238) AND HAD THEM OPEN A CASE NUMBER FOR MY ISSUE. NOT SURE IF IT WILL DO ANYTHING HOWEVER IT CAN NOT HURT. ONLY 43K ON THE CAR, IMMACULATE 2004. NORMALLY STORED DURING THE WINTER. DEALER MAINTAINED. *TR