2004 Acura Tl

HAVE OWNED THE CAR LESS THAN 1 WEEK, AND UPON DELIVERY OF THE CAR NOTICED A HIGH-PITCHED WHINE AT ABOUT 35 TO 40 MPH. THE WHINE CONTINUES UP THROUGH HIGHER SPEEDS, AND CONTINUES THROUGHOUT DECELERATION DOWN TO ABOUT 15 TO 20 MPH. TOOK INTO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WHO CONTACTED ACURA USA ABOUT THE PROBLEM. THEY ISOLATED THE WHINE COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION, AND THEY ARE SENDING A NEW (?) TRANSMISSION AS A REPLACEMENT. I FEEL THAT THIS IS TERRIBLE THAT THE CAR WAS NOT DIAGNOSED WITH A PROBLEM AND THEN ALLOWED TO BE SOLD WITH A TRANSMISSION DEFECT. I WANT NOTHING SHORT OF A TOTAL REPLACEMENT. *JB

I HAVE A 2004 ACURA TL WITH 2000 MILES ON IT. IT HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER TWICE FOR 7 TOTAL DAYS, TRYING TO CORRECT A VIBRATION BETWEEN 45 AND 60. IT IS ALSO EVIDENT AT 75-80. VIBRATION IS FELT IN SEAT, STEERING WHEEL AND PEDALS DEALER REPLACED FRONT TIRES TWICE AND FRONT RIMS ONCE. WE STILL EXPERIENCE THE VIBRATION FREQUENTLY. I CONTACTED HONDA OF AMERICA. THE REPRESENTATIVE INFORMED ME THAT THIS WAS A TORQUE CONVERTER PROBLEM KNOWN FOR APPROXIMATEL 4 MONTHS. I ASKED ABOUT RETURNING THE CAR AND WAS TOLD I WAS NOT GOING TO GET MY MONEY BACK. HE STATED THAT ENGINEERING IS LOOKING AT MODIFYING ENGINE MOUNTS. I TOLD HIM THAT WAS ONLY MASKING THE PROBLEM. HE STATED ALL 04 AND 05 MODELS HAVE THE PROBLEM! I WAS FLOORED THEY KNEW IT AND WERE STILL PUSHING CARS OUT THE DOOR AND THE DEALERSHIP WAS BLAMING THE PROBLEM ON TIRES. I ASKED ABOUT INHERENT VIBRATION IMPACT ON THE LIFE EXPECTANCY TO THE DRIVER TRAIN SEALS AND BEARINGS. THE HONDA OF AMERICA REPRESENTATIVE BECAME VERY RUDE. I GOT HIS NAME AND HUNG UP. NOT WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT FROM HONDA OR A $35K CAR! THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTERWAS APPALLED THAT HONDA AMERICA STATED THERE WAS WIDESPREAD PROBLEMS WITH THE TORQUE CONVERTER, STATED THEY NEVER HEARD OF IT AND INSISTED THIS IS A TIRE ISSUE! IT IS DESHEARTENING TO GET TWO DIFFERENT STORIES. I BELIEVE THE TIRE STORY GIVES THE HONDA CORPORATE OFFICES SOME RELIEF OF LIABILITY BY LEVERAGING OFF OF FIRESTONE FOR DEFECTS. SHOULD THE TORQUE CONVERTER BE OPENLY PURSUED AS THE CULPRIT AND JOHNQ. PUBLIC KNOWING ABOUT IT, THIS COULD BE A DRIVE A COSTLY RECALL FUNDED FROM THE POCKETS OF HONDA OF AMERICA! *AK

A CRACK IN THE ALLOY WHEEL RIM ON THE RIGHT FRONT OF MY 2004 ACURA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A LOSS OF AIR PRESSURE AND LOSS OF POSITIVE TIRE SEAL RESUTILNG IN THE TIRE SEPARATING FROM THE RIM. MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO RETAIN CONTROL. AN INSPECTION BY LEITH ACURA FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF A PUNCTURE WOUND TO THE TIRE. THE SIDEWALL WAS DEFORMED TO THE POINT THAT THE TIRE WAS UNUSEABLE. LEITH ACURA AND ACURA CLIENT SERVICES REFUSED TO REPLACE THE RIM AND TIRE UNDER THE NEW CAR WARRANTY. ACURA INSISTS THAT THE RIM WAS DAMAGED AS THE RESULT OF A SEVERE IMPACT TO THE TIRE (POTHOLE ??) AND THEREFORE NOT COVERED BY THE VEHICLE WARRANTY. MY WIFE REPORTS EXPERIENCING NO SUCH IMPACT EITHER AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT OR DURING ANY PERIOD PRECEDING THE INCIDENT. I ASSERT THAT THE CRACK WAS THE LIKELY RESULT OF A UNDETECTED DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS AND/OR THE PARTICULAR MATERIALS USED, AND THAT IT WAS THE ACCENTUATION OF THE PRE-EXISTING CRACK ASSOCIATED WITH THE 'IMPACTS' OF NORMAL DRIVING THAT CAUSED THE TIRE TO SUDDENLY FAIL.THE DEALER ASSERTS THAT THERE WAS OBSERVABLE DAMAGE TO THE RIM, BUT IS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER SUCH DAMAGE RESULTED IN THE CRACK OR THAT THE DAMAGE WAS THE RESULT OF THE RIM HAVING BEEN WEAKENED BY THE CRACK PLUS THE IMPACT OF THE RIM WITH THE ROAD SURFACE WHEN THE TIRE DEFLATED. MY UNREIMBURSED COST FOR A NEW RIM, TIRE, AND ALIGNMENT WAS $625. MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS IS AN EQUIPMENT PROBLEM, PERHAPS INHERENT TO THE USE OF ALLOY RIMS; THAT ACURA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM (REPORTS FREQUENT SIMILAR OCCURRENCES) AND THAT THEY SIMPLY REFUSE TO HONOR CLAIMS FOR THIS TYPE OF EQUIPMENT FAILURE UNDER THE WARRANTY. AS A HIGHWAY SAFETY RESEARCHER I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS IS A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS CRASH RISK PROBLEM OVER AND ABOVE THE PROBLEM OF MANUFACTURER AND DEALER INTEGRITY IN HONORING WARRANTY CLAIMS.*AK

THE VIBRATION IN THE BRIDGESTONE EL42 TURANZA TIRES ON 2004 ACURA TL RESULTED IN ACCIDENT IN FEBRUARY 2004 AND $1500 WORTH OF UNDERCARRIAGE DAMAGE. FLATSPOTTING AND VIBRATION IN TIRES CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WHEN ATTEMPTING TO STOP THE VEHICLE IN INCLEMENT WEATHER. FLATSPOTTING AND VIBRATION STARTED 1 WEEK AFTER PURCHASE OF VEHICLE. HAVE DOCUMENTATION OF NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO GET THE PROBLEM RESOLVED BY DEALER, BUT DEALER WAS COMPLACENT IN DEALING WITH THE ISSUE THUS RESULTING IN THE AFORMENTIONED ACCIDENT. LOSS OF CONTROL CAUSED VEHICLE TO END UP IN ONCOMING TRAFFIC LANE ALMOST RESULTING IN HEAD ON COLLISION. CAR SLID INTO CURB CAUSING THE 1500 DAMAGE. TIRES HAVE BEEN REPLACED WITH MICHELIN PILOT SPORT TIRES. AMERICA HONDA/ACURA AND BRIDGESTONE NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR COMPLACENCY IN DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE QUICKLY AS LIVES CAN BE AT STAKE. *AK

WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN THE VEHICLE TURNED LEFT ON ITS OWN. THE CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES, BUT THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE BRAKES LOCKED UP ON THE VEHICLE. THIS CAUSED THE CONSMER TO LOOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND HIT A CURB. BOTH DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS DID DEPLOY. THE DRIVER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE DRIVER THAT THE CONTROL SENSOR SOLENOID SWITCH NEEDED REPLACEMENT. PLEASE FILL IN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *JB

WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH VEHICLE VIBRATED WITH SUCH A FORCE THAT CONSUMER HAD TO SLOW THE SPEED DOWN TO ALMOST A STOP TO GET VIBRATION TO STOP. IT OCCURRED MOSTLY IN THE MORNINGS WHEN VEHICLE JUST STARTED OUT. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHO SAID THAT IT WAS A TIRE PROBLEM AND NOT A MECHANICAL DEFECT. CONSUMER THEN PUT ON A SET OF BRIDGESTONE TURANZA EL42 TIRES WHICH WERE THE SAME TIRES THAT WERE ON THE VEHICLE. THE NEXT DAY THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED AT THE SAME SPEEDS. IN OTHER WORDS, NOTHING CHANGED. *AK

VIBRATION AND SHAKING OF STEERING WHEEL DURING NORMAL DRIVING. REPLACEMENT OF THE TIRES AND NUMEROUS REBALANCING HAVE HAD NO EFFECT. ACURA DEALER IS NOT RESPONSIVE AND ACURA CUSTOMER CARE HAS INFORMED ME THIS "A CHARATERISTIC OF THE CAR" WHILE AT THE SAME TIME ADMITTING THAT "WE HAVE RECEIVED NUMEOUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT STEERING WHEEL VIBRATION AND OUR ENGINEERS ARE INVESTIGATING THE PROBLEM" I WAS ALSO TOLD THERE WE WAS NO TIMELINE FOR RESOLUTION. GIVEN THE SITUATION, I AM GROWING CONCERNED ABOUT THE HANDLING AND STABILITY OF THE VEHICLE IN ITS CURRENT STATE. ACURA HAS ADMITTED THERE IS A PROBLEM BUT HAS NOT FULLY DISCLOSED THE DETAILS. I AM ALSO WORRIED BECAUSE THIS SEEMS TO BE A WIDESPREAD ISSUE AFFECTING MANY TL OWNERS GIVEN THE NUMBER OF WEB FORUMS I HAVE VISITED ON THE SUBJECT. *AK

RECENTLY PURCHASED AN ACCURA 2004 TL.CAR CURRENTLY HAS 600 MILES.NOTICED A VIBRATIONS BETWEEN THE SPEEDS OF 45 TO 55 MPH.TOOK THE CAR BACK TO DEALER(RICK CASE) TWICE TO HAVE THE WHEELS REBALANCED.DID NOT REMOVE THE VIBRATION.THE THIRD TIME BACK TO THE DEALER I WAS TOLD THAT ACURA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND THAT ALL TL'S HAVE THIS ISSUE.I CALLED HONDA.THEY SAID THERE IS NOTHING THEY INTEND TO DO REGARDING THE PROBLEM AND THAT THE VIBRATION IS NORMAL FOR THE 2004'S AS IT GOES INTO 5TH GEAR. *AK