jayare627

Took mine to the dealership, test drove it with the tech. Heard the noise, said it was probably the propeller shaft as this is very common in the AWD models. 22,600 miles on it, t hey just replaced it and it was covered under warranty. Had the car for two days, drove it home today and all ways good. My only complaint is that the closest dealership is 1.5 hours each way!!

rthammer

iTrader: (1)

- So is Acura acknowledging this issue and correcting it on all SH-AWD's ?
- Will this problem cause damage to the car ?
- Will this noise only get worse over time /
- Curious why 100's / 1000's of TL - SH-AWD folks are not complaining

Stew4HD

I had mine changed out a year ago. I noticed by the sound on acceleration, a loud whine sound, almost like a window slowly opening while driving at high speed.

Terdbath

This was an issue on the RL's too. I had the propeller shaft whine/whistle on my 05.

jayare627

The tech said Acura is aware of it, wasn't sure if a TSB had been issued on it. Said they don't usually do a recall unless they are pressed to do it for safety reasons. I haven't heard of one failing completely has anyone else?

weather

With these "propeller shaft" problems, is that a design flaw or a manufacturer flaw? In other others, is the part failing because its of low quality or the specs supplied by Acura to the manufacturer is what causing these to fail prematurely? I am curious....

Edward'TLS

^^^^^

When compared to the 2G TL/CL tranny problem, which IS a Honda design blunder, this "propeller shaft" problem is nothing.

Back then, the trannies on the TL's/CL's were dropping dead like flies, and the issue was so widespread that factory rebuilt replacement trannies were back ordered for months nationwide. The 2G TL forum on Acurazine was dominated by threads on nothing but failing and dead trannies.

Thus, if the 4G TL propeller shaft has design fault(s), we would have seen a lot more reported failure threads than what we've seen so far in this forum.

Stew4HD

When I took mine in, the tech told me that the part wasn't failing, just making that odd sound. It took the service department a while to find the problem, maybe there was no TSB at the time

rick sambora

iTrader: (1)

2013 TL AWD, starting to here a high pitched whistle only above 85mph. The problem is I cant go on a test drive with the tech and have the car up to 85-90mph as the freeway max speed limit here in Chicago is 55mph. I plan to wait and see if this will become more obvious at lower speeds and then go in. Is there a TSB for this?

Arcelyte

I too had the defective prop shaft bearing. I complained about it originally in March. It got louder as weeks went by. Took it in to Brookfield Acura near Milwaukee last week. SA told me that it was infact the bearings in the prop shaft. But there was nothing they could do about it. Acura told them to stop replacing shafts until there is a fix. He gave me Acura customer care number. Speaking to that lady was like talking to a cat... that was hit by a car. Monday I dropped off my TL at another dealer local to me in Chicago. Told them my issues with the car being under warranty and just having to "live with it" was not right. They are replacing it. The SA there said that the part number is different when he ordered. He thinks that my prop shaft is a new design and hopefully will fix the issue.

rthammer

iTrader: (1)

You'll notice the whistle gets louder when the prop shift heats up or it warm outside.
When the car is cold or cold outside, you don't hear it as much(not because the windows are rolled up either)
Hopefully Acura does a recall & corrective action is taken
- I've been told the prop shaft has not been re-designed - your is just new for now - sorry

Stew4HD

Mine sounded like a turbo winding up

atruedsgb

I had the same issue on my '11.

Nalley Acura told me it was the "nature of the car." They probably drove it up the street and back, and made no attempt to fix anything.

Jackson Acura (where I purchased the car) actually had me drive the car with the technician on the highway, and he immediately diagnosed the defective propeller shaft. The part arrives in a day or so, and I'll be good to go.

It's a shame that Nalley is 10 minutes away from me, and Jackson is a good 45 minutes with no traffic...but that will be my last trip to Nalley for service, or sales.

digiwill

2010 TL SH-AWD 6 Speed Manual 44k miles- I have the same exact problem, dealer replaced the propeller shaft and I still have the same problem. Not sure where to go next with this.

Mr Marco

:lol:

CanTLOwner

Had the same problem - went to my Acura dealer and they looked at me disparagingly when I told them to check my propeller shaft and told me they had never heard of that problem.

I went back to go on a test drive with the mechanic, and he heard the problem right away. He ran diagnostics and ended up replacing the propeller shaft.

I am happy now because it drives like new again.

Seeing the number of people on this forum with the exact same issue makes it sound like that there definitely is some sort of design flaw or problem with the propeller shaft. Hopefully the new one I have now doesn't do the same thing in the future.

bwtullos

2010 TL-AWD. Tea kettle whistle at 20mph, started at 35k miles, not brake or rpm dependent. Acura service manager in Jackson Mississippi went on a drive with me and couldn't hear it. Techs went with him, they heard it. They found another TL on the lot, heard it with that one too. They called tech line and engineers - told them it was ring gear in transmission, not replaceable since tranny works, and told me that's just the aging of the car. I wasn't satisfied and found this thread. Called this morning, referenced the thread and mentioned propeller shaft: manager: "I don't read those threads - anyone can write stuff on there and my techs don't think it's that, engineers don't either - what if we replace the shaft and that doesn't fix it". I asked to meet with him and district manager Thursday, latter reportedly talks to corporate of Acura and can address this up the chain. In the meantime, I called Acura of Memphis, spoke to service manager and he says "though I'm not seeing the car, what you describe is the propeller shaft which we've seen before and fixed with replacement".

Will update after meeting on Thursday. Short story is there is a problem, it affects some and maybe not all TLs in this series, and some sooner than later - bottom line - it doesn't appear to be related to the nature or age of the car.

exitmusic13

Hi everyone:

Thanks to everyone for posting here. Helped me realize I wasn't crazy hearing the same whistling sounds. I have a 2012 TL SH-AWD Advance Package as well. I have been to the dealership a few times over the past week (here in Oakville Ontario...dealer is Acura of Oakville). A technician rode along with me and once the sound kicked in he immediately recognized it as the propeller shaft. After booking an appointment for later in the week they had it replaced in about an hour. I have been driving the car for three days and no more whistling!

My car's symptoms were nearly identical to those reported elsewhere here: whistling at about 60 km/h and above. Sound seemed to be coming from the passenger side.

Thanks all. Curious that this seems to be a systematic problem with this car. I wonder how widespread it is, and what the likelihood of it happening with my new prop shaft is?

echodigital

I had mine replace at around 55 000 km. it's an 2009 Tech. I would have noticed it had I not turned of the radio.

Bobby39

I have a 2011 awd tl, with 34K miles on it. Would a short ram intake cause a whistling sound when cruising at 50-60mph? I hear this noise with the windows closed. Only hear it when speeds reach 50-60, and then it's constant until I come below 40mph.

acupower

I am also hearing a sound but am not sure if it is the propeller or the rear hub/bearings. For those of you that have some experience with this, how would you say that the propeller sound differs from the bad rear hub bearing sound? thanks

kingkong9k

2010 with 126,000 miles. Just had to drop it off for the shaft replacement. Going to run me around $1100 to fix it since out of warranty. Hopefully it doesn't come back for another 126,000 miles!

kingkong9k

The shaft sound is high pitch like a low brake pad warning, the hub bearing is more of a grinding sound. I had the front bearing replaced early on when I got the car. Hope that helps.

acupower

Thanks. That makes sense. It seems like my problem is in the hub bearings. I am hearing a low frequency noise that changes pitch when I take turns on hwy ramps etc. Thankfully, rear hubs are relatively cheap and easy to replace.

012TL-GLM

Any indication from techs/dealers on the seriousness of the issue if not addressed? I have a '12 SH-AWD going on 30K miles, just began hearing the noise a month ago. Doesn't bother me as with stereo on I don't hear it, but if it could lead to more issues I'll make an appt

Teddybear

i just noticed my 2010 shawd with a feint high pitched whine after the weather warmed up. usually happens above 60kph, but on occasion i'll hear it come in at 40kph.

I think i also need the TC replaced, and the stiff brake on startup fixed too... now the hard part is proving everything, and getting a loaner...

SlyAccord

I posted this in another thread that is for the same issue

karrar

I had the same issue- the dealer replaced the propeller shaft and so far so good.

woonyvillan401

Had the same problem with my 2012 tl awd,52000 miles but good thing have extended warranty! Would have cost $1800!

alex9119

this is what i just don't get, warranty work is warranty work the dealer gets paid to do it by acura. Just don't understand why the dealer always give you guys such a hard time, makes your acura dealer look bad.

LegionofBoomTL

IF YOUR CONFUSED ABOUT A WHINING NOISE PLEASE READ!! I bought my 2012 sh awd 6 speed with 45k on it. Car had a very small whine since day one. Super faint and consistent on acceleration so hard to tell if it was normal or not. First oil change I asked dealer to drive it and tell me what they thought of the noise. They said, without hesitation, it was the " nature of the beast". They made it seem as if every tl awd they had ever driven made the same noise. So i took their word for it. To keep a long story short, after a few more visits there integrity was pretty much garbage to me. So that being said I kept reading about the whining noise on this forum. I was really up in the air about weather or not i was experiencing the symptoms of a prop shaft (bearing) failure. So today I noticed I had 1k left on my warrant. I decided to take the car down to the dealership and insist they listen to the whine my car was making. I may or may not have BS'd the severity of the situation a little bit to get the results I was looking for. So the service manager takes the car for a spin with me in it. He drove it about a mile and said yup sounds like a prop shaft. We got back he put it on a lift and confirmed his speculation. Its all getting replaced under warranty but I'm still pissed. I know there are a few other people that have been told that this sound was normal by the dealer. So I want to let all my fellow TL owners know that a whine while accelerating at any speed in an acura tl sh awd is not normal. If you have any doubt take it to the dealer and have them look at the prop shaft. Its no skin off your back and it could save you a grand or so.

LegionofBoomTL

Forgot to post symptoms
Car would whine not matter what, regardless of weather conditions or gear, from 20-30 mph under moderate to heavy acceleration. No whine experienced at any other speeds.

PaulAWD

All to true.


Make sure you get the noise problems on the dealer invoice. If your warranty is up and there isn't any proof you brought the car in for the same problem while it was under warranty you are screwed.

BadVibe08

Hi all, 2012 TL Shawd advance with 7200 miles, that right only 7k. I have the high pitch tea kettle squealing. Has Acura acknowledged this with a TSB yet? Anyone with a DIY on this? Id like to be more knowledgeable before I call the dealer.

BadVibe08

So I am mildly freaking out about this - did i just buy another car and dump a bunch of dough on a body kit and clear bra/tint only to find out that it has an unresolved design flaw that makes a shreaking whistle when I drive it on the highway? I have some questions:
1. Does the replacement propeller shaft fix the problem?
2. How long does the fix last - do the new parts just fail as well?
3. Is there a TSB or recall for this?
4. How many propeller shafts are there?
5. Any aftermarket or remanufactured part out there that are better?

SlyAccord

The issue is with the bearings in the propellor shaft going bad. As far as I know they haven't changed the part number or design, they just install a new one. The noise I heard for that problem was a white noise sounding like a air gap coming from the passenger side that would turn off around 50mph

SlyAccord

But yes, very common and they are very aware

yoshimaruTL

I am scheduled to take my car to dealership tonight. They will probably ask me to replicate the sound to confirm it's propeller shaft right? The problem is that the sound from my car comes and goes. It may take a long drive before the sound comes back.

dyp

Just picked up a 2012 SH-AWD from CarMax and while it drives great, I started to hear a high-pitch sound when I reached about 50mph. Others have described the sound as whistling or a boiling tea kettle sound.

Took it to the local Acura dealer since it is still under factory warranty. They said they couldn't hear anything on the first visit but as soon as drove it home, the sound started again. Took it in the second time and when they said they couldn't hear it again, I took a drive with them. Within 5 minutes, the sound started.

I forwarded the threads from this forum. The new drive shaft is supposed to arrive on Monday so will report back after I get the car back.

In the meanwhile, I'm enjoying the fully loaded 2015 TLX but still miss the SH-AWD.

dyp

After almost 2 weeks, I finally picked up my SH-AWD.

Good news is that so far, the boiling tea kettle sound is gone!

They had to get a new driveshaft shipped out from CA and had some delivery delays which is why it took so long. While they were inspecting, they heard some sound from the differential so had the fluid replace.

My dealer says this is only the 2nd time they've had to do this so not sure how common it is outside this forum.

But if you are hearing that high pitch, boiling tea kettle sound, definitely get it addressed by your local Acura dealer.

Good luck.