weather

^^ the way you describe it, it appears it could be something very similar to what RDX and ILX owners are experiencing....

terdonal

Yes, when I had an ILX it only happened going over manhole covers that were less than level with the road resulting in a quick short drop as you went over it. To my mind the shock just wasn't reacting properly to that short quick drop.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Anyone with an RLX experiencing the issue located in the Boston area? I would like to hear what this sounds like and maybe make a recording to send to folks at Acura.

holografique

I'm an audio engineer/mixer/producer by night, so I can get some recordings and send them to you if you have the right contacts.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

That would be great. I would also like to hear the sound in person, since hearing a recording is still not the same as hearing it in person to help diagnose.

holografique

yea, it definitely is more prominent in person.

knowing what it sounds like now, I can filter out a lot of the background / ambient noise to better isolate just the rattle sound. I should be able to have something within the next few days.

mgalbr22

My strong suspicion, given the limited number of complaints about this on acurazine, is that this is not the result of a design defect, but rather a batch of bad parts and /or improper assembly. Otherwise, every car would exhibit the same defect. In this case, it seems to me we would be hearing from most owners about this problem.
I find it hard to believe that anyone who drives an Acura and may have owned an RL or another luxury sedan could drive one of these for a day or a week and not notice the problem and be incensed about it. Again, this suggests to me the population of bad vehicles and parts is fairly limited.
This doesn't mean the problem we are experiencing is not severe, but only that there may not be that many cars that have the same issue. It's analogous to the possible side effects of medication. Sometimes, a small percentage of people experience a particular side effect, but the effect is severe. Other times, a high percentage of people experience a different side effect, but the effect itself is mild. We may be in the first group.
By the way, Acura is definitely aware of the defect and has observed it in cars at their California HQ, as well as at dealerships, and most likely, in Japan, as well. Supplying them with recordings is not necessary unless you are merely trying to document yr own case.

weather

^^ The problem is that the symptom is only observed (for RDX and ILX owners) when the weather is colder. Come May-Oct, my RDX is flawless but come Nov, it sounds like a horse buggy! I think they only tested their vehicles in the warmer climate, or they don't care about Canadians and Americans that live too close to our border.....

My proposal to Acura....Pay for the relocation of all Acura owners down south....problem solved and reputation regained.

mgalbr22

after having read the threads about the same or very similar issue with the ilx and the rdx, i retract my previous statement. i now suspect this is a design defect since it appears to be endemic to all acura vehicles with the Sachs Amplitude Reactive Dampers. either that, or sachs is oblivious to the quality concerns and has supplied defective material to acura for over a year. i also suspect acura client relations and the dealers have been inundated with complaints from unhappy customers, especially when they discover that acura does not have a permanent corrective action for this defect. explains why we get either no information from them or conflicting statements about how this is either a problem or "characteristic" of the vehicle. appalling.

weather

Acura really must address this issue because its really starting to annoy many owners. While I know this is not affecting all owners, its bad for them to develop a problem that is not limited to a single model and then not being to solve the issue....yet apply the same parts/feature on upcoming models (TLX). Then again, its not my business so what do I care

probmxstyle

I am pretty sure the 4th gen TL has it too. Plenty of people have been complaining of thumping and clunking coming from the rear struts. My car is dead quiet in the summer, but as soon as it gets cold, the rear clunks.

weather

^^^ Hummm...that's interesting. I have never heard it being as much of an issue as it is with the RDX and the ILX. I have driven my TL in cold conditions (similar to my RDX) and never heard anything near as what the RDX does.....but maybe I got lucky?

Have you ever test driven the RDX in cold weather? Does it compare to what your TL does?

probmxstyle

I have driven a RDX as a loaner but it was quiet. Do a quick look on the 4th gen tl forum and search for it. You will see a few threads. I believe one is still on the front page. When mine was making noise, I swapped the left shock with the right shock in the rear and the noise followed to the other side.

mgalbr22

The problem I am experiencing is not temperature dependent. Happens in warm and cold weather.
Acura informed me yesterday that engineering in Japan is working on the problem, but does not have a solution, nor is there a forecast of the timing for one. This is the same thing they told me three weeks ago.

teamtlr

Same here. I thought it might be temp related as well but I have over 1800 miles and its finally warming up outside. Its been in the 50-70's and the "horse buggy" front suspension noise as someone on here described it is still there. Its more noticeable on the passenger side and its a very rapid fire rattle over various bumps. It sounds like the old GM cars when the struts have gone bad and you get a very rapid bounce on the front strut that rattles back and forth. Very disappointed in the front dampening.

I did notice the hood seems very loose around the shock ball mount that mount to the underside of the hood when open. Seems like that could contribute to the rattle but the noise I hear is much more solid than the rattle you would think you would hear from the hood shocks.

mgalbr22

With still no root cause or permanent corrective action in sight, I filed for arbitration with the national center for dispute resolution under the ohio lemon law. Hearing will be within 2 weeks.

mgalbr22

Ohio law requires arbitration prior to filing a lemon suit. At the arbitration hearing today, Acura announced that every 2014 RLX has a defect in the struts, springs, dampers (unclear exactly where, what the nature of the defect is and what the corrective action is-whether design, material assembly or what). This contradicts what some owners have been told.

holografique

^^^ If the above is true, then that would explain just about every person's complaints (and reviewer's complaints) about the suspension in the RLX being "questionable"...

neuronbob

What the what? They announce a defect in the suspension in an arbitration hearing and don't say what it is? The plot thickens. If that is the case, then why was the car released with such a defect? With all the miles test cars are driven and the obviousness of these noises to many people, one would have thought this would have come out during testing of the PAWS RLX.

The plot thickens......

holografique

If this is true, it also makes you wonder if the "code" issues with SH-AWD on the RLXh isn't the only thing they are trying to fix before the release, further supporting the delays...

Fabvsix

And more the reason I stand firm that the best RL built was the 04 ytd......ask any long term Acura mechanic...... I read TOO many complaints here.....not to mention those with their heads up their XXXX or too big of chip on the shoulder to admit it.....QA is gone down the tube in ALLAbama.....

Colin

Is there any link to this announcement? I don't believe I've seen a bulletin on our iN.

NotEnthused

Now the question is, can anyone get a copy of the arbitration hearing or is this a he said/she said.

What was the outcome from arbitration? If this was really said then I see big problems for Acura and certainly someone will run with a class action suit.

I asked the dealer if the troubles in the front-end are a safety issue? Answer..NO. I asked if they know what the problem is ? NO. Trying not to be a smart-ass I said then how do you know it is not a safety issue?

Edward'TLS

Just like the hellish 2G TL/CL tranny problem, Honda didn't and wouldn't release any single detail about the badly designed tranny, until the very last moment in the NHTSA hearing that forced Honda to spit out the whole truth.

Therefore, don't expect anyone (including Acura dealers) outside of the Honda headquarter to have any idea of what's going on with the RLX suspensions, until the NHTSA proceeding starts.

mgalbr22

i specifically inquired why no technical service bulletin had been published so all dealers and owners could access this information. the response was that a tsb could not be issued until they had a fix available. this statement was made after they said the fix had been determined and had completed acura but not dot testing. when asked whether dot/nhtsa testing was more rigorous than acura testing, which should have involved-among others- durability testing to failure, no explanation was offered.
no specific description was provided as to the root cause of the defect, nor the permanent corrective action, only that the clunking noise and vibration are emanating from the strut area, including springs, dampers, etc. so, whatever the presumed fix may be, it is unclear whether it involves a design and/or material change and, if so, which components are affected and how that change(s) addresses the underlying root cause of the defect.

mgalbr22

there will be no transcript of the hearing. i took extensive notes, however.
i raised the point that any defect in a structural component or safety system, e.g. brakes, steering, etc. for which you do not know the root cause of the defect, may present a safety concern. you can't know with certainty there is no safety concern until you know all of the potential failure modes and the root cause(s). acura responded without explanation that there is no safety concern, and they are 100% confidant thereof.
the arbitrator will issue his decision within a week.

mgalbr22

by the way, you can still buy a 2014 RLX with a defective suspension. the vehicles are not quarantined awaiting the permanent corrective action.

TSX69

I have not really paid much attention to this or the rod thread as I have been waiting on the hybrid. However, today I started shopping seriously (yes, I have finally given up hope on the hybrid) and am getting awfully close to pulling the trigger thanks to the ridiculous incentives. I may have to wait to see how all this plays out now ...

Is this something that all RLXs suffer from?

Thanks!

mgalbr22

yes, all 2014 rlxs according to honda/acura.

oppnyc

Today I found this info regarding RLX suspension issue:

NEWS: Honda is recalling certain 2014 Acura RLX vehicles; SUSPENSION
Report Receipt Date: DEC 16, 2013
NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V622000
Component(s): SUSPENSION
Potential Number of Units Affected: 7,387

JANUARY 2014 -- American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2014 Acura RLX vehicles manufactured August 7, 2012, through November 5, 2013. The bolts that attach the rear lower control arms to the sub-frame of the vehicle may have loosened during transport to dealerships. Loose rear lower control arm bolts may reduce steering ability, increasing the risk of a crash. Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension lower control arm bolts, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in early January 2014. Honda's number for this recall is JD0. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

The link is http://www.lemonauto.com/complaints/1_honda_recalls.htm

Edward'TLS

^^^^^

That was the "suspension bolts recall" campaign for the RLX, and all affected RLX owners should have received this recall notice.

Replacing/tightening all the related bolts is suppose to fix the issue.

miner

My service manager just showed me a video distributed by Acura of the suspected noise issue. Acura believes the issue is within the strut assemply and the spring damper. His thought was the entire assembly would be replaced once a fix is engineered. And, as we have been told, Acura is well aware of the issue.

TSX69

Had my RLX for ~ 3 weeks now & thanks to this thread, I have been listening carefully for a rattle. None so far thank goodness. Hopefully it stays that way & Acura finds a solution for those of you with the issue.

mgalbr22

Acura has known for at least 8 mos where the problem is. The question is whether they have determined the root cause of the problem-not generally the location-as well as the permanent corrective action.
Did the video and/or the service mgr address these more important points?

mgalbr22

After 9 months of failed attempts to repair this and promises of corrected parts being manufactured, tested, etc., I filed a lemon suit. Currently, awaiting Acura's initial response, then the next step in the legal proceedings.

joenetwork

Owner of 2014 RLX with same issue. Very disappointed. Every minute driving this car produces regret. My rattle is exactly identified by this thread.

My dealer reviewed the vehicle. They concur with the experience. I test drove another RLX (one of their loaners) and heard the same rattle. It is not unique to my car.

Dealer indicated there is a posting in their computer system indicating Acura is aware of the complaints and is working on it.

According to this thread, they have known about it for about a year. Losing faith in Acura as something should come from this. I wrote email to two people identified on page 1 of this thread. If I get a reply, I will post. I asked for update.

Has anyone filed any legal action or approached an Attorney General?

Has anyone traded their car in?

holografique

what I'd like to know is if the new 2015 models (and the recently released 2014 Hybrid) all have the issue?

What's not clear is whether they have already resolved it on the production/assembly line and just haven't figured out how to handle it for existing vehicles already in the field, or if they haven't figured it out at all, period, and all new models being produced still have the same defect/issue.

This problem (along with the A/C moan/whine issue) is the single one thing that infuriates me most about this car. Driving it up in the burbs where I live is great. But as soon as I take her to the city for work every day, I literally dread driving my car anywhere downtown it's that bad. Even my wife has gotten to the point where she think it's ridiculous considering how much I pay for this car monthly. She constantly says how her ILX handles way better in the city - and it does.

TSX69

Thanks to this forum I have paid careful attention to see if my RLX suffers from the same symptoms as others but so far my suspension seems fine. I even drive with the music off to make sure I hear everything - only once was there an odd noise and that just turned out to be my sunglasses above.

The only problem I have read here that I am experiencing is that odd smell the AC makes when it 1st starts.

Fingers crossed that it continues to be trouble free - altho I do hope that they issue a recall to fix the suspension issue before I experience it.

miner

My dealer Servuce Mgr confrims the district reps RLX had the same rattle issue, fix was applied (redisigned struts) and so far so good. No timeline on when repair will be released to genral owners. BTW, just traded my wifes '08 TSX 6MT Nav in for a 2015 TLX Advanced model and this car does ride much better than my RLX. You don't feel every road imperfection and it is a very quiet car.

mgalbr22

My guess is the "fix applied" was the same as what was attempted on my car 6 mos ago. Combined with a significant reduction in the tire pressure, it gave the impression of reducing the clunk, rattle and vibration. However, it was not a fix based on a true root cause determination and consequent permanent corrective action. Once the tires were inflated to the correct level, there was no improvement whatsoever. My service mgr is in daily contact with the district rep. He has not reported any availability of revised struts to correct the problem. In fact, Acura has been telling me the same thing for 4-5 mos now. Thats why I filed the lemon suit a few weeks ago.