I had replaced 6 door actuators so far at the dealer, (4 in warranty, all around), and thought that it would be the end of my problems. NOT!
Then the rear left door actuator started failing, and now the driver's door actuator is gone ...Full circle again! That's $500 at the dealer to fix.
When the driver's side door actuator fails nothing else works, no tailgate, nothing. Major bummer.
That makes 8 door actuators failing in this car... One per year. WTF??

95K, 07 base, original owner.

 

So, 8 failures over 8-years? or over a shorter more recent period? what exactly is the actuator? mechanical, electrical, or both? are the doors still perfectly aligned? is there obvious wear on the door latch (the U-part on the body)?

 

Yes, 8 actuators failing in 8 years. One per year. Two full sets so far.
The actuator is I think an electrical/mechanical part that turns and unlocks the car. I've seen the part in photos online. The part is only $40 but the labor is 2 hours. It is not an easy repair, I read the DYI and it's not for me.
The doors are perfectly aligned, and no wear on the latches.
After a few months in service, each actuator starts making a whirling sound, then it fails.
Could it be a faulty power door regulator that's causing it??

 

Where did you find the DiY for the actuators?

 

I think on the TSX forum.

 

...sounds like a faulty (read shady and greedy) service department.

 

In order for us to help you, you must be very specific about this problem, and try to analyze it. If indeed there was one failure per year, over 8 years, then at least one actuator lasted 4 years, and possibly one lasted 7 years. So, which door actuator lasted the longest, and which the shortest? Do you know?

In other words, failing Honda door actuators is not an uncommon problem, judging by the number of posts I found with a cursory search. Unless you can determine some specific cause of the problem, then we must conclude that the average actuator life is simply short, and try to minimize the wear.

I have set my own vehicle so that one click of the fob only unlocks the driver's door. And also shifting into and out of PARK is what locks/ unlocs the door(s). This can also be set so that NO DOOR IS LOCKED/ UNLOCKED when shifting from PARK, or when reaching a set speed, by setting the condition to OFF, in the optional customized settings.

That will minimize wear on every door except the driver door, unless there is typically more than one person in your car for most trips.

Next, is to try to actually find a reason for the repeated failures you have experienced. Do you make a lot of short trips? that is, lots of door locks & unlocks per mileage.

Were the replacement door actuators OEM? is an aftermarket (read cheaper) part available? what is the dealer warranty for a replaced actuator? is there any indication of poor quality labor work? is there any other indication of an electrical problem? any other electrical part failures or problems? etc.

For any further help, you must provide more information and analysis yourself. We can only respond to your information.

No idea what that means - as best I can determine, the actuator itself is just an electrically driven mechanical lever that lock/ unlocks the door latch. There is no other controlling device (per door). Just voltage supplied to the regulator.

With 95K miles, there *has* to be some wear on the latches on the door frame. It may be slight, and OK, but *no wear* I do not believe. I asked because of possible undue force on the actuator required to latch the door.

Sorry, but that is not really useful. *WHEN* does the whirling sound occur? under what conditions? always? when locking? when unlocking? when using the fob? when using the mechanical locking lever on the door? etc.

That is completely inconsistent with your statements that only one actuator fails per year. Unless you mean the actuator makes noise for several years before failing. Some actuators must be lasting for years before failing, in order for some to only fail twice in 8 years.

Again, exact information, specific information, is required in order for us to *guess* what is happening.

 

Quick follow-up:
The dealer used Acura's good will and replaced the faulty actuators at a nominal cost to me, couple of hundred $s. Normally it's $300 each, part+labor.
They tried to decipher the reason for the failures but couldn't. They sent the bad actuators to Acura for review.
I only make a trip or two per day, no frequent stops. I use the same key pattern, one click unlocks the driver's door, two clips everything. All OEM parts and all at the dealer.
In summary, there's no visible explanation, but I'm glad they fixed them at minimal cost to me.