If you drive with the windows open and stereo volume >>> 14, skip to another thread.

During the past 18 months of ownership, I've noticed that the engine (particularly the engine fan) generates a significant amount of vibrations. For me, this has resulted in rattles in the steering column, 5AT gear shifter, Navi/center console, passenger side door and moon roof.

There is also the issue of the 'dreaded' steering wheel vibrations and now I have noticed that when I come to a complete stop, I can hear and feel a "click" coming through the 5AT shifter.

I almost forgot to mention the constant ringing sound coming from the engine/center console.

....

On paper, this is an amazing car and I would very much like to keep my TSX and remain a loyal Honda/Acura customer, not to mention a fan.

However, these annoyances (amogn others) have me wondering if I would have been better off saving ~5 grand in cash and lowering my expectations.

I realize this is probably the last thing a potential 06 TSX buyer wants to hear, let alone a sales rep at some Acura dealer, but I am just frustrated at the fact that the root cause of these rattles and shakes has never been addressed in any A-TSX thread.

Can it be really that difficult to fix, or is Acura just trying to save face/money by not announcing an official TSB?

 

How many miles/km do you have on your TSX. I have had mine for 2.5 years, 35 000km and I do notice a small steering column rattle but none of the other rattles or fan annoyance that you have.

 

Anyone notice that when you're turning the steering wheel when the blinker is on there is a lot of clicking from the column? I never noticed it until I got it back from my regular 30k maintenance.

I do feel quite a bit of vibration when I'm stopped on an incline. I get rattles in my passenger window on cold days. There are creaks from time to time. And I notice these things with the music up at 25-30.

But I still love driving the car and revving it up. I'm wondering the switch the a 6MT will solve some of those issues? Not to mention, there are always build issues with the first year of a new model?

 

Almost 25,000 miles.

Consider yourself lucky. The first rattles came at about 3~4k miles.

Yui, I agree the car is fun to drive. I am almost certain that if I had a 6MT, I wouldn't have really noticed any of these rattles or vibrations.

 

Ummmm, are you serious? That clicking comes from the reset for your turn signal. Completely normal...

 

Reminds me of a Bill Engval skit:

"Hey, what's that clickin' noise?"
"Here's your sign."

 

I have 23,000 miles on my '04 and I don't really have any of the annoyances I read about. I had the sunroof rattle until I coated the seal with silicon lubricant. I've noticed an "A" or "B" pillar rattle intermittently but, wisely I think, have never taken it to a dealer to have them pull things apart and permanently ruin them.

I have no steering column rattle or vibration, and as the car has worn in and loosened up, I find it to be more enjoyable than when it was new. Plus, it smells like cigars!

Not saying any of you with rattles, etc., aren't having issues and annoyances uncommon and unexpected (and disappointing) in a Honda vehicle, just adding my voice that I've had very few if any so far.

 

I'm sorry I don't get the connection there.

 

Bill Engvall's "here's your sign" bit is just awesome!

 

I dont get it either. For some people its eaiser to complain about things rather then doing something about it. And thats all this guy does...

 

im getting that steering wheel column rattle and a faint noise emitting from the driver's side seatbelt anchor. and the rattling coming from the overhead console/mirror area is driving me nuts, but i realized it's probably due to the cold weather because i hear it in the morning on my way to work but not during lunch time when temps a bit higher...

frustrating...i've already sent my car in twice for rear rattle fixes. oh my car has 11,000 miles on it

 

Maybe because with a 6MT the car would be in neutral when at a stop, as opposed to an automatic being in drive and "loaded," for lack of a better term.

That's all I can think of.

 

Sorry to hear about your woes, Tinky, but my experience is more in line with Peter's. Granted, I have the six speed, but except for a few niggling issues, I've been trouble-free.

I'm of the mind that rattle issues get blown a bit out of proportion. Really, what car is absolutely completely rattle free? The TSX is a stiffly-suspended car and many roads in this country stink, so rattles are gonna happen. I don't like 'em, but they don't keep me from having fun.

Maybe your dealer can help out with these issues.

 

I have 2004 and my driver-side window when i roll it down and up around mid level it makes this horrible sound thats almost painful to bare.

 

I've brought it in for rattles when I had my oil changed at 5k. They said they "couldn't duplicate" the door rattles, but they fixed my drivers' seat squeak. I'm not surprised since the door rattles come and go. It's mostly the front passenger door, but the front drivers' door does it too. I noticed if I put the window down a tiny bit (without actually opening the window), the rattle goes away on the respective doors. By the way, the rattles had occured before and after I lowered the car.

I've also developed a slight creak coming somewhere from the dash or windshield area. It only occurs on extremely cold days. It's been especially evident during the present cold snap in our area. I'll probably have them check it out again during my next oil change.

Otherwise, I love the car. The 6mt tranny is one of the best i've ever driven. Just wish the turning radius was better to match the sporty feel of the car. My CRX can probably make circles in my livingroom, and I'm not expecting the TSX to get anywhere close to that, but I feel like I have to make almost as many 3 point turns as I did with my old Infiniti J30!

 

Your statement is on the dot. My TSX suffered a lot of those annoyances as well. Not to mention some of the tranny issues, wheel bearing defects, center console, and leather wear. All were fixed under warranty ( ) but it was a handful to deal with warranty problems.

Overall however, I would recommend this car to anyone that is in the market for a semi-luxury sedan, and I would consider the TSX again in the near future.

iamhomin, who sold his TSX right before the 30,000 mile mark.

 

I'm reaching 20,000 miles on my '04 and the only rattle I have is the passenger side pillar/door rattle. The moonroof rattled once on a left-curved on-ramp, but hasn't since. Outside of that, no noises. I've even taken my steering column apart 3 times for hondata and no rattles there as well.

 

Hey dumbass, keep your asinine comments to yourself, especially if you can't add anything constructive or helpful. If you think it's that easy to find a solution for these rattles and what not, why not suggest some insightful ideas? Not that smart, huh?

As to what Eeyore was asking, most if not all rattles become noticeable during idle with the D/R gear engaged. So, if I had a 6MT, the rattles would be mostly transient during gear engagement, hence not very noticeable.

 

Did I say it was easy to find a solultion? No. But you have complained about rattles with your TSX since day one and its getting really fucking old. Bitching and moaning here about it wont help. If it really bothers you that much, why havent you called Acura and get them rolling on it? Have you even put time in with a dealer to figure them out? And if you've done all that, why on earth do you STILL HAVE THE CAR? Sorry, who's "not that smart"?

 

I just got a 05 6mt, I hope these problems dont pertain to me. Problem free so far

 

You think losing 3~4k dollars in depreciation smart? Is that how you solve all your problems in life? Having the car stall in the middle of the road would be a sufficient excuse to get another car. But not rattles.

As for the dealership, I have had one or more rattles fixed each and every oil change/scheduled service I've had done; nothing but bandaid solutions, however.

Look, if you see my username and expect to read something about some rattles or what not ... just go to the next thread. I won't mind ... really, I won't..

 

mine is an 04 TSX with 24,600 miles and so far the things I have had to replace under warranty were the Cd changer cause it kept skipping, the driver seats railing cause the seat moved whenever i turned right or left when i was driving the car, the harness taillight recall, the cd storage bin door got busted, and 2 rattles one on the front right passenger door and one on the driver side door. i do hear a window rattle a little bit on the driver side door, but it's nothing major.
it's a lot more i've fixed than the 99 Accord sedan I used to drive, but since I haven't paid for any of these problems it's not a big deal. At least they've appeared now rather than after the warranty expires.

 

I totally agree on Tinky with this. My 04 TSX has numerous rattles, and I have been to 4 different dealerships and NONE of them have been able to address my problems. The TSX is a great car and drives wonderfully but Honda has really cheaped out on the build quality. My next car will NOT be a Honda.

 

Anyway, that is a good point about the 5AT vs. the 6MT and how the AT is "loaded" when sitting at a stoplight or when in gear But what percentage of driving is sitting still at a stoplight? Probably a very small amount.

I'm still convinced that some people are just much more sensitive to rattles than others. How else could you explain how you can have cars of the same model year and configuration and 1/2 of them "rattle" and 1/2 of them don't. This is a subject that has intrigued me since I started visiting this board and over time I've formed some opinions about it, mainly that its 80% dependent on the person, the other 20% must be slight differences in the way the car was assembled or like TinkyWinky pointed out, differences like 5AT vs. 6MT.

BTW, the only noise that I've ever had from my TSX that I would consider troubling was the creaking sound from the rear deck. There are several threads about this, I think one was started by a user named Bucketboy. It only happens with the rear seats folded down, and more in warm weather.

 

Geez...Tough crowd in here. I've had my 04 since July 2003, and have just turned 30k miles. I've had the HVAC replaced once, and I'm having an oxygen sensor replaced on Wednesday. Other than that, everythings been great. I suppose if I took everything out of the car, ie: cd cases, car wash stuff, anything that wasn't in it when I picked it up, turned the stereo off and drove around, I may have a few rattles too. I'm sure Lexus, BMW, MB owners would experience the same thing. I don't drive like that so it's not an issue for me.

 

I am getting close to 25,000 miles with my 04 TSX. I still have a few rattles from the steering column/dashboard area intermittently. Apart from that, it is actually getting smoother and smoother. The initial rattling from the windshield has actually gone away!

I am loving my car, especially since I learned that you can get rattling from Lexus, BMW's etc anyway....

 

No shit. Go read some of the BMW boards. As many people complain about rattles there as do here.

 

Sorry to hear about your problems Tinky. I had my '04 6 speed since April '03 it now has 53,000 miles on it. I had a few problems (brake rotors, driver-side seat heating element and leather replaced, a few other minor issues) all replaced under warranty. I had couple intermittent rattles that appeared and then gone away. All in all, I still really like my TSX, if I had to replace it, I'd look at TSX again.

 

mine has less than 1000 miles on it, and I can hear SLIGHT buzzes/rattles (glove box maybe?) on rougher & crappier sections of freeway, but nothing I could possibly complain about or want dealership to try to "fix" (fuck up).

Alot of these issues are probably made worse by environmental conditions out of anyone's control, such as cold weather, and probably the type of treatment the car sees from the owner. IE: has the car hit every pothole its seen? Do you or your passengers over-slam the doors? Do you allow people to slam the doors with the windows half way rolled down? Has your car literally been shaken apart by your 15" subwoofer?

Theres probably SOME variation in build quality from car to car, and the engineers never get it 100% perfect on any car, but the REAL variation is how the car is handled during its lifetime.

 

What you say may have some truth, but the reality is the TSX, atleast the 04 has some quality control issues. My family had a 95 and 99 Accord and there werent nearly as many rattles as there are with my TSX. I have a friend who is a service manager at Acura, and he even questions the build quality of the newer TL and TSX. There is no doubt in my mind that Honda has taken a step backwards in terms of quality. Im not one to cry over small rattles, but there are so many rattles in my car that it is not a joy to drive, no matter how wonderful the chasis and drivetrain is on the TSX.

 

i've notice everything you said.. the rattles, engine ringing sound plus the clicking sound when you come to a complete stop. i've 76000 km on my car, it's almost 2 years old.

 

i've got about 33k miles and have absolutely no problems

 

All cars are going to get rattles - it's the nature of plastic, steel and the hundreds of combined materials. And some will be more than others. Especially when they are exposed to drastic temperature changes, as all cars are. My '04 has 23,000 miles and yes, I have noticed a few creeks and rattles, but it's completely normal. Go take a ride in a 3-series that's a few years old. You'll think pieces are falling off behind you. We just love are car so much, we want it to be perfect, but the truth is, it's aging and these things happen. Turn your radio on and it all goes away.

 

I have an 05 6MT with 7,000 miles and with the exception of the widespread sunroof rattle it has been flawless. No other rattles or annoyances. Great car and MPG always above EPA ratings.

 

I had a '94 Lexus ES300 that had a few annoying rattles, too (rear package tray, driver's side A-pillar, center console) but, over time, they came and went. My brother's '99 Accord has a rattle here and there, probably due in no small part to the MN roads he drives on. You don't hear the rattles in our '69 Chevy Caprice 427 because the engine/road/etc. drowns them out. Super-quiet modern cars are more "prone" to rattles, I'd guess.

Bottom line: Any manufacturer is going to have some rattles/squeeks/buzzes in some percentage of the cars they make, without exception. I think Honda & Toyota have set the standard for low incidence of those, and more major, problems/annoyances -- but they're in no way zero-defect across their entire production.

 

I appreciate this thread a lot - and I know it is not the first on the whole subject. Over the years, I'd rather have a great car's engine, brakes, and suspension replaced than dump the car. We drive a lot, and these threads just give me the ammunition to negotiate a no-cost extended warranty from the dealer (@$1850 tax-in); if the dealer's convinced that these issues have been addressed in the 06, then his risk will be less, and it shouldn't be an issue. But I may get that same-cost BMW 323i - I'd be happy with either car.

 

You and I must be the only ones with the 5AT click. I don't know if this is normal, but have you ever tried pressing/depressing the gas pedal while the car is in P, with the ignition off?

Anyway, hope your "shitbox" holds together for another 75k.

 

I lost track of your post after the fourth line, but I'm glad this info is helping someone. It would also be nice to see if such complaints help improve Acura quality.

Too late for me....they lost me as a customer after the third rattle.

 

Well, I've had my car since June of 2003, now have almost 47k miles on it and have had some or most of the same issues mentioned, but I gotta say, I still love the car. Aside from all the mods I've done, the only thing I dislike about the car is the fact that Acura service seems to be mediocre. I mean, I bought the car because I wanted the service option (I do all the work on my car unless its warranty). I don't blame the service department for trying out cheaper alternatives to fix my issue, but I don't normally complain either. I've had a BMW and I'd say no thanks anymore to them. Try in the first 10k miles the computer failing on that BMW. I don't see that happening here. Yes, these issues are annoying, but that's just it, I've yet to have a major failure noting that a few others have. Even so, we all know Acura does a lot of snooping and forums like this I'm sure are a full time job for someone there.

Glad you posted none-the-less.