So I've had my TSX now for 4+ years and now just as a am considering selling it for a 05 RL problems are starting to pop up. Last week I noticed the overhead light in the backseat was dead, I figured no prob I'll just giet a new bulb when I need an oil change. This morning I try to plug in my radar detector and find my outlets are dead. Then after work I get in the car and notice my headunit console lights are dead. Pain in my ass! At least I bought the extended warranty. It seems my car is pissed at my for looking at a replacement... This was the most reliable car I've ever had but from what I've heard in order to fix the display the whole headunit needs to be replaced which would have an out of warranty cost of $4k. If that is the case it seems it was poorly designed if the whole thing needs to go just because a minor part's backlight went out.

 

hmm.... seems like it's not just the headunit. I would say it is if it was just that part that went out. But since it seems like you are having more electrical problems than just that one thing... it's possible that you may have an electrical glitch somewhere.

 

car have feelings too!

from the sound of it, your car does sound like it's pissed at you for wanting to replace it... or like the above poster said, there's an electrical problem (source) somewhere that causes all the other to go off and not the individual parts itself becoming defective.

 

Check fuses first on the lights and outlet plug if you haven't already. As noted, the console lights issue is known and I'm sure you could easily convince Acura to replace it because it has been around for so long.

 

Whatever you decide to do, I wouldn't look at an 05 RL because it is a first year model just like your 04 TSX. If anything, look at an 06 or newer IMO. My console lights just died last month too, but my car is still under warranty so it was a free fix, thank God.

 

I agree especially with all the electronics issues with the RL. But I can get a 05 RL w/ 50k mi for $27,500 from a friend but an 06 would be like $10,000 more.

 

Thanks for the replies. I hope it is easily fixed.

 

Briny,

I have an '04 TSX as well (only 36K miles) and I had almost the exact same symptoms as you are experiencing. First an overhead light went out, then malfunctioning power outlet, loss of map lights and console dead. Already had an appt with the dealer to get the headlight clips put in and brought this problem to their attention and they fixed it. What was wrong? According to them, a fuse was in the wrong slot (as far as I know, the fusebox has never been opened) and the fuse that protects the console, lights, etc. was missing. Go figure.

 

That sounds like to me. The fuse completes the circuit. If there was no fuse where it was supposed to be, then the circuit would not have worked in the first place.

 

^^ However, sometimes when the mechanics fix things, the sales guys can misinturpt the information (when its something that small) and just make it sound different (or the mechanic does a bad job explaining it...lol). If they mentioned fuses, then i'm sure you just blew one out.....either way, if it works now then don't worry about it anymore

 

Wow. 4K to fix this problem? My plan is to keep the car for a long time, but having something like this happen when the car is out of warranty scares the hell out of me. If this is widespread at all, Acura really needs to address it.

 

is this problem mostly happen to non-navi TSX owners or also navi?

i'm out of warranty in a few months because i'm at 43K now and didn't get an extended warranty.

i learned my lesson i thought because i got an extended warranty in my 99 Accord and never used it because it was a 5 yr/75K warranty then and I went all the way up to 94K miles w/o really any problems.

i don't know if i should keep this car then if this is a widespread problem.

 

They did, sorta. The part is now covered to 7 years/100k miles. I just had mine replaced last month.

 

Search for the thread that says Poll On Console Lights Going Out, or something like that. It's pretty widespread, and some people have had it happen more than once.

 

gracias senorita!

 

You're welcome. :wink:

 

I didn't know that. Thanks for the info! I'm assuming this warranty extension is for all TSX owners. At least that's some peace of mind.

 

I made an appt with the dealer. It seems they don't replace the entire headunit anymore. Acura has pin pointed the problem to some circuit board. We'll see...

 

that's a good thing too. now, i wonder if they should include the a/c too as part of that 7yr/100,000 mile warranty too!

 

That's correct. They replace the Printed Circuit Board (PCB), per TSB 04-021 from Jan 23, 2007.

Part # w/o navi: P/N 3917A-SEC-A01RM
Part # w/navi: P/N 3917A-SEC-A51RM

Except that the one they ordered for my replacement actually made things worse. Instead of just the lights being out, when they put the new board in, the lights came back, but then the CD player and radio went out. So they ordered a whole new headunit for me and now everything is ok. However, I spent a couple of days without ANY music, and it was a 70 minute drive each way for me just to get to my dealer.