I have to say that I really love the TSX's balance, handling, engine, six speed, etc... The car is really fun to drive..........however...............

My '04 has 41K miles on it. In this milage the car has had the following problems:

1. Radio/HVAC/Clock backlights all failed.....resolved with new head unit.
2. Warped rotors at 15K miles.....resurfaced (solved till 40K miles).
3. Nasty A-Pillar rattle.......several trips and finally resolved by removing & reinstalling windshield.
4. Passenger Side Speaker buzzes/rattles.....sort of resolved (still some present after performing service bullitin).
5. Clutch pedal clicks........sort of resolved itself. Dealer couldn't fix so I lived with it and not it is still present at times, but seemingly getting better.
6. Intermittent AC failures. Just dies going down the road....then starts working randomly...........................unresolved at this time. Dealer still working on it.
7. Radio/HVAC/Clock radio backlights intermittently change from headlights on to headlight off mode..........unresolved. Dealer cannot replicate, although it happens to me everytime I drive at night. Very annoying.
8. Rotors warped again at 40K miles. Resurface again......................
9. All of the weatherseals creak like an old wooden ship. Dealer says it is normal.

I really thought that this car would be built better than the SVT Contour I replaced with it. I remember telling the sales manager that I couldn't wait to have a quality car like the Acura, because of all the problems that the Contour had.

Bottom line is that I have now had more problems with my TSX in 41K miles than I had with the SVT Contour in 91K miles. That is really making me scratch my head about what to do next time.

I still really want to believe that Acura / Honda build a better car than Ford, etc... and I have preached to everyone I know about how awesome Honda / Toyota are.

This is a company car for me, and I really had to convice my boss that a Honda / Acura product was well worth the premium, since it will last a lot longer and need far fewer repairs than the SVT Contour did.

Now that I am nearing the end of my warranty, I find myself truely hoping that I have reached the end of the problems that this car is going to have, for a while.

I love this car, but really dispise all the damn problems. I love my wifes Lexus RX330 and loved the RX300 before it. Combined mileage on those two of 70K miles, with very few problems.....practically none.

I won't be able to convince the boss that I should get an Acura next time, if this car starts needing $500 repairs all the time after my 50K warranty runs out.

 

That's horrible. I've never heard of anyone with so many problems before.

 

That really sucks, man. That's way too many issues for a car like an Acura should have. Hope things work out for you.

My TSX has been pretty damn good to me (23K miles). Minor windshield creak in the cold, but that's about it.

 

I've found that most of the people with problems have '04 cars and since they are all first generation vehicles will probably have more problems than '05 and up. The TSX is a brand new design and there are bound to be bugs. Was your Contour a first generation car?

 

Whoa, thats a huge list of things. By the way, How much care and maintenance did you put in in the first 5000 miles? I'm at 700 miles on my TSX, maybe this is a learning opportunity for me to make sure to do all necessary care and maintenance steps. sorry to hear that your TSX is not up to par as the rest of ours.

 

Yup. It's absolutley normal for cars bought in their first year of production to have bugs not resolved like it would be in the following years.

 

..........................on the other hand, I have owned my '04 TSX since Sep, 2003 with very few problems. The only "issue" I had was a grinding power driver's seat which was replaced under warranty. Other than that, it's been awesome. I still believe in Honda's reputation for quality.

 

well. i had driver side a pillar moding broken, suspension broken, windshield rattle all at 20k..like i posted before. the acura dealer mechanic thats been there forever told me acura cars are prettier and faster than before, but quality is gradually going down than when he first started... of when acura first started.... though i still LOVE my tsx.. but next car! LEXUS!

 

also. that mechanic told me the material acura uses are not as good as before either...reason why we have no idea, but an educated guess... comparable lexus and bmw... being the IS and 325, despite the larger engine in bmw and IS, tsx give you more option and accessory than either brand offers...WITH LESS MONEY that is........its not hard to make an educated guess that acuras gotta have cut corner somewhere....................

 

Sorry to hear about your problems.
Other then brake rotors warping at @ 20K, then again @ 40K, condensation in driver side lens and driver seat heater go out on me, I had no problems with my TSX. All were fixed under warranty. I guess we are paying for the first year model.

 

Technically, this isn't a brand new design. Europe had it a year before we did.

As for all the issues, they all have TSBs to fix them. No bigger. I wouldn't call them serious, but they are a PITA.

 

Don't forget the TSX interior design is different from the Accord Euros, and many problems seem to emanate from just that: From the many rattles to windshield creaking, to HVAC deficiencies, etc.

 

One thing you will note is that rarely do they have any major engine problems......


*edit* Haha, I just realized that I typed that as I'm waiting for the injectors to be replaced in my car!

 

Bad gas MIGHT cause that. I replaced an injector at 85K right after a bad gas incident.

 

Sounds like you have a lemon, I had a saab 03 93 that was a lemon that I just got ride of. Since California has lemon laws that are stacked against the manufacturer, I was able to get a very good settlement by hiring a lemon law lawyer. Not sure where you are at but it wouldn't hurt to look into it you states lemon law (although it doesn't sound like it is technically your car but the companies car). In most cases, not always, you don't pay the attorneys fees. In california's situation most manufacturers will want to settle out of court rather than dragging it through the court system and face an even worse verdict by jurors.

 

Yep. The USDM Accord got the JDM Accord interior.

 

Not serious, I guess, for the next 9K miles. After that, when they start costing me $$$, then I will start getting seriously pissed. Plus it will get increasingly likely that this will be my last Acura in a while. It doesn't help that every loaner car they have given me has been a complete rattle trap. A '04 TL had so many rattles that I would have been embarassed to give anybody a ride. I actually found my self trying to fix a few so I wouldn't have to hear them for the few days I had the car. They were that bad.

Bigger than that is that is the simple fact that if buying an Acura hasn't resulted in lower expenses in the 50K - 100K mile range, then I might as well get all the bang for the buck of an STI or an EVO. I went with the Acura because I really believed that Honda built the better product.

I thought that Acura would be a much more solid car than anything that Subaru or Mitsu built, but my brother has 2 Legacy GT's and had a WRX prior. With significantly more than 41K miles on them combined, he has had practically no problems. By the way both Legacy GT's are 1st year cars.

In addition my wife drives a 2004 Lexus RX330, which has had 1 problem in 30K miles. One, Uno, etc.... '04 was the first year of the RX330. Her previous '00 RX300 had 1 single rattle in 40K miles. Other than that it never went back to the dealership.

I now fully understand that Lexus is a tier above Acura. I wouldn't hesitate to replace this car with a 1st year IS250, or even an STI or a EVO.

 

Go look on NASIOC.com. There are plenty of folks who have serious problems with their subies. What's more is that SOA won't stand behind their cars, which is the opposite of H/A. It's why I'm not looking at subarus anymore.

 

Sveet,
Well, we're at the same mileage and basically with the same problems. And I've been on this site many time exclaiming how much I still love my car. But the fact is that it's totally unacceptable. I've owned five Honda products in the past, and they have been flawless into the mid 100K mile range. Tight, well built, quiet, low maintenance. Not quite the case with the TSX. I've had bad rotors, bad bearings, bad seats, buzzing speakers... all the same stuff. But I still love the car. I currently drive about 100 miles per day, so this thing is going to accumulate mileage fast. If things quiet down and stay that way, the thing will have redeemed itself. I still believe that it may in the long run.

I'm going to Dyna Mat the living crap out of the doors this week. That should take care of many rattles. And I'm replacing the OEM Michelins with Avon Tech 550s from the tire rack. If I get hit with a major expense, I'll accept it once only. Then the car goes up for sale.

Good luck. And check out the new IS. Or perhaps a new Ford.

 

I don't doubt that Subie's or even Mitsu's have problems. Bottom line is my TSX is starting to really piss me off with all the damn problems. But with them you get 300HP and AWD. I went Acura, even with it's inferior power and performance, expecting that the money was going into build quality. Since it isn't, I want my damn horsepower and traction.

I don't really call cutting my rotors twice standing behind their problem. With as thin as I am sure they are, they ought to warp in the next 10K miles. That means I get to spend a whole ton of $$$ for new rotors at 50,001 miles.

As of right now I have driven the damn thing on at least 5 hot days, in my business clothes, with the AC intermittently failing. 90 degrees and no AC and a tie sucks........

Also as of right now the dash lights are flashing bright to dim, intermittently, which drives me nuts at night. Try it once.......drive down a dark road and turn your interior light dimmer on and off the highest setting. Now do this for an hour with a tie on and no air conditioning and a pulsating brake pedal and creaking weatherstripping. Any sane person would wonder if they walked into the twilight zone. This is Honda for cripes sake.

I simply expected more, but won't anymore.

 

Less complaining, more selling.

 

John,

As a company car, I'll be keeping it for a while. I just hope it doesn't make an a$$ out of me. I pleaded for a Honda / Acura product with the basis being a long a trouble free life.

I just worry about the long term reliability and potential repair costs.

I, too, keep expecting that once I get these bugs worked out, it will behave like a nice little Honda product.

Then................wham-o.................the AC stops working......................


Then I convince myself that was probably the last problem.................

 

If it was mine, it would be gone, but it is a company car, and we keep them 100K or so.

So I get to be a long term test mule.

I love driving the car, but if you, or anybody else had this many problems, you too would want to complain.

I can see that the Acura community really doesn't want to hear about my problems, since their cars are all performing well. Which I can understand.

If others had this many problems maybe Honda would listen, but a few isolated cases, I am sure they don't care.

I'm done with this thread. Thanks to those who understood.......................

 

Generally in the Problems & Fixes forum, members start topics about a problem they're having and others try to offer solutions. In your case, you have a number of problems that have gone unresolved. My recommendation was to sell the car and buy something else. Tell Acura to shove their cars somewhere uncomfortable as you walk across the street to the Subaru dealer. Dollars speak louder than words.

Since you don't own the car, you're kind of stuck. It's a shame you have to be inconvenienced driving such a piece of junk. Hopefully your next 2 or 3 years with the car will be more tolerable.

In the grand scheme of things, I think I'd still be happy to be driving a free TSX even with those problems.

 

I have had most of those problems and a few other costlier too, and I am still in love and very glad to drive my TSX every day.

But I guess my background isn't the same either.

 

As my mechanic said, everyone makes a lemon; he saw many while working for Honda. However, it is the percentages that matter and this is what keeps Honda/Acura near the top. If I had to replace my car and were I you, who I assume to be a salesman, I'd look at the Avalon Touring.