abqtsx

I dug around - can't seem to find a similar post. Here's the problem.......

My '04 TSX with 33k miles has a front-end vibration. Started about 7k miles ago. Feels exactly like a wheel/tire out-of-balance problem. Now it gets weird. The vibration happens only during the first few miles of driving, and only above 50 mph. I start up in the morning or after work, after it's been sitting quite awhile. Warm it up for a few minutes, then head out.

Within a mile, I hit the freeway, accellerate up to legal speeds, and the vibration begins at 50 mph. Gets worse as I speed up - definitely feels like wheel/tire balance. I can be in any gear above 50 mph (3-5, or Neutral) and it's still there. After a couple of miles at freeway speeds, it goes away. Smooth as silk after that.

It also happened with my OEM Michelins. Hated the stock tires, replaced them with Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Positions, vibration is still there. I've checked the wheel/tire balance, rotated the tires, checked for bent rim, play in the drive axles - not finding anything wrong. Verified the dynamic dampeners were in place on the axles too. Might suspect the steering rack, but the problem goes away in a few miles. No brake pads dragging either.

Dealer reproduced the problem, but had no clue - suggested it was a bent rim. I responded that bent rims don't tend to get 'unbent' after being driven a few miles. Might be a flat spot in the tire, they said. Flat spots in both the OEM Michelins and the new Bridgestones (with 1k on them)? They said to go back to Discount Tire to get the rims and balance rechecked. Did that - no problems per DT. I don't do burn-outs (in an AT - yeah, right) and no tire-smoking stops either.

I had my front brakes resurfaced and pads replaced a couple of months ago, but it vibrated before and after the brake job was done (but the resurface/pads DID fix the vibration under braking I was experiencing).

I do all my own maintenance, and it gets regular (4-5k) oil changes, ATF changes, tire rotations, brake fluid changed at 30k - the works - I never miss a service.

Anybody have any ideas? Seen a similar problem? My '04 is virtually rattle-free, and has no unresolved problems other than the A/C 'whoop' noise (which is supposed to be fixed with a new expansion valve). This vibration is the only unresolved problem in an otherwise excellent car. I'm stumped - any ideas or similar experiences would be appreciated.

Simba91102

I occasionally experience this with my 05, and like you, with different tires. I've always assumed it was just cold tires or some overnight buildup on the rotors. It's annoying, but since it's infrequent I can live with it.

TWONZ

Does this happen on any type of road surface? (Concrete vs. Asphalt)
Or does it occur on the same highway at the same spot?

abqtsx

Good input, simba91102 and twonz! I'm glad it's not just me! You guys both point out a couple of areas I hadn't really thought about. It could either be buildup on the rotors (possible, given Acura's brake pads), or possibly that I'm taking the same stretch of road to/from work (a mix of asphalt and concrete), and that it might actually be the road surface itself. I'll experiment a bit with the roads that I travel to/from work. Cold tires are a possibility, but it vibrated during our lovely 95 degree summers as well - still worth investigating.

I'll also consider different brake pads - Acura's pads have had issues with deposits on the rotors, and replacing the front pads is a 30 minute job. If anyone else has similar experiences, please share (especially if you solved the problem), and I'll keep folks updated. Thanks again!

TWONZ

Try Hawk Pads or RacingBrake Pads

chhimp

Someone on this forum did an axle replacement and it fixed his problem, but the dealer recommended it. This could be a number of things. I have the same problem on my civic. So far I replaced both axles, resurfaced rotors, brand new oem rims and tires, and still no fix. It improved it a little, but I will try replacing the wheel bearing next. It's irritating because I have to replace the tires twice a year or 10000-20000 miles of driving before uneven wear. I'm determined to find the solution, but am frustrated.

jlukja

The symptoms would indicate flatspotting of the tires. Interestingly, though, I'm not aware of any flatspotting complaints about the OEM tires. Are they inflated properly? Perhaps the gauge you use to check the tire pressure is reading incorrectly. If your car sits for extended periods on underinflated tires then it could very well manifest itself in the vibration you feel for the first few miles.

Anyway, thats my guess.

Simba91102

It could certainly be the highway. That's a likely candidate if the problem occurs on the same stretch of road. There are a couple of spots that I travel (or have traveled) that I know cause this (and it doesn't even have to be on cold tires, although that seems to exacerbate the vibration) and it doesn't have to be the same car. I assume it's a minor washboard effect that may be invisible to the naked eye.

And the "cold tire" thing may almost be a euphemism. Tires will take a "set" when sitting for a period of time (kind of like us), and although I think it takes longer for the tire to regain its' flex in the colder weather (makes sense) they do require some motion to ride properly regardless of ambient temperature. And since all tires are not created equal, some seem more susceptible to this than others.

curls

I'd highly suspect it's flat-spotting on the tires. Tires, even in the summer, are 'cold' when compared to their operating temperature. Cold tires = less pliable = vibration/bouncing because of flat spots, until they warm up.

chhimp

It could be a number of things, because on certain surfaces the steering wheel shake above 65 and on some surfaces it feels smooth, I even had an alignment done. Here is the link to the axle replacement. https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...le+replacement . I suggust if you consider doing it, consider a professional install. I believe I damaged my tranny when i did the install or it is in need replacing the clutch bearing because it clicks into gear from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd. Good luck finding the cause. It will be expensive and you might no even find a solution.

LukeaTron

Grippy performance tires tend to flat spot much more easily than a tire built for longevity. The reason is simple, they're softer, thus providing better grip. If the tires are good an warm when you park then the car sits for hours, the tires will have a flat spot where they molded to the ground. Some tires are known to be particularly susceptible to this.

This is the only reasonable explanation I can think of for why it would go away after some driving. I frequently experience this on my motorcycle which has very, very sticky tires. So sticky they only last about 2,500 miles.

davidspalding

Uncanny ... I started noticing the same thing on my vehicle a month or two after purchase (as a CPO, with 34,000 miles on it). I _thought_ I posted about it here, but I can't find my post. Darn search, that dog won't hunt.

What I observed: In the morning, after about 3-4 minutes of driving, getting on to I-40 at about the same place, at about 60-65mph, there was a fine, soft vibration from the steering wheel. Letting the wheel go, the TSX wouldn't drift or pull to one side or the other. It would pass in a few minutes ... not coincidentally, on a different stretch of road. I wouldn't notice it on other areas. After work, getting on I-40 in a different part of town, after 5-10 minutes of driving, also going 60-65 MPH -- I wouldn't notice it. I have what appear to be new Nexen N3000s(?) or something on it. $100 tires, no great shakes, but satisfactory.

What I did: 4000 miles into the honeymoon, I took my TSX into a service center I like for an oil change and tire rotation/balance (I think B 1 3 was the maint. code), and mentioned it to the service manager. He offered a wheel alignment check/adjustment for another $60 or so. That sounded good to me, and they found the wheels were near perfect, very little adjustment needed. I took it out, and the steering/ride felt slightly more smooth (it had maybe been as much as 10,000 miles since the last rotation). On a few mornings again taking the same route, I noticed the mild vibration, right at the same spot/speed. I can't tell if it's the car vibrating, but I don't notice it anywhere but in the wheel.

I started taking a new route to work, or at least the first 7 mile leg, on a new freeway, and I didn't notice the vibration at all. Smooth as silk, on a rather curvy, slolamy, pleasing stretch of roadway that few people use (so I get to James Bond my way onto the freeway). Forgot about the vibration, convinced that it was induced by the roadway (I-40 at Davis Drive is pretty crappy; actually, a lot of NC highways are pretty crappy, there are serious potholes my I-40 work route which I've commited to memory and avoid).

Just this weekend, I was on another stretch of road, after driving for a while, and felt the vibration. I was alone, so I did "drift checks" and found the car drove straight and true, unerringly so. In fact, if I left the wheel slighly left or right then let go, the car slowly drifted in the same direction, without the wheel straightening out. I like that. I don't like springy steering systems.

So once again I think it was the road. Rather, I figured it's the road and something about the steering system that responds to certain oscillating vibrations the road may induce. It's a little unnerving the first few times, but now that I'm confident it's not the car itself, I "just flow with it" (CDR Virgil Cole, FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER). I seem to recall a lot of sensory feedback on the wheel of another FWD car, my ol' 1982 Accord LX hatchback. So, this doesn't worry me.

abqtsx

I really like this forum! So much good information, and so many people willing to share. My problem with confirming road surface is that I have very limited ways to go to/from work where I can run up to 50+ mph within a few miles. I have found an alternate way from work, and will give it a shot.

Flat-spotting is a definite possibility, but since my Bridgestones are harder (400) than the OEM's (300), I would have thought the problem would have diminished (maybe the opposite?). Also seems strange that the problem surfaced only after 20k+ miles on the OEM's, and appeared immediately with brand-new Bridgestones.

As far as tire pressure is concerned, I have checked it with a couple of different guages - same pressure (32 front 30 rear). I'll keep trying different things to see what (if anything) works, or if it's just the nature of the car/tires/road or some combination thereof. Thanks again everyone - I'll update this thead as I progress.

Encyclo

abqtsx,

Count me in. I have the same disease; I can tell you it is not the road (my other car doing the same run has zero vibs), it is not my tires cause it does it in warm and cold temperatures and it is not bent rims or tire balance as this was checked by my dealer.

I would tend to think it is related to the way the half shafts 'engage' and gets better after a few Km.

Bottom line; it does'nt keep me up at night but is a little annoying from such a fine piece of machinery.

abqtsx

Thanks chhimp! I checked the axles for excess play/noise - nothing obvious. However, even with relatively low miles, it could certainly be a manufacturing defect or abnormal wear, and the thread you gave me is a great reference. My vibration is there whether under load or not (I can shift into Neutral while doing 50-65, and it's still there). I will definitely add this to my list of things to check - the stealership blew off my suggestions that it could be CV joints, dragging brakes, front wheel hub bearings, etc. I'll push them a bit more and at least try to get them to do an actual physical examination of the axles/cv joints.

LukeaTron

If it doesn't change much or at all whether under load or not, it's not likely to be the CVs. Wheel bearings pretty much always get real noisy before any other symptoms show. Could be the axles but I wouldn't think that would magically fix itself after some driving. Dragging brakes will usually pull to one side and be stinky.

I'm thinking it's the road or more likely just the tires. As far as the road goes, keep in mind things like the wheelbase and suspension characteristics are going to have a big influence on where and when harmonic oscillations show up. That said, it's entirely possible one stretch of road could cause vibrations to show up in one car and not another. Just something to keep in mind.

davidspalding

I had the opportunity to watch it this morning, as I ended up on the stretch of I-40E (Davis Drive exit (280) environs) where I notice this most consistently. Doing about 65-68 MPH, I put my thumbs lightly on the 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions, I could see the steering wheel jittering a bit ... left to right, as if the front tires were wobbling. Visual confirmaton, I could see the 3 o'clock spoke moving up and down. Putting more pressure on the wheel, I confirmed that the vibration is a very slight left-right jitter. Not even a mile later, jitter gone.

Contrast ... NC-540W where it approaches and crosses I-40, is super smooth, relatively new highway. With light finger pressure on the wheel, I detected ZERO jitter.

In case I didn't mention or haven't in a while, I have Nexens, inflated to 32/32 cold tire pressure.

My next experiment ... to vary speed and see if the jitter also changes its frequency (faster at 65, slower at 55). Maybe one of my NC neighbors with a TSX could try out a patch of road that we all use from time to time.

TeeSeX

I bought my TSX in May of 2003 and for 3 years drove the car very little as I was trying to put a little more mileage out of my Honda Accord before selling it and start driving the TSX.

So, for the first three years, the car sat in the garage for days a time before it got droven.

I noticed the exact same vibration issue when the car had only around 2000 miles but talking to a friend of mine, he mentioned it is probably due to car sitting and tire flatting out and takes a couple of miles to get it to its natural shape. His explanation made sense and I thought no further of it as it appeared to be self induced.

Last year I sold my Honda and started to drive the TSX on a daily basis and noticed problems was always there. Car now had about 5600 miles on it.

I called Acura and inquired about anyone else having this problem and was told: "No."

The car now has around 17500 miles and it seems to have gotten a little worse.

It always does it regardless of outside temperature, road conditions, etc. It vibrates for the first 2 or 3 miles and then it disappears.
At 12000 miles the dealer rotated and moved the tires to the back wheels and the condition still persists.

I decided to research this online which I am glad I did when came across this link. I feel better now knowing my brother in law did not hit the front wheel to the curb when he borrowed the car the first year we owned the vehicle.

I will contact Acura again to report the problem. As there are others TSX owners experiencing identical problem, this would appear to be a recall issue that Acura is yet to confirm.

jlukja

I have a feeling Acura, like us, is at a loss for what is causing this. If they knew the cause of the vibration then they would know how to fix it. But, they can't recall anything without being ready to remedy the problem.

lvcurvs

If you guys are anywhere near fredericksburg,va, 22401, AXLES INC.. will rebuild the axles for $65.00 each if you pull them out of the car and bring them to them. Turn around time is 3 hours.
If you want them to do all the work and pull them out and rebuild them, i'ts $300 total and turnaround is about 1/2 day.
I'll be taking mine there prob this weekend.

LukeaTron

What on an axle other than the CVs can be serviced? This really sounds like a shot in the dark in regards to the problem in question.

Joeydabomb

Do you feel it in the steering wheel or the actual car?

davidspalding

I feel it in the steering wheel, and could even see it. But again, this is infrequently. In fact, this weekend, I drove the stretch of freeway, from a cold start, where I'd noticed it before,... no vibration at all. So I'm thinking it's NOT the road now. But it happens on mine so rarely, i don't fuss, certainly not enough to start "shotgun troubleshooting."

TSX420J

My steering wheel shakes like hell at 50-70 mph but after 80 it doesn't.. That is all I know. I was thinking it was a balancing issue or one of my tires is out of round.

nbtx

You're describing a wheel balance problem - usually speed sensitive and most noticeable at 50-60 mph.

TSX420J

Cool, Thanks!

lvcurvs

Really? see that's exactly where my problem is. REAL bad between 52 and 62mph but it's only under acceleration. as soon as I get of the throttle it goes away immediately. I mean this thing will shake the car pretty violently then once i'm around 65 it pretty much goes away unless I downshift and nail it.

I would think that if it's a wheel problem, it would be doing it on throttle, off throttle basically anytime the car is moving at those speeds.

guest

I have a 2006 Nissan Altima with the exact same vibration problem. I have 24000 miles and on my 3rd set of tires. The original Continential "feathered", were replace with Uniroyal, 2 weeks later delearship replaced with Kumho after many, many phone calls each morning to tell them my car "shook" when I left my house. Now same problem day after Kumho tires were put on. Delearship refuses to do anything else because they say there is no problem,,just drive. I have contacted Nissan. Trying to get Lemon law enforced. What if the cause of the vibration breaks and wrecks me? Delearship is VERY UNWILLING TO HELP!!

OneLoveAmaru

I know this thread is old... but shaking while accelerating is usually the inner joint of the cv shaft going bad. If that ever helps anyone looking at this thread...

endlesswinterco

happen to you? cuase im having the same problem.

blazer75

To the 2006 Altima owner:
I have the same issue with my 2006 Altima. Intermittent shaking on the highway which starts out feeling like an unbalanced tire/wheel which then leads to violent shaking. I slow down to a stop when occuring and start out again and it's gone. I have replaced all tires, replaced rotors and pads (thinking maybe warped rotor), inspected all front end components (all good) and still it occurs. It occurs at highway speeds only and seems more likely to occur the hotter it is outside or the more weight I have in the car. It has progressively become worse in that it occurs more frequently now and shakes to the point in which you feel as if the car is going to come apart, but still cannot be duplicated at will. Have you had any luck in finding the cause of your vibration? My next step may be hub bearing as when performing the brake job I noticed the pass front pads were worn down twice as much as the drivers side. I was thinking caliper but there is no pull in either direction when occuring and brakes seem fine. I am thinking the hub bearing may be going causing the shaking and allowing the rotor to float side to side scimming the pads.

myblacktsx

Both axles on my '05 6MT were just replaced this morning for the same problem. I only have 58K on the car. Basically, inner CV joint failure. Obviously, this is some kind of design/manufacturing problem as these should not fail so quickly. I had an 85 Accord with 205K miles and still had no problems like this!

EckoKid

I have an 05 6MT, with the vibration coming from the right passenger side front, I noticed it on acceleration, and at around 50 mph... it eventually got a little worse, i took it to a front end specialist... he said it was both front axles... they went ahead and replace both front axles, alignment all 4... and took my summer shoes off and put back factory rims/tires that came with the car.... drove the car away from the shop, alignment was great got on a highway drove about 2 miles, got off the exit and waited at the light, guess what... the same vibration coming from the right front wheel... well i guess i'll be taking it back for them to figure it out....

Ck98vteC

Hey guys great forum. I have an 04 with this same problem. The dealer just balanced the wheels the first 2 times I brought it in but then after another visit, I was told they lubricated the caliper slides in the front brakes because when they put the car on the lift they noticed the wheel would not turn freely. But now its still going on. The car pulls left and I must grab the wheel firmly especially in the cold mornings...I am gonna look at the brake pads now and see if there is any uneven wear...

importgrl727

Anybody have any ideas? Seen a similar problem? My '04 is virtually rattle-free, and has no unresolved problems other than the A/C 'whoop' noise (which is supposed to be fixed with a new expansion valve). This vibration is the only unresolved problem in an otherwise excellent car. I'm stumped - any ideas or similar experiences would be appreciated.[/QUOTE]

DID YOU EVER REPLACE THIS EXPANSION VALVE? I TOLD ACURA MY CAR DID THIS AND THEY SWORE THEY NEVER HEARD IT.

Jimbabwe

Hello,
Granted I did not read all these posts word-for-word so this might have already been posted. That being said, I have two suggestions:

1) It could be the "front compliance bushings" AKA "lower control arm bushings" - My Acura dealership quoted me $520 to fix - HOWEVER - I called Acura Care and was advised that it was covered under my extended warranty. I called dealership back, they apologized and are going to repair it for free. There is an extensive post about this on this site (acurazine) for the TL.

2) There was a recall on the power-steering for the 2004-2008 TSXs

WayneLocke

I have the exact same problem I have found that when I install my winter tires that are on steel rims I do not have any vibration all winter and as soon as I put the factory rims back on the vibration returns. So that means the vibration is related to the factory rims . I have replaced the tires on those rims three time and the vibration returns. I will have the balance of those rims checked when I replace the tires again without any tire on them, after the rims have set a couple of days.