Hello all, I have a freaky thing happening with my car. I was driving about two or three days ago and heard a loud thump, to me it sounded like it came from with in the car, more specifically from the side pillar where the seatbelts are, then I looked at my dash and all the light were on for about a second then it all went away and it was fine. then yesterday as I was driving and slowing down for the light my car just turned off. It took a few tries to get it started. Then about 2 minutes later it did the same thing, and then about 5 min after that samething. Today so far its been ok. It just worries me as to why it would do that, maybe some of you have experienced that type of problem. please advice, I have an 02 tl-S. Thanks.

 

There was a recall for the ignition assembly, which could cause what happened in your car.

I remember another member who described the same symptoms as your case, and it turned out to be the ignition assembly.

I would take it to the dealership and ask them. If it is the ignition assembly, then it's under recall so there won't be any charge.

Good luck, and welcome to the forum.

 

how would I check on the recall, cause the curry acura dealer here in yonkers are not very friendly and I am sure will charge me lots of money. Is there a site or something where I can put my vin or something and see if my car qualifies? Thanks.

 

Maybe can call acura itself right away?

 

Here is some info

YEAR 1999-up NUMBER INVOLVED 1,000,000 MANUFACTURED DATE NHTSA # 02V120

DESCRIPTION Defect: On certain sedans, coupes, hatchbacks, and sport utility vehicles, electrical contacts in the ignition switch can degrade due to the high electrical current passing through the switch when the vehicle is started. Worn contacts could cause the engine to stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash. Remedy: Dealers will replace the ignition switch. The manufacturer has reported that owner notification began July 12, 2002.

 

I didn't think any TL but the 99s suffered the ignition problem.

Anyway, the thump/click from the B-pillar has to do with the electronic seatbelt tensioners.

 

the seat belts seem to work, and why would the dash light up?

 

What it sounds like to me, in the incident where the dash lights lit up and electronic belt tensioners disengaged, is that the engine almost lost power... but not quite.

 

Thats freaky stuff cause I was doing about 70 mph. Should I take it in to the dealer or a regular mechanic, my car is out of waranty and I am sure the dealer is going to find tons of problems and will want tons of money which I dont have.

 

Well you aren't required to let them fix or do anything to your car you don't authorize. Only let them diagnose the problem - but beware, with no CEL and this type of intermittent problem they'll probably charge you a diagnostic fee just to say "We're unable to find anything wrong"

 

What if I took it to a regular mechanic would they be able to diagnose the problem? They'd probably charge less 2. Or is it better to have the dealer do it. It hasnt happened again since yesterday morning.

 

How good is your dealership? They might service it on good will. But that depends on your relationship with them, the seriousness of the problem, and if they would be able to even diagnose it in the first place.

03CoupeV6 is right. With an intermittent problem like this, it's tough to reproduce the situation, much less find out exactly what's causing it. But we're not talking about a broken mirror here. This sort of a problem poses great threat, so I think you should take it to the dealership.

As much as I hate dealerships, they have Acura-specific equipment, ability to perform work on good will (for free, even though warranty has expired), and experience on previous Acuras coming in with the same/similar problem. So I think, for a problem such as this, it's best to take it to the dealership.

Good luck.

 

on this issue, i would go to the dealership, that way you can levy a warranty or good will issue against them and throw vechicle safety at them, etc.

 

I'm 80% sure it's the ignition recall. It happened to my Honda CRV. Damn thing would just shut off as i'm driving down the highway, not safe at all. I called Honda and gave them my VIN #. They will see if your car is under the recall, most likely it will be. They fixed my absolutely free. Good luck

 

You can also find out if you're affected by the recall by registering at owner link.

 

+1 Mine does that too and i called the dealership to check if my vin# is part of the recall and they said yes so i'm taking it there asap

 

I am going today and hopefully I have the same recall, cause the acura site doesnt list this recall for my car, I guess I will update tomorrow or tonight as to what the dealer said. Thanks all.

 

Ok, after getting stock on a west side highway twice in ten minutes I made it home and parked the car. Doing some more thinking I called my friend who installed all my aftermarket stuff among which is a Clifford alarm. He said that lately they all have been experiencing some issues, and in my case the brain it self might have gone bad. So he told me how to bypass ignition and the starter and he said that should take care of the problem. I hope he is right, cause getting stuck on a highway in NYC is not the best thing to do.

 

NOPE.........it's not the problem..i told u it's ignition but you beleive ..you will find out