reilinjw

03 TL, 135k miles, 3rd transmission....

So i was driving home from work and was merging onto the highway. Some jackass wouldnt let me in, so i accelerated quickly to get in front of the next car. To my surprise, when i let up on the accelerator, the car continued to accelerate.

I immediatly was like WTH. Threw the car in neutral and pulled over. Engine was bouncing off the rev limiter and i shut it down. I pop'd the hood, but did not have any tools - so i could not see what what happening with the throttle body under the plastic engine cover.

I was able to move the throttle cable back and forth and noticed free movement... but this does not mean the throttle was actually closed, as the cruise control can also hold the throttle open. So i started to play with the cruise control from the cruise control motor side, as it seemed the cruise control cable was binded up on the TB side.

After doing this, the car stopped bouncing off the rev limiter and the car appeared to be fine.

When i arrived home, i pulled the Engine cover off, and immediatly noticed the plastic throttle mechanism was broke. This allowed the cable to become free and i believe it became stuck behind the throttle mechanism, causing the TB to remain open.

Here is a link to some others also experiencing this "broken plastic" issue:
https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-problems-fixes-117/no-cruise-control-738998/

I do have an appointment with acrua tomorrow, as i wanted to bring this to their attention... not sure what they will do, but this could be very bad.

Be careful out there!

John

gold2003tl (90)

wow, glad you are ok and didnt get into an accident, that was close! sounds like Toyota's troubles almost, glad you did the right thing and was able to shift into neutral

i had a problem where my TB cables were getting snagged about 1/2 open, which gave me a 4k rpm idel. all i had to do was lessen the tension up the tb cable and lub it.

assclown

iTrader: (1)

toyota's info

Phone: 800-331-4331
Fax: 310-468-7814
Mon - Fri, 5:00 am - 6:00 pm PST
Sat, 7:00 am - 4:00 pm PST

Or send correspondence to:
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
19001 South Western Ave.
Dept. WC11
Torrance, CA 90501

fsttyms1

Unfortunately the only thing they will investigate is that the cam broke and that they will try to hand you a 500.00 bill for a new TB

reilinjw

given the sensitivity of "sudden acceleration" these days, I am hoping they take this a bit seriously. I cannot believe that cam is plastic to begin with.

I'll report back my experience with them...

01tl4tl

if it were a computer issue they would be on it
In this case- good maitenance prevents most problems- keep it clean and lubed
but it is just plastic

hopefully you can score a used TB or just the piece of it from the junkyard- auto recyclers

also try carb rebuilding shops- they may do TB repairs these days-

dudeinaTL

iTrader: (1)

Don't count on it. I'm with fsttyms1 - they'll just offer to replace it for you for a hefty amount. It's just another thing on the car that got broken. Doesn't matter what the implications of that broken part are.

reilinjw

I guess i did not mention i have been dealing with corporate, not the local dealer. There is an open case of the issue and a regional investigator will be looking over the car. Not dealing with the typical dealership part swappers.

This is a pretty large implication... Not like the cruise control just stopped working here, were talking full on 90% acceleration - and we all know how crappy the brakes are on these things.

My intentions are not so much to have the part replaced - but for them to document that this problem CAN cause unintended acceleration. They can then count their beans and figure out how to deal with it on a larger scale - if at all...

I was just happy to see that others are also having this part fail. Nice to know i am not the only one.....

fsttyms1

Its not like toyotas where its electrical, this is mechanical and shifting into neutral will stop the car from accelerating. While A FEW have had this problem, overall its a very very small issue. Plus given the way they dealt with the trans failing and slamming down into 2nd (which with the amount it happened to owners which was much worse as you had no control of what happened when it did it) I wouldnt expect much. Hopefully they cut you a deal on fixing it.

totaledTL

Why in the world they would make such a part from plastic is beyond me.

reilinjw

Update - So the gentleman they sent out to work with me was top notch - he was great, couldnt have asked for a better experience.

They are going to replace the TB free of charge, and said they will be escalating through their engineering teams... Not going to hold my breath, but he said this is the first time he has ever seen this part fail - and i expressed my concern for others, especially after seeing that thread on the Cruise Control listed above.

Of course he could not give me any sort of confidence that anything would be done on a larger scale, but that would ultimatly be determined by the engineers decisions.

He did defend the use of plastic for the part though - which i found a bit odd - explaining that the motor used for the cruise control was not very powerful and wouldnt/shouldnt break the part.... but there is a decent amount of tension on the Throttle blade for that cam to overcome - but i am not an engineer...

The gentleman was also interested in my transmission stories - as my car was built one month after the "expanded warranty" car's (did not apply to my TL)... and he actually told me he would replace the one in my car if i have any further issues with it... I will try to hold him to that, and ask that this get's documented in my "case" file.

Anyway - they still have the car and are performing a full inspection and will be calling me with results shortly.

jstahnke10

iTrader: (1)

Glad it went well, I don't always get that...
Nice to hear they are taking care of you.

01tl4tl

He was being polite about the interest in trans
they know the VIN end number was only for the court case to settle.. and get refunds and replacements going-

not related to an actual fix of the problem

I believe that proper cleaning and lube of throttle assembly and cables, plus cable slack/tension set right, will prevent this type of problem
Not many people venture under the top cover for even the most basic things,,and the shop is not doing it either...

as for out of control car with stuck throttle- thats one reason for the engine cut out- rev limiter- overrev preventer
Slip the car into Nuetral- max rpm will be 5000- redline is 6500 in gear.. but 5000 on N or P
that way you will still have power steering and brakes to get off the road safely
The engine wont suffer damage and you can call the tow from there

01tl4tl

very cool that you are getting the TB for free- thats several hundred dollars iirc

fsttyms1

Glad that your dealer is covering it for free.

M T L T L

I have the same problem right now but symptoms were different in my case.
I have just isolated my CC cable until the fix.
fsttyms1 do you think Reilinjw's case could be any help for me to cut any deal with my dealer? Or it depends on dealer's discretion?

reilinjw

MTLTL,

Call Acura directly and report what is happening. Dont be shy about saying the cruise control cable is interfering with the throttle body, causing the accelerator to stick open a little bit.

I dont think the "Dealers" care that much to be honest, but if you get a case manager involved from acura directly, they will be more likely to help you out.

1800 382-2238 - talk to one of the support reps and report the problem - they should assign a case mgr to the problem.

Good luck

reilinjw

I can appreciate what you are saying, but i dont see how lubing the assembly will fix\prevent a fatigue issue relating to the abs plastic being used for this purpose.

In my case, i dont think i have used my Cruise control in the past few years - as my wife no longer drives the car, and i use it stricktly for my commute to work. As you know, the cruise control cam/mechanism does not even move if you do not use it - so i do not believe the lubrication of the cable and/or assembly had anything to do with the malfunction of this piece - I can only guess the piece became brittle over time and exposure to the underhood temperatures. I am sure the engine cover is not helping matters, as this is only trapping heat around the TB...

M T L T L

I just called Acura Canada, told them about the issue. He asked if the dealer had diagnosed the problem. I said no, they only gave me a price for the throttle body (600 sumting). He sounded somewhat surprised for the price asked by dealer only for part. He said that he opened a file in my name n I should bring my car in for a diag n call him back for what the dealer says. Should I tell my dealer that Acura Canada is aware of my case or just go in n see what they say?

reilinjw

If they are opening a case and asking you to go in for a diag - i would tell the dealer, and make sure the case manager is covering the charges of the diag.....

tkerri1

My throttle stuck with my 99tl. Called dealer to let them know as it happened at the same time as the toyota issues were getting publicity. Was told they were not aware of any issues. Had it fixed by a different shop. They said throttle cable stuck.

lconroy213

This exact thing happened to me yesterday! Luckily their was light traffic or it definitely would have caused an accident. It is at Acura of Boston and they said it's going to cost $730+$280 labor. I plan to make call to to corporate tomorrow and see if what they say about the situation. All I've ever driven are Acura's I'd hate see them take something this serious so lightly.

01tl4tl

280 dollars to replace the TB?!!! that cant be right--at what labor rate,, 500 an hour?

call acura 1 800 382 2238 x5 and do as explained in earlier post reporting problem.
ask for a corp manager to call you back
ASK the SM at dealer for a Goodwill assistance request to corp regional rep
your brand loyalty goes a long way- make sure they are aware of it

whats your current mileage? car year?

call a carb and TB repair shop --look in phone book or internet
they may be able to swap out something- have an exchange unit for far less money

lconroy213

It is a 2003 TL with 135,800 miles on it. I Called Acura Client Relations and they were very nice and understanding on the phone and they assigned a case manager to my case. So at this point i'm like wow these seem like they care and are going to help me out with this. Well the case rep calls me up and is a complete ass hole, pretty much blaming me for not inspecting the car properly before I bought it and that because I didn't buy the car new that they can't do anything. the conversation/argument went on for 5 minutes only getting more and more belligerent and then he pretty much hung up on me. I called back immidietly to complain and they seemed understanding and that they were going to contact the district manager and their supervisor and get back to me today.

This is my fourth Acura, my parents have bought three Acura's new from them, my sister drives a TL and my brother drives a CL. So i'm like this is bullshit, my entire family has been this loyal to Acura for so long and now they want to blame me for a faulty design that almost killed me.

fsttyms1

Sucks that you are going thru this but i wouldnt really call it a faulty design. Very few have ever had this problem on the forum. Also you cant blame the problem on them as you bought it used. The car is 8 years old, you dont know how the previous owner treated it, if there was any maintenance to the vehicle during its life. Things break. Its inevitable. Talk to your dealer. See if they will work with you on the price. That price is BEYOND ridiculous.

Put your info in here (look under Throttle Body) and see the price of the TB. It is now where near the price they quoted you.

http://www.acuraautomotiveparts.org/...catdisplay.jsp

01tl4tl

remember its canada he is trying to deal with--a dollar is worth less than the loonie,,jacks up price in our minds..500 = 700

when you call and ask a price you get are going to jacked around by a phone person who doesnt know anything beside what the computer says
they are not techs,, or the parts or service manager~

Without a dealer visit and actual tech diagnosis- corp cant do anything to help you yet

01tl4tl

anyone found a quality aftermarket-rebuilt or whatever TB for us?

01tl4tl

and a reminder--if you ever get a stuck throttle- runaway throttle on fly by wire cars=
put the trans in N,,modern cars have rev limiters built in so you wont destroy the engine trying to save your life
N leaves you with power steering and power brakes

lconroy213

So in the end Acura Corporate would not do anything. When i went into the dealership to pick the car up, I talked to the general manager of the dealership and he agreed that should not happen.. "maybe in another car but not in an Acura." In the end he adjusted the price to $350.