patcracks

I wouldn't have bought it either knowing I was stuck with that noise....can't do nothin about it now so i live with it : (

npolite

Does anyone have a clip of what this noise sounds like? I'm going to continue to look for a used 1st gen TSX...I don't think that shelling out 30k for a car and having this issue is acceptable. Also the windshield trim falling off is something they need to fix ASAP. If I wanted things to fall off my car I would have bought a Fiat.

davidspalding

Acura's head-in-sand attitude is doing a great job ... selling Lexuses and Infinitis. T'is a pity.

jolces

Has everyone experiencing this issue filed an online vehicle complaint with the NHTSA so they can review the issue and prompt a recall if saftey is found to be an issue? This is similar to how the OZ CU2 Euro users got their foot in the door with Honda HO, and now appears they are testing software updates this month.

PhilyTSX

I think that is a very good idea. Everyone should complete the online form denoting the issue at hand, the more noise, the more likely Honda will be pushed into releasing a fix in the near-term. The following link contains the form: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm

On another note, looks like Australia is making a good amount of noise and getting some attention from Honda. Looks like both the media and Gov't is involved. Updated link from media- http://www.wheelsmag.com.au/wheels/s...2575770015C28C

All while we get no updated or status. I guess we are not pushing enough as a group to voice our displeasures... Thoughts?

stones3131

I did file an online complaint on Friday. Come on folks, we all spent our hard-earned money on this car and for what? To hear the engine make an odd noise?

File those complaints!

PhilyTSX

I did the same. This is getting ridiculous. I’ve had this issue since last Summer and still no feedback from Honda, not even a “We are working on it” response. In the meantime, per the media link, Australia consumers are making progress, getting updates from Honda, getting lifetime warranties as goodwill, and looks to be getting a solution shortly. Everyone hear needs to stop blogging complaints here and start making some noise to the channels that will make an impact, Honda Corporate, NHTSA, the media…. Let’s do this!

stones3131

Good call PhilyTSX, as a Philly resident myself, I agree a million %

cmasterchoe

I would recommend bringing this issue to consumerist. For those who don't know the consumerist is a very popular blog for, you guessed it, consumers. They bring attention to issues that have gone unresolved and generally generates a lot of attention. Basically helping out the little guy against big corporations who try to screw us.


Also a classic tactic used suggested by Consumerist is to do what is called an Executive Email Carpet Bomb (EECB for short). Basically you send a mass email to all the executives' inter office email address. The more well written it is and comprehensive the better. Somebody who has intimate knowledge of the problem(I haven't had the problem yet) should write them an email.

Here is a link of some success stories resulting from ordinary consumers dropping EECB

The website ExecutiveBomb.com doesn't yield a format for Acura, but does for Honda (American Motor Honda). I'm pretty sure there is a separate one for Acura but it may follow the same format:

Email Format: firstname_lastname@ahm.honda.com

So for example, Jeff Conrad, the VP of sales for Acura, might have an email of conrad_jeff@acura.com (just a guess)

Anyways, hope this info is helpful! EECBs definitely work.

Luchin

I hate to say it but Honda is full of shit if they are saying it isn't a knock issue. I only use Chevron gas. If I use the 92 octane I have the problem. If I use the 94, the problem goes away. This is true for both our 09 TSXs.

Who the hell do us Canucks complain to?

stones3131

I use Sunoco 93 and no matter what I still hear the damn sound.

It's annoynig as all hell. All we can hope for is that everyone files a complaint with their government agency.

TSXding

I've been using 93 as well and always hear the noise. Been in contact with Client Services as well, nothing going on there, just that its a "normal" "characteristic of the car" and “it is not listed as an issue to be addressed”. It might be best to follow cmasterchoe’s suggestion and e-mail some of Honda’s brass as well. It just doesn’t look like they are going to address the issue and are writing it off. Very interesting how they are not running a 4cy Auto version in the 2010 and only the V6, really looks like they are trying to hide an issue.

Luchin

It's not just the auto tranny making the noise. Both of my 09s have the 6MT.

TSXding

I would draft a professional letter, explaining the issue and your concern for safety and long-term value of your car to Honda's brass. I agree with some earlier posts, seems like everyone just complains here and not to the people they need to be complaining to.

ctwickman

Come again?

npolite

Has anyone tried Sunoco's Ultra 94 to see if makes any difference? You may have to fill up twice before you notice it though and the fuel is expensive too.

davidspalding

NHTSA ... might shrug, I can't see how this is a "safety issue." Please tell us how this impacts safety, I need a good laugh.

But I'm not laughing at your guys. I would actually write to the FTC or another Fed consumer protection agency, and find out who investigates and oversees auto sales. Buying a luxury sports sedan that has an engine making a anomalous sound, and being told "it's normal" is probably worth pursuing. "Lifetime warranty" to the original owner, my eye, no one will give you a fair market value for this year/model unless they're naive about the issue. So the vaunted resale value of the TSX is in the toilet. (One of the reasons I bought my TSX, perhaps blindly. CR claimed it held resale value several orders of magnitude better than comparable models from Honda, Toyota.)

Actually ... lemme ask the car experts on Consumer Reports' web site forums, they can probably tell me EXACTLY who you'd complain to.



I've said it before, but the way Acura is "handling" you guys/gals, and "spinning" the issue, convinces me this 1GEN TSX is the ONLY Acura I'll ever own.

TSXding

Have the folks that originally started this tread regarding this issue still having it or can they provide any advice on if you got anywhere? Interesting how they are just disapeared? Its like Honda paid them off or something....

HeavyDuty

If I did own one that pings (whether it's a ping or post-combustion noise) I wouldn't sit still either. I'd take it in three separate times, review my paperwork to ensure that the unresolved problem is duly noted on my paperwork, then invoke the lemon law on the thing.

I've got to, got to, got to get an A/T loaner & try to hear this noise knowing that loaners get the cheapest fuel from those who use them. That should set up the best case scenario to reproduce that sound.

stones3131

All I use is Sunoco 94 and I still hear the sound.

PhilyTSX

Hey Stonese3131, what dealer did you buy your TSX from?

stones3131

turnersville, you?

PhilyTSX

Ardmore. Has your dealer provided any other info vs the norm we have all been getting?

stones3131

Nothing at all. The good old "normal" characteristic.

davidspalding

I posted to the Consumer Reports forums (login required), asking how consumers get things like this investigated and acted upon. We'll what answers I get....

davidspalding

Well, I learned something new. The NHTSA IS the another avenue for starting a complaint process.

Complaint form on NHTSA site

PhilyTSX

Looks like 3 compliants have been filed with the NHTSA thus far. We need more to get attention and show a trend. Please complete the online form!

stones3131

I might have been the first one to file the online form b/c when I did it I couldn't find any records on their site of a complaint.

Speak up people and fill out that form!

davidspalding

And for cryin' out loud, INCLUDE YOUR VIN in the complaint. This would help authenticate the report and make the issue legitimate. (And please don't submit your complaint multiple times. Flooding NHTSA with spam won't encourage them.)


Complaint form on NHTSA site

npolite

Ha that's funny (not your issue). I was test driving 2 Fridays ago an used TSX and I mentioned to Chris the salesguy about people on the forums having issue with the pinging and that's why I wouldn't buy a new one. He said he knew of no complaints so far. He then went on with a bable of how if someone did hear the pinging that they would cover it under warranty and they would fix the issue. Goes to show how out of touch he is with his service department and how much BS they will throw at you to get a sale.

Call that guy up and tell him you spoke to Nick, and that the service department isn't looking at your issue. I would be interested in what he says.

ressling

I know of the "infamous noise" that everyone is complaining about. I'm getting it too. But quite honestly I don't think it's pinging. I know it kind of sounds like it, but I don't think the noise is coming from the engine.

Call me crazy but it's just my .02cents

cmasterchoe

Ahaha this reminds me of a funny verizon customer support video, where they spent half an hour debating the difference between 0.02 dollars (which is 2 cents) or 0.02 cents (which is two-thousandths of a penny).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCJ3Oz5JVKs

On another note, although I haven't experienced it yet, sometimes I think I hear a phantom noise, as if my mind tricks me into thinking that I hear the noise...

Mwing

hey i think it is not engine noise too, i dunno car's mechanic, but if i put it in neutral and push it to 2.5k rpm (when there should be "pinging" noise), no sound.

davidspalding

Read the entire thread. Someone in Australia had a theory about that...

cmasterchoe

So I may or may not be have this issue. I hear a very very extremely faint rattling at around 1900 RPM. But this is only when i'm driving slowly and the entire neighborhood is dead quiet do I hear it. Now if I rev up to 2500 or 3500 rpm (where most people some to be experiencing it) I hear nothing. I dunno, if this is it, its so quiet that its barely noticeable.

PhilyTSX

[quote=cmasterchoe;10753787]So I may or may not be have this issue. I hear a very very extremely faint rattling at around 1900 RPM. quote]

That is how it started for me as well. It then became more pronounced and consistent at the higher rpm ranges- 2000 to 2500 as time when on.

If I were you, I would get it documented by the dealer. It can only help you.

cmasterchoe

Hey, I'm checking back in. The pinging, or whatever you call it, is inconsistent. I experience at much lower RPM than what is being reported here, but I can't recreate it on command. Sometimes I can hear, sometimes I can't. But honestly, it is not a deal-breaker. It is so faint that unless you turn off all the music and are in a dead silent neighborhood would you even begin to notice it.

HeavyDuty

I had an 09 TSX Tech AT loaner for a couple of days this week. It needed gas so I put 87 octane in, a/c on, cool day ~70 degrees, and had 800lbs of people in it once...couldn't make it ping and I was trying to.

Breako

Wow, I wonder if this noise is actually a symptom of something that is causing damage to the engine (as is supposed to be the case with pinging). I may just have to wait until the V6 comes out this summer before pulling the trigger!

LuvMyTSX

Or at least wait until the 2010 4 bangers come out. Hopefully it's just a first year issue that will be fixed in subsequent model years (and hopefully they will put out a fix for 09s too).