romicva

One would think that Acura reads this forum! Guys, when you communicate with Acura, would you tell them about this site and this discussion in particular.

PearlEuro

This is a well known problem here in Australia as well.
It's apparently been identified as a POST ignition noise not PRE ignition so technically speaking it's not actually pinging or detonation as we know it.
It's believed to be related to a batch of vehicles as it's certainly not occuring with all cars.
The dealer I've spoken with says that Japan are working on a fix for it but he can't provide a time frame.
Some owners here have also found that the noise was being caused by loose exhaust bolts. I'm sure these are exceptional cases.

It's extremely unusual that a company like Honda has dragged their feet on this for as long as they have. Their reputation for quality is such that you'd have expected them to deal with this swiftly to avoid bad press.
Despite this is still won 2008 Car Of The Year in Australia. Obviously the journalists cars were ok.

dom

Are you familiar with the problems they've had with there 5 speed automatics and speedo's that were 5% off. But I don't think they're any worse or better than other companies when it comes to these types of things.

soundneedle

Just took my 09 TSX in for B1 (~14k miles) and asked about this issue. The service consultant immediately knew what I was asking about and said there's no fix yet. I asked if only a batch was affected or the entire line, and he said pretty much all of the 09 TSXs...AND it's happening with some of the the 09 TLs!

Yikes.

PS...got the B1 service for $39.95 (they had a typo on their coupon)!

melody

I'd agree about the torque converter IF it weren't for the fact that people with the 6MT also have the same problem.

Or, at least, I THINK they have the same problem. No one else put a description in my description thread that I tried to start, so I don't know if the 5AT's and 6MT's have the same, or different, noises.

To anyone with a 6MT with pinging: do you ONLY hear the noise between 2,000 and 2,500 rpm?

katmai

Yes I have a manual and mine pings. And yes between 2000-2500 rpm is accurate.

tsxcisa

I hear a faint "rattle" occasionally, around 2000-2500 rpm (best description of the noise I can come up with would be of a small ball bearing being shaken lightly in a tin can). Not sure if this is the "pinging" noise being heard by others.

Funny thing is, the sound reminds me exactly of the noise I heard (except not nearly as loud) in my old '89 Ford Escort many years ago when the heat/exhaust shield came loose.

PS - By way of background, I drive a 5 speed auto, and have always filled up with premium.

patcracks

tsxcisa thats exactly how I hear it...its annoying as hell. I compared it to a baby rattle

ctwickman

This is exactly it. You have the problem. I'm beginning to think everyone does. Make sure and call Acura Client Services and report the problem, very important we all do that. Their number is (800) 382-2238, have your VIN # ready. Also be sure and keep reporting it to your dealer each time you take it in until they have a fix for it.

"A small ball bearing being shaken lightly in a tin can" is a great description of the noise. It makes the car sound like a POS because unfortunately if you accelerate from zero and do a lot of city driving, a lot of your acceleration time happens at those rpms (2000-2500rpm), so I personally have to hear it every single time I accelerate.

HeavyDuty

Our community is a small sampling of ownership overall, but even at that, 42 people responded to the poll, 28 with the problem, 14 without. If that is an accurate representation of the affected units it is a big problem.

The population of owners as a whole wouldn't know pinging if it sat on their face & wiggled.

patcracks

Alotta people can't hear it, I kno my pops can't so I bust his chops about it whenever hes ridin with me.

mattlissy

2010 are here. Did the pinging get resolved on the 10's.

cube1

I also have this issue. If you do, please go to the survey located on this web site and fill in your info so folks can keep track of the extent of the problem.

I do not think, however, that this is really pinging (detonation - premature fuel explosions)

It seems to happen towards the end of a shift range just before an "upshift" -- normally real pinging tends to happen when an engine is "lugging" -- trying to deliver too much power at too low RPMs. And it disappears right after the upshift.

I took mine in. There is a TSB on a PCV valve issue, and I listened to their recording. While there were some similarities (the quality of the sound is metal-on-metal), it did not seem to be to be the same noise. The PCV valve noise is regular, and pretty quiet. This is quite irregular, and quite loud at times.

The dealer contacted Acura, and the response was that all 2009 TSXs (at least) are doing this, and that it is "under investigation".

So, if you have this issue: a) PLEASE fill out the survey (it is a simple "vote" radio button) and b) Do inform your dealer so that Acura is hearing about it.

ctwickman

Does yours also only happen between 2000-2500 rpm?

Interesting insight though. I'm beginning to think it is not necessarily pinging either.

Honestly, I am starting to get real tired of the noise. It just sounds so horrible and clunky with city driving. With the windows up, I hear the sound every single time I accelerate from a stop which, in Chicago, is a heck of a lot. I swear if Acura doesn't find a way to fix this I will be going through the Lemon Law. I have been reporting this problem every single time I am at the dealer and am getting a little antsy about all of this. I shouldn't have metal-on-metal engine rattling every time I accelerate with a brand new car. I am now totally annoyed with the noise. It is not going away on its own that's for sure.

TSXding

We need to do more than just check off an unofficial poll. Everyone needs to complete the online Gov defect form at safercar.gov citing the issue and concern. In addition, owners with the problem should also send an e-mail letter to those Honda execs earlier in this trend. That way your concern is documented in writing to corporate, not just the dealer.

mcabutti

There is a guy in Australia who just posted on another site that next Thursday, Honda is going to apply a fix to his 09 Honda Accord Euro (TSX) that should address the pinging issue. I will keep you posted if he shares anything of substance

ressling

Good deal. Please keep us posted.

I got my follow up survey call today because I had my TSX's A1 service last week. I did mention the pinging issue on the phone (I am experiencing the problem). These phone surveys are recorded, so HOPEFULLY (fingers crossed), someone will listen. I mentioned that plenty of folks have been buzzing about it on the web and that they should do something about it.

So let's just hope Acura hears us all out for our efforts in getting this thing resolved. That's all I ask!

risc

Add me to the number of people with this problem. I noticed this a few weeks ago but wasn't really sure if I was just hearing things. I read through this thread and tested my rpms from 2000-2500 and unfortunately I have it What a bummer.

boydanger

I thought I didn't have it at first when i did the poll. but i started noticing the pinging the other day.


its not that bad on my car, i have to pay close attention to hear it. but nonetheless it is a problem and should be addressed. ill let my dealer know about it.

panta_

Folks, I probably drove 5 more TSXs beside my own and none of the owners knew about it and I showed this noise to one friend of mine, who has this car. Last week I drove one Acura 1100 miles 4 weeks old and was pinging like crazy (mentioned that to the owner). By the way the same car had the cracking noise coming from the rear parcel shelf. I olmost could not believe it when I drove another TSX. At the beginig this car did not ping and not even a sound came out of it. But just before I was done with the car I heard a little pinging noise and that was it. Still had the problem but ,was not pinging like mine!!!
This definetly has something to do with the engine tempreture. Try to make it ping when the engine is still could. I can not hear anything!! And whenever the tempretures outside are low the car pings less!
All TSX have this problem! That is it!

mcabutti

I have also discovered that my car pings a lot more after I have driven it, parked it for a while, and then drive it again. After this happens, the engine pings like crazy! It is especially loud with the windows down traveling down a quiet street. I sure hope Honda comes up with a fix for this soon!

panta_

I saw this post in the web too. I hope there is going to be a fix soon. Waiting for Friday to see, what is happening!

cube1

Yes, I had generally come to the conclusion it was between 2000 and 3000 RPM.

A friend who noticed the noise riding with me around the time I first heard it is abandoning the idea of recommending a TSX to his mom ( to replace an aging Lexus) because of this noise.

And the darn noise is absolutely *embarrassing* in what should other-wise be a rock-solid "sporty" car.

It might be hard to argue the lemon law at this point, because it might be hard to argue that this noise "substantially impairs" use (quoting from the Illinois A/G site: http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.g.../lemonlaw.html ). To qualify, you'd need to take it in at least four times in the first 12,000 miles.

Mine also seems to be more noisy when warmed up - rarely makes even a peep when stone-cold.

Take care.

davidspalding

Let's face it. It's not a lemon, it's a great disappointment. Both are tough to suck up. Just my

LuvMyTSX

I REALLY hope this is fixed with the 2010s.

spurfan15

So do I, but the odds that it has been fixed don't seem too good. I'm glad I browse this forum, as I wouldn't have known about this issue otherwise. I don't think I'd buy the TSX with this problem existing. I hope Acura realizes they're losing potential customers to these sorts of defects.

The way they have handled (or not handled) this problem is utterly embarrassing and doesn't bode well for Acura's quality or customer service. I'm having serious doubts about whether the car I buy will be an Acura, or Honda for that matter. I generally like their cars, but it seems they need to get their act together.

romicva

Acura's/Honda's attitude ranged from denial to ignorance. This sends a strong and negative message. I'm not purchasing, waiting to see how this will be handled. So far - it doesn't look good. This also gives a taste of how issues can be/will be handled in the future.

dark1x

About how long should it be before I hear this pinging?

I recently picked up a TSX for a low price as it was originally the dealer demo car that was leased before they started showing up on the lot in large numbers. As a result, the manufacturing date on mine is actually March 2008. I've put 1500 miles on it since I purchased it with 2000 on it. At 3500 miles, I've yet to hear the sound, but I suspect it will rear its head soon enough. The parcel shelf hasn't started rattling yet either. It has been wicked hot around here the last couple of weeks with temps into the mid 90s with extremely high humidity and it hasn't triggered anything yet.

Just how loud is it?

panta_

Check this out guys!
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthr...=99566&page=41

There is a guy that is stating that a fix has been performed on his car and he could not make the car ping on his way back home from the dealer!
The dealer is Capital Honda in Phillip in Australia and I email them to check for any information, but not an answer!
I don't know what to think!
I'm sure that there is something!

spurfan15

Nice. Hopefully a permanent fix has actually been found. Why does it seem that a disproportionately high amount of recognition of and progress on this issue seems to be coming out of Australia? I find that very weird. Maybe that's the honest division of honda, and we get the coverup division.

Farage

just got my 2010 2 days ago and i havent heard any pinging yet. it only has 50 miles on it so far so ill keep listening for it. hope i dont hear it!

djsk

Hello all...I finally decided to become a member of AcuraZine after two months of checking to see if this pinging issue has been resolved. I created this account for one reason... I'm hoping that Acura/Honda will read my reply and see what kind of impact this issue has on their current and even potential/future customers.

I have been in the market to buy a new car for the past two months. When I buy a new car, instead of looking for all the good things about the car, I look for the bad.

The past two months I was able to narrow down my choices to two cars. The TSX and the G37. Of those two, the TSX was my #1 choice because my very first car ever was a 2000 Honda Accord which I still have with 170k miles running perfectly fine and the TSX was a lot cheaper and I even liked the way it looked.

When I researched both these cars, I found that both cars had what I would call very serious issues that current owners were experiencing. First, the TSX had the pinging issue dating back all the way to August of 2008 which was the date the very first post was made on AcuraZine. Second, the G37 had a transmission downshifting issue which would jerk the car when going from 4th to 3rd gear in automatic. The very first post regarding this matter on a G37 website forum was posted on February of 2009.

As of now, for the TSX, there is no fix in the US and furthermore, it seems as if Honda/Acura is denying the issue many of their customers are experiencing. Although it seems like there is a fix in Australia, it is still unconfirmed and it’s in Australia. I live in the US. I would like the fix to be in the US and even have Acura/Honda come out and fully acknowledge the situation.

As for the G37, after couple of months, Infiniti announced there was an issue going on with the transmission, and as of end of June of 2009, it seems as if Infiniti solved the problem with an update that current customers are now bringing in their cars to the shop to get.

It took Infiniti roughly 4-5 months to come up with a solution to their major transmission issue. As for Acura/Honda, it has been 11 months and it seems like the problem is going nowhere. As for the 2010 TSX, I really hope the pinging noise doesn’t continue down the line of the new look TSX’s.

To summarize, the reason why I posted was to let Acura/Honda know that they lost a old time customer of theirs. I was really hoping that the problem will be solved soon so I could purchase the TSX, but now I have my eyes set on the G37. And furthermore, not only did Acura lose my business, they potentially lost the business of two of my co-workers who were also in the market to buy a new car. After telling them about the current issue of the TSX, they pretty much took the car off their list. I really hope Acura/Honda does something about this problem. And maybe further down the road when I look for a new car again, I won’t run into the same problem. I know that every car is not perfect, but a brand new car should not be having a problem like this the whole TSX community is complaining about.

Good luck to all the 2009 TSX owners.

romicva

Thank you DJSK! These are exactly my thoughts! I'm still on the fence - I'll need a new car soon though. Acura better comes clean and does the right thing.

davidspalding

I think you need to go to the potty! Stop drinking so much caffeine! Take a few deep breaths! Chill out!

I don't think Acura execs are on here reading posts with their morning lattes. I'd send it as a signed letter to Acura. Spend the $0.50 on postage and really communicate your decision TO THEM.

HeavyDuty

I empathize with those who are experiencing these issues, but after 20k miles on my 6MT, I've never heard anything resembling pinging on my car.

Yes, I know what it sounds like and how it can be catastrophic if left unmanaged, but our representation here is miniscule compared to total overall ownership.

I wonder if any of these reports are people wanting to hear it and succeeding.

ctwickman

I'm pretty sure all of us that hear it don't WANT to hear it! It sounds like garbage and I am reminded of it every day even though I neither want to hear it or I remembered to hear it. It's not like I wake up every day thinking about "pinging" and then listen for it. But every day my car reminds me that it has a serious problem.

HeavyDuty

Do you "feel" the noise through the drivetrain?

This car is so smooth, even with EPS and drive by wire, one should be able to feel a stutter when this occurs.

Please don't get me wrong, if mine was doing it, I'd be a raging prick, but the posts stating 'they all do it' is misleading to those contemplating acquiring one.

SPQRSPQR

Capital Honda is in the suburb of Phillip in the city of Canberra, Australia. Canberra, Australia is the Federal capital city of Australia. The city was "designed" by an American architect named Walter Burley Griffin.

In any case, it is not likely that you would get a reply from an Australian Honda dealer; no more than I would get a reply from an American Acura dealer: There just is no reason to talk to you as you are not a prospect for a car sale!

And besides, there is probably a secret Honda international agreement/conspiracy not to stir-the-pot on the pinging issue: The divide and conquer doctrine; or in this case, keep quiet and maybe they can avoid a costly recall.

risc

I don't feel anything actually, it's more of an annoying noise. Plus, once you hear it, you kinda "look" for it. Like a splinter for your mind(matrix quote ). I love the car, but i wish there was a faster response from Honda about these kinds of issues. If I were in the market for a new car again, I'd still get the TSX.

panta_

David Spalding,
Thank you for the advise and in fact I just start chilling on the top of the 30K $ pinging engine. I'm just trying to stay informed and inform the rest of owners for news around that issue. I might look insane ,when I share info or just right something here, but at least I'm trying to make noise (called ACS 5 times, mailed and e-mailed 2 times ACH, call that Brigette 2 times - at least last time 2 days ago she told me that Acura knows about it and works on it, trying to make as many people as I can to call ACH for this issue) and I believe that everyone should do the same! It is rediculios that 4 week old TSX, 1000 miles on it is pinging like crazy and the owner could not believe it. Acura does not share anything with us.
You know what, if everyone is chilling like I do on the top of mine 30K $ engine we might get this fix sooner or never get it.
People in Australia don't tell the others to chill, and they have got the fix!