09TSXMN

Does anyone elses rear parcel shelf (the metal shelf that connects the rear wheel towers and holds the speakers) "snap, crackle an pop" as the car twist over slight modulations in the road? I have taken my car in, they have removed the rear seat, the parcel shelf trim, and the speakers. They then added insulation, but to not much help. it appears that the metal stamping, which could be laminated, is stressing and causing the noise. It is not loud, but noticible to back seat passengers and to the driver with the radio turned off. This is the first car I have had that does this, I would have expected something better for an Acura.

[R]isque'

Nope, mines fine.

mcabutti

Yes, this has been happening on the second generations. I believe there is a thread on this topic.

By the way, I had a 2008 Honda Accord coupe and it made the same crackling sounds. The Honda dealer took it to a body shop where they "loosened up" some of the welds on the rear bulkhead. It helped, but did not totally eliminate the noise.

MMsTSX

yeah, this has been expressed several times before on 2nd gens.
the common fix seems to be more welding, not loosening.

if you search for rear deck squeak or whatever I'm sure it'll pop up.
not a new problem. and a few say their fix they had done worked completely.

09TSX

I know exactly what you are talking about!! That is what mine was doing and they were able to fix it by setting something where the speakers are and applying some spot welding as well. It is 100% quiet now and this was fixed 2 months ago!!

26Shaun

They fixed mine as well. They removed everything in the rear and unbolted, re-aligned, and tightened down a metal plate that goes across the rear shelf. At least that's what they told me. It's perfectly quiet now.

09TSXMN

Thanks, can you tell me your dealership name/phone # so I can get the details to refer my dealership to?

DerwoodEE

Hmmm...I haven't noticed this yet. Guess I'll have to keep my ears open for it. Is it something that's definitely noticeable, like really obvious, or is it very faint?

09TSXMN

Sitting in the back seat very noticable. The best thing to do is turn off the radio, back up with your head looking backward, go over the threshold/apron of your garage, if you do not hear it, then you are lucky! I got in the trunk with my wife driving (yes, it was by my choice!) and the whole rear metal tray snaps, not just from one isolated place.

26Shaun

Duncan Acura of Roanoke. Their web site is http://www.duncanacura.com/. If you ask for the service manager he should know all about it.

DerwoodEE

I tried to listen for it on my way to work this morning and never heard anything. I'll keep trying though.

LukeaTron

Wait, you're exerting a special effort to find a fault with your car that you weren't even aware could maybe exist until you found this thread a day ago? Why are you looking for a reason to be unhappy with something you just dropped a pile of money into? Are you actively seeking a case of buyer's remorse? I don't get it.

MMsTSX

nah, I don't see it like that.

I actively search out any and all problems with the first gen TSX.
I then compare all of them to my car and pay special attention to
those areas to look to see if I have that problem as well.

if there is even a hint of it, I will know what is up and bring it to the
dealer and explain to them the situation.
this has only happened so far in one case for me, the squeaky driver's seat.

but I too test my car against other known problems just to be sure that
I do not have them.

it's not about buyer's remorse, it's about keeping the car in tip top shape.

if some new issue with the first gen popped up, I'd be all over trying to find
it on my car.

LukeaTron

Unless the failure is going to cause an unsafe situation or become more difficult to fix as a result, I don't go looking for it. Being aware of the issue is something completely different than making an issue out of something that you never would have noticed unless you expressly went looking for it.

It's a car first and a show piece second (or maybe 10th). I care far more about how it functions than any minor defect that has no bearing on how the car performs or otherwise affects me in any way. Dare I say I'd be happier being unaware of the problem should it fall into either of those two categories.

That approach just seems like it's setting one's self up for disappointment. I'll pass on that given the choice.

MMsTSX

oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I'm what many call anal.
and/or particular. and/or obsessed.
lol.

that plays a part in it.

LukeaTron

I have my share of the same trait. It just reinforces my reasoning. I know I can be unreasonably bothered by things like that so in order to keep my stress level manageable I consciously avoid seeking out problems that aren't really problems. This is something I've only recently endeavored upon but so far it seems to have had a positive impact on my life. It's just not healthy to live your life in a constantly elevated state of worry.

Yes your car may eventually develop an obnoxious squeak but to allow your entire life to revolve around these insignificant concerns is to lose sight of the big picture. You bought the car to get you places in an enjoyable manner. Unless that stops happening, why go trying to sabotage yourself?

aaronng

It's probably the same thing that the 1st gen had. Just try the 1st gen fix. All you need is some grease and a thin ice cream stick.

09TSXMN

Is quality "percieved or real"? A little of both, right? If I wanted to get somewhere comfortable, I would have spend $22K on a Buick Lucerne! I have owned 15 new cars, and driven over 30 new company GM cars in my life. This is the first time I have ever had the rear of the interior creek/pop when going over undulations. It just screams platform flexibility issues.

Imagine my friends, who asked my why I would buy non American in such a difficult time in the auto industry, sit in the back seat and say "this is what you get in a premium Japanese brand???

So is it anal, probably, but are we not all anal with something that we find as a priority?

I will contact the dealer that has been previously supplied to find out the fix.

09TSXMN

Thank you, I will contact them.

Arcticcl9

nothing wrong with taking the car back to the dealer for this fix. In fact, I will schedule one soon. Car should have been perfect, but it isn't. This is what we pay for by getting new models on its first year of release. Remember this is the v1.0 of the car, so a lot of stuff aren't perfect. When the MMC rolls out, these will be fixed. This squeaking is minor compared to some stuff I went through for my 1st-gen TSX.

From my experience with my first-gen TSX, I took my tsx back to the dealer many times for the following w/o charge:

driver seat rail creaking.
alignment off center
Replaced headlights twice for moisture, and finally recalled with the fitting of clips

and more....boy the dealer must have loved me. I recommend anyone who finds sometime wrong withe their car to take it to the dealer, and do so within their warranty.

09TSX

Is that why some people apply that anal analogy to their sex life ...(since some view sex as a priority)
*laughing*

09TSX

Let us know if they fix the problem...I can also send you the contact info from my dealership if that is unsuccessful.....

09TSXMN

To 09TSX, can you send me your dealer contact as well. I would like to talk to them to see if their fix is consistent with the Roanoke dealership.

09TSX

Any reason whay a PM can't be sent to you? Also, my dealership is in Canada...I assume that may be a problem...let me know

arktctr

add me to the list for this...hey, at least my car made it 600 miles before it started making noises

soon4tsx

My May 2008 build date, 2009 TSX, also has the crackling in the rear. Haven't gone to the service dept yet... will probably wait for something else to break before taking it in.

AnotherDoubtful

My 2009 TSX with 6,200 miles makes the same creaking noise that others describe, but it is getting louder, and you hear it on more and more surfaces and in various positions. I enjoy the car a lot, but coupled with the many other noises that it is making, the driving pleasure is starting to be outweighed by concerns over the quality -- the main reason I bought a Japanese car, and an Acura in particular.

This is not imaginary. The head mechanic heard the noises, too, but had no idea what was causing it after inspection and a ride along with me. The service consultants said they have been hearing this on brand new cars arriving at the dealership. But, they do not know how to fix it, according the them.

Acura customer service claims it has no record of this problem being reported (well my call today was the first notice they said they received), so I am going to go through the motions with their process and trust that a solution can be found.

I will say this much: I'm pretty surprised to experience this many noises in a brand new car from the Honda Corporation. The car makes more noises than my 1993 Honda Civic EX, which was made in Ohio. And this car is made in Japan itself, supposedly the best manufacturing there is.

I hope the problems can be resolved. I will report back what happens.

Jottle

Can you link to this fix in forum? Or can you describe it for us first gen owners?

09TSXMN

This was a problem on the 1st gen as well and they did not fix it the second time around??? The dealer has my car for the week to fix this problem on round 2 for them. I have given them all of the information that has been listed . . . spot weld and re tighten all bolts.

09TSX. . .yours was fixed by re-tightening all of the bolts. Has the noise come back?

CarbonGray Earl

I had this fixed in my gen 1 at about 5000 miles on the odo....had to take it dealer twice and very politely mention that the lemon law takes effect after the third time a recurring problem appears.

I honestly couldn't tell you the actual fix because I had them figure it out under warranty. However, I did enough polite threatening the second time for them to know that I meant business. And I did print the gen 1 thread just like this to show that it seemed to be a common problem and I wasn't just being an asshole.

I had to give them a couple of days to pinpoint and fix the problem, but it hasn't appeared in 70k miles.

mcabutti

My dealer just FAXed me some pictures and instructions they got from Acura Techline to fix the rear deck snap crackle and pop. The pictures were of poor quality on my FAX but the directions that came along with the pictures fixed my noise. . .finally!! Here are the directions:

Repair procedure 1 - Fold the rear seat backs forward and gently pull on the bulkhead cover to release the clips. Loosen each bolt on the right and left sides underneath the bulkhead cover and re-tighten the bolts.

Repair procedure 2 (the one the fixed my noise) - Open the trunk and remove the two bolts that you can see looking straight ahead that are connected to the shock absorber towers. (They are partially hidden by black cables and black cable covers)

Once the bolts are removed, insert a flat-tipped screwdriver above the bolt hole where you see a weld spot. Insert the screwdriver from the center of the trunk pointing to the side of the car. There is a rough surface behind the spot welding point that might be the source of the noise. Do not break the spot weld, however. Tighten the each bolt with the screwdriver inserted and make clearance between the sheets of metal. Remove the screwdriver and apply anti-rust material. Tighten each bolt thoroughly.

I hope this helps!

Jottle

can you link to the first gen thread?

26Shaun

My dealership actually took only 2 days to repair this problem with mine. I dropped it off on a Wednesday and they had it ready by Friday and this was in November before I'd heard of anyone else having the issue. Duncan Acura did a great job though, I'm very pleased with them so far.

MrOtocinclus

First off, just want to say I'm happy to be here. It looks like there's a vibrant community of Acura owners and enthusiasts here and I'm glad I found this site when I googled for the problem we are discussing in this thread.

To contribute to the discussion, I recently experienced this problem, and it occurred at all speeds as long as there was flexing in the body. I stuck my head in the trunk while my wife was driving and it's definitely there. I took it into the dealership this morning and they told me it would take a day, but they just called me with a new ETA of tomorrow afternoon.

So, I'll keep you all posted if I learn of any new information. Unfortunately, I did not get to find out what my build date was. My car is a 5 AT TECH (still learning the lingo here, please forgive if it's incorrect), delivery taken in September.

mcabutti

When you take the car into the dealership, make sure that you mention the tech line suggestions my dealership received. I did the repairs myself and it took approximately 15 minutes. The two procedures that techline suggested are not difficult at all.

09TSXMN

I talked to my dealership today to see how my car is coming along, they have blown foam in, spot welded, and re-bolted. They are driving the car tomorrow to see if the problem has gone away. I will make them aware of the suggestions made on the techline. The service rep did do some research, including this web site, can't fault them on this. I pick the car up on Friday when I fly back home, I will advise on the fix and results.

On a side note, the car also has a cracked windshield, I watched the crack take place in the defrost mode when it was 3 degrees outside. My take is that the edge of the glass had a nick in the corner of the glass at installation, and the glass cracked at the relief. Their take is a stone chip that is behind the windshield wiper arm base and below the hood line caused it, a very creative rock to go through all of that! I am talking to the rep tomorrow to try to get this decision reversed.

LukeaTron

^^ If the dealer doesn't cover it, most insurance plans will at no cost to you.

09TSXMN

You are right, mine pays 100%, the problem is the insurance will only authorize PPG glass instead of the Acura glass. Besides, it is the point that Acura should "man up" to the manufacturing mistake. My service rep also told me that some TSX's have had the problem with the front windshield molding coming off (this site has been great at pointing these things out), and that they silocon adhesive the trim to the glass in addition to the normal "design intent" attachment.

MrOtocinclus

Update: I just called them and they're still working on it. Now they tell me that it won't be ready until tomorrow, at the very least.

I have to say, this is quite frustrating. I didn't realize how attached I'd become to my car, I miss it! Not to mention, they gave me a crappy (and literally smelly) Ford Focus from Avis because they ran out of Acura loaners.

The good thing about this is I'll appreciate my car even more once I get it back.

bartek7pl

Yeah I am sorry to say that but my car is making those cracking noises. I will do something with it when I go for oil change but from the other side I don't feel like giving away my car for few days to fix this problem