Has Acura addressed any of the following problems for 2006 model release:
1. Torque steer.
2. Driveline vibration.
3. Paint
4. Overall assembly quality.
5. Rattles.

My wife needs a new car and after she test drove Lexus IS 250, Infiniti G35 she leans twoards TL because she likes better the exterior and interior.
I am a bit reluctant getting a new TL even for my wife as I had not too long ago a bad experience with 2005 model.
So do you guys think 2006 has been improved enough to give it a try again?

 

Torque Steer? What Torque Steer?

With all that hype it's nothing to talk about.

 

I don't know, I only had my car for a week but I can say the assembly quality is pretty good and I don't hear any rattling yet.

 

Yep same here, no rattles and the car is very solid.

 

on an update i read on some review site (i forget i think msn) said that they got new software to combat torque steer

paint and assembly have been good imo

people will prolly not get rattles till their cars are like 20k miles

 

Absolutely. Completely overplayed and nothing to worry about.

 

For what it's worth, I have an automatic 2005 with 25k miles and not a single rattle, squeak or problem of any sort.

 

Our 04 has about 15k on the clock and we've taken back a couple of times.
Rattle/squecky rear package tray.
3rd brake light cover not completed sealing over light allowing reflection on window
passenger side outside handle delivered with gouge in paint
hood not properly aligned....still
CF bezel around shifter cracked at factory

Don't drive the car much so I haven't noticed anything else that really sticks out in my mind.

 

I noticed the gas cap on the 2006 model is different.

 

1. Torque steer. No problem with normal driving. I hear they've made further corrections for -06.
2. Driveline vibration. No problem.
3. Paint. Only spot is near the gas cap, may have been chipped by the pump.
4. Overall assembly quality. Excellent. Up there with Toyota products.
5. Rattles- None after 18K miles.

 

Okay, I have 300 miles right now and I'm hearing buzzing or rattling noises inside or around the steering wheel. This only happens occassionaly when I go over a bump.

 

How cold is it where you are? Don't ferak out, listen to some music. See how it is over time. Mine has almost 16k any is usually silent.

 

I have 100+ miles on my 06 and i found a rattle in the front passenger window when it is slightly opened. There is vibration when the car warms up after starting up and stronger vibration when shifting to R after starting up. Those things dont bother me because i still love this car!!!

 

mine is almost 800 miles. i think i have a rattle on front passenger seat. When i put something on it, there is no sound. weird though. I know this when i went home , i put my hand on the seat on bumpy road, there is no sound. After i moved my hand, there is a sound.

(sorry for the grammar error)

 

My 06 also has the front passenger window rattle if rolled down about 1-2 inches. Sounds like the glass is loose and knocking against something! I took it to the dealer and the guy quickly diagnosed it...said the seals need a lube, but that didn't fix it. Haven't had time to bring it back. That was about 500 miles. Now I'm at around 2000 and there's another rattle from the front passenger side. Dunno if it's the same problem (it sounds a bit different)...but I noticed the seat belt height adjuster has some play and can be jiggled, so maybe that's what's rattling. Seems to go away on the freeway which are mostly smoother than the streets.

I also had a vibration once when starting the car and shifting to reverse...but only once. It wasn't just minor vibration...it was more jolty and shakey. In fact it was in San Francisco on a relatively cold day and I hadn't move the car for one or two nights. But I haven't had that problem since... :-/

 

Thats the exact rattle i have on the window! Dont know if i should bring it in to the dealer... Did they keep it over night to try to fix it??.

I have the vibration every time i start it. Maybe its the cold weather???. The vibration is felt throught the whole car especially the steering wheel.

 

The window partly open rattle is normal. I dont know what the reason is, but acura did the window setup differently from other cars. It may be to enable the window to go up and down when things are frozen, many cars with excessive felt and rubber lining along the guides freeze up after any rain and the windows will not go up or down, frozen in place. My van does that all the time.

Our 2005 6MT has about 7000 miles on it, after about 9 months, and not a single
problem with it yet, no rattles, no vibration.
I DO wish the tires would wear faster so I could get some good avons, the bridgestone tires seem to REALLY suck in the wet, snow is likely even worse...

Brett

 

please do some search in this forum for rattles. we've posted some good ez fix in the past u can DIY with almost no tool at all. unless the dealer is right next door, it's always painful to go there regardless how nice and helpful they are. small things like these u can fix it urself in few minutes. not all people have them. some are more sensitive than others. the community is here to help for sure.

 

I had a rattle in my dashboard- sounded like it was coming from the steering wheel. It turned out to be a loose bolt. Very annoying rattle that was fixed very easily. 43,000+ miles and no other rattles.

I would say that the paint job is the biggest let down. I do seem to get chips in the paint more than I'd like. Detailer always fixes for me.

 

i jus got my 06, love the tire pressure display, my 04 didnt have it, 1600 miles no rattles no vibes, solid, and for the torque steer, its normal for a powerful FWD, having torque steer annoy you is like having a vette drifting around a turn annoy you. it's part of having the poweer and FWD it will always be there

 

My 2006 6sp is doing great. Torque steer is not bad at all, no vibration, paint was good, and overall assmbly in my case seems to be above average. No rattles yet but I only have 850 miles

I looked at the lexus IS350 and found it to be a great car. I however picked the TL and saved the extra coin.

Your results may vary. I don't think you can go worng with the list of cars you mentioned. They all have their differences though.

Let us know what you get.

 

The IS350 is designed for midgets. I mean, it is a great choice for little people with big wallets.

 

I just traded my 05 TL 6sp for an 06TL 6sp. One thing I have noticed with the 06 is it is constantly pulling to the right. The 05 torque streer was bad when you hammered on it out of the hole, but one you were moving and just driving under normal conditions, it did not pull. Now with the 06 and the new module to help with torque steer, its great out of the hole, but the slightest touch on the gas while cruzing down the highway makes the car pull to the right. Anyone else with an 06 6MT notice this? The dealer has aligned the car twice and says there are no problems, but no car should be pulling to the right under normal driving conditions.

 

My 2006 6MT TL also does this. Even the slightest amount of gas causes the car to pull to the right (in any gear). Is this not normal?

 

I have a 2006 AT and it drifted to the right at all speeds, even when cruising. Took it to the dealer and they said it was a directional problem with the tire and rotated them. I don't think the Michelin MX are directional tires, but the problem was resolved.

 

See, mine will only do it if you push on the gas. If I am doing like 50MPH and the pop the car in neutral, I can let go of the wheel and it goes straight, but as soon as I push the gas, off to the right it goes. My left hand gets tired every day from fighting the wheel all the time. I cant see how this is normal. I have owned so many FWD cars, including the 2005 TL, and I have never seen this before.

 

The demo that my wife test drove was pulling to the right at hwy speeds but the sales guy said that the alignment was not properly done from the factory.
She finally opted for one (pick-up date is Dec 28th) on sales guy's promise that the car will be perfect.We'll see..

 

Well, did you guys get the TL? How about pulling to the right? Mine is still doing it, even after ANOTHER alignment.... I just filed a complaint with Acura and am waiting to see if anyone will call me on it.

 

Looks like another problem to put on the list for the TL. I have a 06 and it pulls to the right too but not when cruising only when accelerating. Its not really noticeable and its not like im fighting back or using any strength to keep it straight so its not a big deal. Seems like this is only happening to the 06? Do any 04/05 have this problem?

 

I've had my 06 AT for about two weeks. So far I haven't come across any of the issues mentioned on these forums and i've got about 200+ miles on it. No rattles or vibration to speak of whatsoever, I even closely checked for the driveline vibration at 50-60mph @1500rpm today and thought I felt it slightly but over time realized it was just the road. Torque steer is non existent IMO, but I'm used to driving FWD's. I do recall hearing that they've done something to reduce the torque steer effect on the '06 but I'm not sure.

We also looked at the IS350, but one look at that tight back seat and we said no way! The TL's is gonna be our family hauler, and we're having a kid soon so we needed the extra rear space. At a cheaper price point the TL gave us everything we were looking for over the IS350.

One suggestion, if you get the parchment interior, make sure to work the salesman to throw in the all-season floor since the carpet mats get dirty almost immediately. Also try to work in the mud guards since the tires will kick up dirt all over the side of the car. I wish I got these two instead of the body side mouldings which isn't very effective over time.

Hope this helps.

 

If you read about new car models, they typically have the most problems in the model year and fix them as the model ages. The 3G has improved, but still has more than their share of rattles and some vibrations. Probably more to process than anything else. Torque steer... that's a non issue in this car as far as i am concerned.

In some cases such as the honda odyssey, actually had more problems after the first year out. Consumer reports has done articales about this.

 

If I had to guess, I would think it is something with the new computer that is "supposed" to help with the torque steer off the line. But instead, its making it worse after your off the line. I am preying to God Acura does something with this problem.

 

On our 2005 6MT, the only time we have torque steer is when giving the engine a lot of gas during a sharp turn.

On the hiway, and during normal driving, it does not pull or have any torque steer.
it would have nothing to do with the changes they made on the 2006 cars, that is a program change to the ecu that limits power when making sharp turns.

If anyone has a car that pulls to one side, you have an alignment/tire pressure problem.

Brett

 

Exactly!! My 2005 6MT only pulled when hammering on the gas. The 2006 6MT does pull to the right. Alignment is dead on and the tire pressure is OK. The dealer has no idea why its doing it. The only different I seen was when your coming out of the hole. The 05 had BAD TS while the 06 hardly has any, but yet the 06 pulls to the right all the time. I have no idea and its driving me insane!

 

Is this a problem only with the 6MT? My 2006 5AT has no pulling to the right whatsoever, in fact you hardly need to touch the wheel when driving. The car seems to want to drive itself, great car IMO.

 

Hy wife picked up her 2006 TL on January 9th and so far so good. There is still a slight pulling to the right on hwy but she's fine with it.
Knock in wood, everything else is just fine so far. I will post some pics later on.

 

Not trying to discourage you guys but I didn't have any of my problems within a month of my purchase of the 05 5AT.

harsh, bumpy ride makes the rattles develop over time. My car didn't have the vibration at the beginning either, but it came out after 1000 miles.

SO if you are perfectionist type person, stay away from this car.

 

Well, the 2006 6MT is the only model that has the torque steer reducer so i still think it is an issue with that. I dont think there is anything else I can do since the dealer is out of ideas. I just have to hope Acura will come out with something about the pulling to the right since the 05's didnt do it.

 

As I understand it, the only thing they did to the 2006 cars to reduce the torque steer is to have the ecu reduce power when you are making a sharp turn and give it a lot of gas.
No mechanical changes.....

My guess is the alignment is out and they can not tell. I am very suspect of alignments, I think most shops get them wrong, or the devices they use are not accurite enough or something.

My 2005 6MT does not pull at all in normal driving, even with heavy throttle.
In 8500 miles, I seem to have no tire wear, no rattles or other problems.
I DO wish the el42's would wear out though...

Brett

 

His questions are not answered!?!
How many torque steerings do you know of on 06 car?