acuranewb

My new TL has 86 miles on it. Here are the problems so far:

1. Vibration noise from center console/driver side dash area. It's hard to describe the sound, but it's kind of like "zzzZZZZzzzzzzZZZZZZZzzzzzZZ". Only happens on certain roads (like the one right outside my house and a nearby freeway). It's quite loud and annoying when it does occur. Makes the car feel cheap and thrown together.

2. Rattle from passenger side area. Happens when going over bumps, and to a lesser degree when rapidly accelerating from a full stop. Again, besides being annoying, it makes a car that I just spent nearly $33,000 on feel like a cheap beater.

3. Trunk is misaligned. Too high on the passenger side, too low on the driver side.

4. Rear driver side door is misaligned. Protrudes too far out.

Needless to say, I'm pretty disappointed so far. The vibration and rattle noise are the main problems, but the misalignments just confirm the poor build quality and make me wonder how many other latent problems I'll discover at 1,000 miles, 5,000 miles, etc. We also have a 2003 Accord that cost us $18,000 new, which has no misaligned parts and still has NO rattles after over three years. We also just bought a new MDX and so far so good with it.

Anyone know how good typical Acura dealers are regarding fixing rattles and misalignment issues?

Thanks for any input.

wyzard

Hmm the misalignments sounds serious. Like it's been in a n accident or something. Could explain rattles as well. I would take it back and ask them why it's misaligned. If i find out they sold me a damaged car, they are taking it back and I'm moving on to another dealer.

billmatt

Sorry to hear about your problems with your new TL. I bought my 2006 TL in June and it now has 1000 mi. on the clock and I've not had a spec of trouble with it. It replaced my 2003 TLS and I had the same excellent service records with that one. I suggest that you take it back to your dealer with those complaints.

donzg

I've got an 06 with 20k miles on it and dont have any of the problems you mentioned. I have seen this occassional reset of my xm channels but other than that the car has been problem free. It's probably best that you ask one of the mechanics to do a road test with you so that you can explain best the issues you are having with the car.

acuranewb

I'm taking it in on Thursday and will definitely drive it with the tech to highlight the issues. I read a lot of complaints about rattles and misalignments before I bought, but I really liked the car and figured that those with problems tend to post more often than those without problems. So here I am with the very problems I convinced myself were overrepresented on message boards and unlikely to affect me.

If everything is fixed (and no more problems arise), I'll still be happy with the car. It's just ashame they let them out of the factory in this kind of shape. My 2001 BMW Z3 had great build quality, no rattles and few problems during the 75,000 miles I put on it. My 2003 Honda Accord has good build quality and no rattles, and zero problems ever. Same with my 2006 MDX (but I only have about 75 miles on it so we'll see).

csmeance

the rattles are a normal thing around here. What matters is that the dealship is gonna try to resovle the issuses. My mom had an old ford windstar and when the tranny died, they tried to charge us 6 grand when it was under factory warrenty. Then they refused to fix it after being confronted. At least acura will help

MR1

I don't think that the rattles are exactly common. There are more than anyone wants but not common. My 05 TL w 25k has no rattles. My 02 MDX has no rattles. If your dealer is good the concerns should be addressed promptly, if not, find another dealer. Next time, check it out and test drive prior to accepting delivery. That is always a good move.

csmeance

the rattles usually appear in the first 600 miles, such as the center glove box. Later more rattles apper such as the rear deck. The usually hapen at about 30,00 miles. Any you should be very happy that you have a car with no rattles. Many of us on the board have this problem and there is no denying it. In the 3g garage, there are numerous threads on rattle fixes.

acutee

Make sure you take the car back to dealer as soon as possible, otherwise they will tell you it is tear and wear.

joedokes28

I had the same problem with the trunk, took it to the dealership and looks perfect now. They are however chasing a problem with the car pulling to the right. Apparently they alligned the car but it is still having the problem. I just picked it up 3 days ago and drove from PDX to PHX. So there are just about 1000 miles on the car. I have to take it back in to see if they can figure out what it is. Anyone else have this problem>

acuranewb

Well, my trunk fix isn't going to be as easy as yours, and I'm starting to get a bit concerned about what the hell is going on with my car. You can see the details here:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143217

Did you buy your car in Portland? If so, where and how has your dealer experience been so far (I'm in PDX too)?

TLTrance

My center console buzzing disappeared after they replaced the center speaker... Also for the center trim, if you want, they can replace that too... I told them I heard creaking/buzzing from the compartment area, but it wasn't the doors or anything like that.

quach

With only 70 miles on my vehicle, I experienced rattling of the passenger side, homelink system, and a pull to the right side of the car. I took it to a different dealership than the one I bought it from (it was closer) and they fixed the problems. It ended up being a misalignment. They put foam around the homelink system. The passenger buzzing noise was actually the Tire Pressure Monitering system. I wasn't completely satisfied with taking it in to be serviced because they added 30 miles to my new car and left my interior greasy and smelly.

Of course 2 days later, I noticed a rattling sound coming from the center speaker. I read a previous thread on it, and fixed it myself. It was a loose connector.

Don't get me wrong, I like my car but to have problems this early on is rediculous. I am also concern about what future problems this car may have.


Good luck at the dealership. If they don't fix it, go to another one.

MorganPerez

All of this stuff can be fixed. I had the same rattles. They have all been fixed, but the stupid part is I had to take the car back 5 times to get it done. But they are gone, and it doesnt feel as ghetto. Sadly I think part of the problems with the TL are because it is made in the US. And plus to top it off it was engineered very fast, so maybe some corners where cut, but for the buck you get a good bang, hehe.

mu1980

No, it's unlikely that the TL being built in the US has anything to do with it. What matters the most is the design and the parts used.

If the parts are crappy and don't fit well together, it doesn't matter where they're assembled... there'll be problems.

portoar

I have less than 1000 miles on mine and I have so many rattles It's driving me to distraction. I have the buzzing in the center console, every time I go over bumps the passenger side rattles, and the whole car "clicks." I just had it into the dealership yesterday, the service guy swore he had a technician who was very familiar with the rattles and was good at getting them. He called me later to say all the rattles had been identified and fixed. I picked up the car, and driving it home, the problems were, if anything, WORSE. I have appointments all day today and jury duty tomorrow, but the car is going right back to the dealership . . . next time will be my third trip.