MDs1

Yes, I know what you mean. I had a 2000 Accord V6 and the car was smooth like silk even with 100K+ miles on it.

'06TLowner

We still have our 2001 Accord that I was driving that my daughter is now driving and it has 105,000 miles on it.

My husband added more air to the tires (40 to the front & 39 to the back) and I have let the TL sit all day so tomorrow morning I'll see if the tires are flat spotted. We're not sure if it will help but at this point I'll try just about anything.

bandit tl

Wow, I though I was I crazy. I have a 07 TL that I just bought in Feb. and have been feeling this vibration since day one. I thought it was the tires too, so went to the dealer twice who only rebalanced the tires and lowered the tire pressure. I then went to Bridgestone and they remounted and rebalanced the tires. It was still there. So I then went and bought a whole new set of tires that are high performance summer tires. The vibration went away…but on my 1200 mile round trip to the US GP and back it returned. It now starts at around 60-65 and gets progressively worse as the speed increases, I was scared to go over 80 the vibration was so bad. I even checked my lug nuts when I got to Indy and found that some of them where loose, that seemed to help it out some. But its still there!!!

So this is definitely not a tire problem, it feels as if something is loose or misaligned in the drive train or the suspension. Anyone out there have a possible fix for this?

6spMike

I didn't read the whole thread, so maybe ruling out other causes has been covered, but:
Does the vibration change with throttle position? yes? not tire/wheel.
Does the vibration change if you shift into neutral and let off the gas? yes? not tire/wheel.
Is there a bent wheel/out-of-round tire? sometimes they'll still show 'balanced'.
Another possibility is the CV joints/axle shafts.

'06TLowner

Well the tire pressure didn't help. It still vibrates between 45-65mph but is still worse between 50-55mph. It's going back to the shop tomorrow.


Does the vibration change with throttle position? yes
Does the vibration change if you shift into neutral and let off the gas? I haven't tried it but I will in the morning.
Is there a bent wheel/out-of-round tire? If there is it's all four because they rotated them along with balancing them the first time it was in the shop.
Another possibility is the CV joints/axle shafts. I was told the CV joints were checked but I will ask about the axle shafts.

bandit tl

Does the vibration change with throttle position? Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it is worse than others, but there is one constant..it never goes away.

Does the vibration change if you shift into neutral and let off the gas? No it doesn't, its still there.

There is no way that a wheel is bent as I saw the car come off the back of the truck and into prep for delivery. I have new tires that I put on to get rid the Bridgestones that I thought was causing the issue...apparentlty they weren't ,and I'm guessing that one of three places that I went to to balance the first set would have caught a bent rim...but maybe not.

pvansh

I have an '05 and I've created a couple of threads over the last couple of years regarding this vibration. There is a known problem referred to as a 5th gear drone on these cars. It happens at around 1500rpms usually above 80km/h or 50-55mph. If you shift into neutral at these speeds and still feel the vibration then its not the issue I am referring to, it is likely something to do with the wheels or tires (possibly flatspotting).

bandit tl

I'm just curious, I read on an earlier post that someone changed their brake rotors and the vibration went away. Has anyone else tried this or are any of the guys with factory Brembo brakes having this issue?

MDs1

06TLOwner, you have a case of the renouned 1500 RPM vibration problem at 5th gear. In fact, mine is even worst, I get the vibration between 1800-2000 RPM also at 5th geat. Mine is a 07AT by the way.

dr mikeylu

do the dampeners recommended in the TSB actually work? i know one person said it minimized the vibration..but didnt totally eliminate it..would like to hear if others have successfully fixed the the driveline vibration.

'06TLowner

Yeah I sure do. When I took my car in yesterday I wrote down the TSB info and gave it to them and now they are going to put the damper kit on and also adjust the bolts to see if it will eliminate the vibration. The kit should be in next Thursday (28th). Apparently I've been the only one to complain about this at this dealership. They have been very nice about trying to figure out the problem though.

pvansh

Wow you're lucky. I've been to 4-5 dealers and they all say the damper is only for the '04. Apparently '05+ already have it applied.

MDs1

On my 07TLAT the dealer installed the damper but as many others, I don't know if it did anything. I still feel the vibration. What bothers me the most is that the car feels so slugish (due to the vibration) when accelerating.

'06TLowner

They told me that the damper is for the '04 but was told by the service technician that at another Acura dealership he put the damper on two '05's so he doesn't see any reason why it wouldn't fit on my car. I'm hoping one of these things is going to eliminate the vibration.

I wish I would have found this message board before we purchased my car so we would have known what to look for. I did check several sites for reviews and there was nothing about any vibration on any of them. I love my car, I just want it fixed.

dr mikeylu

For all of you with 04 TL that have driveline vibration..around when did it kick in (what mile mark) i test drove a 04 TL navi and could not reproduce the driveline vibration, it had 38.5 K miles on it...thx

bandit tl

I have an 07 TL and mine started around the 300 mile mark. Sometimes it feels like an imbalanced or flatspotted tire and other times you can clearly feel it coming through the driveline.

'06TLowner

Well the dealership installed the damper kit and adjusted the engine bolts. The vibration is still there but it's much better than it was. I've put about 1500 miles on it since it was put on and was hoping it would go away but no such luck.

I don't know where to go from here....

04TLpain

I have an 04 tl and it's been a real drag lately. Spent some time having the tires rebalanced, alignment and some improvement in the vibration thing. I have noticed more vibration when the car is cold and has sat in the garage for some time but that vibration subsides and the car is an easy city commuter. The problem comes on the freeway when I want to use the horsepower that I bought the car for. The car has some serious vibration in the steering wheel, console area and I can even feel it down by the gas peddle. It's ridiculous. I have a 94 honda accord ex with 290K miles on it and when I commute with it on the freeway it's as smooth as can be. This all starts about 60 mph and just gets worse the faster I go. I hate going above 80 cause it really starts to get annoying. Whats really sad is that I would pay to have it fixed. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that Acura has a resolution for this problem. Sad to see that it's happening in the newer models as well.

Mark - Detroit

Hi 04TLPain,
There are certainly a number of possible issues & solutions. From my experience the situation depends on whether you have a 6 spd manual with the stiffer suspension or if you have an automatic.
For me with a 6 speed the issue was the Bridgestone tires. The stiff suspension and dampers made low quality Bridgestone tires an unacceptable combination. My dealer was able to demonstrate that a change to michelins would solve the problem. No issue since then.
Unfortunately this is not always the solution but a good dealer & service manager should be able to work thru the issue. Make sure you complain with lots of letters and faxes to national honda / acura service. I probably went to the dealer 10 times and sent 10 complaints over a 2 month stretch before a solution was worked out.
Good Luck and don't give up on the car. It's great when it doesn't shake.
Mark

04TLpain

Hey thanks for the info.

I own an 04 automatic TL. I do have the bridgestone tires on my car presently, strange that would be an issue. I didn't think I was buying a car that was so finicky. I had finally had it this past week and decided to buy some new rims since the ones that are presently on there are slightly bent, (according to the tire install guys). After reading the info that was posted on the Acura forums I was wondering if indeed it was a structural and design issue with the car itself. I have never experienced anything so aggravating, considering the type of car that I was driving. I want this car to be the best car I've ever had but it's been a tough sell so far.

I've read other some of the comments that new rims and new tires didn't really help, even some of the A-spec people said they didn't have there issues resolved with newer rims. Is this something that you believe to be accurate? You say that you have a 6mt TL, are you able to go at whatever speed you want, 60-90-110mph without steering wheel vibration and interior shake?

I really don't want to have to drop 225 or up for michellin tires plus several hundred dollars more for new rims and have the same situation. I would really be upset with myself and Acura.

I appreciate any feedback you could give me and guidance to resolve my issue.

Thanks,
Paul

Mark - Detroit

Hi Paul,
Usually the AT folks have issues with a low rpm drone / vibration in 5th gear at like 1300-1500 rpm. The 6MT cars don't ever have that.
The dealer put my bridgestone tires and wheels on an automatic and they did not shake. They then put the Michelins tires & wheels from the automatic on my car and it no longer shook. I bought new tires, put them on my rims and my issue was gone. I actually went to a firestone / bridgestone dealer and they told me no tires they sell are suitable for the TL 6MT.
For the last 12,000 mi the car has been dead smooth as fast as I want to drive. But sometimes when I jump on the freeway and drive on a stretch of I-94 with cold tires i notice some flatspotting - that can feel like the firestones did all the time. That cold tire flat-spotting shake goes away after a couple of miles.
I would sugggest that you do a tire and wheel switch with another car before sinking $$$ into new wheels.
I don't know if you bought the car new and this is just starting or if it was a recent used car purchase. If your car has the original bridgestone tires, on a 2004, dump them, they don't stay round.

When I bought some used rims and winter tires I was concerned that they would shake. While the tread was noisy - there was no shake.

Good Luck,
Mark

04TLpain

Thanks for the info. I did buy the car used and was just miffed about the vibration that I was experiencing. I bought new tires and had the balance and alignment done. Also I had them put the best rims on the fronts to see if it would improve things. It did for what I thought was a short time but then it just got worse again?? I will definitely have this evaluated with some help maybe from the dealer. I will be totally happy if it's just the rims and issue is resolved. I did notice some dead spot action but that usually resolves within a mile or two so I wasn't to worried about it. And the 5th gear vibration thing is not really noticeable compared to all the other vibration that I experience at higher speeds. I will try to post a response in the future about how it all works out in the next couple weeks.

Hope'n it all works out...Paul

04TLpain

So, yesterday I spent most of the day mess'n around with my car trying to get the vibration issue resolved. Went and bought a reconditioned rim 176.00. Then went to the tire shop to do a little rim and tire swap. Up on the ramp, the back left tire was bald to the inside, almost to the metal mesh. Yikes! I was a bit ticked off since I just had an alignment in July. Probably put 6k miles on it. I'm pretty careful about driving, mostly highway and don't recall hitting any curbs, or craters. There goes another 150.00 for a tire. I drive way to many freeway miles to put anything more expensive on the car, even though the tire guy was trying to make me feel bad for not placing the OEM recommended tire. Well, long story, recheck and realign. Today the car has never felt better. Slight bounce but I think it has to do with some of the uneven wear of the tires from before. Lesson learned. Buying used? Make sure the rims are true or you'll spend some serious cash getting them all worked out. If the repair shop says the rims are a little bent but they are ok, they probably aren't. You want smooth, make sure the rims are smooth first and work your way from there.

Mark - Detroit

Hi Paul,
Sounds like for sure your vibration problems are tire related. Hopefully you are not buying more Bridgestones.
The rear tire wear issue is another classic for the '04 & '05 TL with Bridgestone tires, especially at highway speeds and any passengers or load carried in the back. Acura issued a Service Bulletin #05-050 (from Feb 1st 2006) to reduce the rear toe in setting. Probably the guy who did your last alignment did not know of the change or doesn't know what he is doing. And, if it was just done again, by the same guy, you should expect the same wear characteristics. If you usually carry some load in the back, make sure it is in the car when aligned. Do a search on this topic. Lots will come up.
Also there is a change in the spring damper bump stops to reduce the rear end squat. You should check your vin against the affect vehicles.

Sounds like you are almost there!
Mark

JMoNeY11

I just bought a 2004 Acura TL automatic and like you guys it shakes. It has the OEM tires still on it, so I am obv looking for new tires.

Which are the best tires to prevent the shaking from occuring?

JMoNeY11

Also I heard the Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season tires are the best fit for this Acura. Anyone who has driven with these tires care to comment?

Layson

Mine has had a vibration since it was brand new....

binhsterbinh

Eagle F1 A/S are great tires, but from experience, they'll give you more vibration because of their sporty nature. You're going to feel most road imperfections(textures, bumps, and whatnot). I've had 2 different hunterforce 9700 machines balance them and still have slight vibration on the smoothest of highways. Keep in mind I upgraded from MXM4 stock 235/45/17 to 245/40/18 so the ride will always get more rough.

BronzeAccord

First, i just got my car this past weekend and man i just love it. Got an 05 TL, Navi, 5 speed auto.

Now when i pull off sometimes i get a real slight vibration. It gets a little bit harder if i turn the corner and give it a little more gas. Is this the same vibration you guys are talking about? It never vibrates at high speeds.

'06TLowner

No that's not what mine does. Mine vibrates when the rpm is at 1500 in which the speed is between 50-55mph. As long as I go below or above the said speed it doesn't vibrate.

Has anyone contacted Acura about their driveline vibration? If so, what have they said?

binhsterbinh

Do a search. believe this issue has been discussed before. 04 TL's can have motor mounts or something replaced to possibly correct this issue if it really shutters that bad.

Issue is common with all 3rd gen TL's though with the 1400-1900rpm range engine vibration. I have it too but it does not really vibrate my steering or anything. I can audibly hear it and have to either speed up or move to lower gear to get rid of the problem. It doesnt bother me. Our automatics are geared low. Too low especially if you're hauling bigger wheels and more people.

onewolf

Good lord - I was about to buy an 08 TL, been researching it for a month - and now seeing this, I'm saying no way! For $35k the idea that I even MIGHT have this kind of issue is beyond rediculous. My 95 Accord is still smooth as silk and although I'm sick of it, maybe it's time to take a serious look at Lexus for me.

MDs1

onewolf,

Glad that you came accross this before buying the '08. I have a 07 TL with Nav which I bought new and I have been plagued with the drivetrain vibration from day one. Several trips to the dealership and application of the dampter didn't solve the problem. I am now getting ready to get rid of this car.

I had a 99 Accord V6 which ran smooth like silk even with 101K miles when I traded it. Had I known of the problem with the TL before hand, I would have stayed away from this car.

Good luck on your new car search though. But please think twice before getting the TL.

All the best and happy holidays.

MDs1

tjawed

so if there is a TSB out for the vibration. When I take it to the dealer (mine is out of warranty) should I expect to pay money out of pocket to have this addressed?

The vibration is just so frustrating. You expect the car to work smoothly and it just doesn't. I bought a new set of tires yesterday, which has significantly reduced the vibration, and I am now shopping around for a new set of OEM rims.

On a side note, is there a thread for good mechanics that are not at the dealership?

240sx acura tech

let me tell you all something they all do it. thats right, every one. why because of transmission design and ecu programming. they want better fuel economy and that trans to last past 75k. we all remember the 2nd gen tl's. i hear this complant 3 times a day. its normal.

jerseydog66

Mark, I have a 6MT and I think I'm in the same boat you were in. Here's my recap: Car vibrated, the dealer told me the wheels were bent, I bought aftermarket wheels, car still vibrates, dealer replaced some front end components and told me that the NEW wheels are bent. They claimed to have swapped the wheels and tires from another car and said the vibration went away. My next step is to buy new tires and try them on the aftermarket wheels. My question to you or anyone else who has solved the 6MT vibration with new tires is: whats the best/most affordable tire that will fix this problem?

whatjones911

It's the lame torque converter making all the vibration at 1500rpm. thats my guess

Chad05TL

Here's my shot in the dark, cheap struts. Try replacing the struts with some aftermarket performance struts.

Wheel hop can occur at higher speeds if struts/shocks are bad. You've seen those crappy old cars on the highway doing 60 with the front tires bouncing up and down. But in our case, it may be a poor strut design.

jay2005

did any one get the car fix from the vibration and can u tell me what they did to the car cuz i have the same problem

rsxs9400

so is it even worth trying to goto acura and get this fixed? i just got an 05 tl 5at a few months ago and I have been noticing the problem ever since.