Hello All,

I'm new to the forum and need help with a problem that I am having with my 2004 TL (50,000 miles).

Two weeks ago, I left work and about a mile into my trip home I was at a stop light. When the light turned green, I proceeded to turn left and all of a sudden I felt like I was pressing the gas very hard but the car was moving very slow and the Malfunction Indicator Light came on. I pulled over and restarted the car and everything seemed fine but the malfunction light stayed on. The next day after driving for about 10 mins, the light turned off.

The car was fine for a week and then the same problem happened again when I was leaving work and making a left turn at a light after being stopped. So, I took the car into Autozone to get it tested.

The diagnostic test indicated it was "P2138" with the following description:
Definition: APP 1/2 incorrect voltage correlation
Probable Causes:
1. Open or short circuit condition
2. Poor electrical connection
3. Failed APP sensor

Has anyone else had this problem and do you have any advice on how I should proceed before making an appointment with the dealer to check it out?

Thanks.

 

that is a problem with the Drive by wire system. Take it to your dealer, if you are out of warranty, you might have a big repair bill 500 dollars +

 

Thank you for your response. I was afraid it was going to be a big fix. I bought the car used last July but I did pay extra for the extended warranty which is supposed to be up to 100,000 miles. Hopefully this problem is covered by that.

I'll hope for the best when I take it to the dealer. They told me last time I am also getting close to needing new brakes and tires. I guess I'll get the Drive by wire system repaired and the brakes and wait on the tires.

 

I would take it to the dealer since you have the extended warranty. Why try to fix it yourself?

Also, if it's the factory extended warranty, I think you also have towing included. If can't accelerate, not sure I would call your car safe to drive.

 

I don't intend on fixing it myself. Just wanted to get an idea of what kind of problem I am dealing with before I go to the dealer.

Currently, the malfunction light is off and the car is running fine w/ no acceleration problems. Both times the car ran fine right away after I restarted it, but the malfunction light stayed on until the next day and then went off. Hopefully I won't have this issue again before I bring it in to get fixed which I plan on doing asap.

Thanks for the input.

 

this is the same exact problem ive been continuously experiencing for about 6 months now.

 

I am going to assume the app is the accelerator pedal position sensor, which tells the ecu how much to open the throttle, since the TL is a drive by wire throttle car.
The acclerator pedal is hooked up to a variable resistor, like an old fashoned volume control on a radio, which tells the ecu how much to open the throttle by operating a motor to open it.

The sensors themselves generaly don't go bad untill high miles, so I would check the electrical connections to it before going to the hassle of taking it in.

Brett

 

@da Fury
did you fix your problem because i have the same problems with my 2004 tl
please help mr out

 

Did either of you get this fixed? I experienced the same issue last night and had autozone confirm that the code was P2138. Was gonna start with the APP sensor but first wanted get input from you two.

Mc

 

hi i have had the same problem on a nephews car i am working on. its an 2004 accord w/v6 engine. 80,000 miles. dealer just put in a new transmission. problem started on the way home from the dealer. i replaced the throttle body. at first seemed to fix it. now about 6 weeks later all the same problem. tcs light on MIL on. i have checked all the power and ground connections and they all appear to be good. i think the apps sensor may have a glitch may be the problem. the code 2138 set while going 3 mph. so car must been rolling at a signal or stop light. don't yet know the proper way to test this sensor. anyone have information on this sensor or tell me what are the correct or normal values the computer needs to see.
i just registered here on this site. now this site just informed me i am on the free trial here. i didnt know. do you all pay for this site? if so can anyone tell me how much?

 

Welcome! Not sure what that free trial thing is. No one is paying a dime as far as I know.

The last person with that code needed an ECM/PCM reflash for $95. It wasn't the APP sensor. Here's the link:

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-problems-fixes-114/can-i-drive-car-limp-home-mode-771445/

 

thanks, i will look into flashing the computer. it is a intermittant problem makes it a little bit frustrating since everything seems to be fine. car runs great. it will probly take another 6 weeks to have it happen again. i would trade my 08 civic 11000mi for it. i am told not a chance. however i don't like throwing parts at it. definatly expensive. and anyone can do that. i am looking for info on what i need to know how to test it. like what values i am to look for.(ohms, volts, or ?) i know how to test some throttle position sensors. this app sensor appears to be the same. thanks again i will be back with results hopefully soon.

 

You'll want the service manual if you're going to DIY. You can buy it at helminc.com. You can also get a 3-day online subscription for $10 if you don't want to fork over the $50 for the full manual.

 

any updates on that P2138?

 

As the person who had the ECM reflash I can tell you that did NOT fix the problem. I will be taking my car in for the third time tomorrow.
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-problems-fixes-114/check-engine-vsa-light-keep-coming-periodically-778304/

 

change the app sensor ,i did 3 in the past week

 

changed out my APP sensor... and car is runnin sooo smooth

 

I was driving in Manhattan this evening and as I was waiting for the green light the "Throttle system:P2138. Throttle may not operate properly" message came on and the car, although was still running, it was very sluggish. I had to drive at 40mph, but the more I press the gas, the less it would go.

Also, the "Vehicle Stability assist83. VSA and TCS may not operate" message came on as well.

I have a certified pre-owned 2007 Type-S, which I bought this past February with only 32k miles (now it has 44k). The thing is that I had not choice but to drive it to my home in NJ, which was 40 miles away. Do you guys think that additional harm could've been done by me driving it that far? I was doing no more than 45-50 in the NJ Turnpike.

Its still under warranty, so I will ask for all those items mentioned here to be looked at.

One question, is this something that could happened frequentely in our cars? I read that some of you had had this problem on more than 1 ocassion.

 

No harm, but next time pull over in a safe area. Wait a minute and restart the car, it should operate fine for the time being. It should be covered under warranty, don't take any bs from the dealer. This is a very common issue but I don't know of a single case where it has reoccurred.

Also.. it's an easy fix. It would take no more than 10 minutes to replace it.

 

its ur APP bro... quick swap... but ur under warranty so ur good... my car used to go on Limp mode cuz of it never pulled over, just used to put it in Neutral and shut it off while cruising then turn it back on and used the correct gear to keep motion :6spd:

 

Was driving down the street yesterday and stopped at light, when it turned green my car went into "limp" mode (engine light and VSA light came on). My car would not accelerate until it got to 20-25 mph and it was normal again. This morning all of the lights were off and the car was back to normal, however I had to get my oil change this morning so I got them to run a diag. on my TL while it was there and it was the P2138 accelerator sensor malfunction. Am having them replace overnight and will post later...

 

I was just wondering how much the part costs, where the place to get it would be (dealer?), and what other materials if any are necessary to do a self install. I am not all that mechanically savvy, but if it's as simple as some have made it out to be, hopefully I'll be able to manage. Any other relevant information would be greatly appreciated as well.

This just happened to me a few moments ago. I was actually sitting in front of my office with my car idling for awhile listening to an audio CD? It sounds like a reasonably common issue, and I am getting into higher mileage now too (106,xxx).

Thanks in advance!

 

Been experiencing this for about a week now. Starting to happen more frequently and I'm going to try to hurry and call my extended warranty officers to see if this will be covered. Mine is through the bank, not the dealer so I'll repost after I get it all taken care of. Any input would be nice too.

 

i had the same problem some time ago and it was the app sensor. since it only would happen after accelerating from a stop. i found the contacts was worn where it would be at closed throttle. i opened up the app sensor and adjusted it (toward off idle) i moved it just a enough or just a hair away from the spot where it is worn. the change in the voltage from the app sensor to the pcm would still be in acceptable range. it has been over a year now and no problems

 

Just had the same issue, changed the APP sensor in about 10min, and no more issues.

 

APP!

 

I just experienced this today. Anyone has the link to the APP part, or if possibly a DIY?

 

Question? after changing the app sensor. Will the check engine light turn off? Or does that have to be done manually thnxs for the help peeps