So my mom just bought a 2004 TL with 34k miles the other day...today, we were driving and the car would jolt a little and then the VSA light and the light with the exclamation point with a triangle around it comes on...so after turning the car on and off, it went off for a few seconds, then came back on again...the dealership wasnt busy due to it being a saturday i guess and OF COURSE it doesnt come on for them...so they said "well it could be from the change in traction" which would be perfectly reasonable, except we went straight on a smooth road and it happened, and then it came on when we were parked in the driveway after restarting it. What could it be??? We JUST got the car so this seems a little ridiculous. We were also told to turn it off, but we shouldnt have to everytime we get in the car. The jolt is also a little scary when you're just driving along. Please help!

 

A 2004 with only 34k miles????? Where was the car purchased... from a dealership? I REALLY question that mileage. Especially in light of what I am about to say next.

Your description exactly matches the description of the transmission dieing. Especially with a 2004 model. The 2004 model was the last year to receive the flawed transmission model, which dies extremely frequently. Many people with this model of transmission have had to replace their trans 2,3, 4, or more times during their ownership. That is how bad the trans is.

Did a warrant come with the car? If I am correct, the trans will need to be replaced. Also, be aware that the trans will suddenly stop working and leave you stranded.

 

a 2004 with 34,000...how much did she pay for it???

 

it was from a local guy who never drove it...all of it was documented and from the dealership that i take my car to...she paid 15.5 for it...the interior is spotless and theres a little cosmetic stuff outside, but im working on fixing all of that. transmission really? i dont think that will be good considering we had to change the one in my CL last year. we'll have to see i guess

 

sooo i just came back from the dealer and its the yaw sensor which is going to cost about $800. great having a car for a week and having to get that done...anyway, the previous owner bought the car from there so the service lady told me that he knew about it but declined to get it done. is this something i should call acura about or should we just bite the bullet and get it fixed?

 

Used cars are normally As-Is and no warranty, but I'd certainly check VA laws to see if any compensation might be forthcoming from the previous owner as they did know of the problem and didn't offer a disclosure. Can't hurt to do some research.

You would have to prove in court that they were aware of the problem and intentionally mislead you for personal gain, so if the records indicate that there was clearly a deception and it was intentional you may have a case.

 

Glad to hear that the trans is ok. But $800 for a yaw sensor

I had no idea that the yaw sensor cost that much. Wow.

I checked Acura Carland (online vendor) to verify. It can be purchased online for $459. It would be fairly easy to replace yourself. The only problem would be *if* it turned out to be something else instead of the yaw sensor... you would probably not be able to send it back for a refund. Most places have a "no returns" policy on electrical parts.

If you are still interested, click here. It is item #14.

 

Call the dealer back and ask them what DTCs (Diagnostic Trouble Codes) they pulled up and then post them here. We can go from there.

If they say they don't know, ask them why they didn't check for DTCs and how they came to the conclusion it's the yaw rate sensor.

On another note, if you can get a print out documenting that they provided the same diagnosis to the previous owner, take the print out back to the seller and complain to him.

 

my mom just said we need to be careful...that dealer was the same one that services my car and we've spent THOUSANDS there on my CL...so its almost like i know all the service women pretty personally haha so they were a little forgiving and theyre nice about trying to help out with prices and all...it just sucks because shit like this is exactly why my parents left mercedes and bmw after 25 years of owning them

 

Did you replace the YAW sensor? did it solve the problem???