txnole99

The vibration has been described as it "feels like the tires are flat spotted." After several trips to the dealer to examine the tires and wheels, Acura and the dealer have determined the vibration is a "vehicle characteristic" for 2012 SHAWD TLs. Has anyone else experienced this issue? If it is truly a vehicle characteristic I would expect others to have expereinced the same issue.

I purchased the new 2012 TL SHAWD Advance package last March from Nalley Acura. Ever since I drove it home from the dealer I felt a vibration between 40 and 80 MPH.

Thank you for your input!

-Patrick

JM2010 SH-AWD

That's BS. My 2010 has been rock steady since the day I bought it. No buzz, no vibration, just solid and planted. Did they even try to put different tires on it to confirm your tires aren't defective. I'd go elswhere.

optimus prime

I have the same vibration in my '12 TL Tech (no SHAWD). Acura (not the dealer) told me that it was a vehicle characteristic as well and closed my case. My dealership said they had the same issue on 3 other cars on their lot at the time of my purchase.

The dealer called the Acura tech line for direction on what to do and they were told that the engineers were aware of the problem and had no fix at this time. Off the record, the guys at the dealer told me that when Acura tells them this, expect a TSB or recall. For now, we have to live with it.

Make sure that you take it to the dealer, have them look at it, test drive it, and document your issue. Call Acura and open a case. Make sure you get the case number and if they close it, get confirmation that THEY closed it, not you.

If I had to guess what was going on, it really feels like there is something wrong in the suspension (struts, arms, etc.) or in the drive train/transmission. I say the drive train/transmission because, for me, the vibration becomes REALLY noticeable when going uphill or downhill.

pimpin-tl

Mine is solid till 80, then it starts to vibrate some above 80. But that is fine as I rarely go above 70 anyways.

sympley

how severe is the vibrations you guys are experiencing? I have some vibration around 70sh but it is not that bad and I am on winter tires.

i64X

I haven't had this issue at all. That being said I have only ever had mine up to around 90 mph and didn't stay on stock wheels and tires for more than about 800 miles.

Acura2010

Hey guys.....i'll give you my input. It really has to do with the Tires.....the reason i know this is because I recently bought a 2012 Maxima w/Sport Pkg as our second car. That car had a similar vibration as you mention of. The maxima has the same 245/40/19 Good Year Eagle RS-A as do the TL's. I went back and forth numerous times......and i still believe that the those tires don't hold balancing very well, or may have slight flat spots on them. It's 100% better than it was, but still you can feel a very slight vibration. My TL AWD has the Michelin's and are smooth as ever....not a single shake. So it has nothing to do with suspensioin, or struts. Truly it is a characteristic of the Eagle RS-A's, and not ther car. Hope that helps.

pimpin-tl

I have the Michelins on my TL AWD and it's smooth to 75 then it starts to vibrate up front. Not badly, but it still starts.

Shoot2Thrill

What makes you think this is not an out of balance condition especially if it is on a rear wheel?

I have no issue at all and the car can sit for a week or two and then it goes on the highway 65-80 MPH. I have had tires flat spot on other cars and these tire exhibit very little of the that if any.

Flatspotting is not typically a permanent issue.

To the OP go to a good tire shop and get an expert diagnosis.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=42

pimpin-tl

Because my TL has done it since day one. The 2012. And our 09 has also which we just sold.

KarKraze

Have you ever tried to get your wheels road force balanced? i had a vibration that was felt in the seat and floor,took the car to a good tire shop where all the wheels were re balanced with the Hunter road force machine and my issues went away.Vibration was felt between 100 km/h and 140 km/h.

VQPower37

could be a characteristic of the goodyear RSA ... the advance that i test drove shook like hell, but i just got some mounted today on my advance rims, and they seem pretty smooth, so it may be a hit or miss kinda thing with those tires ... bottom line though, i do not feel like its a normal characteristic of the car, and your dealer should swap ur tires before claiming its a normal characteristic

optimus prime

For my situation, the car has been balanced numerous times. High speed, road-force ( at 2 different dealerships), alignment checked, etc.

It could be a tire problem, but I have 7,000 miles on the car and still on the original Michelins. I have an A1 coming up, so we'll see what happens when the tires are rotated.

txnole99

Its a mild vibration, starts at 40 and most pronounced at 70-85. It is also more pronounced in the morning when the car is cold.

The tires and wheels were checked multiple times by the dealer. They are certain its not a tire issue.

txnole99

Thanks, OP. sounds like we have the same issue. My dealer didnt sound as positive about a TSB. He said, Vehicle Characteristic issues are more common than you think, and most go unresolved unless its a safety issue.

On of the steps the dealer took to test the tires was to swap them out on a very similar car. they then drove both cars with the tires swapped and the cars behaved the same. I'm still not convinced that both cars dont have tire issues that dont necessary show up on a road force balance test.

Acura Customer Service was no help, they just investigated to make sure the dealer did what they were supposed to do. I continue to call the dealership to talk to and plead my case to the service manager, GM and owner. I'm trying to figure out how to find someone with some decision power at Acura...

txnole99

All - Thanks for your feedback and suggestions. After several months of back and forth with Acura and the dealer I was able come to a resolution. The dealer bought back my '12 TL at market price (will likely not make any money on the resale) and between Acura and the dealer they offered enough dealer cash to reduce the price of a new MDX ADVANCE to make me whole.

Overall, I wish my TL could have had the vibration issue resolved, but I also like the MDX (actually has a better turning radius) and I feel good about the deal. I'm paying more, for a better, newer car vs. the TL, but I didnt lose out on much depreciation.

Edward'TLS

It's good to hear that you no longer have to live with the vibrations, and you're happy with the MDX deal.

Missjennijo

I just purchased at 2011 Acura TL with 50,000 miles and as soon as I got on interstate I noticed the shake with a harsh vibration in the gas pedal. It does feel like maybe there are flat spots of the tires or maybe one low on air. I did notice the air in my tires wasn't even on each tire so I fixed that hoping to solve the problem and it did not. I have had the car for 4 days and it is driving me crazy! I travel for work and spend a lot of time driving and can not deal with this if it is a vehicle characteristic! Any suggestions? Or should I take it to the dealer and demand a buy back?

Edward'TLS

^^^^^

Take it back to the dealer and ask them to fix the car.