igowest

Noise coming from the rear on small bumps even cracks on the road awful noise. Brought to acura 2 times. First they say they have adjusted suspension, 2nd time they tightened something under rear speaker panel, still noises. Noises softer than suspension noises, it's like something loose in panels, like speakers loose. Anyone else?

BigBunks

yup i found 2 things that make noise in my tl. The first is the plastic on the brake light on the rear windshield when the sub and bass kicks in and the pastic hits the glass. The second is the small light just inside of the trunk which also rattles from the sub and bass. I really dont see a fix for either but let me know if you have any ideas.

igowest

is it a thump or a squeek noise. This morning I couldn't take it so I brought it to the dealer for 3rd time. Test drove it with the mech on a road which I take every morning. He heard the noise and analysed it to probably a bad shock. I will let you know what comes of it.

P.S. they gave me a 20K CSX for loaner and the car is quieter than my 44K TL. Acura shame on you!

RKEnnis

I'm having the same problem. Sort of a "thump" sound from the rear of the car when hitting a small bump or crack in the road. It even does it when I hit the small lip at the end of my drive way.

I've tried to troubleshoot the problem myself, since I know from past experience with my 3G TL that I have to hit my dealer over the head with the problem before they will even attempt to fix a rattle or other noise.

Anyhow, I took everything out of the trunk, including the tool kit and spare tire. Several trim pieces seemed to have the potential to make noise, so I blocked or wedged them with cloth, etc. Didn't help, but I guess now I know some things that AREN'T causing the problem.

I was wondering of the trunk lid could be causing it, but now that I think about it though, I can see how it could be a strut/shock problem.

Note that for me, the problem isn't related to the stereo, or any base noise. Also, I'm pretty sure it's coming from the trunk area, since it's noticeably louder with the trunk close out panel opened. One thing is certain - hitting cracks in the road is WAY louder on this car than it was on my 3G TL. The problem doesn't seem to occur when hitting larger, more gradual bumps, like speed bumps.

I'm looking forward to hearing a resolution if/when anyone finds one. Meanwhile, I guess I'll schedule my car into the dealer... -- sigh --

Kingmeow

Could it be a variant of my problem? I know some data points don't match but I too emptied everything out to find it and couldn't. I too thought it was the trunk lid/latch.

https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-problems-fixes-297/creak-sound-left-side-body-when-going-up-down-driveway-758746/

Post #2.

4G Express

I reported the same problem when I brought my car in for the steering issue. Same exact issue you are describing. I was due for an alignment and supposedly thats all they did because now the sound is gone. Obviously I doubt that an alignment could fix this. They asked to take the car on a 20 mile overnight run so that they could recreate the issue which they did but they didnt charge me for or report back that they made any changes. I immediatley knew I wasnt out of my mind with the rear noise when the 04 TSX loaner they gave me was ten fold quieter on the same roads I was driving on with my TL.

igowest

well brought my car back, and they pinned it down to the shocks. They ordered the shocks, and you know what, all on back order. And acura asked that when it comes in that they send back old shocks back for research, cause the problem is wide spread.

I will let you know the outcome.

RKEnnis

Thanks for the replies. I still haven't scheduled a service appointment, I guess I'll do it tomorrow.

I can certainly see how it could be shocks, that makes perfect sense. Hopefully they'll find the problem on my first visit...

wmahmud

Is it like when something has a play and bends type of thing? I feel it more on going over speed bumps but how do I show that to the dealer if there are no speed bumps around??

And with the road noise, yes this car feels and hears everything, even a guy who drives an old hyundai was like "is that your car, i never hear that in my car"

someone else once mentioned it could be the profile of the tires - but for a $50k car, i dont get it.

Im going in for a speaker replacement in a few days - im going to ask to test drive another TL to see if I notice the same things.

FAST4DR

I can hear the low frequency shock noise on mine too. Sounds like there is some free play in the shock and when unloaded or the car hits bumps it make a low frequency popping noise. Not a big deal and doesn't happen all the time, but I can hear it. Actually, we had a 2002 Nissan Altima that was making the exact same noise and they ended up putting out a TSB and replaced the shocks, which fixed the problem.

I'm going to wait till I get some more miles on the car and it gets warmer before I decide to stop by the dealer.

BLACKURA_NY

iTrader: (6)

Of all the TL's i've had, this one is surprisingly the quietest suspension of them all

Acuras, have a large wheel gap (most people hate) and noisy suspension. Its all the engineering.

Usually, bumps and thuds, are caused by the rear sway bar, bushings, or sometimes even the stabilizer link....

There was a TSB on the 3G Type S, because of "thuds"... i believe it was resolved by re-greasing or replacing the bushings on the stabilizer bar

igowest

So came back from vacation and brought my car in for the suspension replacements. Acura asked the dealer to ship back the old ones for research. Anyway after the replacements, the noise is alot quieter but, I still feel that the noise is there but alot further. I am thinking that through time the noise will come back. I will need to give the dealer some feedback and I guess after a week of driving, I can say that its much better but not 100% gone.

BLACKURA_NY: Me too I think that its about the large wheel gap, cause when I put on my 19 inch summer rims, I did not hear the noise. But the 17 inch winter, the noise was there. I guess in spring I will keep more attention on this.


igowest

wmahmud

I hear more of a clunking in the back when I go over speed bumps and what not - the front doesn't make any noise.

Is it normal or is it something that I should talk to my dealer about?

igowest

I say it bring it to the dealer. This is not normal. If I would not have bought the extra warrently/skirt/19in wheels/tires, I would most probably put it back on the market.

45K+ car with these noises...

wmahmud

I agree almost a $50K car in Canada and noises like that? Now I kind of wished I just had gone with the little smaller G37x and not have to deal with this kind of stuff

RKEnnis

I had my TL in to the dealer last Friday for the thunking problem in the rear of the car. They kept it all day, and couldn't find out what was causing it. They said they checked all rear suspension components, and found no signs of a problem. They even said they drove around with someone in the trunk, but couldn't isolate where the noise was coming from. They wanted to keep the car longer, but I didn't want to leave it over the weekend. I'm scheduled for a return visit next week. Hopefully they will find something then. The noise is definitely getting worse! :/

I guess the good news is that at least they were able to duplicate the problem. They initially tried saying it was normal, and happened on all cars of the same model, but they sort of backed off of that after spending some time with the car. I've asked them the be sure to have a TL for me to use as a loaner when I take it back, so I can see for myself if a different TL does the same thing.

I'll update again after my next trip to the dealer...

wmahmud

I am going in Friday for this and a few other things - I will also post what they say.

Kingmeow

Maybe Post #22 in this thread? The title is a bit misleading as it's lumped in with a bunch of stuff but I experienced a similar rear noise back then and don't know if it's the same as yours. Mine was addressed after twice to the dealer where they ripped the back seat apart to find it.

RKEnnis

I looked at the thread you mentioned, but my symptoms are pretty different from what is described there. In that thread you mention a pop that happens once when starting and stopping the car, but not when hitting bumps. Then later, you had creaking when the body flexes.

My car makes a "thunk" when hitting abrupt bumps, like steep speed bumps or large road seams. It does it consistently. Also, it's really not making any kind of creaking sound. Makes a sound sort of like a loose muffler hitting the frame of the car.

I'm not discounting the idea that it could ultimately be traced to a bad spot weld, but right I'm thinking (and hoping) it's a different issue than the one you describe.

Kingmeow

Got it. Definitely no noise when hitting the bumps in my case. BTW, I forgot to post the link!

https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-problems-fixes-297/pulsing-noise-cabin-between-50-60-mph-751524/

wmahmud

So the clunking I get normally over speed bumps the dealership did a full check in the back and said everything looks very stable and it could be just something I need to get used to as the stablizer bars will make that kind of a noise.

I guess I will let it be for now.

RKEnnis

Yeah, they spent two days telling me that! I finally insisted that they put in in a loaner TL (They usually put me in a TSX). Not only does the loaner TL NOT make the noise, the car handles quite differently as well. Comparing the two cars directly, my car rolls out much more on corners, and bounces on bumps noticeably more as well.

Given that, they have finally agreed to replace the rear struts. Naturally they are on back order. Not sure yet how soon they will have them. Since I now see that there is a handling difference, I've asked them about the front struts as well. The service rep. assured me that they were ok, but I insisted that they add "Check front struts" to my work order.

Sigh... Why is getting anything fixed under warranty such a battle? This experience reminds me of all the warranty repair hassles I had on my 3G TL. Literally EVERY warranty concern I have is initially blown off as "normal" by my dealer.

Since there is only one Acura dealer in my area, I really don't have a choice of where to take the car. Thanks to poor dealer service I've experienced over the last 4 years, this may well be my last Acura.

Ok, end of rant. I'll post an update when I get my car back.

igowest

RK, please let me know how it goes after your struts replacements. After my suspension replacement, I still feel and hear the same noise, just a little less. If your struts replacements does the job, than I will call it back in.

Thanks
igo

RKEnnis

Update:

My dealer replaced both rear shocks. The noise seems to have pretty much gone away, and the handling characteristics of the car are vasty improved. My TL is fun to drive again!

There has been some discussion about whether the rear end noise is "normal" in this car. After having the struts replaced, I do still hear an occasional noise from the rear suspension. I think that the "thunk" I was hearing from the shocks may have been covering up the normal suspension noise. BTW,The loaner TL I drove also made the occasional noise on certain bumps.

At any rate, the problem seems to be fixed.

TJ Zooker

I just had both of my rear struts replaced on my TL. It only had 23k on it!! Not pleased at all! Still getting some noise when going over pot holes or washboard. Expected a little more from a $50,000 car.

George Knighton

If it is a noise that a normal, everyday driver is likely to notice then it is not normal.

But having said that, I notice nothing unusual in the noise department.

Maybe the 440 watt ELS is turned up too high for me to notice.

Or maybe I'm enjoying the torque vectoring too much to notice.

:-)

TJ Zooker

Well the clunking noise is back. I only put on 2k km since I had both rear struts replaced. Any one else having major problems? Its not like Im taking it over any sweet jumps. I guess its back to the dealership.

cFoo

I had the same thing done on my old 07 TL. Bought it brand new. No more than 20k the rear sounded like it's going to fall apart. After that, I had the rear tail-light rubbing the window problem. They fixed it by adding a small padding to the gap between the rear window and the light. After 50k everything started rattling again. I tuned it out with the radio. But I had enough of the car and sold it and bought a Honda FiT for commute! Seriously, no regret. Now, my wife's 08 RDX is also falling apart. Rear strut blown. Driver seat base is waiting to be replaced because it's shifting around. We drive on perfectly paved highways 90% of the time. So you cannot blame poor roads.

I'm done with Acura crap. At least the North American built crap. Our 04 TSX is still kicking strong.

Rodney

Im sure you already checked, but have you made sure the spare tire is securely braced in. The spare tire can often make an annoying reverberating type noise when going over irregularities. And just double check all that silly stuff.

I just picked up my TL last week and have the same problem. I have not checked my spare tire yet but will as soon as I get over this flu.

If thats not the problem, Im thinking that the car is just too damn long for the suspension setup. It just creates a frustrating tremor/ aftershock.

TJ Zooker

Ya I've checked the whole rear end out, spare tire included, and its solid. Just going over the little lip on a curb doing 5 km/h makes a very audible clunking noise. I just hope they do some recalling cause I love this car. Just gonna wait till I throw my summer rims on to see if the problem gets worse before taking it in to the dealership.

FAST4DR

I thought the warmer weather might expand something enough to keep the noise down, but I still hear it. Like you said, it's only when going over little bumps and such that I hear the "popping" like noise. I'm thinking it must be some free play in the shock piston.

Kingmeow

Interesting! I'm starting to hear something similar. It seems to be happening as the weather is warming up. I don't seem to recall this when it was 25 deg. outside. At first I thought there was some loose big object banging around in the trunk. Best description is a hollow sounding "thunk" or a loose panel as someone said above.

igowest

Ok so I replace rear shocks and noise lessened a little. This week I removed my winter kit and installed my 19 inch stock rims and tires. The noise has gone away, so it is sure that the noise which i hear comes from the extra space in the wheel area. maybe with 17inch rims there is more space and the noise echoes much more.

eazy

iTrader: (8)

I have the same problem. When I go over bumps the rear sounds like something is vibrating. Brought it in last week they claimed not to hear it until i took one of them for a road test. Going back in on Wednesday.

TJ Zooker

Funny thing, I just put my 19's on and the noise was greatly reduced. Still the odd clunking when going over potholes or lips on curbs. I guess I'll hold off on going to the dealership.

AcuraScott2010

Hi all - just found this site - hope you can help.

The noise I'm hearing in the rear of my 2009 TL Tech-AWD can happen at just about any moment, but most often it happens when the body of the car is "twisted" or jolted - i.e. when I slowly go over the curb lip of my driveway and the car twists, or when the car twists or tilts going through an unlevel curve, or sometimes when I go over a bump on the road or lifted seam in the pavement espcially when the bump is on the driver's side only. I also sometimes hear it after I back out of a parking space and put the car in drive and the car lurches forward initially. If my car has been sitting in the sun for a while, the noise after lurching is often louder.

I don't classify the noise as a "rattle". Rather, it's more of an occasional metallic "clunk" or "creak". I almost sounds someone rapped the trunk or rear of the car with a small hammer or something. I don't really think it's a shock or strut problem because it's very random when going over bumps. While I haven't taken everything out of my trunk - i.e. spare tire, etc. - I've checked it and everything seems to be in there tightly. It seems to be more of a suspension problem or trunk-fit or body panel fit problem.

I noticed the noise less than a month after buying the car and I took it into the dealership. During that time, they checked out the rear of the car, and even ripped out the back seats, speakers, etc. and didn't really see any problems. They finally heard what they thought was the noise after about three days, and ended up replacing the struts, and said they didn't hear the noise anymore. Well, the next day I had to call them back to tell them the noise was still there. I decided to just keep driving the car hoping the noise would go away, but, it hasn't. In fact I notice it even more now, and it drives me crazy every time I hear it. It's been about 6 months since then, and I'm thinking of taking it back in to the dealer, but, hate to give up my car for the time it will likely take to find/fix the problem.

Does this sound like the same rear noise you all have been speaking about? Has anyone gotten an actual fix to this problem?

Kingmeow

Your desription is EXACTLY what happened to me. Around two months after ownership I heard what you just described, a metallic "click" or "clunk" when you just about to come to a stop or accelerate at a light. Local driving seems to bring this on as I don't hear this on highways or speeds over 45 MPH or so. It also doesn't happen over very rough bumps. You figure it would exacerbate the problem.

So around November/December I took it in to Acura of Boston (I commute to Boston from NJ to work - long story) and they found that it was due to seam rubbing between two panels. My problem came from the right rear. Think of how earthquake works. Two plates are pushing against each other until one gives. This causes the "click" that you are hearing. I guess with highway driving, there's not enough directional force to cause one panel to give.

So they fixed it by dimpling the welds and spreading the seam slightly where the rubbing was occuring and added seam sealer. Worked great for about 3 months or until the weather started to warm up.

The past few months it got worse and worse and to the point where I can cause it only demand when making turns at local speed. Again local only, no highway. This was due to the temperatures rising with a few weeks of 60-70 deg. temps. Similar to what you said about it being worse after sitting in the sun!

Thinking it was due to part expansion due to the temperature I brought it in again just last week. This time they found another spot where this was happening. According to the service order they added a shim this time and used a bonding agent as well as seam sealer.

I gave it a good work out since I picked it up on Friday and I can safely say the noise is completely gone - knock on wood! The first time they fixed it there still was some residual "clicking" but far less frequent and much toned down. I figured I'll just live with it instead of more tearing the back apart.

The area where they did the work was the rear right passenger door opening. The first time in November they removed the rear seat. This time, only the rubber weather seal towards the rear of the door opening on the body was removed and the work done.

I can almost bet you that is your problem. Communicate this to your service department. I wonder if this is going to make it to a TSB as if these are robotic welds, there will be more and more reports of this.

BTW, it is such a joy now to drive the car without the damn clicking/clunking noise when ever you go out to get a gallon of milk!

Acura2010

Hey Guys.....I've only had my TL SH-AWD for less than a week, but have come across the annoying Bass rattle......it's definatley an audio issue.......it's almost like plastic rattling somewhere. I will check the Rear Mount brake light to see if that solves the problem, but very disapointing for a $50K canadian car.

Is there anywhere else i should try to look for this Bass rattle?

wmahmud

I have the same Bass rattle - I put on my stereo, went outside, and you can hear the plastic below the brake light rattles.

How have people fixed this ?

t5620

if the noise is coming from under the passenger seat there's a thread on 3Gen forum, describing the situation, and a very easy fix. I tried it and it worked.