Hello all,

2012 AWD, when I am at a stop light or whenever the car is in drive or reverse, I feel this vibration I never felt before in both the driver and passanger seats. I can feel my hand moving when I place it on the seats. The vibration goes away in neutral and park. Any idea what it can be. Thanks

 

What is the engine rpm when you feel the vibrations ?

 

The engine RPMs are around 0.7?! 2 notches less than 1. Once the car is moving, I don't feel the vibration, as soon as the car is stopped while in gear, the vibration is there

 

Hard to diagnose something like that without having the car in front of me. I am sure others will agree. However, there are a few thoughts: Transmission oil level (is that ok?). Front engine mount or the hose and valve system that triggers its vibration smoothing property at idle with gear in. Lift the hood, have someone put it in D with the brakes on (be safe!) see if the vibration is visible/noticeable more on the front of the engine instead of the rear. Don't run over anyone! Last, well, warranty still OK? Big ticket item could be the torque converter.

 

Yes I do have warranty, it's just whenever I go for any issues, they say the usual "everything is normal" and send me on my way. Would a bad TC cause a vibration while not moving in drive?

 

What I have found out is that for warranty work the best thing to do is to go the last or first day to talk to the dealer. They all are trying to book their time for the month and this may be a good opportunity for them to bill the heck out of Honda/Acura with some warranty work. Of course that is totally unprofessional because a warranty issue is a warranty issue regardless of how busy or idle they are.

That being said, your options are simple: Either go to another Acura dealer (unless you are stuck in a small city with just one) or call customer relations and tell them all about the issue. But first you need to have this logged in the computer by going to the dealer and talking to them first about the issue.

 

Would warped rotors cause this vibration while in drive and reverse without moving?

 

nope, warped rotors exhibit vibration when the brakes are applied and the car is moving.

Your issue sounds like a bad engine mount. Our cars have 3 of them and any one of them could have failed. Usually it's the rear engine mount that removes all vibrations and a bad one could def. be causing the exact symptoms you have.

Take it to a shop and have them check the mounts for breakage. If they look fine I would have the shop Neutralize the engine mounts.

 

Can A car with 20K miles can have a bad mount?

 

^^^^^

Sure. Manufacturing defects. Quality control slip-throughs.

 

So today I went to a dealership where I didn't buy the car from and they claim the vibration is from aftermarket suspension?!. The car came with aftermarket suspension, So I have Acura care involved now, let's see how this goes.

 

Interested in the outcome of this situation.Please keep us updated.

I feel a similar vibration during idle in "D". I had the car checked by the dealership and an independent and was told that it was nothing out of ordinary and the similar issue exists in the TSX and MDX .

The lead mechanic at the dealership told me that they had a Honda engineer who investigated the problem and he could not come to any conclusive reason for it, they tested several TL's and all displayed the slight vibration.
I happened to drive a brand new CRV recently and that vehicle vibrates a lot during idle in "D", way more noticeable that the TL.

I seem to remember other members making similar complain on this forum.Hopefully you will have better results.

 

You can break a factory mount in under 50 miles if you try so I wouldn't doubt it. Quick launches from 0, wheel hop, etc destroy the mounts. The factory ones are very soft to help keep vibrations from coming in.

This is pure BS. Shifting into Neutral or Park eliminates it meaning that the vibration comes when the transmission is connected to the engine. I would check the transmission mounts to ensure that they are all fine and aren't binding. Even if the mounts look good, they could be binding and thus need an engine mount neutralization. Talk to the service manager and get them to do this. It should help A LOT.

Dealers love to make stuff up to get customers out of their hair. My TL has 40K and idles as smooth as butter. Honda engine mounts tend to fail quickly on the V6 models and as well they tend to bind. I've had to neutralize the mounts on my TL a few times but not a single time in my MDX.

 

Thanks for the info. I have to look in to neutralizing the mounts.

The engine does idle smoothly,it is only in "D" during idle such as when at a stop light that you feel slight vibration in the seat,it is more pronounced with your hands on the steering wheel and even more pronounced with the AC or defrost on.

Perhaps you can shed some light on this bit that the mechanic told me.........."the engine mounts are fluid filled and the vacuum line is connected to the intake manifold,they checked it to ensure that there was not any issues related to this complaint".
Appreciate any input you have related to his comment.

 

I notice the same thing. A little bit disappointed for a near luxury car. My thoughts are Acuras are still Hondas underneath and almost all Hondas I've driven exhibit this vibration. Just one of those NVH issues we'll have to live with. In this regards, Acura is behind Lexus, even Infiniti.

The good news is Acura seems to have fixed this issue with the new generation of Acuras (TLX, MDX, RLX). My 2014 MDX is absolutely smooth at idle.

 

They ended up neutralizing the mounts which helped somewhat.

 

Thanks for the update. The TL is a nice car but it has some quirks that i find annoying.