Well, this is no fun. Car has 110K miles, recently did the timing belt & water pump service.
Noticed the past few days it was making a clunking sound when accelerating from a stop, also felt laggy.
On my way to Thanksgiving dinner, on a highway, the CEL started flashing and it went into limp mode, topped around 2K RPM and 60mph
I got to my destination, which is close to the dealer. After dinner, dropped off the car at the dealer. That trip was about 10 mins. No CEL, but clunking noise and felt laggy again.

Spoke to dealer this morning, said it had no stored codes, but they hear the noise and think it’s some sort of internal engine problem and needs a new engine. Today being Black Friday, will get quotes for both new and remanufactured engines on Monday.

This will be my last Acura, I’m done.

 

Sorry to hear about your problems. Did they diagnose the problem? Who did the timing belt change? Is it possible the install was the problem?

 

If the dealer did the timing belt change, they should be responsible for the work. From what I read, it sound like the timing belt was installed "out-of-sync" (they may have moved the crankshaft by one or 2 teeth) which may cause slight interference with the engine's timing, causing interference etc and physical damage to the pistons/valved.
Suggest to try to identify the root cause of the situation, otherwise the dealer will try making the customer pay for their mistake.

 

^^^^ 100% agree.

How many miles or how much time has passed since you "recently" did the TB and WP service? I would be very suspect as mentioned above. I would stay very close to the details and diagnosis as surely the dealer or whomever did the service isn't going to own up to being at fault.

 

How long ago was the timing belt done? Anyway, could be rod bearings.

 

Yes, dealer said it was the rod bearings and #5 cylinder failed. They are replacing it with a remanufactured unit this week. I had the timing belt and water pump replaced by a Tires Plus right around 98K miles. It felt like it had been running fine right up about 3 days before Thanksgiving. At that point it was making a strange noise and felt laggy, although no CEL.
It's also possible that the timing was so slightly off that it took that long to fail, I'm not sure. I probably should have had the dealer do that service, lesson learned.
I think I may trade it in for a Lexus when the inventory situation improves.

In the meantime, I have a 2021 RDX/Tech loaner. Nice vehicle whose experience is ruined by the goofy mousepad infotainment system

 

Something isn't jiving or lining up here.

rod bearing failure is most likely from lack of lubrication.
I would press or inquire the root cause.

 

Timing belt won't have anything to do with it. I would try and get goodwill assistance and/or call client relations. They may ask for your history of oil changes if done elsewhere.

 

Got the car back yesterday, total was $6,700 including taxes, which was actually about $1,000 less than I thought. They knocked it down when I said this is my last Acura. There is about a 90% chance it still will be my last Acura, but I appreciate the gesture. The engine came from a parts dealer in upstate NY and has 70K miles on it (mine had 110K) and comes with a 3 year unlimited mileage warranty. The total also included a timing belt service, I think that is what the dealer knocked down as a goodwill gesture.

I asked a few times if the service advisor knew the root cause, and they said they couldn't be 100% sure, but cylinder #5 was destroyed and the piston was sort of free floating in the cylinder. I assume this means the connecting rod likely failed? The failed engine was swapped with the parts dealer for the used one, so it was gone when I picked up the car. I'm not really that technically savvy and pretty much done with Acura so I was happy they knocked the price down a little bit. I'm going to see if it lasts another 2-3 years and probably try a Lexus next.

We also talked about the service history a bit as they said things like timing belts or lack of oil changes usually lead to engine failures. As I mentioned in the 1st post, I had a timing belt service done at a Tires Plus right around 100K miles and it ran fine between 100K and 110K. Also used Tires Plus for oil changes and those were done religiously every 3,000 miles and I've never had an oil light or check engine light come on before.

 

Sorry to hear that happened to you and even if you had a 100,000 mile extended warranty it would have been out of coverage - I have a 100,000 mile extended warranty on mine and I'm glad I do...

My 2018 TLX is in the shop w/a blown engine at only 48,000 miles and I too have an RDX as a loaner . They said the last engine replacement they did took 3 - 4 months because of shortages due to the pandemic etc. I actually hope it takes that long for mine too, because I'd rather put three months of mileage and one winter's worth of road salt on their car than mine.

 

You're much luckier than I was in that you fall within the powertrain warranty. Only downside might be the waiting time in getting the new engine from Acura, mine was a used engine from a parts dealer in stock 200 miles away. It was at the dealer within a week.

 

For sure - sorry, not trying to rub it in or anything but yeah. Absolutely good to have the engine fail (if it's gonna fail) while under warranty, but regardless of that, I kind of feel even luckier that it did fail, since now my over 2 year old car will have a brand new engine in it. Plus, with the COVID delays (they said the last engine took 3 - 4 months) I get to put wear and tear on THEIR (loaner) car, and, I get to experience driving a diff. model for however many months (RDX). I don't prefer this RDX, but, I am a curious person and that fills an itch for me.

Maybe I should call Acura Customer Care and ask for some kind of warranty extension? Or, try to push them to tell me if this engine has had something changed to make it more reliable (though I know they won't want to admit there was a problem, fearing class action lawsuits and whatnot).

 

I just experienced an engine failure on my 2018 TLX A-Spec AWD at 34,400 miles. Number 2 (b) crankshaft bearing has failed. Mechanic said it appears as if it wasn't getting oil and marked-up the shaft. I am freaking pissed! I was told Honda engines are "bullet-proof". What a bunch of BS.

 

Sorry to hear about your problem. You can file a complaint with the NHTSA.
There was another failure posted on another forum just today. It was a 2018 V6 SH-AWD also. For some reason most failures have been AWD, I have only seen one failure with the FWD. Good luck going forward and hopefully covered under the power-train warranty.

 

Dealer has been approved by corporate to make the repair under warranty. Warranty will expire this November. Dealer states they have another TLX in for the same issue that will be covered under warranty. Not sure if it is an AWD also.

 

2016 TLX Technology V6 with 98k miles. Rod bearing failure in cylinder 4. All of my services were performed at the Acura dealership and according to schedule. Oil was changed regularly. Happened quickly and before next service date which would have been in 2 months or so. Financially, i understand why they refuse to cover costs or issue a recall but it completely sucks for us as long-term customers.


I'm more of the quiet protester type that speaks with my money. Getting upset and escalating the issue ultimately leads no where. I loved the Acura brand but this will be my last after decades of strict loyalty

 

By chance did you have any warnings before the failure?

Did Acura step up and help you out?

 

I figured I’d check in on this thread now that the rod bearing recall has taken place. I ended up trading my TLX in for a Kia Sportage PHEV.

Acura did not step up, so I’m done with them.

 

Recall states: "Owners who have paid to have these repairs completed at their own expense will be eligible for Reimbursement." FWIW.