mojo_79

It's well documented that there are lots of 2015 TLX SH-AWD (FWD?) vibration problems at highway speeds. It's like having a severely out of balance wheel.

Is there any evidence that this problem has or has not been fixed for the 2016 models? I'm seriously considering replacing my 2015 with a 2016 if this issue is resolved. New Michelin tires masked the problem for a while but now it's back.

Nexx

It's the axle. I had a few clients with this issue and only thing that fixed was the axle

kuzdu

so are the original axle's on the car defective? I have a slight vibration above 80-85, very slight but at 70 75 its very smooth

mojo_79

If it's the axles, why do they keep buying new tires for us to reduce the vibrations?

mondster

Same here. Vibration at high speeds. Any tsbs released for this?

Rocketsfan

I never had a problem with vibrations at highway speeds until recently. Who knows. I'm sure the bozos at Acura will say it's "operating within spec/parameters". lol. I have a bit over 33,000 miles on the car. I'll probably be getting some new tires in a month or two.

neil0311

There is a TSB for the drive shaft on SH-AWD models. I have a 2015 SH-AWD and had a slight vibration, and they tried the TSB and it did not affect anything. Changing all four tires to Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3's smoothed out pretty much all of the vibration. There is still a slight vibration at times around 70mph, but I can't tell if it's tire balance or something else. It's very slight.

**WhItE-aNgEl**

I have a 2016 FWD tech and i get a slight vibration at 75mph. So to answer your question no they haven't fixed it for the 2016 model either.

mojo_79

The same tires were put on my 2015 SH-AWD. After 8,000 miles and a tire rotation the vibration was back.

csmeance

If vibrations start after a tire rotation that means the tires/rims are off balance and need to be rebalanced.

mojo_79

Yes, on almost any other car. Not on this car. If only it was that simple...

csmeance

have you tried getting them redone with the proper Hunter Road Force Balancing machine? Most discount Tire stores have them.

mojo_79

Dealer had the car for an entire month trying to find the source of the vibration. Yes, tires were roadforce balanced. Better tires masked the problem for a while, now it's back. Doesn't matter anymore though, I got rid of my TLX.

quantum7

Does Acura recognize this issue. Seems that many members are trying tires, drive shaft rotation, forced alignments.....is this another transmission issue where "performing as designed"?

Rocketsfan

Congrats! Happy to hear you solved your problem.

lol.

Nexx

i dont work in service. i dont know why they keep doing that. i just know what fixed it. its really easy though using some common sense. find a tlx that doesnt vibrate. take the wheels off that tlx put it on the tlx that has issues. if it still vibrates, its not the wheel or tires.

sbillard

Well, maybe not. Wheels and tires should be balanced mounted on the car otherwise any imbalance in the rotor, bearings, etc. is not compensated.

SinCityTLX

Acura has been a big disappointment with wobbling 4 cyl TLX. Even though I complained about it the first day I bought it with the OEM wheels/tires and made them document it in the service records. The dealership is trying to say my severe wobbling is caused by my aftermarket tires/wheels that have been balanced and road forced to be virtually flawlessly balanced and roll evenly according to the hunter machine.

The strange thing is that the wobbling is worse sometimes than others, but is worst around 80-85 mph, but can be felt at all speeds. I truly hate this car due to this wobbling and may never buy an Acura again even thought this is my 10th Acura due to the shitty customer service they offer a great customer.

Shame on you Acura...... You have lost a great customer for life.

Mark Pettygrove

I'm sure not happy to be reading this thread!

I'm having highway speed vibration issues when driving at speeds around 70 mph and above. It definitely feels like a tire wobble to me. My car is less than a month old. And I've just replaced the stock BS Potenzas with Pilot Super Sports as of 3 days ago.

So I guess I'll take it back to America's Tire to have them look at force balancing the tires. Then test again. Hopefully that will take care of it.

I kept the Potenzas.

dboz

I do get the vibration at 68-72 MPH when I FIRST hit the highway. After 1-2 miles it is completely gone. My 2016 AWD car only has 200 miles and it's only been on the highway 2 times. I thought it was from sitting and took a few miles for the tires to smooth out? Not sure what to make of it after reading all this. It is not in the wheel, only the chassis. I feel it in the seats and on the pedals. So I am almost certain it is NOT the tires after reading all this.

kuzdu

I have the vibration as well more when a passenger is in the car. Do faulty axles cause this? From 68 and above.

Mark Pettygrove

Just returned from having the tires rebalanced and I'm happy to say that the issue appears to be fixed. The technician said that one of the weights had fallen off. I took the car out on the highway and the ride now is great.

I'm liking the car more and more as time passes and I try different settings.

I really feel the difference when I drive our '14 Grand Cherokee after driving the TLX for a while. The P-AWS technology is really easy to get used to, and something I miss when not driving the TLX. Makes me wish I'd opted for an AWD model!

neil0311

This has pretty much been my experience. Since the dealer replaced the awful Goodyear LS2 tires with Michelin Sport Plus A/S 3 tires, I've not really had any issues with vibration. Any vibrations I do feel are generally no worse than every other car I've had and could be slight balance issues or road issues.

#172CR

Not sure if they were AWD versions or not, but the only thing that fixed mine was a rear differential. https://acurazine.com/forums/5g-tlx-.../#post15775720

aussie5

I just purchased a 2016 TLX in August. Immediately noticed severe vibrations when driving at highway speed (60-80). Took it to dealer and they said therre was a Technical Service Bulletin that referenced that new OEM Goodyear tires were bad. The tires were replaced with new Goodyear, and that helped reduce the vibration, but I still think that the car vibrates more than it should when going 70-75MPH. What other problems have I not been told about that could solve this issue?

noclue02

I bought mine back in May and never noticed the vibration it until this past weekend when I drove past 80mph. It is definitely there for mine and I just got my tires rebalance and rotate 2 weeks ago.

SinCityTLX

My FWD 4cyl vibrates as well. I have bitched about it many times at the dealership and they say I am crazy, but the car shakes so I know they are full of shit and just wanting to pass it off. The wobble is worse at some times, so that is indicative it isn't the tires. I have also replaced the tires 4 times with a new set. I did get heavier Nitto Invos this time around and the dampen the vibration/wobble, but it is amply apparent still.

rocket_pup

It's very likely a tire balance issue. When I got new wheels and tires, it took the tire shop a few tries to get the balance just right. They got it right on the money. Shortly afterwards I got a nail in a tire and was already at the dealership, so I told them to fix it. After that, I get a light vibration above 75 MPH. I'm do for a service A and tire rotation, and I'm confident that it will go away afterwards.

cube1

In some cases, and particularly on i4's, that is most likely. For AWD, however, there are several cases where balancing, even on high end equipment, does not help. Sometime better tires help. One notion I have is that an imbalance in tire inflation can also cause problems, as well, as Audi reportedly had some issues like that. There is one fix involving rotating a drive shaft, but even that does not always help. One report is that there is a resonance that Acura fixed in the 2017 MY via some additional chassis stiffening, and that Acura is working on a fix kit for the earlier model years to try and help.

rocket_pup

It turns out my front discs were warped, so the dealer is replacing those under warranty.

9SpeedTran

One thing I observed today is that on certain roads (I-95 in MD for example) where the original concrete slab roadbed has simply been paved over, there are almost invisible underlying ridges where the concrete slabs were joined every 10 feet or so. At certain speeds (above 70 but below 80 in my observation) and particularly on slight curves where the wheels hit the bumps at ever so slightly different times, it can set up a series of somewhat uncomfortable vibrations in the car, because the suspension is stiff enough for these small bumps to be transmitted with minimal absorption. I suspect if your tires are overinflated (and mine are, I try to keep them at 35psi front and 33psi rear, cold) it would amplify this.

mikedub88

In my personal experience it does not matter what the road surface is like. Road feedback is very predictably transmitted by the car. Around here we have some very rough roads and some very smooth new ones. We have concrete slab,brand new smooth as butter asphalt, and patches on top of patches asphalt. The vibration exists regardless of road surface. It's just easier to isolate on a smooth one. I have tried OEM recommend inlflation, over & under inflation. It also doesn't matter if you are on a straight or highway with banks/curves.

As stated in the other extensive thread about this topic The only one to have successfully had the vibration removed was 172CR and they replaced his rear dif.

9SpeedTran

I guess I don't have it then, because as far as I can tell, what little vibration I can observe is related to road surface rather than something in the vehicle. And I gather it is pretty severe when it happens.

ZipSpeed

I've been trying to "experience" the vibration at higher speeds myself, but like you, what I feel is just the road surface. When I drove my wife's 2015 Outback, I tried to feel for any abnormal vibration, and again, what was felt was just the irregularities of the road surface. My TLX does have a somewhat firmer suspension than my wife's Subaru, so on the same road, the vibration does seem more pronounce. Out of curiosity, for those who vibration issues, are the vibrations very noticeable? Is it bad that the whole vehicle shakes and at the end of the trip, you just felt like you went offroading on an uneven gravel road?

I have to stop reading forums as it's making me look for problems that probably don't exist!

jules77

I purchased my sh-awd TLX back in April and have the vibration issue too, I am saddened as I loved the car so much initially. My vibration issue started a couple of months after I bought it. It happens between 65-80 mph. I notice it more when the vehicle is cold it seems. It is getting worse lately. It is strange as it was so smooth for the first months of ownership. I hope they work work out a fix......
I am 4 hrs from my dealer.....do you think I should try the road force balancing first? I have a call into my dealer to let them know about the issue.

mikedub88

My car vibrates to the point where I can watch the passenger seat wobble like crazy while I drive. I know the vibration doesn't exist on every TLX because I have had multiple loaners without the problem both SHAWD and FWD. My girlfriend has a new civic and it is so smooth on the same highways i drive on, its like you are driving on a sheet of glass.

jaws1234

I have had my car at the dealer for exactly a month now. Here is what they have done to date;
- changed tires four times. Now I have supposedly perfectly balanced Michelin A/S 3+.
- replaced and rotated the propeller shaft (they tested with propeller shaft installed in standard way then they rotated it 90 degrees)
- replaced front brake rotors
- machined rear brake rotors
The dealer gave me the care back yesterday claiming it was OK. This was after hey rotated the new propeller shaft 90 degrees. The vibration while driving 120-130km/h is more subdued by still DEFINATELY there. I concur with other members - the better tires mask the issue but DO NOT SOLVE IT. I suggested rear differential change but what I was told the service manager will only do what Acura Engineering is telling him to do. Evidently they DO NOT KNOW what the problem is. When the permanent fix is found - i.e. more cars get fixed by replacing rear differential, Acura engineering will no longer be asking the dealers to replace tires X number of times, have them PERFECTLY balanced, replaced and rotate propeller shaft 90 degrees etc. The fix will take a few days max (as with the new transmission swap) and the customer will be on their way with smooth driving car. How is it possible Acura engineering cannot have a car with bad vibration in their "lab", replace rear differential and determine if that fixes the problem. All these other trial and error attempts to fix the problem are costing them waaaaay more money. What can we do, as customers, to suggest to them the way they approaching this issue is all wrong and gets loyal Acura customers leaving the brand.

ZipSpeed

Thanks for the feedback. On my way to work this morning, I looked over at the passenger seat and there was a slight wobble. Wasn't shaking crazy but noticeable. Then again, my previous vehicle was a WRX that drove like it was on rails, and the suspension was harsh and stiff. You could literally feel everything on the road. If there are any vibrations in my TLX, I suppose I'm not as sensitive to it considering what I drove prior.

SinCityTLX

IT IS NOT THE TIRES. I had my 275/30/20 and 245/35/20 Nitto Motivos replaced with Nitto Invos and then again with Michelin PS2s. The vibration is still there. the tires have been road forced at least 10-12 times, the wheels are flawlessly straight. My car wobbled from day one with the stocks tires as well. I just figured screw getting it fixed as I was replacing them anyway with 20s. I let the dealer know to note it as a complaint so there was service log for evidence so they could not blame the new wheels and tires. I have returned to the dealer about 6-7 times to fix the problem and they are unable to find the issue and they just say well it could be the tires because we can't find anything wrong.

I think the issue is in the axles or the tranny or the clutch, it wobbles like a tire with a bubble, but after 4 sets of tires I am sick of hearing people who think they know it all say it is the tires because they aren't smart enough to look or diagnose deeper than the easiest answer.

Hiflyer

I just bought my first Acura TLX...Love the car, under 60 MPH! After putting on 1k miles, I brought it back to the dealer for vibration over 60 MPH. They had it for 6 days, and changed all four tires. The tires were Road Force balanced and the car was given back to me. Now, the vibration is even worse!! I drive about 120 miles a day on the highway at speeds over 65 MPH, so this is completely unacceptable. It doesn't sound like there is a known fix, so I am just going to return the car to the dealer and have them keep it as long as they need to figure it out. I will drive one of their non-vibrating loaner vehicles. Wish I would of read this post before I bought the car...