Tardym

Hi OtownPSU,

It took them 9 days to figure out,that 2 of the 4 tires were bad ??? They always blame the tires... but the non SH-AWD use the exact or lower quality tires and we never, ever saw someone complaining about vibration if they drove a non SH-AWD ??
Acura just refuse to admit that they built a car that is NOT "Precision Crafted" and that is defective. I really hope they solve your issue and everything OK for you, but most of us who got this issue are still having it, even after tire change and all TBS applied.
Keep us posted.
Thanks, Mickey

azsl1326

I have a "non-SH-AWD" and I have the vibration issue. So did the loaner they gave me and the service department stated that they drove another 18 V6 on their lot that also vibrated.

Curious to know if the 19's have the vibration issue.

Tardym

Hi azsl1326,

Is your vibrations in the floor and seats or mostly on the steering ?? if you do a quick search on the forum about vibrations, most of the reported issues were for the AWD, sorry to hear that you also have the problem.
I am still in court with Acura Canada and building a file by looking at forums and taking info from these forums.
I have asked multiple time for people to send me info on what they have done to try to fix the issue with the dealer and Acura,and the one that reported it to me never got it fix at 100%.
So I continue my battle with Acura in court.

Thanks, Mickey

azsl1326

Mine is in the seats and floor. It starts like clock-work right around 68mph. I could almost close my eyes and tell you my speed based upon the vibrations.

My car only has 3K miles. I have taken it to the dealer twice. The first time they balanced the tires. Didn't fix the issue. The second time, I rode with the tech and he felt the vibration. They kept it for 2 days and then determined it was a "like issue" meaning they could duplicate it in other 18 TLX V6 vehicles. Therefore, they wouldn't attempt any repairs and stated I needed to follow-up with Acura - which I did. Acura is now researching my issue and stated they would get back to me later this week.

I would be happy to share what minimal information or documents I have if it would help your case.

Tardym

Hi azsl1326,

Anything you have from the dealer or, now that you are working with the relation dept at Acura, you can send it to my personal email ( mickey_langel @videotron.ca ) invoice, work order,email, communication that mention the vibration issue.

Thanks, Mickey

kuzdu

OtownPSU

I picked up my car after work yesterday. They ended up replacing the 2 tires (Michelin Primacy MXM4) and placed them on the front, even though I believe both driver's side tires were the ones replaced. My service rep told me the tech who drove the car initially and felt the vibration also drove the car following the tire replacement and reported the vibration was gone. I was not able to get up to speed on my way home from the dealer, but I was able to do so for a short distance on my commute this morning, albeit on I-4 through downtown Orlando, which is under complete construction. There's a couple of stretches of good pavement where traffic lessens and I was able drive in the affected range of 65-80 mph for a few seconds. The verdict from my short test is that the vibration has been decreased, though I can't say it is completely gone. I definitely did not see the passenger seat shaking like it did prior. I need to get out on a more open and smooth stretch of road this weekend to do an objective test. I can say that I'm happy to have my A-Spec V6 back after 9 days in the loaner as I was not a fan of the base model 4-cylinder TLX I was driving, except for the DCT, which was head and shoulders better than the tranny in my car.

BigBlue2

I went through this issue with the vibration a few years ago. I have aftermarket wheels and Continental DWS 06 A/S tires, they swapped out about 6 tires and tried to rebalance about 10 times before the TSB came out, which took care of the problem. I really haven't had any issue since. I have driven several loaner cars that vibrated extremely bad at 60 -75 mph. One I had to take back to the dealer as it was so bad you couldn't stand it. Not sure how anyone else didn't notice it. Guess they didn't care.

bay123

I can confirm that the 19s also have vibration issues, and I have the 2.4 FWD. The short version of my story is that I bought a used 2015 V6 FWD that had transmission and vibration issues. The transmission was replaced but the vibration issues were never fixed. This was after balancing, new tires, all applicable TSBs done, and weeks in service. I drove 4 TLXs with the service manager (all FWD) that ALL had the same vibration. The degree of vibration was slightly different in each car. So they called the vibration "normal for this model". The dealer agreed to take the car back if I bought another car from them. I decided on the 2019 2.4 FWD thinking it would not have the vibration. Unfortunately, only 400 miles in and it has the same vibration starting at 60 mph and up. Can be felt in steering wheel, seats, and floor.

This is NOT only an AWD issue. Not only a V6 issue. This is beyond frustrating. I just wanted to add my input since it seems most people think it's only the AWD models. Hard to believe Acura has not found the cause for this yet....

Tardym

Hi bay123,

Thanks for your input, really appreciated. As I can see , I am not alone in this sinking boat ... LOL. I really start wondering about the " Precision Crafted " , maybe it apply to the Acura logo only.

Mickey

Terdbath

It feels like the old "Red Ring of Death" from the Xbox 360 days. Once you get it your screwed!

2018 A-Spec with about 6700 miles on it. Noticeable vibration starting around 68 MPH all the way to around 80. My preferred sweet spot for highway driving is around 75 MPH so I do not like that I have to push it over 80 to get it to smooth out.

With the range of vehicles having this same issue I have little confidence that my dealer will be able to fix it. With them being 90 miles away I feel like id be wasting my time taking it in and going through the process of having them try to identify and repair.

I hope a definitive fix comes out for this vibration issue because I really like this car.

hadokenuh

If you have a new car, I'd just take it in and have them fix according to the lemon laws in your state, then file a buyback when your case is qualified for it.

Can't believe Acura still hasn't figured that out for the 2018 model.

kuzdu

So here is my story, got an 18 aspec as well. noticed the vibration very faint and it start to progress, I brought the car to rpm performance and they did a road force balance on all the tires, they have an Elite hunter machine that goes forward and backwards. It actually found one tire with 26 lbs of road force and it was in the front, they did the match mounting and it went down to 21 lbs which is still high. They set the setting to least vibration on the machine and it showed them where to mount all the tires. The vibration it 99% gone, certain roads you can feel a very veryyyyy tiny hint of it but nothing to notice if you’re not looking out for it. The bad tire is in the back

azsl1326

As I previously mentioned my dealer won't do anything else as they deemed it a "like issue" on all 2018 V6 models as they were able to duplicate the issue on other cars. They referred me to Acura Client Relations and I am waiting to hear back after initially speaking to them last week.

mv388158

I have a 2017 TLX SH AWD and it vibrates between 100 and 120 km like crazy. Started the process with Acura dealership today and was told it's very common but the warranty manager is not in to deal with it this week. Will keep you posted.

nothome17

Not just Acura TLX models, even the previous gen CRV's/Pilot had these issues.

Article on the CRV"s issue.

CR-V Vibration | Honda Problems

cruiserchuck

This is a different vibration issue. I believe the CR-V vibration issue was due to a rough idling engine. The TLX vibration issue is apparently tire/suspension related, not engine roughness related.

Saintor

Great point. I find mine suspicious with vibrations coming from ... the gas pedal! The rest is all right, butter smooth as it should be.

9SpeedTran

So interesting story. I had never had this vibration problem (early 2015 TLX SH-AWD) until after my most recent A1 service where they rotated and balanced the tires (Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3s with probably 30K miles). Then it was distinctly noticeable. I brought it back in for a 4 wheel alignment and to get the wheels rebalanced. They recalibrated the balancer before doing the balancing and found out that one of the wheels was off balance, and I had a slight toe in on the left front which the alignment fixed. Now it is almost gone but on certain roads I can feel the vibration through the steering wheel and gas pedal primarily, and on others it is smooth. Doesn't seem to matter what RPMs I'm at, and whether the VCM is operating. It definitely happens when the engine is putting torque to the rear wheels though. Very weird.

This makes me think that certain folks who early on suggested that it was the SH-AWD differential in the rear might be right. I have not noticed anything like this on my 2014 MDX which has the older SH-AWD differential. The other thing I wondered about was whether the vibration transmitted to the frame through the front and rear suspension could set up some sort of waveform interference pattern that become noticeable at certain frequencies.

I will be very curious to see if anyone ever figures this out, and whether replacing the tires when it is time eliminates the residual vibration.

jhb31

The dealer is lying to you. I have an 18 shAwd with 11k miles. Rotated the tires around 8500 miles and have never had any vibration at all as do many others. Took it on several long road trips, one just this past weekend and drove for hours at 65 to 85+ and it has never had any vibration ever. It's remarkably smooth. There is definitely something defective. Otherwise all of us would have the issue. It's really amazing they cannot find the source. Seems Acura could take a car from the factory or back from a customer that has the vibration issue and then one that is the same model from the factory without it and start swapping out parts till it's eliminated. Just seems the dealers are not getting the support they need from Acura to expose what the source of the problem is.

I didn't feel the vibration on my test drive and then when my actual aSpec arrived at the dealer I never test drove it but knowing what I know now it would be wise to insist on taking it on the highway before signing on the bottom line. Once you take delivery then it seems you are stuck with it for now.

TSXV6Guy

^ It's a combination of multiple issues with this car:
- Design issue: chassis prone to resonate at certain frequencies. - this is what the subframe bushing fix is trying to address.
- Tolerances of the runout of the propeller shaft combined with the rear differential. This is what the TSB where they rotate the propeller shaft 1/4 turn at the rear differential connection is about.
- Tire issue (combination of tire type, out-of-roudness, variations in elasticity withing the sidewall, balancer precisions, rim / tire positioning, etc). This is what the road force balance will address (as much as possible).
- Road surface: this likely emphasizes the vibration when some of the conditions are present.

So for those of us who don't have the problem, I suspect some of the above conditions are not there, probably the runout tolerance of the propeller shaft/rear diff.

My quick analysis.

jhb31

I can't imagine there are that many tire/balance issues. I do buy some drive train parts being either out of tolerance or the tolerances in manufacturing were set too high. I don't really get what good rotating the propeller shaft a quarter turn would do other than just by luck the imbalance in the differential and propeller offset each other. I do suspect/agree that there is likely some imbalance in either the driveshaft and/or differential that is the main culprit. Seems Acura has avoided replacing those components probably due to cost and not enough customers raising the issue. For the FWD models that have it maybe more of a tire balance issue as you mentioned. Anyway I hope people get resolution. I would guess a class action lawsuit would be what it would take at this point. It's just strange that they could not get this corrected over multiple model years given all the manufacturing technology today that goes into designing the drivetrain.

Teh Jatt

Hello, I have an 18 a-spec with almost 12k miles on it and I have the vibration issue as well but I do have front driver side rim bent. I will be replacing the rim along with alignment and wheel balance and then report back.

Temp_A-Spec

Here is a good one for you all.
I just saw an 18 TLX ASPEC AWD like mine at the dealer for it popping out of gear randomly. It has an IP cluster message that reads " STOP DRIVING WHEN SAFE< TRANSMISSION PROBLEM< SEE MANUAL".
The dealer says this hasn't happened since 2015 models and they are very concerned. Has anyone else seen or heard of this issue? I hope it doesn't happen to mine ever as that is scary.

OtownPSU

Brought my car back to the dealer today as the vibration at highway speeds is still present. Traffic was too heavy this morning to even consider being able to get the car up to speed to show the shop foreman the issue. He will have to drive it later in the day when traffic on the toll road is lighter. No idea if he will confirm the issue or state it is behaving normally, but I had to bring it in one more time for piece of mind. Hard to believe this is even a thing, but live and learn.

Tardym

Hi everyone,

I finally got my date court. It will be October 9, 2018. If any one of you has last minute input to provide me on the vibration issues with the TLX, please provide them to me before October 8th.

Thanks for your support.
Mickey

KeithL

Make sure you state that it makes you feel unsafe, safety issues should grab more attention.

9SpeedTran

I found a local place that does road force balancing, it will be interesting to see the results. Will post after I get it done.

OtownPSU

So my service rep, who is being great by the way, confirms the vibration is still there. He drove it, the shop foreman drove it and the regional Acura service guy drove it. He initially said they couldn't recreate the vibration, but admitted that on the return trip they confirm the vibration is there. So what are they going to do...replace the other 2 tires that they didn't replace when they had it last month. Obviously they are just grasping at straws at this point. I wanted to confirm they replace the 2 remaining original tires and not 1 or 2 of the newly replaced tires. He wasn't sure where they put the new tires the first time, so he has to look into it. I can honestly see them replacing 1 or both of the tires they already replaced because they appear clueless. In any case, my rep told me he doesn't want to give me back the car until the problem is taken care of. Unfortunately I am convinced the problem is not a tire problem, but something far more devious and difficult to remedy.

If this doesn't solve the problem, I'll bring it back in for the 3rd time for the same problem, which I believe qualifies me for FL lemon law proceedings. What a PITA that would be, but I'll take it one step at a time. Meanwhile I am in another base model 4-cyl TLX and am not too impressed.

OtownPSU

Had mine RFB'd at a shop and it did nothing to solve the vibration problem, unfortunately.

9SpeedTran

The thing that's so weird is I never had this problem until the recent A1 service where they rotated the tires. I checked and I bought the tires about 18 months ago so this was probably only the 2nd or 3rd time I had them rotated.

9SpeedTran

So this is interesting. I went to a place that had a Hunter machine. After a little while, the guy comes in and says, where did you last get the wheels balanced? I said, the dealership, when I had it serviced, and then I had them rebalance the wheels like 10 days later because of the vibration. He said, well, apparently they used the stick-on weights on the inner rim of the wheels that they are only supposed to use on the outer part of the wheels when they balanced the wheels, plus they only used a regular balancer. He said just replacing those with the right kind of weights and balancing should fix the problem, especially since the car has (as he put it) a very light front end. Well, I took it up on the highway after getting it back, and the vibration was gone. Now, I had never had a vibration until after this most recent service, so I am not sure I encountered the same problem as all the other folks here, but it certainly raises some interesting questions. The symptoms were all the same: vibration starting at 70 up until 80, felt it through the steering wheel, gas pedal, and seat, and I could see the passenger seat and seatbelt vibrating.

The road force balancer will find problems with tires, as Kuzdu noted above, and it certainly seems like whatever balancers Acura is using (and the weights) are not of the same caliber. So if you have this vibration, find a local shop that has one of these machines and take your car in and have it done. Cost me $60 and an hour of my time but it made the problem go away. :-)

Vinceyee99

Hello everyone. I have been a long time member but not a frequent poster. I just wanted to add my frustration and my story about this vibration issue. I have a 2018 TLX Advance SH-AWD. Have been to the dealership 3 times. 1st time had only one tire replaced (with 50 miles on the OD), these were the original Goodyears. 2nd time got all 4 tires replaced with the Michellin Premier A/S. 3rd time the dealership did NOTHING. They told me this car is "Engineered to Vibrate". These words came straight from the Acura district manager (Austin,TX). I have escalated to Acura Client Relations and they also won't do anything about it. In fact the person I spoke to (Juan) said that the District manager who handled my case here (Rick) that he is the upper Manager and he has the final say on what gets fixed. Needless to say Acura Client Relations is a scam and will not help. The worse part was that Acura Client Relations told me to inquire about the Lemon Law.

So basically everyone that I dealt with, the dealership, service manager, district manger and Acura Relations all admit that the TLX's have vibration issues and they will NOT fix it.

hadokenuh

Should have had it recorded lol.

I think those Acura people who work with consumer complains are tired of the issue and the Acura engineers who can't fix it. This makes my next purchase really easy. No wonder people are jumping ships left and right. If we, Acura owners, have to deal with these issues, might as well buy (or lease) German cars and be done with it. Or buy Lexus for that matter.

azsl1326

"Engineered to vibrate".....that's awesome! I guess that's better than 'Precision Crafted Vibration'?

I have an appointment tomorrow with Acura's District Rep setup thru Client Services to ride along and evaluate the vibration issue. Based upon your outcome, I don't have my hopes set real high. It's clear Acura knows their an issue and basically not willing to do anything about it as I am guessing it would cost a fortune to fix all the cars out there.

Maybe it's time we look into a class action lawsuit.

Vinceyee99

Has anyone here filed a claim/report to the NHTSA about this vibration issue? Also has any member thought about a class action lawsuit? You would think a hungry lawyer would take a case like this or least look into into further by researching all complaints and see how many vehicles behave like this.

aussie5

azsl1326

I had the regional service representative for Acura ride in my car and he was able to confirm the vibration. He authorized to change out the tires to Michelin. After driving with the new tires, the vibration was still there. I took the car back into the dealership and rode with another tech. He again verified the vibration and stated that he would road force balance the tires and see if that resolved the issue. It improved slightly but was still there. He did some further investigation and discovered that my vibration issue is due to the VCM (Variable Cylinder Management system) shutting off several cylinders between 70-80 mph. The tech mentioned that shutting off the cylinders causes the mounts to stiffen and not absorb the vibration. A Google search shows that this is a known issue. Not sure why Acura hasn't done anything about it.

9SpeedTran

Interesting.... After I had my transmission replaced, I experienced serious vibration at low speeds, like engine lugging. Service found out they had to resynchronize the active engine mounts with the car in gear, and that did the trick. But this sounds a bit different.

azsl1326

Funny, I Googled VCM Vibration and found your other thread on AcuraZine where you explained your issue. I just forwarded it to my dealership and asked them if it's applicable to my car.