Hi All, I'm new to this site and hoping someone can help add some insight on a whistle sound that developed "out of the blue" on my 09 TL SHAWD. The whistle starts after hitting 60 mph, it continues until I slow down to 35/40 mph; then it changes pitch and stops. I thought it might be a window seal but I can still hear it regardless of whether the windows are up or down. It drives me crazy.

Something about only being able to enjoy driving the car under 35 mph doesn't seem right. I tried turning up the radio but the high pitch is so annoying I can't ignore it. HELP.

I'm planning to make an appt with the dealer but hoping someone out there might have some suggestions. Nothing like walking in describing sounds that most likely wouldn't be heard until I drive with them to point it out.

dam. I have that exact problem!!! the whistle starts at 50 and it will intensify as the speed goes up. might be the sunroof seal issue i think or maybe from ac vent. grrrr i cant really pin point the location because it whistles! >(

A friend of mine had a whistle coming from the front of the car and it turned out to be bearing in one of the front wheels. I'll ask him for specifics...

Glad to know I'm not going crazy. I've tried opening/closing the sunroof but it continues regardless. I've also tried closing the vents on the AC/Heater and turning the fans off. At first I thought it was just something that could be heard on the inside of the car but not so. I feel like a boiling tea kettle going down the road. ARGH.. Thanks for the reply.

That would be awesome if you could ask. THANK YOU

same here, it started up randomly and its so annoying. someone please take the initiative to help us all out cause im way too lazy. thanks

I had a similar sound and thought it was a bearing - turned out to be the "propeller shaft" - it was very noisy (squeal worse) outside the car at 45+ mph. Car had a few thousand miles on it and I lived w/ it for quite a while then got it to the dealer.
I have an 09 TL-SH AWD-

Funny you should mention the propeller shaft. I had read about that being an issue on earlier models. I've lived with this for the past couple of months. Definately calling the dealer to get it in and checked out. I'm a bit aggrevated to have this type of an issue with only 6k on the car.

I'll post what I find out from the dealer.

Thanks all for the replies.

Folks, so far it looks like you all have the 09 model. Is anyone out there with the same problem on a '10?

UPDATE!!!
Went to the dealer today and was told "no car with 6500 miles on it should have anything mechanical wrong with it".. HA...
They took it for a test drive and further research confirmed the propeller shaft is defective and needs to be replaced. It's a special order part and is covered under warranty. I did tell them that there were several other people inquiring about the same type of an issue.
My suggestion would be to make an appt and have them check it out; especially while it's under warranty. The part alone is $1000.
thanks again to everyone who replied with the suggestions and input.
Fusiongt- Even though most of the people here have 09's it sounds like the same part may have been used in the 2010 models. Again, I'd take it to the dealer and have them investigate.

thx for the update! I hope my local dealer can duplicate the same whistle.(u know.. the usual bs like "uh.. we didnt hear nuttin~..")
so the "propeller shaft" is the correct part right?

Mine starts at 40mph and gets louder up until 60 where it seems to stay at a constant. Guess it's time to schedule an appointment?

RL's had this issues too huh..? some folks actually replaced shaft&diffriential = same noise!! XD

Very tough to pinpoint but a long story tightened up, mine was a "front prop shaft bearing" p/n 40100-TK5-A02 - "shaft, propelle".

09 AWD....Sorry about that

Brought mine in to Acura of Ocean today. According to the service mgr, they were the dealer who brought this issue to the attention of Acura. They are replacing my right front drive shaft next week

The parts are in and I drop her off tomorrow to have the right front drive shaft replaced. According to the dealer, this will eliminate the whistling sound from the front end. We'll see from here.

Let us know what they replaced.

The official conclusion:
Remove and replace right front propeller shaft (p/n 40100-TK5-A02)

According to the Svce manager, he is seeing it regularly at about 25,000 miles. He was surprised to see it so soon on mine.

Interesting! Another propeller shaft replacement!

Pigeon, what part of the country are you from?

Southeast Michigan. Suburbs of Detroit. Mine started around 4000 miles, got it figured out around 9000 miles. !7,000 and all is well.

King, you to?

No, not really. Initially I thought that was the a cause of my pulsating sound and Pigeon helped me by providing a scan of his work order. I took it to the dealer but they traced it to defective front tires. Apparently my car sat on the lot for 4 months and I guess they didn't keep the tires over inflated.

Anyway, it's much much better now after they replaced them but every once in a while I still hear a faint pulse. Probably those damn OEM Michelins.

Well, this wasn't a fain't sound. In part because the cabin is so quiet, it made the noise that much more pronounced. You will know it when you hear it.

This thread best describes the sound I'm hearing now on my 2010 TL SHAWD ~4,500 miles. Seems to be getting worse. The mention of the tea kettle sound best describes it for me, but to be honest if I turn up the radio or roll down the windows it is hard to hear. Best heard with windows up and radio off but definitely there after driving for 10-15 minutes at 40+ MPH. Interestingly it stays about the same frequency and loudness once it starts but when slowing down right before it goes away the frequency goes up for a second. Can definitely tell the difference from when I hit the highway as it is quiet and then it starts. Can't tell if its from the front wheels (bearings?) or propeller/driveshaft. I had an 05 RL that I'm pretty sure had the propeller shaft squeal and it was different (and louder) and only within a narrow window of speed (40-50) that I never got fixed as it only seemed to do it in the cold weather and when first hitting the highway. Have an appointment on Friday to get it looked at. Just hope they can hear it and figure out what is causing it.

As posted here:
https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-problems-fixes-297/slight-whine-noise-when-accelerating-838324/

I believe I have this sound on my brand-new (only 30 miles) 2012 SH-AWD Advance. For the people who have this sound, did stop immediately the moment you released the accelerator pedal? It's a very faint sound, so you must have a completely silent cabin to hear it, but it's basically like a tone/hum/pitch sound that you hear when you're pressing the accelerator and goes away immediately the you release the pedal.

It seems *insane* to me that this problem would be so prevalent and they haven't fixed it, especially since it costs them money everytime it needs to be repaired. Any input?

i have th same problem on my 05 tl omg its driving me f.... nuts u think it the same thing with the shaft??? i have to turn the music on so dont here it lol what u guys think???

Nicee...glad to hear that this is covered under warranty. I also have an 09 SH-AWD and I thought i was going crazy hearing that whistle sound and i figured if i brought it to the dealer they would tell me to take a hike. I didn't want them test driving it because they drive the S*** outta the cars when they do. I need an oil change so i will bring it in soon for both the propeller shaft and oil change.

UPDATE: I think it's possible my problem is simply the car being brand-new and not worn in yet. My service manager said it's likely final drive noise and should go away as I break in the car. I haven't heard the noise over the past few days, but I also haven't been on the freeway, but based on the description of the propeller shaft sound, I'm now thinking that's *not* my problem.

If anyone has an audio recording of the propeller shaft sound, that might be helpful for others to diagnose.

Hey Macguitar,

I just got a 2012 TL AWD a couple of weeks ago and noticed that its doing exactly the same thing. If I'm accelerating gently (not a lot of engine noise), with a very quiet cabin, I hear a faint whistling/whirring sound once I get to 30 mph. The pitch of the sound increases as the speed increases until its not really audible after 50 mph or so. As soon as I let go of the gas pedal, the sound stops half a second later. As soon as I push the accelerator, I hear the sound again. If I maintain speed the sound becomes almost inaudible. Is this the same thing you experienced? Are you still hearing the sound now a couple of months later?

Thanks.

Yes, I am. I have about 1200 miles on my TL now and I still hear the noise usually at about 40 and above and it is pretty constant. Mine doesn't change in pitch really and as soon as I release the gas pedal, like you said, it stops almost immediately. The funny thing is with mine, I only get the sound when I maintain speed, so maybe we don't have the same issue?

My dealer said it was final drive noise, which is a vibrational noise that comes from the transmission, but I really don't know. I'm going to ask them to look at the propeller shaft the next time I go for service.

Let me know what you find out/what you do.

I took it to the dealer and had a tech guy drive with me. We had to listen hard because there was a lot of traffic noise. He said that its just the air intake and not to worry about it. He said that if it got worse to bring it in. Has yours gotten any worse over the last few months?

How loud was the sound on your car?

It hasn't gotten worse, but I definitely notice it more know that I know it exists and can't help but hear it.

Heres something interesting... We have a 2002 MDX and today I sat in it and said to myself "shot in the dark, lets see if this car does the same thing". It does! Exact same sound and under the same exact conditions etc... I just have never noticed it before in the 5 years that we've driven it! I guess when we buy a new car our senses are extremely heightened and we notice the smallest things. Plus, the 2012 TL cabin is quieter. Also, just like the clock in our kids bedroom, it gets louder the more I actively listen to it

Does this mean that this sound is perfectly normal? Maybe, maybe not (the same thing could be wrong with both cars). But I think I've decided that since:
1. Its a very faint sound thats only noticeable in a quiet cabin.
2. The Acura tech guy that drove with me said he thinks its just the air intake. I think he might have thought that I was nuts for noticing such a faint sound. But he was very nice, patient and cordial about it.
3. The exact same thing is happening on my MDX.
4. The car is under warranty for 4 more years.

... I'm not going to worry about it unless it starts to get worse. I close my eyes and imagine its a very subtle turbo kicking in.

If anything changes, I'll keep you posted. Let me know if there is any progress or if anything changes on your end. Thanks!

I think I have this problem as well. The whistling/whining noise begins around 50 mph, and steadily increases in volume. While it helps to have a quiet cabin, I hear it a lot with talk radio on. I took it in last week, and the dealership replaced the half shaft (i think it was) which did NOT fix the issue. Going in again tomorrow. I already suggested the propeller shaft, so we will see what happens.

Keep us posted on what you find out. My dealer said it wasn't the propeller shaft, but I'll be curious what you find out.

Would some of you guys say that it can also sound like whirring as if wind were coming in the cabin? I experience it from what I believe to be around the driver side wheel. Usually starts at around 50mph.

09 TL Tech ~25,000

Thanks!

Yes it can i had the same problem.