pgeorg

As you know i picked up my first 2016 RLX SH-AWD in August, and drove it home from MA to NY. When i test drove it at the dealer, it drove fine. But when i was driving it home, it started to do some strange things:
A lot of suspension noise when falling into small pothole at any speed. It was like the noise you hear when the stabilizer bar bushing are worn out. They ordered new shocks, but it did not solve the problem. They checked the rest of the suspension, and it was tight….
Cracking and popping noises coming from the rear wheels-axles, when taking slower right or left turns.
The same noises were heard when i stepped on the brake pedal at slower speeds, again coming from the rear wheels-axles.
A lot of vibration when the ICE would kick in at slower speeds, but not at higher speeds.
The battery would discharge really fast, and it never charged more that 50%.
The ICE turned off at high speeds (70-90mph), and would not fire up again!! This happened to me 3 times in the one week i had the car. I still had the battery to get me to the side of the road safely.
After those three times it did the same thing, but not only the ICE would turn off, the whole car would turn off…….no battery power either! Plus after i pulled over to the side of the road safely (i was lucky to be able to do that), the car would not start right away. I had to wait maybe 5-10 min, and then it would fire right up, and everything was normal. This happened two times, while i was driving the car back to the dealer, and it also happened right outside the service department. The tech could not get it started either, and there were no codes saved. Of course after 10 min it started right up…..
They kept the car for about three weeks to troubleshoot, but they had no luck figuring out what the problem was. Acura tech line was of no help. At that time the service manager with the sales manager started the buyback procedure on their own, and i am really grateful for that! At the same time they ordered me a new car, in anticipation that Acura would do the right thing and buy the car back. It took Acura a couple of weeks to decide, and they agreed to buy it back! The young lady from Honda Mediations Department that handled my case, did an EXCELLENT job taking care of everything from Acura’s part. The Sales Manager and the General Manager, did an EXCELLENT job taking care of everything from the dealer’s part. So the new car came in a coulee of weeks ago, and on Saturday all the paperwork was done. I drove my white RLX SH-AWD home the same afternoon, and this one drives perfectly……

I apologize for the long post, and thank you for taking the time to read it!

Jakes_tl

Glad Acura / Honda did the right thing and took care of you, too bad this level of customer service is really rare these days.

pcloadletter

Good luck with the replacement.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

pgeorge,

I know you are enjoying the car now! I wish you many happy and trouble free miles.

pgeorg

Thank you, and i agree with you unfortunately. I believe its all in the hands of the dealer, and fortunately all the people at my dealer are excellent!

Oh and i forgot to mention that they gave me a loaner 2014 RLX P-AWS, from the day i dropped my car off until last Saturday.....that is 4 months!

pgeorg

Thank you pcloadletter, i really appreciate it!

pgeorg

Not quite yet, waiting for the registration to be completed:-). I did enjoy the 200 mile drive though! Thank you for your kind wishes RLX-Sport Hybrid!

Malibu Flyer

pgeorg - Thanks for the detailed information. I was curious about the problems when I saw the update you posted on the Owner sign-in page.

Do you know what will happen to your old car? I hope it will be sent to the Acura corporate engineering experts to do a postmortem do get to the bottom of your gremlins. I wouldn't have been surprised with the problems if your first Sport Hybrid had been a 2014 due to it's beta status and reports of the cars sitting around for months on a dock in Japan. I am surprised to hear about your issues with a 2016.

Anyway, it is nice to hear that the Acura dealer network is still top notch. I posted awhile ago about a positive experience I had when I popped a tire on a trip and ended up in an Acura dealer service department miles from my home dealer. I felt I was also treated very well. These are the types of experiences which keeps many of us favorably inclined toward Acura. Now if only the the top leadership along with the design and marketing folks can rediscover Acura's fine heritage, maybe Acura can turn around their current malaise.

pgeorg

Acura hires a third party company to do the buyback for them, i guess its because
of all the laws they have to deal with in each state. My buyback took a little longer, because i bought the car in MA and registered it in NY. I did ask the person that was handling the buyback what happens to the car, but he could not say with certainty (or just did not want to say). I hope they take it back to the factory also, i would hate to see someone else end up with it as is! I was also surprised when all these problems came up, because i have not heard of any of them happening to any 2014s......Maybe they built that particular car on a Friday afternoon:-)

TampaRLX-SH

Sorry to hear pgeorg. What a disappointment to get the car and have so many issues. It is very good to hear that both your dealership and Acura corporate did the right thing and did not contest you. I would hope they wanted to get a hold of that car and determine the issues. the RLX may be off the radar, but issues with the drive-train in the NSX will be headlines in the media.

Obviously, no brand or car is perfect, but it is nice to hear you are getting a second chance with his amazing vehicle. Considering the rarity of the car, you are a record holder.

I am approaching 6 months with my 2016 SH Advance. It has been flawless. In fact, it is the 1st car I ever purchased that I did not have need immediate corrections (i.e. squeaks, rattles, misaligned components) or had to visit the dealer within 6 months for an issue that surfaced.

Recipe7

What a horrible experience!

I'm glad Acura did not drop the ball while it was on their court. The LEAST they could do was give you a new car, and they definitely have done that for you.

pgeorg

Thank you TampaRLX-SH! I was worried and sad, until i took the car back to the dealer......at which point they told me not to worry, because if Acura did not do the right thing then they would! I want to believe that this is a one off, since nobody else has had any major problems.
I am really happy to hear you say that the SH has been flawless, you almost never hear this about any car nowadays! I can only hope i will be saying the same thing in 6 months!

pgeorg

Thank you Recipe7! I have not one complaint with how things were handled on either side!

RLX-Sport Hybrid

I would not say my car has been flawless, with the initial front suspension rattle (minor), which is now back in a slight way. There have been a couple of minor other things now and again, but I have never had issues like you experienced pgeorge. The collision avoidance nanny lights up from time to time way too often, but that does not change my passion for the car. I think that after the holidays I will make an appointment to bring it in to look at the front (slight) rattle and the Forward Collision Warning System annoyance.

I'm 10 days from my 1 year anniversary with the Blackbird and overall could not be happier.

pgeorg

I believe with the update on the suspension and acurawatch on the 2016s, they have taken care of both those problems you're having RLX-Sprt Hybrid. They did a very good job on building these cars, both model years 2014 and 2016.

neuronbob

I'm really glad that Acura took care of you, pgeorg! I don't know how we'd find parts information if you switched to another brand, LOL!

You are the first Sport Hybrid owner to report significant problems, though it seems you simply got a lemon. The ICE disengaging at high speed is really odd. Mine shuts off, like clockwork, at 56 mph if I'm coasting and I've got enough battery power, and never fails to turn back on when I ask for more thrust.

Hopefully the Acura engineers get this figured out.

pgeorg

Thank you neuronbob for the kind words! If you need me to ever look up something for your NSX, let me know....i have access to that also:-)

The ICE on my car would shut off while i was cruising at a steady speed like 70mph, those times i had the problem. The rest of the time it would work like you describe......

fsmith

Wow, pgeorg, that is some story. Sounds like you have paid your dues and now it's time to really enjoy the car. I am not surprised at how you were treated, as my experiences with both my dealer and the regional Acura folks have been terrific over the past 30 years (since my first Legend in '86).

More important to you may be that there have been at least 20 (by my rough count) SH-AWD owners reporting on this forum, which represents a fair sample of the 3-400 sold, and there have been no serious issues reported with the car over the first year it has been out. I was a bit worried about all the new and complicated drive train technology, but the few problems, even with things like the headlight recall, have not interfered with driving the car. The worst thing seems to be the slow and somewhat flakey NAV system (mine still reboots too often on startup), and that seems to have gotten a good upgrade for 2016 (now I want a buyback!). The overall record for this wonderful set of new technologies has been excellent, and the SH-AWD owners seem incredibly happy with their purchases. I still look forward to every time I drive it, after almost 14 months, like a teenager with his first car.

I think you can assume that you just had a lemon, likely caused by an unlikely combination of flaws, and that you will love the car as much as I do. I am also happy that you are still an RLX owner, given your seemingly endless ability and willingness to find the technical information that we all need! Thanks again. And please report back on your new car.

pgeorg

Thank you fsmith, you are very kind! I am so grateful that this worked out well, because i have heard horror stories trying to get a car company to do a buyback! I think you are right, i just got a lemon....the 200 mile trip home with the new one was everything i expected it be! I am sorry you are having constant glitches with the infotainment system, it was equally as bad on the 2014 RLX P-AWS loaner i was driving for the last 4 months:-(. The one in the 2016s are much much better.

neuronbob

I still can't get over that you had a loaner for four months, even if it was a RLX PAWS.

Malibu Flyer

I must say that it seems like pgeorg's patience and persistence paid off. While I don't pretend to know you pgeorg, it seems to me that you have a steady diliberate maner which seems to be just what was needed in this case. Some here would have probably run around screaming about filing lawsuits and pounding their fists on the table. They would have made numerous rants here to try and get quick resolution. You on the other hand never really mentioned anything here. It appears that you simply waited to give Acura an opportunity to work things out and were rewarded with a buyback and replacement Sports Hybrid. I salute you and look forward to following your posts about you driving experiences with your new ride.

pgeorg

I asked the dealer many times if they wanted their car back, because to be fair this was not their fault......They insisted i keep it until everything is resolved! That proved to me that they really wanted to help resolve this to my satisfaction!

RLX-Sport Hybrid

Your experience although frustrating, is definitely something to crow about. Having an issue and stewing about it is one thing, but when a business entity takes ownership of a problem that they are not 100% responsible for, and seeing a it through to a resolution at their own detriment financially with the depreciation of the loaner (since you drive long distances) is unique in this pessimistic world we live in. Patience is clearly a virtue. You are much to be admired.

We will look forward to many posts of your experiences with your new ride!

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Thank goodness for a great outcome.
Hey, Acura isn't stupid...the customer complains of the car shutting off on them while driving...the dealership corroborates it.

Smart move is to keep you away from that car until you can get a new one...otherwise what's to stop you from putting on a football helmet and plowing into the nearest concrete wall and then they'd have to buy you a new car, some flowers AND probably a couple million in punitive/medical damages!

pgeorg

Malibu Flyer, thank you for the very kind words! You are correct, i really wanted to give Acura and my dealer a genuine chance to make things right. It was a really slow process in the beginning, and i had to wait the first three weeks without knowing what was going to happen. I knew i had to give the Service Department a chance to diagnose what the problem was, before anything else would happen. After that everything started moving a little faster:-). Things like these take time, because there are a lot of little and big things that need to be worked out. At the end everything worked out great!

fsmith

I guess it is also worth noting that pgeorg was not having just squeeks and rattles. The car stopping mid-highway is actually a freakin dangerous thing and so Acura really had little choice given the safety issues involved (think GM ignition switch). I'm not saying that the dealer and Acura did not handle it superbly; they certainly did. But the liability of letting you go back out on the road without knowing what was wrong and having someone plow into you because you stopped unexpectedly is substantial. Still, other car companies and dealers might have been less attentive and made you feel like you were fighting them, and clearly you were being treated with great respect and care. They could have made you go back to the selling dealer, or not given you a loaner, or argued over any number of things along the way. In the end it would seem they had no choice given the safety issues, but what they did was to turn that lack of choice into a great story and they made (I assume) a customer for life. Even the rest of us are now smiling as Acura owners.

pgeorg - I think you need to catch up on the miles you missed with your SH-AWD since August by taking a road trip. Head on back to MA after the holidays, pick me up in Boston, and we'll take a few days heading south and we'll put a couple of thousand miles on your car! RLX-Sport Hybrid - you in for a road trip to help pgeorg catch up? (I'm mostly, but not totally, kidding!)

pgeorg

Very good points fsmith, and i agree with you on all of them! One correction though, i did take it back to the selling dealer in MA.

You are too funny! I wish i could take a road trip, but unfortunately there are too many responsibilities here:-) I don't see a vacation in my future for a while....

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

but isn't it kinda a vacation every time you get into your brand new sweet car!?!?

pgeorg

It sure is!

RLX-Sport Hybrid

When we get together for lunch he should join us if he is town. I'll reach out to him directly and see if his time will align with ours. How rare to have three "Blackbirds" in one place!

NBP04TL4ME

pgeorg - I'm just curious who the MA dealer is/was that took such good care of you?

pgeorg

Unfortunately i can't make it there this time.......rain check?

pgeorg

I mentioned it when bought the first SH, Prime Acura in Walpole, MA.

ceb

Honda and Mercedes are known for "doing the right thing" when there is a safety defect involved. BMW is notoriously bad. Lexus/Toyota are middle of the road with some egregious problems not being bought back while some cars with minor issues are exchanged.

The car will undoubtedly go back to engineering where they will try to find the root cause. If it is found, then the car will end up at auction. Depending on how the paperwork was/is done when Acura "buys back" your car, it may or may not have to be sold as a "manufacturer buy back"

George Knighton

But there seems to be a lot we did not know.

I didn't want to type this until I'd had time to look around, and now I have to say that I'm amazed and impressed that (1)American Honda were this proactive; but, even more, (2)that you avoided climbing a soapbox and haranguing the firm and us about what was wrong and how things had to work out.

Interesting.

That's kind of unusual in 2015's Internet.

:-)

George Knighton

Unfortunately, both of those companies have had to do the right thing quite a bit the past couple of years.

Both firms have suffered greatly for reliability, recently, and I look forward to their going back on track.

pgeorg

"Interesting" in a good or bad way.......:-)

Thank you George! I don't think i would have accomplished anything if i did that.......

I really did not expect this to happen, especially with this particular model. But they are machine, and machines break sometimes. They are also built by humans, and humans make mistakes sometimes.

In this day and age people really want to put their thoughts and emotions out there for everyone to see, without any restraint.......It is just the way it is now....

Pens Fan

Glad to read that Acura indeed did the right thing. Most of us are loyal to the brand and it is great that this worked out well.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

As I have commented previously, my business partner had a terrible experience with his new MB S550 and ultimately had it replaced under a buy back arrangement. He has the new one now and is enjoying it, but I doubt most other manufacturers would step like that without the threat of someone going public.

KenRLX

Fascinating - Even the SH has serious suspension rattles.