Jimmyz

I gotta tell y'all, this is my 1st Japanese car. So far I'm not impressed at all with the customer service from Acura or what I'm reading on this board. I have the vibration issue (and felt it the minute I drove away w/the car) and my car has 800 miles on it. I also have the seat memory issue and a rock cracked windshield I didn't see since I picked the car up at night and washed it for the first time on Friday. Both wheels on the passenger side are damaged (curb rash) from who knows what. If this precious Acura dealership doesn't take care of ALL these issues I'm going to raise holy hell! I thought Japans cars were superior in quality at least and the service was 2nd to none! I could get this type of treatment from Chevrolet or Pontiac.... :

fsconsult

remember though, 04TL was not designed nor built in Japan.

Jimmyz

Yes, however it's still "Japanese" $$$ and engineering that are the issues here. You can't say cause its built in Ohio is why were having all these problems.

fsconsult

But this TL was entriely designed and engineered in California. Also put togehter in Ohio. The only thing Acura about this TL is the name.

But, you are right, no matter where it is engineered or manufactured, Acura should have (Quality Controlled)QC the car. Blame is entirely on Acura, period.

RJC RSX

why do we think it's the tires if the MT cars aren't having this problem?

mrtortoise

Well, I have a 2003 TL and it's also doing the same thing. I thought I was crazy until I started reading this thread. It's not only the Bridgestone tires as mine are OEM Michelins. I went to the dealer 2 different dealers for service and all they did was to rebalance the wheels. The third time, nothing was "found" to be wrong with the car as I was told and was send on my merry way. I'm eagerly waiting to see what becomes of this problem. If my Integra is not doing this, there is no reason why the TL should.

MT

svtmike

I think it's tires because every time I've had my car in for work on this problem, the only thing they've worked on is the tires. The first time it was in, they made it worse, the second time, a little better, and this time a lot better.

If it isn't at least partially attributable to the tires, working on them wouldn't matter.

Mike

svtmike

Brought my car up to the dealer for the third time today to get the 50-55mph vibration resolved.

The tech drove 4 other TLs that they have on their lot, and noticed varying very minor levels of vibration at 50-55 in each, then took mine out and noticed how much worse mine was. He checked the balance of the tires again, found one out of balance, and that has cleared it up enough that I don't feel bad driving it.

He asked me to road test the car with him to confirm that he's on the right track. He's got it pretty close, but there's still something very subtle there.

Since he noticed the vibration to varying degrees on the other cars on the lot, and still very subtly in mine (I have to concentrate to notice it), they are following up with the Acura Tech Line when they get back from the long holiday weekend on Monday. I think the tech at least is convinced that there's a possibility of a widespread problem, and he agrees that the car should not be vibrating like that at all.

I mentioned the flatspotting to him too; next time I bring it in I'll get that on my list of formal complaints.

Mike
'04 Abyss/Quartz

HacksawHilliard

I have to disagree. It's the same issue between American cars like GM or Ford vs Toyota or Nissan. The build quality is slightly better from autos manufactured in Japan. This is been proven over and over again when defects are tracked by manufacturer by independent sources.

expat

rhaas -- did swapping the factory tires with the Pirellis solve the vibration problem completely? Please let us know what you have found.

expat

I played 2 hours of hockey yesterday and I am really sore today.

So I will get into my car and use it's vibrating capabilities to hopefully soothe my sore back and muscles.

Perhaps Acura could market the car to atheletes who would really appreciate the therapeutic nature of the car.

rhaas

Expat, the Pirellis did solve the vibration problems I had with the 6MT, which I don't think is the same problem (at least in part) with the 5AT's.

Related to the 50 - 55 mph problem with the 5AT's, I had an '01 CL-S and the tranny went out with 35k mi. on it (I was in the 2% category). They replaced the 5AT with what they said was the newest version of the tranny which is identical to the ones installed in the '03 CL-S / TL-S. Bottom line, my car was never the same afterwards as it picked up the 50-55 mph problem that the '04 TL's seem to have. To me if felt like the tranny upshifted into 5th gear much too early and when in 5th at such low speeds the car vibrated like crazy until the RPM's increased. I hated my CL-S after they tranny change and the fact that the '04 TL's had the same tranny (what my dealer said) as the '03 was the main reason I purchased the 6MT. Plus it is a blast to drive. I hate to say it but until Honda/Acura completely re-engineers that automatic transmission I am staying far, far away from it.

Ryan

DaveB99

Expat:

Do this:

Let car sit overnight.

Get on a road quickly to go 50 mph and keep it there. You should feel vibration. Now put it into neutral while you are still going 50 mph. It should still vibrate (mine does). That should rule out transmission I think.

I have AT and my service guys really think it is tires because after 10 minutes of warm up of tires my vibration goes away.

We should probably wait for Acura to make the call on this because if we shell $600 and it is still does it we would look like idiots and be piss_d.

Tell your service manager to call Acura Service line to get the skinny.

That Girl

I have tot ell you I have investigated the tranny issue at length ,I was in an accident ,due to a tranny failure in my 03 tl and I am getting an 04 tl ..and I stipulated it had to have a different tranny then the 03 ,because mine failed two times ..locking up and then locking up again after the new tranny and then an accident because of it locking up .. ANYWAY they stated the tranny in the 04 tl is most deffinately the tranny from the 99-2002 Acura NSX ,it had the 270 HP ect ,so I was reassured by this ,but if you know something different let me know ,I have not gotten the car yet ,but the car is on the lot .. waiting on paperwork ect ..drove it yesterday for the first time and there is a most deffienate vibration .. which concerns me .. I asked about this and they were clueless as they were when we speak of tranny issues' that dealership says they know nothing about tranny issues ,except for mine ,which I know for a fact is a lie, but if they choose to lie ,what can I do ? I dis however point out that this message board has many people complaining of the vibration and they were very quiet .. I really don't like the silent ...I know nothing approach at all !

svtmike

Don't take delivery of the car until they fix the vibration.

Mike

fsconsult

In my case guys, unfortunately, it has nothing to do with the wheels, balance, or alignment. Let's look at the evidence:

1. Acura has had my car for 6 days now. They can't seem to find the problem yet. If it were a simple tire or alignment issue, I would have my car back by now.
2. Mines occurs during throttle
3. At stand still, I feel the some engine vibration as well.

When can I have legal recourse and demand my money back or exchange. How long does the dealer need to have it without fixing the problem? It has been almost a week now.

I am sure not everyone is experiencing engine vibration, for most it is tire related. But for the small minority of us, it seems to be engine and/or tran related.

svtmike

Lemon laws are established by (and vary by) state. If you do a Google search on "Virginia Lemon Law" you should be able to find the specifics for your area pretty quickly.

Mike

RJC RSX

i don't think the lemon law works quite like that

ragin

I second this advice.

Yaaro Dhana

One more data point for the "vibration when cold" starting at approx. 50-55mph. My car does this too. It seems to be related to the tires since it does seem to go away after driving a few miles. I hope I don't see the other modes (transmission related and persistent).

fsconsult

Anyone out there with engine vibration (not tire related) get any answers from Acura service?

F%#k My car has been in service for 9 days now. All they can tell me is that they are working with Acura support in California (I'm assuming the engineering group, since it was designed there)
No answers yet.

Oh When... oh when can I get my car back...who knows. Feeling weaker and weaker...needs me spinach

Jimmyz

Well, I got my car back last night. I had a few issues but mainly the vibration @50-55 mph was the biggest concern. They rebalanced the tire and said that all they could do. The service manager said that they had not "one other person" complain about this type of problem. I picked it up at night and as soon as I got back up to 50 it started to shake.

On the phone (B4 I picked it up) They said because the tires are low profile that they will get flat spots on them when they sit over night. :wow: ????

The service manager was gone when I picked it up. Now what?

expat

That is unfortunate, but typical. You need to guide them through the discovery process else they will do the absolute minimum. I witnessed this personally last week.

Take the service guy with you on a test drive so that they get to experience the problem; don't assume they will find it on their own.

I have vibrations at several speeds and am considering replacing the tires with Pirelli Pzero Nero M+S. They are $127/each from tirerack.com. I am holding off until I am certain that the tires are the cause of the problem, though I am confident this is the case based on my own testing.

You can try calling the Acura Indifference line but it just annoyed me further. From my conversation with them yesterday, it appears that I should be satisfied with the vibration.

Funny thing is, all I want is for my new car to have as much or less vibration than the beat-up Hyundai Elantra that I rented a few weeks ago. I would jump for joy if I could achieve this "milestone".

rybocf

As a followup, the dealership took my car in yesterday, only had it for like 4 hours, and said they "fixed" my vibration problem.

My front wheels were very unbalanced, and that definitely was part of my vibration problem. I took the car out on the highway on the way back from picking it up, and experienced a whole new world of "crap".

My "shaking" vibration at 75 mph has been mostly replaced by a more tight humming "vibration" in the wheel, probably closer to what everyone else has been talking about.

I now experience the vibration from the transmission's low RPMs in 5th gear at 50 mph. I bet it wasn't noticable before because of my unbalanced wheels overshadowing it.

I wish I could go back, I'd prefer the more defined wheel shake at 75 mph than the more constant tighter vibration at low RPMs while accelerating, and the "hum" I feel from the wheel at varying speeds above 45 mph. My Accord never did this.

This is getting ridiculoous. If we can get some multiple confirmations that the tires truly are the problem, I'm almost willing to drop the $$ on the Pzeros to get rid of the vibration.

I hope one of us can crack Acura and set a prescedent.

Ryan

jyg tl 3

is the vibration at 50 mph only on auto trans cars?

rybocf

The 50 mph vibration when in 5th and slightly accelerarting is only in the Autos as far as we know. The other vibrations should potentially be associated with all types of cars, I wonder if it is only with the Turanza EL42 owners though?

Ryan

supergreen

i get the 50-55mph vibration in any gear (ss mode.)
it does seem to happen more if i'm accelerating slightly or going uphill.

fsconsult

You're aiming to high...EOM

rhaas

I have the 6MT and had the vibration issues with the Turanzas. Replaced with Pzero's and feel very little vibration, if any, now. On a newly paved road the car is super smooth. On older bumpier roads I get some vibration but nothing annoying and nothing I would not expect to feel coming from a car this tight.

Now I have a blister under the paint that showed up over the weekend........guess I will be starting another thread.

Ryan

supergreen

i had an area on my front bumper that was starting to flake off.
took it back to my dealer and they fixed it no questions asked.
..but now i have a brand new car without factory paint on the front bumper.

webster

"I have the 6MT and had the vibration issues with the Turanzas. Replaced with Pzero's and feel very little vibration, if any, now. On a newly paved road the car is super smooth. On older bumpier roads I get some vibration but nothing annoying and nothing I would not expect to feel coming from a car this tight."

So are confirming that the vibration was caused by the Bridgestone titres???

rkilian

I called my local Firestone/Bridgestone dealer today and explained my dissatisfaction with the Turanzas. After repeatedly being told that this was as good as they got, I expressed my intent to go out and buy "the competitor's" brands and never touch a bridgestone/firestone again.

They where very cordial and gave me a good deal (considering the alternative was storing the tires in the garage) on the purchase of the Potenza 750. They actually gave me money back on the Turanzas.

Night and Day difference between the tires. The Potenzas are Traction AA Temp A Threadware 340. They are not M+S (All Season) but there is no snow in Southern California.
Very good Reviews on Tirerack.

The vibrations are gone and these tires drive extremely well.

Aggressive driving style and these tires go around corners without tripping on themselves. Something I noticed quite a bit on the Turanzas.

Also I decided to go A little wider. 245-45-17. These have significantly reduced the light steering I felt in the car. The other benefit is that these tires give the wheels a little more side protection against curb rubbing.

bollywood21

I am getting delivery of my car this month. I will be bringing a print out of this thread. If I have the 50-55 mph tire vibration. I am going to demand to get another set of tires or ask for additional $$$ off my purchase.
Anybody replace their tires with a set of yokohama's?

Can Acura change the shifting settings on the transmission or will this be a problem for the life of the car? It sounds AT TL shifts too soon and under low rpms vibration occurs.

All this bad feedback, is disappointing....

need4spd

Just so you know, there is a similar vibration at 30mph as to the 50mph one, I have seen it in 3 demos and my car. It has gotten better in my car as I have gone over 1k miles, but is not eliminated.

IMO - I think it is definately a tranny/engine speed thing, at 30mph the car upshifts to 4th gear, lugging the engine just like the uptick to 5th at 50.

It could be related to the fluid filled electronic engine mounts are not calibrated correctly, tranny mounts, compression ratio, or the new aluminum sub-frame creating these transient vibrations.

The TSX loaner I have used has shift points that are very similar, but is smooth as silk, so it is not a torque issue (the TSX is much lower at 1500rpms than the TL). Also, my other cars never had this much vibration (while not a great deal, it is still there none the less).

BTW - I also have the tire flat spotting but this is completely different feeling.

rybocf

I did some research last night on the EL42s, and there have been some complaints by people who get them as OEM on their Nissan Altimas. There were vibration complaints from them as well.

The reviews on Tirerack for the EL42s are absolutely horrendous.

I love the car, but I'm torn between buying a new set or living with these until they wear out. The deciding factor will probably be that the EL42s got "red" ratings for snow traction, and I live in MA. I might just get the Pzero M+S all season's and be done with it, tossing these tires out the window. Any more people who can confirm the tires were their vibration problem? (not the flatspotting or trainsmission issue, which seems to be different).

Ryan

Lore

I am really interested in hearing what Acura has to say about these tire complaints. I think they should take action and offer to pay for replacements for those consumers who want them... but the only way they'd be willing to do this is if people contact them about this problem.

HacksawHilliard

If it's determined to be the tires, this will never happen. Tires are about the only part on the car that is not covered by any bumper to bumper warranty. Therefore Acura won't admit any responsibility for replacing it. But I would expect Acura to pressure Bridgestone to replace them

Lore

Perhaps Acura will not be the one replacing them, but they should pressure Bridgestone and serve as the liason for Acura TL customers to get their tires changed out at Bridgestone's cost.

While tires may not be covered by the warranty, say the tire causes an accident (much like the Ford Explorers) -- who is liable at that point? Still the tire manufacturer, right? But wouldn't the car manufacturer have a vested interest in getting this resolved for the customers as painlessly and quickly as possible?

HacksawHilliard

As I stated before, I would expect Acura to pressure or even negociate with Bridgestone to replace the tires IF it's found that the tires are at fault for the vibration issue. If owners are simply unhappy with the tires for other reasons, it's kinda dumb to blame Acura for that.

Let's not get carried away here. If it's a vibration issue, I don't expect Acura to become a liason for TL customers as if it was a safety issue or something to that effect. No one has been hurt or killed due to the tires. This is not a Firestone tire issue like it was for Ford. If it really is a tire quality issue (which is still to be determined) then Bridgestone should be expected to resolve it.

supergreen

once again, when i had my IS300, lexus replaced the tires at no charge because ABOUT 6 people complained about bubbles forming on the sidewalls (a problem i didn't even have.) if acura has any hopes of achieving the customer satisfaction levels of lexus, they had better get on the ball and listen to us.