2004 ACURA TL Complaints

I PURCHASED A NEW 2004 ACURA TL LAST DECEMBER. FROM THE GET GO, THE CAR HAS CONTINUOUSLY PULLED TO THE LEFT. THIS CAR HAS BEEN TAKEN BACK 5 TIMES TO THE DEALERSHIP, TIRES REPLACED AND STILL IT PULLS TO THE LEFT. WE HAVE NOTIFIED ACURA AND A REP. CAME IN BUT WE WERE TOLD THAT WHEN WE PURCHASED THE CAR I SIGNED A DOCUMENT RELEASING ACURA FROM THE "LEMON LAW" I ALSO CONSULTED AN ATTORNEY AS WELL AS WAVE TV 3 TROUBLESHOOTER AND WAS GIVEN THIS WEB SITE TO LOG OUR COMPLAINT. WE HAVE ALL DOCUMENTS PERTAINING TO HOW MANY TIMES IT HAS BEEN WORKED ON. THIS CAR IS VERY MUCH A LEMON. IN THE FIRST FEW MONTHS THE BLOWER FOR THE HEAT ALSO HAD TO BE FIXED. BASICALLY THE REP. FROM ACURA CAME HERE AND SAID THERE IS NOTHING HE COULD DO FOR US. NEEDLESS TO SAY I AM ANGRY. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE. AND I WAS NOT AWARE THAT ACURA WAS EXEMPT FROM KY'S LEMON LAW. PLEASE HELP THIS CAR IS A HAZARD FOR THE CONTINOUS PULLING TO THE LEFT. *AK

BRAND NEW ACURA TL 2004 (VIBRATION )BRIDGESTONE TERANZA TIRES EL42 FLAT SPOTTING. ACURA NATIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE NOTIFIED ,HAS HAD SEVERAL COMPLAINTS FAIL TO DO ANYTHING. MANY USERS COMPLAINING SEE EDMUNDS .COM NEW MODEL 2005 NO LONGER USES BRIDGESTONE CHANGED TO MICHELINS. DEALER NO HELP. *NM

I HAVE OWNED THIS CAR SINCE APRIL 2004 AND HAVE HAD TROUBLE WITH FRONT WHEEL BALANCE SINCE ALMOST NEW. EVERY TIME I HAVE REQUESTED DEALER SERVICE THEY HAVE DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A BENT RIM. MY WIFE DRIVES THIS CAR AND SHE HAS ABSOLUTELY NO RECALL OF HITTING ANY POTHOLES. AS A RESULT OF THESE FAILURES I HAVE REAL CONCERNS ABOUT THE STRENGTH AND INTEGRITY OF THE MATERIALS USED IN THE WHEEL DESIGN. THREE RIMS HAVE NOW FAILED IN THE 7 MONTHS I HAVE OWNED THIS CAR AND I'M WORRIED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THIS VEHICLE. *NM

THE KNOCK SENSOR WIRE SENDS EMISSION FROM THE ENGINE. IF THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH EMISSION THE SENSOR IS SUPPOSE TO ADJUST THE FUEL. HOWEVER, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATES. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM HAD NOT BEEN RESOLVED. *AK *JB

MY CAR HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER TWICE FOR REPLACEMENT TIRES DUE TO VIBRATION THROUGHOUT MY CAR. THE SECOND TIME MY TIRES WERE REPLACED WITH THE UPDATED EL42, AND THE VIBRATIONS STILL PERSIST, ALONG WITH THE FACT THAT THE CAR NOW PULLS TO THE LEFT. WHEN I CALLED CRISWELL ACURA OF ANNAPOLIS, I WAS TOLD THAT THE PULLING TO THE LEFT WAS NOT AN ALINGMENT PROBLEM IT WAS A TIRE PRESSURE ISSUE. SO I TOOK MY CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY PROPERLY INFLATED MY TIRES. AND OF COURSE MY CAR STILL PULLS TO THE LEFT. *AK

HAVE OWNED THE CAR LESS THAN 1 WEEK, AND UPON DELIVERY OF THE CAR NOTICED A HIGH-PITCHED WHINE AT ABOUT 35 TO 40 MPH. THE WHINE CONTINUES UP THROUGH HIGHER SPEEDS, AND CONTINUES THROUGHOUT DECELERATION DOWN TO ABOUT 15 TO 20 MPH. TOOK INTO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WHO CONTACTED ACURA USA ABOUT THE PROBLEM. THEY ISOLATED THE WHINE COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION, AND THEY ARE SENDING A NEW (?) TRANSMISSION AS A REPLACEMENT. I FEEL THAT THIS IS TERRIBLE THAT THE CAR WAS NOT DIAGNOSED WITH A PROBLEM AND THEN ALLOWED TO BE SOLD WITH A TRANSMISSION DEFECT. I WANT NOTHING SHORT OF A TOTAL REPLACEMENT. *JB

I HAVE A 2004 ACURA TL WITH 2000 MILES ON IT. IT HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER TWICE FOR 7 TOTAL DAYS, TRYING TO CORRECT A VIBRATION BETWEEN 45 AND 60. IT IS ALSO EVIDENT AT 75-80. VIBRATION IS FELT IN SEAT, STEERING WHEEL AND PEDALS DEALER REPLACED FRONT TIRES TWICE AND FRONT RIMS ONCE. WE STILL EXPERIENCE THE VIBRATION FREQUENTLY. I CONTACTED HONDA OF AMERICA. THE REPRESENTATIVE INFORMED ME THAT THIS WAS A TORQUE CONVERTER PROBLEM KNOWN FOR APPROXIMATEL 4 MONTHS. I ASKED ABOUT RETURNING THE CAR AND WAS TOLD I WAS NOT GOING TO GET MY MONEY BACK. HE STATED THAT ENGINEERING IS LOOKING AT MODIFYING ENGINE MOUNTS. I TOLD HIM THAT WAS ONLY MASKING THE PROBLEM. HE STATED ALL 04 AND 05 MODELS HAVE THE PROBLEM! I WAS FLOORED THEY KNEW IT AND WERE STILL PUSHING CARS OUT THE DOOR AND THE DEALERSHIP WAS BLAMING THE PROBLEM ON TIRES. I ASKED ABOUT INHERENT VIBRATION IMPACT ON THE LIFE EXPECTANCY TO THE DRIVER TRAIN SEALS AND BEARINGS. THE HONDA OF AMERICA REPRESENTATIVE BECAME VERY RUDE. I GOT HIS NAME AND HUNG UP. NOT WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT FROM HONDA OR A $35K CAR! THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTERWAS APPALLED THAT HONDA AMERICA STATED THERE WAS WIDESPREAD PROBLEMS WITH THE TORQUE CONVERTER, STATED THEY NEVER HEARD OF IT AND INSISTED THIS IS A TIRE ISSUE! IT IS DESHEARTENING TO GET TWO DIFFERENT STORIES. I BELIEVE THE TIRE STORY GIVES THE HONDA CORPORATE OFFICES SOME RELIEF OF LIABILITY BY LEVERAGING OFF OF FIRESTONE FOR DEFECTS. SHOULD THE TORQUE CONVERTER BE OPENLY PURSUED AS THE CULPRIT AND JOHNQ. PUBLIC KNOWING ABOUT IT, THIS COULD BE A DRIVE A COSTLY RECALL FUNDED FROM THE POCKETS OF HONDA OF AMERICA! *AK

A CRACK IN THE ALLOY WHEEL RIM ON THE RIGHT FRONT OF MY 2004 ACURA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A LOSS OF AIR PRESSURE AND LOSS OF POSITIVE TIRE SEAL RESUTILNG IN THE TIRE SEPARATING FROM THE RIM. MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO RETAIN CONTROL. AN INSPECTION BY LEITH ACURA FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF A PUNCTURE WOUND TO THE TIRE. THE SIDEWALL WAS DEFORMED TO THE POINT THAT THE TIRE WAS UNUSEABLE. LEITH ACURA AND ACURA CLIENT SERVICES REFUSED TO REPLACE THE RIM AND TIRE UNDER THE NEW CAR WARRANTY. ACURA INSISTS THAT THE RIM WAS DAMAGED AS THE RESULT OF A SEVERE IMPACT TO THE TIRE (POTHOLE ??) AND THEREFORE NOT COVERED BY THE VEHICLE WARRANTY. MY WIFE REPORTS EXPERIENCING NO SUCH IMPACT EITHER AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT OR DURING ANY PERIOD PRECEDING THE INCIDENT. I ASSERT THAT THE CRACK WAS THE LIKELY RESULT OF A UNDETECTED DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS AND/OR THE PARTICULAR MATERIALS USED, AND THAT IT WAS THE ACCENTUATION OF THE PRE-EXISTING CRACK ASSOCIATED WITH THE 'IMPACTS' OF NORMAL DRIVING THAT CAUSED THE TIRE TO SUDDENLY FAIL.THE DEALER ASSERTS THAT THERE WAS OBSERVABLE DAMAGE TO THE RIM, BUT IS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER SUCH DAMAGE RESULTED IN THE CRACK OR THAT THE DAMAGE WAS THE RESULT OF THE RIM HAVING BEEN WEAKENED BY THE CRACK PLUS THE IMPACT OF THE RIM WITH THE ROAD SURFACE WHEN THE TIRE DEFLATED. MY UNREIMBURSED COST FOR A NEW RIM, TIRE, AND ALIGNMENT WAS $625. MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS IS AN EQUIPMENT PROBLEM, PERHAPS INHERENT TO THE USE OF ALLOY RIMS; THAT ACURA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM (REPORTS FREQUENT SIMILAR OCCURRENCES) AND THAT THEY SIMPLY REFUSE TO HONOR CLAIMS FOR THIS TYPE OF EQUIPMENT FAILURE UNDER THE WARRANTY. AS A HIGHWAY SAFETY RESEARCHER I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS IS A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS CRASH RISK PROBLEM OVER AND ABOVE THE PROBLEM OF MANUFACTURER AND DEALER INTEGRITY IN HONORING WARRANTY CLAIMS.*AK

DUE TO VIBRATION DEALER DEALER BALANCED TIRES ON 7/21/04. VIBRATION DID NOT GO AWAY. DEALER REPLACED ALL 4 TIRES ON 8/26/04. VIBRATION CONTINUED.*AK

THE VIBRATION IN THE BRIDGESTONE EL42 TURANZA TIRES ON 2004 ACURA TL RESULTED IN ACCIDENT IN FEBRUARY 2004 AND $1500 WORTH OF UNDERCARRIAGE DAMAGE. FLATSPOTTING AND VIBRATION IN TIRES CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WHEN ATTEMPTING TO STOP THE VEHICLE IN INCLEMENT WEATHER. FLATSPOTTING AND VIBRATION STARTED 1 WEEK AFTER PURCHASE OF VEHICLE. HAVE DOCUMENTATION OF NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO GET THE PROBLEM RESOLVED BY DEALER, BUT DEALER WAS COMPLACENT IN DEALING WITH THE ISSUE THUS RESULTING IN THE AFORMENTIONED ACCIDENT. LOSS OF CONTROL CAUSED VEHICLE TO END UP IN ONCOMING TRAFFIC LANE ALMOST RESULTING IN HEAD ON COLLISION. CAR SLID INTO CURB CAUSING THE 1500 DAMAGE. TIRES HAVE BEEN REPLACED WITH MICHELIN PILOT SPORT TIRES. AMERICA HONDA/ACURA AND BRIDGESTONE NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR COMPLACENCY IN DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE QUICKLY AS LIVES CAN BE AT STAKE. *AK