Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
Options

Acura TSX Maintenance and Repair

145791013

Comments

  • ellen4ellen4 Member Posts: 7
    Beware of dealer fixes for the front windshield. I have 2004 TSX, which rattles like a tin can. The last time the dealer tried to fix the rattles they incorrectly glued the clips on my windshield to the windshield molding. There is a repair bulletin for the TSX windshields but it only applies to certain VIN #'s, mine was not one of them. Their fix turned into a huge problem when I had to replace my windshield recently.

    Also, the special silicone lubricant they put on the rest of the moldings around the window frames seems to have stopped the rattles. The only problem is, this lubricant continues to make smudge marks on my windows. You just can't win!
  • ellen4ellen4 Member Posts: 7
    This car is a lot of fun to drive and you get a lot of value for your money.

    I agree, it is best to test drive other cars. I found the TSX to be a very comfortable car during my test drive. That being said, I use my car for work and put on 35000 per year. I find the drivers seat to be very uncomfortable. I would consider another car if you have any type of back problems or will be putting on a lot of miles.
  • johnny420johnny420 Member Posts: 473
    I will counter Ellens post by stating that I find the TSX's seats to be among the most comfortable I've ever sat in. My 75 year old mother agrees with me. I do not put 35,000 miles a year on my car (not many people do), but I do take long trips, and I love the solid support.

    The TSX is biased towards the enthusiast driver, hence the supportive seats, quick steering and firm suspension. If you need soft and cushy, you'd best look elsewhere. To each his own.

    Also, my version of the '04 has been rattle-free since day one. Very happy with the car overall, after 22 months. :shades:
  • lutwaklutwak Member Posts: 7
    I've had my TSX for 3 months and about 1500 miles. I have the following complaints:
    1) No seat memory. Without memory, power seats are a waste of complexity. Manual would be faster and easier.
    2) Mileage is TERRIBLE. I've measured the mileage on every fillup (probably about ten now). I've only used premium gasoline. The best tank has been 19 mpg, most are around 17.
    3) The support boosters on the seat backs are too close together. I'm not terribly wide, but I find them to be a pinch.
    4) Why no side body moldings? Every time I park in a crowded lot, I return to the car in fear of door dings.
    5) No mute button on the stereo. There should be one on the steering wheel.
    6) No way to connect an auxiliary music source (iPod, etc.). There is an aftermarket hack, but that involves disabling the CD changer (which I like).
    7) Very poor low-end torque from the little 4-cylinder engine. Sure, it's 200 HP, but not 'til you get up to 6000 RPM. It tends to falter, due to lack of torque, when I start moving from a standstill.

    In retrospect, I wish I'd taken on the extra $5K in debt and gotten the TL instead. Still no body-side protection, but I imagine the seats are more comfy and the 6-cylinder engine must provide more torque at low RPM.
  • stillageekstillageek Member Posts: 114
    1. Did you not notice the lack of memory before you bought the car? They have been added for 2006
    2. How do you drive. I have a nice short 16 mile all city roundtrip commute daily and average 25 MPG again with Premuim. I don't drive it like I stole it, just nice and easy. On the highway I get 35.6 MPG crusing between 70-80 MPH easily. If I drove down to 65 MPH I get 36.5.
    3. Again....umm...did you not do a test drive?
    4. You can add them....the TL's fit quite well. I think they destory the beauty of they of the car
    5. It would be nice but a quick flick of the wrist and the sound goes down
    6. Wasn't there before you bought the car....but has been added for 2006
    7. Maybe you should have test driven the TL when you bought the car. The torque wasn't there before you bought the car....I find it adequate. The horsepower while moving is very nice

    Sounds like you bought too quickly eh?
  • johnny420johnny420 Member Posts: 473
    Lutwak, stillageek just knocked one clean out of the park. You didn't notice issues 1,3,4,5,6 and 7 while you were test driving the car? Very strange.

    The fuel economy problem is unusual for this car. What are your driving habits like? Do you have the AT or the 6 MT? If your best tank is 19 MPG (hwy, I assume), then you must be hammering the throttle. I drive my 6 MT hard, and average 24 MPG in mixed driving, with 31-33 MPG in freeway-only driving.

    The day I complain about a car stereo not having a mute button will be the day I know I've left my happy place and crossed over to the dark side.

    Keep driving your TSX. It's a great car, and I'm sure you'll come to love it. :D
  • lutwaklutwak Member Posts: 7
    I wouldn't say I bought too quickly. I'm a bit of a car geek, and always read reviews, comparisons, etc, whether I'm in the market or not. In the weeks leading up to the purchase, I test-drove Honda, Toyota, Volvo, Audi, Mini, Inifiniti, VW, Saab, Buick, Pontiac, Ford, and Acura. At the end, it came down to Honda EX-L (at $23K) vs. Acura TSX (at $27K).

    The Acura was the clear winner in fit-and-finish, specifications, and feature set for the $$$. The test drive went well, I noticed the seat discomfort, but assumed it was adjustable. I didn't notice the lack of a mute button on the test drive. It's one of those things you don't notice until you've got the kids in the back seat. I noticed the low-end torque problem but, compared to other 4-cylinder cars, it wasn't (and isn't) too bad. Not having body side molding is just ridiciculous. I assumed it would be a dealer option and didn't realize it wasn't until my third trip back to actually buy the car. I didn't consider the TL at the time, because I was trying to stay under $25K. Even the TSX, at $27K, was a bit of a stretch.

    Prior to this purchase, I've never driven anything but Volvos (6 of them between the wife and I, starting with a beautiful 1976 262 GL). The previous car was a 1996 Volvo 850, which didn't have any of the shortcomings I've noticed on the TSX. Volvos are great cars to drive: powerful, quiet, full-featured, and comfortable, but the realiability is terrible. The 1996 850 was the first car I ever owned with an automatic transmission, which failed catastrophically at 67,000 miles and the dealer wanted almost $4K to replace it. After that, I swore that the next car would high reliability (i.e. not a Volvo) and would not have an automatic, which is, eventually, what led me to the 6-speed MT TSX.

    Another reason for choosing the TSX wsa the promise of better mileage. With the rising gas prices, I hoped to do much better than the Volvo 850, which only averaged 16-17 mpg on my (mostly city) commute. As i mentioned, the TSX is doing about the same, even though I'm using premium gas (and yes, I'm a pretty steady driver). What I don't know is whether my TSX is broken or whether this is just as good MPG as it's capable of on my commute. We'll be taking it on a long highway ride for Thanksgiving. If it doesn't do much better on that trip, I'll be taking it to the dealer.

    Yes, I wish I had considered the TL. Perhaps it's my age/income bracket. I think Acura targets the RSX at (rich spoiled) teenagers, the TSX at the 20-something first-car-out-of-college income-without-obligations crowd, and the TL for the 30-something young family. As a 40-something father-of-two, I'm supposed to be driving the TL (according to Acura), or perhaps even the RL but, alas, I'm not quite so wealthy as Acura would like me to be.
  • johnny420johnny420 Member Posts: 473
    Yes, I wish I had considered the TL. Perhaps it's my age/income bracket. I think Acura targets the RSX at (rich spoiled) teenagers, the TSX at the 20-something first-car-out-of-college income-without-obligations crowd, and the TL for the 30-something young family. As a 40-something father-of-two, I'm supposed to be driving the TL (according to Acura), or perhaps even the RL but, alas, I'm not quite so wealthy as Acura would like me to be.

    Dude, I'm sorry but this is just wrong. A ~20K coupe is targeted at rich spoiled kids? If I was a rich spoiled kid, I think I'd be shooting a little higher than an Acura RSX.

    As for the TSX, I'm 44, so I definitely don't fit your criteria. I've seen all demographics represented in this car. Little old ladies. Young women and young men. Middle aged toolers like me.

    I bought it because I was looking for something that balanced fun and some luxury with the practicality that a sedan provides. The TSX filled the bill. Most of all, it offered something over and above the usual mundane family hauler. Bottom line: It's not boring, and it offers good bang-for-the-buck.

    If you're truly getting fuel economy this bad, and assuming you're not hammering the throttle, you should take the car in and have it looked at. I'd be interested in what kind of driving your commute consists of. Stop and go? Straight freeway cruising? Either way, you should be doing much better than 19 MPG.

    Good luck getting your problems resolved. :shades:
  • nyernyer Member Posts: 32
    Regarding Lutwak's sub-par fuel economy, I just had to have an emission control replaced that prompted the check engine light to illuminate on my 4 month old '05 auto TSX. I noticed my fuel economy was averaging about 16-19 miles/gal. I usually get what others have indicated in this forum, an average of 25mi/gal and I am not always easy on the pedal. The car is too fun to drive to take it easy all the time. I find the TSX to offer extreme value for the $$$. However, I do wish it had memory seats, but I'll live. Just something to consider. Good Luck!!!
  • 151ranch151ranch Member Posts: 109
    Mmmm, I understand all your complaints, however I suspect the mileage definately has something to do with your driving habits. My last car before the TSX was a 95 850 turbo, and I was getting 25 mpg with it and I currently get 28 - 29 with the TSX (also a 6MT). I really miss the mute button, too! And our 04 Element has an aux jack for the MP3 players, what's up with that? But I did drive the TL and just couldn't get comfortable driving it. In the end, I couldn't see spending the extra money for the G35 or 325i.

    Yikes, your AT on the Volvo went at 67k? we have about 195k on ours (don't know exactly because the odo went at 172) and it just recently started shifting hard. I would still be driving it but I have spent $2k trying to find the fuel system problem that causes the car to stall at highway speeds .:mad: No Volvo dealer can figure it out.

    My gas mileage did go up after the first oil change at 5k. It does seem to take awhile to break in the engine. Which for me was pretty quick - I have put 9000 miles on in the first three months.
  • johnny420johnny420 Member Posts: 473
    My gas mileage did go up after the first oil change at 5k. It does seem to take awhile to break in the engine. Which for me was pretty quick - I have put 9000 miles on in the first three months.

    9000 miles in three months? :surprise: Oy! So, are you going to end up with 36,000 for the year, or is this just an aberration?
  • 151ranch151ranch Member Posts: 109
    Well, the first months mileage was high because I had to go to Colorado (from D/FW) to find a 6MT that wasn't black or silver. I will probably average 30k a year; my commute is 55 miles one way, and my husband and I usually take the TSX since it has XM radio. Then again, now that gas is down again my husband says the Element is actually cheaper to drive since it uses regular. Whatever :P .
  • voomvoomvoomvoom Member Posts: 1
    2004 TSX Navi, couple months after I bought it, the windshield and dash rattle on the slightest unevenness of the road. Then comes the buzzing noise from the back of the radio/navi screen. Brought it into the dealership, they insulated it, but now the rattle at the windshield is back again. Couple months after that, the front passenger door rattles, they lubricated it--fixed the problem. Now my driver side door buzzes after the car is parked outside for a couple of hours. Last but not least, the back right side passenger door rumbles/rattles on the road. I'm bringing it into the dealership again this weekend (3rd time). The dealership is really nice and helpful. But I am just very disappointed with Acura's quality for the TSX. I know that not everything we buy is perfect but--this is too much trouble!! Yes, I regret buying it. My 2000 Honda Accord is so smooth and quiet in comparison.
  • johnny420johnny420 Member Posts: 473
    Regarding the windscreen, there is a TSB out for installing new clips to resolve the rattles. Check the Acura website.

    Keep working with the dealer on the other rattles. They should be able to get them resolved. :shades:
  • lutwaklutwak Member Posts: 7
    I had to travel on business last week. Alas, the day before I left, my wife's '96 Volvo wagon failed to start. Rather than leave her in a bind, I parked the questionable old Volvo at the airport and left her my shiny new '05 TSX for the week.

    On Wednesday, she had to deliver a 7-year-old home after a playdate at our house. When they got to the kid's house, the kid couln't get his seatbelt off. What started as an amusing situation grew desperate as the adults tried to free the child, and the seatbelt got tighter and tighter until the child was screaming in pain. Eventually, the adults cut the seatbelt off.

    Now, I was not personally present, and I won't testify to the seatbelt competance of my wife or the adult parents of the neighbor kid, but I can make the following assertion: Compared to the millions of children who strap in and out of millions of cars every day, it is statistically most unlikely that a kid should get strangled by my brand new TSX on basically the first occasion we strap one in. I suspect that there is a manufacturing or design defect in the seatbelt tensioners.

    Before I write a letter to the NHTSA and Acura, does anyone else out there have a similar experience to share?

    By the way, for those of you following my ongoing disappointment with my $27K TSX, I'm up to about 1500 miles, 10 tanks of gas, and have still not done better than 19 mpg, averaging about 17 mpg. I was really looking forward to taking it for a long highway drive over Thanksgiving and giving the TSX the best scenario to improve its mpg, but now we're going to have to take the old Volvo on that trip because the TSX is missing a seatbelt.
  • jrynnjrynn Member Posts: 162
    Looks like Edmunds may have "eaten" my first reply to this message, so let me try again.

    My driver's seat seatbelt recently (within the past month) stopped working. Fortunately, it was fully retracted at the time, so I was spared your passenger's experience.

    Although you'd think this is a BASIC and CRITICAL safety item that would be well-stocked, it took the dealer over a week to get a replacement. (Perhaps they've been replacing a LOT of them.)

    Please post what you learn about seatbelt problems.

    As for mileage, please check out the TSX mileage thread. My own experience was that mileage improved quite a bit over the first 7,000-10,000 miles. Still, the EPA estimates are not that great. When I do a lot of highway travel, I often beat the EPA (Highway) estimate. In true in-town driving, I NEVER meet the EPA (city) estimate. (But I would definitely take it to 'Grandma's' or where ever it is you're headed for Thanksgiving, unless the seatbelt you lost is one you can't live without.)
  • ranchorancho Member Posts: 1
    Did you find out what was causing the passenger side window crunchy noise. I occasionally have this problem on my 2004 TSX. Thanks.
  • thusrtonpthusrtonp Member Posts: 23
    Hmmm...my kids are in and out of the TSX back seat all the time with no seat belt problems - as have been several adults. It's possible that there was a defective latch , but I have never heard of this being a problem before. If it were a design problem, it would have been uncovered by now - Acura (and Honda) have used hundreds of thousands of these same latches for years. I suspect operator error or a defective latch -an isolated case. The dealer should easily be able to tell if the latch were malfunctioning.
  • mt56mt56 Member Posts: 15
    I parked in this lot where they stick small papers in your driver side window. When I noticed it, I rolled down the window to get it, and the paper fell inside as the window kept going down. Do I need to be concerned about this? The paper is about 2" x 3". Can the dealer get it out?
  • drewbadrewba Member Posts: 154
    I can't see how leaving it there would hurt anything. Getting it out would probably involve removing the door panel which incurs the possibility of damage or rattles.
  • biker4biker4 Member Posts: 746
    The only problem it may cause is the clogging of the weep holes at the bottom of the door. But since it's only 3" long it will clog one hole at most. Forget about it - just remember the lesson for next time.
  • vanfanielvanfaniel Member Posts: 2
    Hi,

    I own a 2005 Acura TSX for about 3 months. Recently I noticed that when I start the car, I sometimes smell rotten eggs and sometimes this gas smell. Is this a serious problem? Also, When you turn off your car after driving, is it normal to see transparent/whitish fumes coming out of the exhaust even after you turn the engine off? <---- on a humid day that is.
    I'm not a knowledgeable person in cars , so please help.

    Thanks,
    Brian
  • biker4biker4 Member Posts: 746
    A small amount of white smoke (it's actually just water vapor) for a very short period after turning off the car should be OK.
    If strong enough, the rotten eggs and gas smell is something you might want to have the dealer diagnose - but make sure it's reproduceable.
  • xplorx4xplorx4 Member Posts: 621
    Try using a different brand of gas at your next fill-up. The rotten-egg smell is a byproduct of burning fuel that has a high sulfur content.
  • dionne400dionne400 Member Posts: 4
    (1) sometimes when I use the autmatic locks to lock the door it makes an electrical spark sound
    (2) sometimes when I start the car it will make the spark sound and then not start ...but then it's fine..

    does anyone know what the problem is
  • hawaiitsxhawaiitsx Member Posts: 3
    Frankly, I&#146;m very disappointed with the quality of my 2006 TSX…it has less than 800 miles and I have a buzz in the dash and a slight rattle in the driver&#146;s door, intermittent CD problems, seat memory problems, and the engine valves require adjustment (but that&#146;s to be expected in a new car (?)); however, I never encountered problems of this scope with previous Hondas (95 Accord and 85 Prelude)…in fact both cars were virtually bullet proof. Acura missed the mark with this one&#151;or perhaps it&#146;s just a &#147;Friday Car&#148;! I did consider the TL, but thought Japan quality control was a touch better…duhhhh! I have my own solution if someone in Hawaii is interested in a TSX!
  • johnny420johnny420 Member Posts: 473
    Except for the buzzing, this is the first I've heard of these problems. Valve adjustment? That sounds a little weird, especially since Acura doesn't even call for the valves to be checked until 100K miles, if I'm not mistaken.

    I'm sorry you're having these problems, but work with your dealer. He will make sure these problems are resolved in your new car, which is under warranty.

    In spite of your situation, Acura did not miss the mark with the TSX. To the contrary it's been a success across the board.

    Good luck getting these things fixed. :D
  • ckigginsckiggins Member Posts: 68
    Can anyone who has driven the TSX tell me if it has a 1-touch moonroof? With my 2002 RSX you have to keep the button held down while you open it rather than it auto-opening, which I think is sort of weird/cheap.

    I tried to figure it out by the specs page and in photos but I can't tell.
  • carridogcarridog Member Posts: 8
    TSX moonroof is NOT 1-touch. Sucks, I know. But you know what, there are worse things in life, right? Cheers.
  • cmschmiecmschmie Member Posts: 27
    Has anybody ever encountered a problem with a moonroof in an Acura? (leaking, getting "stuck" etc...) Just curious, I am in the market for a TSX very soon.
  • johnny420johnny420 Member Posts: 473
    Two+ years of ownership, no hint of a problem with the TSX's moonroof. Don't expect any either. My previous car, 2000 Accord, didn't have any problems either. :shades:
  • drewbadrewba Member Posts: 154
    I've only had a TSX since June, but it's been 8 months in Seattle which has had a WET winter, even by our standards. Not a hint of a problem with leaking.

    I can't comment on getting stuck as I haven't opened it much. Did I mention that its been a WET winter? :-)
  • rico23rico23 Member Posts: 29
    i test drove a cpo 04 and it was awesome the only thing was that the sound system sounded a lil cheap for a car of this category... not only this but it felt like it lacked a lil oomph for a 360 watt sound system... ive read several people here have the same complaints... any solutions??? would changing the speakers help anything???
  • drewbadrewba Member Posts: 154
    I agree that the sound system isn't very high quality. I haven't swapped my speakers, but from what I've read, they are the weak link.

    There are quite a few people who have built a decent system around the OEM headunit.
  • rico23rico23 Member Posts: 29
    so then changing the speakers would help this problem correct??? cuz i read a couple of post that said that changing them actually didnt do anything for this problem, so i want to make sure before i do any buying
  • drewbadrewba Member Posts: 154
    Not having changed the speakers in my car, I can't say for certain. I have just read multiple posts in another TSX forum where people reported significant improvement from changing out the speakers, even without adding an amp.
  • rico23rico23 Member Posts: 29
    oh ok thanks... ill probably try that once i get the car then
  • tsxfiretsxfire Member Posts: 1
    Hello gmaco. I have had a similar issue with my 2005 TSX. A month ago, with only 6000 miles on my car, it caught fire, with me in it, and burned to a crisp. The car was completely destroyed. They don't know what happened and swore this had never happened anywhere in the US. Would you mind telling me what the outcome of your situation was? Did they find out what went wrong? Why the fire? Did they compensate you? I appreciate any and all information you can give me. I am too waiting for their "team of experts" to figure things out, but in the meantime, have taken the initiative to find out all that I can.
    Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
  • gmacogmaco Member Posts: 3
    Hello, Acura examined the car, found no problems and could only come up with some type of animal(maybe bird or mouse)tried to rip/tear some of the insulation off for making a nest and some of the insulation was left touching the exuast manifold in which the fire wall started to burn?? why a fire wall would burn is beyond me. Well I replaced the fire wall and have had Zero problems since then.
    I hope this helps..
  • nave13nave13 Member Posts: 6
    i am looking to add horse power to my 2004 tsx. i dont want to spend the national debt but am will to drop some coin on some more power. please anyone, help me find the best addition for my dollar. thanks
  • bigdaveinomahabigdaveinomaha Member Posts: 26
    Check out www.hondata.com. It's possible you could find help there. A reprogram of the ECU add substantial hp and tq in the middle of the power band where it's most notable. It's about $600 and you'll be without your car for 3 to 4 days. Check it out.
  • tsxmodstsxmods Member Posts: 7
    Figured out the remote deal. When working on the memory seats, I reconfig. the remotes by holding both buttons at the same time. Sometimes, its just a matter of pushing the right buttons. :)
  • martian6789martian6789 Member Posts: 1
    I could have sworn that my TSX had one of those little trapdoors inside of the fuel filler tube a month ago when I bought it. Well...It doesn't now. Am I just imagining things or has the trapdoor broken off (if so, hopefully not in gas tank now)?
    I checked the inside of the tube by hand and there appears to be no jagged metal inside the tube, but there is an visible area just on the fuel filler that looks like a part was welded on there before and has snapped off. All of this is possibly nothing, as I never really looked closely before when filling up, but would appreciate any confirmation from fellow TSX owners. Thanks!
  • alabama2alabama2 Member Posts: 3
    I suspect your #2 problem (gas mileage) is related to your #7 problem. I have an '06 TSX and have absolutely no complaints about the low-end torque. But most would say I drive very conservatively! This car has all the power I could ask for.
  • autokratautokrat Member Posts: 3
    According to Owners Manual, the new MID in the 2006 TSX (that's the trip computer -- the top part telling mileage, range, etc., not the bottom odometer and maintenance part) is supposed to come back on where I leave it. Mine doesn't sometimes, it comes up blank, and I have to push the "I" button to get it back again. Dealer and Acura are clueless so far. Any similar experiences?

    Also, I'd like to hear from anyone who might have attempted a stereo speaker upgrade; I'd like more midrange "presence" like the Bose system in my '00 Maxima had. If you've done something, what did you do, to which speakers, and what was the outcome??
  • bananafusionbananafusion Member Posts: 4
    It technically does come back to the page you left it at, but only once you push the I button. It's a commonly mentioned annoyance that has no work around found so far.
  • amshah97amshah97 Member Posts: 10
    I have '06 tsx auto with about 3000 miles now. I have a hard time making a smooth stop. When slowing down, it all seems fine until the car shifts down into first. When this happens, the car wants to lurch forward. It seems that the engine is revving too high when it shifts and causing more power to go to the wheels than it should?

    At first I thought I just wasn't used to the new car, but i'm not so sure anymore.

    Any ideas?

    Thanks.
  • robby5robby5 Member Posts: 4
    have an 06 tsx with the same annoyance. Does anyone know why when you program driver 1 in English, driver 2 is also in English...can both drivers have their language in the M.I.D. thanks
  • greenacuragreenacura Member Posts: 42
    I currently own a 2004 Acura TL. The car has had many problems but the most annoying is the harmonic vibration at highway speeds. I have been using the Acura for a city commuter car but now I have had to use the car to drive from Boston to Southern New Hampshire. The vibrations at highway speeds make this car impossible to enjoy on the highway. I have had conversations with my dealer to break the TL lease early and move into a TSX. I've been reading the forums but no postings mention vibration problems. I'd be interested in hearing some comments.
  • johnny420johnny420 Member Posts: 473
    No harmonic vibration here. I'm not even sure what that is.
Sign In or Register to comment.