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severe vibrations at highway speeds Acura 2000

acuradriver1acuradriver1 Member Posts: 2
edited March 2014 in Acura
Hi, I currently own an Acura 2000 TL 4 door sedan with 14,500 miles on it. I purchased the vehicle from an Acura dealership last November with 2,500 miles showing on the odometer. The car had recently been traded-in from an out of state customer who wanted a new Acura 4 wheel drive.

On the second day of ownership, while driving from Boston to New York, I encountered severe vibrations and shaking at highway speeds of from 60 to 70 MPH.

I pulled over to the side of Route 95 expecting to find either a tire blowout or flat.

All tires appeared fine. I continued to drive on to New York and experienced the same vehicle shuddering after driving another 20 miles through Connecticut. I called the Acura dealership from my cellular phone and explained my problem.

The service manager thought that either I had a bad tank of gas or that the onboard computer that controlled the ABS system was at fault and that I should bring the vehicle back ASAP.

The next day, I returned to the Acura dealership and since the problem was no longer occurring that I should "watch it" and should it return again to bring the car back.

Two weeks ago, after 6 months of ownership, I experienced the same severe vibrations to the point that I nearly lost control of the car. The same problem occurred the very next day while my wifr was driving the car.

I brought the car back to my Acura dealer and they kept the car for a full week trying to determine the problem or duplicate the vibrations to no avail.

My first question is, has anyone else experienced similar problems and if so, what is the fix other than returning the car and requesting a new one?

Second, should the dealership or Acura be held responsible for the costs incurred in switching to a new vehicle after 6 months of use?

Thanks for your responses.

Bill
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Comments

  • lemans1lemans1 Member Posts: 6
    The tires may still be defective or severely out of balance. I had this happen many years ago while driving the infamous Firestone 500 tires in the late 1970s.

    Consider taking the car to an independent tire dealer (or insist that the dealer do it while you watch) and have the tires closely inspected, noting any irregularities in the sidewall. Make sure that the old lead weights are removed and that the tires are computer spin balanced again.

    I wonder if the former owner encountered this problem. Make Acura show you the service records for this car and also ask if any Technical Service Bulletins (TSB's) have been issued for a problem like this.

    Go to www.alldata.com and look up your Make Model and Year to see if any TSBs were issued that Acura isn't telling you about.

    As to your last question, I wouldn't keep the car if they could not fix it to your satisfaction --immediately. This is a potentially life threatening problem. Ask that the Acura DSM (District Service Manager) be called in to personally become involved with the problem.

    There are "lemon laws" in many states which protect consumers. If Acura is not responsive tell them you want another car, and if necessary, have an attorney fire a shot across their bow with a letter setting forth what they must do for you to correct the problem and by when.

    Good luck.
  • I_DamianI_Damian Member Posts: 6
    I recently purchased a 2000 TL new...it now has
    15,000. Last week, when I was braking at Highway speeds, the car started to jutter especially in the steering wheel. Of course I RECOGNIZED THIS AS ROTOR TROUBLE AND WENT TO MY DEALERSHIP.
    While they were somewhat reluctant to change the rotors for free because they thought I was at fault, I have NEVER had a car only get 15K out of its rotors. They said as a good will gesture they would take care of it. They put in new rotors and the car no long shakes upon braking.

    While you never mentioned braking in your comnplaint, I am wondering if you, AND ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE has braking problems.
  • richardyerichardye Member Posts: 5
    Maybe your right that the vibration was caused by the braking system. I don't have severe vibration problem at highway speed but have realized that the anti-brake system kicks in early in my Acura TL 2001. This causes vibration at the traffic light stop.
  • spokanespokane Member Posts: 514
    Do I understand correctly, Accuradriver1, that the problem is not associated with braking, that it very seldom occurs, and that when it does occur the shuddering is very severe? If this is a chassis shuddering rather than intermittent engine firing, you very likely have a loose or broken suspension component. A good alignment or frame-repair shop is more likely to be able to find the problem than would most dealer shops. This could be a dangerous condition. Suggest you see a competent shop as soon as possible. If some particular road condition such as a pothole or a swerve to one side seems to initiate the shudder/vibration, please make careful note; such information will be valuable to the shop.
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