1996 Acura Tl

THIS LETTER WAS SENT TO ACURA: HAVE A 1996 ACURA 2.5 TL THAT WAS PURCHASED AT RADLEY ACURA. MY VIN # [XXX]. I NOW KNOW THAT THERE WAS A RECALL AND SAW THAT AN ACURA 2.5 TL VIN # [XXX] COLLAPSED DUE TO THE LOWER JOINT BREAKING ON MAY 22, 2003. I HAD TO REPLACE MY LOWER BALL JOINTS ON THE FRONT OF MY CAR ON 11/19/2003. AS I DROVE INTO THE CAR DEALERSHIP, I WAS NOT DRIVING ON A ROUGH ROAD SURFACE. I MENTIONED NOTHING ABOUT DRIVING ON A ROUGH ROAD SURFACE. MY CAR WAS MAKING A VERY LOUD NOISE WHEN I DROVE INTO THE SURFACE AREA. FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS I TOLD THE RADLEY DEALERSHIP ABOUT THE NOISE IN MY PASSENGER FRONT SUSPENSION. EACH TIME THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD LUBRICATE THE AREA BECAUSE THE BUSHINGS NEEDED LUBRICATION. NO ONE EVER TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD CHECK THE BALL JOINTS. PAM VAUGHAN (ACURA SERVICE ADVISOR) SHOULD REMEMBER THAT MY VEHICLE WAS LUBRICATED BECAUSE I TALKED WITH HER EACH TIME I HAD THE PROBLEM. AT THIS TIME MY CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE I HAD PURCHASED AN EXTRA 3-YEAR WARRANTY ON THE CAR. I DID HAVE A PROBLEM WITH A NOISE IN MY FRONT SUSPENSION AS EARLY AS 7/22/96 (SEE RECEIPT). RADLEY SAID THEY JUST TIGHTENED THE SUSPENSION. THE DEALERSHIP DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS TO REPLACE THE BALL JOINTS AND THEY DID NOT HAVE A LOANER CAR TO GIVE ME SO THAT I COULD LEAVE THE CAR. NOT UNTIL I READ THE RECALL NOTICE AFTER THE REPAIR THAT 124,875 CARS WERE RECALLED THAT I REALIZED THAT I SHOULD NOT HAVE DRIVEN THAT CAR HOME BECAUSE THE BALL JOINT COULD HAVE SEPARATED CAUSING THE FRONT SUSPENSION TO COLLAPSE AND STEERING CONTROLLABILITY TO BE REDUCED. THE DEALERSHIP SHOULD HAVE INFORMED ME OF THIS.*AK UPDATED 07/30/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I OWN A 1996 ACURA 2.5TL. A COUPLE DAYS AGO WHILE DRIVING MY PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL COLLAPSED DUE TO THE LOWER BALL JOINT BREAKING. I CONDUCTED RESEARCH TO SEE IF THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL ON THAT PART ,AND IN FACT THERE WAS. THE PROBLEM IM FACING IS THAT IT ONLY COVERED CERTAIN VEHICLES WITH CERTAIN VIN NUMBERS([XXX].... THROUGH [XXX]...)MY VIN # IS [XXX]. I UNDERSTAND THAT MY VEHICLE DOESN'T FALL WITHIN THOSE NUMBERS BUT I EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM AND DON'T THINK I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY IF IN FACT THIS IS THE SAME DEFECT THAT HAPPENED TO ALL THOSE OTHER VEHICLES. *NLM INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THERE IS A LOUD GROWLING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGING COMPARTMENT OF MY 1996 ACURA 2.5 TL. THE DEALER INFORMED THAT IT IS A CRACKED MANIFOLD AND HE HAS SEEN IT MANY TIMES BEFORE. HOWEVER, THEY STILL DID NOT OFFER TO SUBSIDIZE THE REPAIR IN ANY WAY. I WOULD THINK THAT AN EXHAUST MANIFOLD SHOULD NOT CRACK THIS EARLY IN THE LIFE OF THE CAR. WHAT IS EVEN WORSE, IS IT IS KNOWN PROBLEM AND THE MANUFACTURER IS DOING NOTHING ABOUT IT. THE MANIFOLD IS THE SAME AS THAT FROM THE OLD ACURA VIGOR'S. I WOULD THINK THE MANUFACTURER WOULD HAVE FIXED THE PROBLEM BY NOW. I SINCERELY HOPE THE MANUFACTURER CORRECTS THIS PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY AS IT MAY POSE A FIRE HAZARD.

THE FOLLOWING PROBLEM WAS REPORTED TO THE DEALER 35 DAYS AFTER IT WAS PURCHASED, BUT WE WERE TOLD THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. THE DEALER NEVER LOOKED AT THE VEHICLE. THE SERVICE MANAGER MADE THAT DETERMINATION BASED ON OUR DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM IS: AT CERTAIN COMBINATIONS OF RPM AND SPEED, THE ENGINE LABORS. IT CAUSES EXCESSIVE VIBRATIONS, WHICH CONTINUE UNTIL EITHER THE SPEED OR RPM IS CHANGED. IT IS NOT RELATED TO TRAVELING UP OR DOWN AN INCLINE. WE'VE HAD THREE SEPARATE DEALERS LOOK AT IT, BUT NONE WERE ABLE TO FIND WHAT WAS WRONG. THEY ALL AGREED, THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG. WE WOULD LIKE THE ORIGINAL DEALER TO FIX THE PROBLEM, SINCE WE IDENTIFIED SO SOON AFTER PURCHASING IT. THANK YOU. DT