2005 Acura Tl

The vehicle has been gradually leaking power steering fluid over time. I have been monitoring the fluid level and have noticed a recurring burning smell while operating the vehicle. At times, I have also observed what appears to be a very faint, clear or nearly transparent smoke or vapor that is only visible when light reflects off of it. I am uncertain whether this is smoke or vapor. The steering has not become difficult or hard to turn at this time. I am concerned that power steering fluid may be leaking onto or near a hot engine or exhaust component, causing the burning smell and possible smoke or vapor and creating a potential fire or safety hazard. The exact source and cause of the leak are currently UNKNOWN. The vehicle and affected components are available for inspection upon request.

My wife, [XXX] , purchased a 2005 Acura TL on [XXX]. The car was not inspected, it had a hole in the oil tank, was leaking battery acid, had broken control arms, wore out rotors, wore out brake pads, bald tires, Vehicle Stability Control disabled, no AC, cracked dashboard where the passenger air bag is located, and the alignment was so bad that the car would try to pull very hard off of the road. Toxic hot fumes entered the cockpit during my wife's drive home from the car dealership. The fumes made her feel sick and gave her a horrible headache because of the leaking battery acid and perhaps the hole in the oil tank. It's a health and safety issue that needs to be taken seriously. The used car dealership (Premium Auto Outlet Inc.) is selling vehicles to customers and are not providing them with the title. My wife paid in full, yet she had to fight to receive the title. The employees scream at there customers, including my wife and also tell them to leave the property when asking for the title and when confronted about vehicle mechanical issues. The female employee even screamed over the phone at our mechanic (Delran Auto Repair) who tried to tell the employee that the car was not is sellable condition due to the safety and mechanical problems. Please review the Google reviews and Facebook reviews for more horrible customer experiences when it comes vehicles being sold in horribly unsafe mechanical condition, withholding titles, unlawfully repossessing, screaming at customers and ignoring customer complaints. The best resolution for my wife and I would be for the dealership to pay for all of the repair bills that accrued (roughly $4K) due to the car being sold in unsafe condition and most importantly the prevention of any health and safety issues due to the selling of unsafe mechanically condition vehicles to future customers. Please investigate this issue for the health and safety of people. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2005 Acura TL. The contact stated that she had parked her vehicle and went inside a store as her children waited inside the vehicle. Her son then texted her from inside the vehicle that the alarm had gone off. Soon after the alarm went off, her daughter noticed that both white and black colored smoke began to emit from the vehicle. Her children exited the vehicle as the front end of the vehicle caught fire. Pedestrians called for the authorities and both the police and fire departments arrived at the scene. The fire was extinguished and an incident report was filed. No injuries were reported; another vehicle was damaged as a result of the fire. The vehicle had yet to be towed or removed from the scene of the incident. Prior to the failure, the contact had noticed that while driving at highway speeds, heat would emit from vents despite the A/C being turned off. Upon investigation, the contact linked her failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V091000(Steering). The dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 200,300.

MY 2005 ACURA TL HAS LOST POWER AT LEAST A DOZEN TIMES WHILE I HAVE BEEN DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. THE BATTERY ALSO COMPLETELY DRAINS AFTER THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR A DAY OR TWO. I JUST REPLACED THE BATTERY AND HAVE HAD THE ALTERNATOR TESTED AT LEAST HALF A DOZEN TIMES BY 3 DIFFERENT MECHANICS. MY ISSUES SOUND VERY SIMILAR TO THE FUSE BOX RECALL BUT MY VIN DOES NOT FALL UNDER THE RECALL APPARENTLY.

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE, AND HAVE ROUTINE MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ON IT AT REGULAR INTERVALS. ON JULY 23, 2018, APPROXIMATELY 4:15PM, I WAS EXITING VIA REVERSE FROM A PARKING SPACE AT A LOCAL SHOPPING CENTER. I SHIFTED THE CAR INTO DRIVE, PROCEEDED FORWARD AT A SPEED OF 3MPH, FOR LESS THAN TEN FEET TO MAKE A SLIGHT LEFT TURN, WHEN THERE WAS THE SOUND OF BREAKING METAL, AND THE CAR CAME TO A HALT. THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE, FOOT ON GAS, BUT WOULD NOT MOVE. I STRUGGLED TO SHIFT THE GEAR INTO PARK, THEN RESTARTED. THE CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO DRIVE, WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY I GOT IT INTO REVERSE, THEN ROLLED BACKWARDS INTO A HANDICAPPED PARKING SPACE. THE GEAR WAS NOW STUCK IN REVERSE, AND KEY WAS LOCKED IN IGNITION. I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, TURNED ON HAZARD LIGHTS, AND EXITED THE VEHICLE. I PLACED PHONE CALLS TO A TOWING COMPANY, AND MY MECHANIC. UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS DETERMINED "THE DRIVER'S FRONT AXLE ASSEMBLY SNAPPED IN TWO. THE AXLE SHAFT HAD RUSTED UNDERNEATH THE VIBRATION DAMPER. THE PASSENGER FRONT AXLE ASSEMBLY LOOKED RUSTED". AT MY DIRECTION, THE MECHANIC REPLACED BOTH FRONT AXLE ASSEMBLIES. BOTH MYSELF AND THE MECHANIC SEARCHED FOR A RECALL, OR EVEN AN UPDATE TO THE MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE/SERVICE, BUT FOUND NOTHING. CAR AXLES SHOULD NOT RANDOMLY SNAP IN HALF. I HAVE HAD ABSOLUTELY ZERO ISSUES WITH MY VEHICLE LEADING UP TO THE EVENT. THANKFULLY, NO ONE WAS HARMED WHEN THIS OCCURRED. HAD I BEEN TRAVELING IN A DRIVE LANE, WHETHER IT WAS IN THE SHOPPING CENTER OR INTERSTATE, NO DOUBT THERE WAS GOING TO BE A CATASTROPHIC SITUATION, RESULTING IN BODILY HARM AND VEHICLE DAMAGE TO MYSELF AND OTHERS. A COPY OF THE REPAIR BILL IS ATTACHED IN THE RECORD FOR YOUR REFERENCE. ON AUGUST 7, 2018, I REPORTED THIS TO ACURA, REFERENCE CASE # 08888084.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 ACURA TL. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SMOKE. THERE WAS NO FIRE AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOT CONTACTED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP FLUID WAS LEAKING INTO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 08V091000 (STEERING). TIM SHORT ACURA (131 MACCORKLE AVE SW, CHARLESTON, WV 25303) INFORMED THE CONTACT TO BRING IN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. ALSO, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, IT FAILED TO START AND THE KEY IMMOBILIZER INDICATOR FLASHED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000.