| jpinto |
I have had this ANNOYING high-frequency vibration in my steering wheel while driving on the highway, ever since my 15K service. I posted about this before, and didn't get much of a response, but I am hoping maybe more people are out there that can help me.
Two front tires were replaced by Michelin (although I don't think there was a damn thing wrong with them - Acura didn't want to deal with it, so they sent me to a "Michelin Certified Dealer" with thoughts of out-of-round tires), and they have been balanced numerous times, even on a Hunter DSP 9700. They also removed the rear driveshaft temporarily, which didn't make a difference. I have been to 3 different dealers, and I get the same story every time.
Acura acknowledged the problem at first & tried to fix it. WHen they realized they didn't know what was causing the vibration, they started making excuses, such as "this is characteristic of the MDX," or "Acuras tend to FEEL THE ROAD," or "it is due to the CUPPING of the tires" (that one was killed when the new tires did not improve the situation).
So my question is this: Am I being hypersensitive? Does anyone else experience this high-frequency vibration at highway speeds? It feels sort of like if you hit a tuning fork and held onto it....VERY ANNOYING when driving for more than 30 minutes on highways.
I just find it very strange that my MDX began "feeling the road" overnight, right after my 15K service. My husband & I went on a road trip from NJ to FL, and driving the car was excruciating under these conditions! I am getting sick of hearing their excuses. My car didn't have this vibration before my service.
Thanks for any input. |
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| cmdpm |
the vibration is not a characteristic of all acuras and should not be present in any properly functioning car.
IF the vibration was caused by cupping of tires (an uneven wearing of the tread) then...
1. the new tires should have eliminated the vibration or
2. the camber of the wheels/suspension is wrong.
3. the michelin center should have been able to determine if the tires were cupped and if so would not have honored a replacement as cupping is a result of incorrect camber and not defective tires.
so, cupping was not the reason for the vibration.
even though i have only about 6000 miles on my MDX, the michelins ride very quiet at all speeds and i have no vibration at all.
have the obvious checked...
1. tire pressure at 32 lbs.
2. perfect balancing of all 4 wheels/tires.
lastly, find an expert who can make sure the alignment of the car is correct.
good luck,
chris |
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| jpinto |
Thanks Chris.
I figured they were pulling my leg on the "cupping" thing. I have never even heard of that before! Never had tires with that problem.
Tires are at 32 psi, and have been balanced a total of 6 times, one time by a Hunter DSP 9700.
Would an alignment help? I was under the impression that alignment would only solve a pulling problem.
This is becoming amystery to me...Anyway, thanks again! |
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| MDXdogmom |
quote:
Originally posted by jpinto
I figured they were pulling my leg on the "cupping" thing. I have never even heard of that before! Never had tires with that problem.
I think tire cupping is a fairly common problem on 4wd vehicles - look at some older pickups and the tire tread at the edge will look scalloped on the front tires. Definitely not a fun drive.
Good luck with your X - tell em to FIX IT and quit the sorry excuses
:25: |
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| ggalvan |
I had the same problem at one time. If its the same thing I had, you need to re-adjust your steering mechanism by:
Pull on the tab located at the side or bottom of the steering wheel.
Once the tab is disgangaed the steering can be adjusted to the driver. .:25:
Pull the steering towards you then back to the original position.:bonk:
Tighten the tab to lock the steering wheel in place.
It should cure the noise and vibration problem, hopefully :29:
:16: :16: |
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| tso2001 |
| yup, my 2002 mdx has the same high frequency steering wheel vibration problem since new. the dealer balanced and re-balanced the wheels numerous times, replaced tires, & each time it's gotten a little better but not completely gone. i'm going to keep bringing it back to them & waste their time until they fix it (the dealer is only a few miles from work)...if not...it looks like bye, bye mdx & hello rx330. |
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| shootist |
quote:
Originally posted by tso2001
yup, my 2002 mdx has the same high frequency steering wheel vibration problem since new. the dealer balanced and re-balanced the wheels numerous times, replaced tires, & each time it's gotten a little better but not completely gone. i'm going to keep bringing it back to them & waste their time until they fix it (the dealer is only a few miles from work)...if not...it looks like bye, bye mdx & hello rx330.
You should read the thread from the gentleman who "gave back" his RX330 because of the resonant vibration. It was so bad that the mirrors shook. |
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| m2pc |
I don't get the vibration, on a 2003 X with cross terrains. At what speed/s do you get the vibration?
At the 15K, did they rotate the tires? |
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| jpinto |
ggalvan: Thanks for the tip, but that didn't work for me. It just changed the position of the steering wheel (unless I missed something in your directions?)
The vibration is most pronounced at highway speeds, but I feel it all the time to some extent.
I really am beginning to hate driving this car - and I used to LOVE it!
Frustrating...
BTW, where is the thread about the rx330? That is my next car if we don't get this vibration fixed! |
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| srpbep |
This does not sound good. All I can think of is:
(1) Tires -- this should have been resolved by now if this was the cause.
(2) Wheels -- you could have one or two messed up rims. If a rotate was done at 15K, this would have moved back wheel/tires to front and front to back. If there was a problem with either (both) of the rear wheels, then this would have been moved to the front. If the problem is "minor", then you wouldn't necessarily feel it when the wheels were on the rear, but you WILL feel any problem on the front. Did the dealer do a rotate at the 15K check.
(3) Could have something failing in the front suspension!!
Sorry, I do not have any other ideas. As to "front wheel vibration being characteristic", my answer is PURE :bsflag:
PS: Admin, thanks for the smilie!! |
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| jpinto |
thanks for the replies - I appreciate all the help I can get.
Yes, the tires were rotated at 15K. Acura convinced me the tires were the problem, so the front 2 were replaced with no improvement in the condition.
Now I just had my 22,500 service and the problem is even worse (if you can believe that!)
The steering wheel actually feels like it's "bobbling" back & forth, and if I get it up to about 75-80, it actually shakes back & forth in my hands.
And the tires have been balanced 7 times - once by a hunter dsp 9700. I am truly at a loss here... |
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| ACURAMDXR |
| I am having the same problem with my 02 MDX. Ever since 8K miles. Tires were balanced several times, then alighment was done, then tires were replaced ( Goodyears ). vibration never went away. Now at 26K its worse than ever. The vibration is so bad you can actually see it in the steering wheel. Pretty sad for a $40k luxury vehicle. Dealership wants to make excuses. Instead of fixing the problem, they say its a characteristic of the MDX. |
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| vicpai |
quote:
Originally posted by jpinto
thanks for the replies - I appreciate all the help I can get.
Yes, the tires were rotated at 15K. Acura convinced me the tires were the problem, so the front 2 were replaced with no improvement in the condition.
Now I just had my 22,500 service and the problem is even worse (if you can believe that!)
The steering wheel actually feels like it's "bobbling" back & forth, and if I get it up to about 75-80, it actually shakes back & forth in my hands.
And the tires have been balanced 7 times - once by a hunter dsp 9700. I am truly at a loss here...
.......what model year is your MDX?? Is it a 2003 or ealier model?? .......cause they supposedly added a "damper valve" to the steering system for the 2003 model year. |
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| craig02mdx |
Warped rotors will also make the front end vibrate if its severe enough.
Do you feel the vibration more when you apply brakes? |
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| mgsparro |
I posted this in the knowledge base, but nobody seems to look there....
http://acuramdx.org/kb_item.php?id=150
My problem usually occurs at 70 mph+, but my wife has felt it driving around the city. It comes and goes, and I don't quite know what to make of it. The wheel shakes noticeably, as if the tires are out of round or the steering mechanism is off. It is quite unsettling, and my response is usually to slow down, grip the wheel tightly, and hope for the best!
I have yet to contact a dealer for service b/c I know that it won't have the problem for them! I have an '03 Premium with only 2500 miles. Any feedback/thoughts/recommendations are appreciated! |
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| tso2001 |
| since i'm not alone w/ this strange vibration problem and the dealer can't seem to fix it, is there a way we can bring this up Acura, the company. I like everything about this car which I bought as an interstate cruiser, and turns out that it sucks on the freeway. My little miata which has much more stiffer suspension drives better on the freeway than this thing. |
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| jpinto |
It's a 2002 touring with Michelin X-terrains.
I just had the rotors resurfaced 2 weeks ago at the 22,500K service. It improved the vibration I felt when braking, but didn't improve the vibration on the highway.
I'd definitely like to get something together. I am also actively pursuing the lemon law with this. I have had it! A 40K luxury vehicle should not "characteristically" vibrate like this. It's BAD! Although if I can get the problem resolved before then, I'd be ecstatic.
If anyone has resolved this problem, or if anyone else has this problem, PLEASE let me know! |
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| jpinto |
I registered mine in the problem base as well, under "vibration" - you should add your entry there as well, because there are quite a few other complaints in that problem thread about the same exact thing.
http://www.acuramdx.org/kb_item.php?id=90 |
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| duffin |
I just bought a 2002 MDX Touring w/ Navi used and there is a definite vibration in steering wheel going over 70 mph.
I think I now understand why the previous owner replaced tires with new Continental to fix problem; without success I might add.
Posted this in the registry too. |
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| srpbep |
jpinto,
If Acura does not remedy the situation then they deserve the lemon law penalty:
The problem is NOT a characteristic of the MDX.
There is a cause (maybe one problem or a combination).
If Acura can't (WON'T) find/fix the problem, they surely should buy you a new vehicle!! |
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| tso2001 |
| just an update on my 2002 mdx that has had the steering wheel vibration since day 1, remember I said that I just keep bringing it back to the dealer until they get sick of me, since they're only a couple miles from my work. Guess what? last week they changed all 4 tires (Goodyear -> Michelin), problem gone. I guess it pays to persist. |
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| hammermdx |
quote:
Originally posted by tso2001
just an update on my 2002 mdx that has had the steering wheel vibration since day 1, remember I said that I just keep bringing it back to the dealer until they get sick of me, since they're only a couple miles from my work. Guess what? last week they changed all 4 tires (Goodyear -> Michelin), problem gone. I guess it pays to persist.
Cool, and good for you! |
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| sgtglok |
quote:
Originally posted by tso2001
just an update on my 2002 mdx that has had the steering wheel vibration since day 1, remember I said that I just keep bringing it back to the dealer until they get sick of me, since they're only a couple miles from my work. Guess what? last week they changed all 4 tires (Goodyear -> Michelin), problem gone. I guess it pays to persist.
interesting - i assume dealer replaced GYIs with MTs at no extra cost? i feel vibration when doing 80+ mph and thought about changing to MTs myself (after 2 years and 26,000)
is your dealer anywhere near NY? :) |
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| kimsta |
Just wondering, what if the dealer says that the tires need to be balanced? Would I have to pay for that?
The reason why is because the tires have 15k miles on it, and I have a feeling that if I tell the service rep the steering wheel vibrates, they will say the tires need to be balanced.
For those of you that brought in your X for the vibration problem, did they charge you for balancing the tires? |
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| jpinto |
Tire balancing SHOULD be included with your 15K service. Has it been it yet? If so, then they didn't balance them properly, and they should re-balance them for free.
But good luck, because my tires have been rebalanced numerous times by different dealers, and the problem never went away. |
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| kimsta |
I got the 15k service done at a HONDA dealership. All I had done was the oil change and tire rotation. I didn't know that balancing was required at 15k.
I guess I should get it done. Thanks. Let us know if you get your problem fixed. Good luck. |
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| tso2001 |
| sgtglok & kimsta, i bought the mdx from Bell Acura in PHX, I've very happy w/ their service and efforts. Yes, they replaced the 4 Goodyears w/ 4 new Michelins at no cost (my car was @ 9k miles). First they tried to balance the wheel (road force, tire/wheel matching...etc) a few times (@ no cost), everytime it got a little better but the problem never went away. Until this last time when they tried the Michelins just for the heck of it, eventhough their expensive Hunter machine said there were nothing with the Goodyears, and that seemed to have worked. |
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| vmishra |
jpinto,
You may have already tried this, but in case you haven't....
Did you try replacing all the tires simultaneously. I know you replaced the front two. Maybe that is your problem. I would make the dealer try 4 brand new tires of same brand.
Good Luck.
I have a 2002 with 11K miles. No vibrations so far (crossing my fingers and toes) ;-) |
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| jpinto |
vmishra:
Yes, the dealer "supposedly" swapped all 4 tires with 3 different MDX's...and the car drove the "same way".
So then the geniuses adjusted the pressure in MY tires, and said the problem was fixed - NOT!
If they apparently determined the problem was NOT tire-related, why would they embarass themselves by writing on the report that the problem was my tire pressure. I am a teacher, and I know better than to shoot myself in the foot like that.
They are making a great case for me, anyway! BTW, I am doing lemon law.
No more Acuras for me! |
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