Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Recalls/TSBs, Safety, Acura
Acura recalls 273,000 TLs due to fire fears
Honda put out two recall notices today that affects some 273,000 2004-2008 Acura TLs. One of the recalls addresses a windshield wiper issue, where a potentially faulty circuit breaker on 129,600 '04 and '05 TLs could fail, rendering the wipers useless.
The other recall is a bit more compelling. Apparently an issue with high temperatures under the hood can cause the power steering hose to degrade to the point that it could crack and leak fluid onto the catalytic converter. This could result in a fair amount of smoke, or, at worse, a fire.
Neither issue has resulted in a crash or injury, but Acura dealers have been instructed to replace the power steering hose and, in the case of the windshield wiper motor, inspect the unit and replace it if necessary. Naturally, there's no charge for either recall.
[Source: Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Tragedy 7:08PM (2/29/2008)
This is what happens when a Japanese company has Americans engineer, design, and build their cars. This car doesn't exist in Japan. Keep 'em made in Japan. Flame all you want, but it's a fact that American cars are recalled more often than Japanese cars.
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Seoultrain 7:31PM (2/29/2008)
This probably has to do more with supplier cost-cutting than engineering. I doubt Honda of America makes their own hoses and windshield wiper circuit breakers.
Randy 8:25PM (2/29/2008)
Goes to show you that it's not the company and it's good old american's like MR TRAGEDY that are the part in the mix that screws it all up! Nice work self destructing! Guess every American can be replaced by a Japanese person to make this country better. Oh wait, or is it just that many American Auto Workers are greedy! Hm, what could it be!
iSpec 7:19PM (2/29/2008)
....and the prev. gen MDX with all its brake problems.
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Mal Fuller 7:32PM (2/29/2008)
"at worse" or "at worst?"
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Mercury Mountaineer 06 7:34PM (2/29/2008)
Well, it's good to know that they are recalling the problem before anything happens.
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HotRodzNKustoms 7:35PM (2/29/2008)
The burning question on everyone's minds is.... drum roll please............ They sold 273,000 TL's?????
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psarhjinian 8:48PM (2/29/2008)
Heh.
In all seriousness, it's a pretty good all-around car. It handles well, has lots power, gets good mileage and a great cabin. It's also not nearly as pretentious as a 3er or C-Class.
nardvark 7:44PM (2/29/2008)
It's a good car for someone who wants a luxury marque without getting into $40k territory. Other than that, I don't understand why people buy them. My parents own one (type-S, actually) and it rides like every other large, heavy car with a big engine out there. I guess the leather is nice?
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Typesbad 9:58PM (2/29/2008)
Most of the owners I know really appreciate the technology. The easy to use nav, the bluetooth, the surround sound stereo. Plus the car handles quote well for a front driver has a good safety rating and it looks good.
Sure it isn't a rear driver, but there is nothing that says once you make a certain amount of money you have to drive a car at 9/10s whenever possible. They aren't all car idiots like us. Some just want a nice car. The TL delivers.
Nick 10:34AM (3/01/2008)
The leather in the Acura/Honda line is prone to cracking. I love the cars but will never buy one with leather for that reason. If you compare a seat in a 4 year old Acura to a BMW 3, the BMW seat will still look new where the Acura will look like it should be thrown out.
Matt 7:52PM (2/29/2008)
It's typical HonDUH quality, what do you expect? :(
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Dustin 8:07PM (2/29/2008)
what are you, 12 years old?
Matt 8:45PM (2/29/2008)
Is that how old your Civic was before her V-TEC died, and you needed to add two quarts of oil per week?
Typesbad 9:52PM (2/29/2008)
To be fair, they are talking about a hose, after it has aged four years. And the fix is to replace the hose. This is not exactly a major indictment of vehicle quality.
Dustin 9:58PM (2/29/2008)
Funny you should mention VTEC in respect to reliability, Matt. Turns out that there has never been one reported failure of VTEC in its 20 years of existence.
And no, my Accord is 22 years old, and I add two quarts of oil a year.
Matt 2:19AM (3/01/2008)
That sucks ass for you, Dustin. Unfortunately for the Accord, the *only* time it's been attractive is when they redesigned it for 2008, and even then it's limited.
Maybe you should get a job and buy something newer.
Thedevil 8:12PM (2/29/2008)
AUTOBLOG is full of it! i aint no honda fan but where is the post for FORD 4.6 million car recall that happend yesterday?....February 28, 2008
Flaming Fords
• Feds Warn Some Ford Trucks and Cars Can Erupt in Flames
• Ford Fire Lawsuits Spread
• Ford Recalls 57,000 More Trucks, SUVS for Fire Hazard
• Ford Fires Strike in Minnesota, California
• Ford Plans Another Recall to Fix Fire Hazard
• Ford Fire Hazard Recall Creeps Along
• Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute Continue Ford Fire Tradition
• Ford Fires Kill Pets and Spread Despair as Year Ends
• Ford Lacks Parts for Fire Recall Repair
• New F150 Erupts in Flames as Ford Truck Fires Rage On
• Red Hot Texas Car-B-Que
• Kerry Vows Action to Get Flaming Fords Off the Road
• Flaming Ford Scandal Disgraces Ford, Feds
• Ford Tries Again to Fix Fire Problem with Massive Recall
• One Ford the Recall Missed
• Ford Stops Sales of Big Super Duty, Recalls 2008 Trucks
• Ford Recalls 155,000 More Trucks to Fix Fire Hazard
• Feds Probe Fires in Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute
• Feds Wind Up Ford Engine Fire Probe with Massive Recall
• Ford Truck Fires Mount as Recall Rolls Slowly
• Ford Trucks Burn As Recall Fiddles
• Ford Truck Fire Fix Delayed by Parts Shortage
• Ford Recalls 4 Million Trucks to Fix Fire Risk
• Nader Demands NHTSA Warn Ford Truck Owners
• Wrongful Death Suit Charges House Fire Started in F-150
• Feds Look Deeper for Ford Fire Causes
• Recall Leaves Many Questions Unanswered
• Houston Lawyers Sue Ford
• Ford Recalls Some Fire-Prone Models
• Feds Probe Ford F-150 Engine Fires
• Ford Recall Was Biggest Ever
---
• Bronco
• Crown Victoria
• Dump truck
• Expedition
• Explorer
• F-150
• Other F-Series Trucks
• Focus
• Mustang
• Ranger Pickup
• Taurus
• Windstar
After years of disastrous fires involving Ford vehicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is strongly warning Ford, Lincoln and Mercury owners of fire hazards involving the faulty cruise control switches in recalled Ford Motor Company vehicles that have not been repaired.
ConsumerAffairs.com has been reporting on the problem for years, chronicling fires in vehicles parked outside homes, in garages and even at fire stations.
In a highly usual statement, NHTSA urged owners of the recalled vehicles to go to a Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealer as soon as possible and have the cruise control system disconnected.
The unrepaired Ford, Lincoln and Mercury SUVs, pickup trucks, vans and certain passenger cars contain a safety defect that could cause the vehicle to erupt into flames, according to the NHTSA statement.
"Failure to have the switch disconnected could lead to a vehicle fire at any time, whether or not the key is in the ignition, and whether or not owners use the cruise control system," NHTSA warned in the consumer advisory.
The safety agency said the fire danger is present regardless of the age of the vehicle, and could even occur while the vehicle is parked and unattended. Several dwelling fires have been attributed to the problem.
Many dealers will perform a short-term fix as a “drive-through” service so owners do not have to leave their vehicles at the dealership or schedule an appointment in advance, according to NHTSA.
NHTSA said it is issuing the unusual consumer advisory because of concerns that many owners have yet to respond to multiple safety defect recall notifications involving almost 10 million registered vehicles.
NHTSA reported that approximately five million vehicles have been repaired so far, leaving some five million passenger cars and light trucks with the faulty switches intact, and in danger of catching fire at any time without warning.
The drive-through repair is an interim safety measure but will eliminate the risk of fire while affected Ford and Mercury owners are waiting for final repairs from the company, NHTSA said.
Ford is in the process of re-notifying owners of the SUVs and other light trucks concerning the importance of having the switch disconnected.
The involved vehicles are:
1. 1993 – 2004 F150
2. 1993 – 1999 F250 (gasoline engine)
3. 1993 – 1996 Bronco
4. 1994 – 1996 Econoline
5. 1997 – 2002 Ford Expedition
6. 1998 – 2002 Lincoln Navigator
7. 1998 – 2002 Ford Ranger
8. 1992 – 1998 Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car
9. 1993 – 1998 Lincoln Mark VIII
10. 1993 – 1995 Ford Taurus SHO with automatic transmission
11. 1994 – Mercury Capri
12. 1998 – 2001 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer
13. 2001 – 2002 Ford Explorer Sport and Explorer Sport Trac
14. 1992 – 1993 and 1997 – 2003 Ford E-150-350 gasoline or natural gas vehicles
15. 2002 – E-550 gasoline engine vehicles
16. 1996 – 2003 E-450 gasoline or natural gas vehicles
17. 1994 – 2002 F-250 through F-550 super Duty trucks (gasoline engine)
18. 2000 – 2002 Ford Excursion (gasoline engine)
19. 2003 – F250 – F550 Super Duty, Ford Excursion
20. 1995 – 2002 Ford F53 Motor home chassis
21. 2002 – 2003 Lincoln Blackwood
Latest fires
The firestorm of Ford trucks erupting into flames most recently struck in two more states, devastating Ford truck owners in Minnesota and California.
The Ford inferno hit a homeowner in Chisago City, Minnesota last month when her 2000 Ford Expedition “started on fire parked in our attached garage. We have now lost everything we owned,” wrote the Ford Expedition owner. “The home we built not even 2 years ago burned to the ground,” she said.
chevy.........Feds Step Up Probe of Chevy Aveo Stuck Throttle
Ice formation in engine can cause problems
February 19, 2008
• More automotive news ...
Federal safety regulators are stepping up an investigation of the vehicle speed control system in 2004 and 2005 Chevrolet Aveos.
The Office of Defect Investigations (ODI) which is part of the National Highway traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has upgraded its evaluation of complaints which began October 19, 2007 about stuck throttles in the Aveo because of “ice formation within the engine air intact tract.”
The change, according to ODI, follows a safety recall by General Motors “involving substantially similar vehicles manufactured for sale in Canada.”
GM, according to the federal safety group twice revised the Canadian recall “to include more substantial changes to the throttle body, intake manifold, positive crankcase ventilation and engine cooling systems to further reduce air intake tract.”
After receiving 28 complaints of a stuck throttle in vehicles in the U.S. along with 46 warranty claims affecting 63 vehicles,” investigators suspect the defect occurs in the winter when the temperature is below freezing.
Information provided to ODI by GM does not include events involving stuck throttles during the “most recent winter months” so the investigation will be intensified to “further study the frequency of the alleged defect,” according to ODI.
An engineering analysis is often the last step before a NHTSA-mandated recall.
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Damon Lavrinc 8:19PM (2/29/2008)
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/29/recalled-ford-owners-urged-to-get-cruise-control-fixed/
That went live about 20 minutes ago and we've reported on this same issue countless times since Ford and NHTSA originally announced the recall. It's certainly not new.
rav3 1:30PM (3/01/2008)
"Reported failures" with variable timing technology??? For comparison, who's VT tech is having problems? Was that something you also researched?
Nissan was the first to put variable timing into production, how about them or every other company that uses VT???