[tsx_11209]

Hello-
I have a 2010 4cyl TSX at about 90k miles. About a year ago, I was driving on a highway at about 60 mph and felt a strange pulsating or wobbling sensation coming from the front, with a slight shaking coming through the steering. It felt and sounded the same way a coin sounds when you spin it on a table, and the coin makes that wobbling/warping sound as it finishes spinning and gradually comes to rest on the table's surface. But there is also a pronounced vibration. Applying the brakes makes the sound more pronounced, with a stronger pulsation coming through the steering wheel.

I went to my regular mechanic. They rebalanced the wheels, and everything seemed ok for several months.

Then the pulsating/wobbling came back again. I went to an Acura service center, and they diagnosed a bad front passenger wheel bearing and hub, which they replaced. Everything seemed ok for several months.

Then the pulsating/wobbling came back yet again. I went back to my regular mechanic, who determined that the front driver-side caliper was seizing up, and that there were also problems with both brake hoses. So those items were replaced -- but this time, it only took a couple of weeks for the pulsating/wobbling sensation to come back again.

Does anyone have any idea what this could be? I've read some of the other posts on this forum that describe other problems with similar symptoms. It doesn't happen all the time - it seems to happen at its worst when speeding up from street to highway speed (30 - 60+ mph), esp. on highways/ramps that have continuous curves. But in general, there always seems to be a very slight pulsing/vibrating coming from the front, usually not enough to be bothersome, except when it occasionally gets especially bad as I've described above. At its worst, I need to slow down considerably or stop (not the safest thing to do in some driving situations).

Any insights that can be provided are greatly appreciated! I love the car - it has otherwise been sturdy, reliable, and fun to drive, so it's sad to have this happen with no one able to figure out what's wrong.

 

[_Sam]

Is there accident history with this vehicle? It seems that there may be premature wear coming from that side.

 

[tsx_11209]

Is there accident history with this vehicle? It seems that there may be premature wear coming from that side.

The only accident I had was in December, when I had to have the front bumper and front driver-side wheel replaced because someone cut into me as I was making a turn. But the problem started happening before that accident.

 

[Litespeed08]

That sounds very unusual. First reaction is that it's suspension related but after what's been diagnosed it just becomes more perplexing. I have never experienced such a thing so I have very little to add. Here's a crazy idea. Swap both front wheels with the back wheels and see what effect that has and then report back any observations. How's your alignment been so far? Any unusual wear? Have you checked your compliance bushings?

 

[tsx_11209]

That sounds very unusual. First reaction is that it's suspension related but after what's been diagnosed it just becomes more perplexing. I have never experienced such a thing so I have very little to add. Here's a crazy idea. Swap both front wheels with the back wheels and see what effect that has and then report back any observations. How's your alignment been so far? Any unusual wear? Have you checked your compliance bushings?

Thanks for your reply. No one’s noticed anything unusual in terms of the alignment. I will ask my mechanic to swap the front and back wheels and also to check the compliance bushings, and I’ll see what happens.

I posted this issue on another well-known car enthusiast forum, and someone responded that this sounds like a broken belt in one of the tires, since that would also cause a warping/wobbling sensation. Any opinions on that?

 

[Litespeed08]

If the tire is different or it has an integrity issue (uneven wear, internal breakdown, etc.) it will cause an imbalance that becomes more apparent at higher speeds. That's why I suggested that you swap the tires. Swapping will either reveal a difference or at the very least eliminate the whole wheel as a cause of your issue(s).

 

[Donnell]

What about the rotors? Did you check those for warping?

 

[Lscole488]

I agree with Donnell, sounds like warped rotors. If you had a caliper seizing up, it stands to reason it has overheated the rotor and caused it to warp. Warped rotor will give a slight wobble at lower speeds and becomes more intense at faster speeds but should be constant and not sparatic.

 

[Donnell]

I mean ... I only say that because it hasn't been mentioned. After taking it to so many mechanics, clearly someone had to see that they were not warped if he brought it in. I mean, that's like the number 1 and obvious problem for wobbly breaking and acceleration. After suggestion it, I'm almost betting against myself that it isn't the problem ... But the dice have been thrown; we shall see 🤷🏿‍♀️

 

[Zave209]

Hello-
I have a 2010 4cyl TSX at about 90k miles. About a year ago, I was driving on a highway at about 60 mph and felt a strange pulsating or wobbling sensation coming from the front, with a slight shaking coming through the steering. It felt and sounded the same way a coin sounds when you spin it on a table, and the coin makes that wobbling/warping sound as it finishes spinning and gradually comes to rest on the table's surface. But there is also a pronounced vibration. Applying the brakes makes the sound more pronounced, with a stronger pulsation coming through the steering wheel.

I went to my regular mechanic. They rebalanced the wheels, and everything seemed ok for several months.

Then the pulsating/wobbling came back again. I went to an Acura service center, and they diagnosed a bad front passenger wheel bearing and hub, which they replaced. Everything seemed ok for several months.

Then the pulsating/wobbling came back yet again. I went back to my regular mechanic, who determined that the front driver-side caliper was seizing up, and that there were also problems with both brake hoses. So those items were replaced -- but this time, it only took a couple of weeks for the pulsating/wobbling sensation to come back again.

Does anyone have any idea what this could be? I've read some of the other posts on this forum that describe other problems with similar symptoms. It doesn't happen all the time - it seems to happen at its worst when speeding up from street to highway speed (30 - 60+ mph), esp. on highways/ramps that have continuous curves. But in general, there always seems to be a very slight pulsing/vibrating coming from the front, usually not enough to be bothersome, except when it occasionally gets especially bad as I've described above. At its worst, I need to slow down considerably or stop (not the safest thing to do in some driving situations).

Any insights that can be provided are greatly appreciated! I love the car - it has otherwise been sturdy, reliable, and fun to drive, so it's sad to have this happen with no one able to figure out what's wrong.

I've had the same issue but mine was the hub and I had it fixed myself. Second thing is get your wheels balanced and also check for the axels are still good if not check the ball joints to make sure their not cracked or in bad used. I hope I was helpful in some way. Take care of your car don't give up on it okay because these lil acuras are pretty good in general.

 

[Donnell]

But then again there is a sound associated with it. If your rotord get that bad it will make a sound when driving almost like a helicopter. But same thing with the wheel bearing which they "replaced".

Jack the car up, grab the wheel from 12 and 6. Then grab the wheel from 3 and 9. If you can move the tire off of it's verticle axis then it's a wheel bearing. YouTube it. "Bad wheel bearing" it makes a gurgle noise; louder the faster you go.

 

[tsx_11209]

Thanks for all your responses!

I went back to my regular mechanic again and they have experienced what I felt when they road tested the car. But they say that they did not see anything unusual with the bushings, tires (more on that below), ball joints, or anything else suspension-related (though it has had minor suspension issues in the past). I asked for an alignment, and they performed it, but said it wasn't necessary. The front and back wheels were swapped and the wheels were rebalanced again.

The front rotors were also replaced, due to what was described to me as uneven wear. A mild helicopter-ish noise that Donnell described above, together with a pulsing or wobbling sensation, was what I had been experiencing at its worst. Also, there had been some brake squeal and creaking that is no longer occurring.

I then took it on a 225-mile day trip where it was tested at NJ Turnpike speeds. There was no weird noise from the front or pulsing or wobbling, or any brake issues, but it feels as if the front wheels are feeding back every slight road imperfection. Maybe that's due in part to uneven tire wear. One thing I didn't mention previously: I have Continental PureContact tires that are about 6 yrs/43k mi old, but one of the four is much newer (3 yrs old); it was replaced under warranty due to pothole damage. I'm planning to replace them soon - any opinions on Michelin Cross Climate?

I'll see how it goes from this point. Thanks again for your insights!

 

[Donnell]

Keep us posted and I too have cont. Pure contact. 👍🏾

 

[foo4u]

I had the same problem sporadically and it was a stuck brake caliper. Replaced front brake pads and calipers via local mechanic and the problem went away. Rotors resurfaced too.

The biggest problem with diagnostics is that is would unstick itself after a while so mechanic couldn’t reproduce. However, after ruling out axle and boot issues I had them do the brakes. The only hint that there may have been a brake issue is the pads were wearing prematurely. Problem hasn’t been back in a year and half.

Re: feeling every rut in the road, make sure tire pressure is correctly set.

Not sure this is your problem but I hope it helps.

 

[tsx_11209]

I had the same problem sporadically and it was a stuck brake caliper. Replaced front brake pads and calipers via local mechanic and the problem went away. Rotors resurfaced too.

The biggest problem with diagnostics is that is would unstick itself after a while so mechanic couldn’t reproduce. However, after ruling out axle and boot issues I had them do the brakes. The only hint that there may have been a brake issue is the pads were wearing prematurely. Problem hasn’t been back in a year and half.

Re: feeling every rut in the road, make sure tire pressure is correctly set.

Not sure this is your problem but I hope it helps.

I had the same problem sporadically and it was a stuck brake caliper. Replaced front brake pads and calipers via local mechanic and the problem went away. Rotors resurfaced too.

The biggest problem with diagnostics is that is would unstick itself after a while so mechanic couldn’t reproduce. However, after ruling out axle and boot issues I had them do the brakes. The only hint that there may have been a brake issue is the pads were wearing prematurely. Problem hasn’t been back in a year and half.

Re: feeling every rut in the road, make sure tire pressure is correctly set.

Not sure this is your problem but I hope it helps.

Thanks. That sounds very close to my situation: mechanic didn’t find anything suspension-related, but found a stuck caliper (driver side), then replaced it. Problem came back, and my mechanic replaced the front rotors. No problems since, but there have been times when I feel like it’s about to happen but it doesn’t. It’s like I can hear or sense a subtle wobbling coming from the front when going up to highway speed, but at least for now, it’s not getting worse than that.