My mechanic said this was very unusual for a "new" car. I feel a little better comparing to others that have their rack and pinion failed at 60-70K miles. Mine is at 130K miles. But still "new" to failed according to mechanic. It all started with humming noise for a while and I didn't think too much about it. Yesterday, power steering stopped working and there was a puddle on the garage floor. Fill it up but it emptied to the floor again the next morning. Took it to mechanic, he used a razor blade and cut up the boots and fluid leak out. Don't plan to repair it but just to sell it now. Quote to have refurbished parts is at $888 .
Bought the car with fairly low miles at 57,000 instead of a brand new vehicle because of Honda's reliability but at 64,000 I lost power steering only to find out that it was the rack and pinion leaking fluid. After reading about various other people experiencing the same issue, I decided it was best to replace the rack with an oem one again but opted for an after market one after the parts guy at an Acura dealership confessed the rack and pinion was a common issue on TSX and TL. FYI AN OEM REPLACEMENT COST AROUND 1,000+ AND LABOR IS ANOTHER 1000. I was able to buy an after market rack for 387 w/liftime warranty at Orielly and do the job myself, which however I have heard is a pain in the ass for those not mechanically inclined.
About two months after the rack mishap I checked all my fluid levels only to find out that the ps pump was leaking. A bit of web surfing revealed that it was a known issue that Honda/Acura resolved by replacing faulty gasket/s with new ones. I bought those gaskets and thought about finally doing them today but, as I did my oil change, noticed that my 6 month old aftermarket rack was leaking....FML
Rant over. This car looks amazing, the little k24 performance does itself justice for a heavy car, and handles well, when all the power steering components work adequately, but the whole ps system seems to be full of flaws that Honda need to step up and address/recall. Seriously considering not getting the new TLX as previously planned.
THE RACK AND PINION FAILURE SHOULD BE PART OF THE POWER STEERING RECALL. AS I SEARHED THROUGH THE NET MANY TSX ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. THIS RACK AND PINION FAILURE IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, IT CAN CAUSE YOUR POWER STEERING TO LOCK, STEERING BECOMES VERY DIFFCULT TO TURN.
ITS ALSO PRICEY TO FIX, THE COST RANGE TO FIX IS $500 TO $900.
GOOD LUCK TO MY FELLOW TSX DRIVERS, I HOPE THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN TO YOUR CAR.
- Jacqueline C.,
Hialeah, FL, US
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
My mechanic said this was very unusual for a "new" car. I feel a little better comparing to others that have their rack and pinion failed at 60-70K miles. Mine is at 130K miles. But still "new" to failed according to mechanic. It all started with humming noise for a while and I didn't think too much about it. Yesterday, power steering stopped working and there was a puddle on the garage floor. Fill it up but it emptied to the floor again the next morning. Took it to mechanic, he used a razor blade and cut up the boots and fluid leak out. Don't plan to repair it but just to sell it now. Quote to have refurbished parts is at $888 .
- Jt T., Fresno, CA, US