06 Accord Vibration

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

Hi all,

I have been experiencing a vibration in my car at highway speeds (50mph+). Vibration is only present when the engine is under load, IE, i am accelerating, maintaining highway speed, or climbing a hill. Vibration is not present if I put the car in neutral and rev the engine. Vibration initially seemed to come from the rear, but it now is present over the entire car, steering wheel, pedals, seats, dash, etc… The vibration is getting progressively worst and appears at lower speeds than when first noticed at 70k. Taken to the dealer then, did a wheel balance and alignment, didn’t fix the problem, unable to diagnose and said bring it back when it’s worst (about 200$). Now at 92k and running out of my 100k warranty. Taken back to the dealership, they told me to change catalytic converter (not under warranty) (75$diagnosis fee) and O2 censor (for 1000$), so I had a reputable mechanic in town do that (420$), problem still there. I took it back to the dealership, they said my cyl2 has a misfire, and to change plugs… so i had them do that (120$, 10%off, waived the diagnosis fee), of course… problem still there. They then suggested it was my snow tires, I replied it has been through 4 sets of tires (two snows, two summers, and all the alignments, balances, rotations associated with that)… problem still there… (and if it was tires, it would vibrate at speed all the time, not just when you are giving the engine gas)…

I am bringing the car back to them this week, they are going to put a set of their tires on the car and see if it may be a wheel bearing… again, this does not seem right to me… if it’s a bearing, wouldn’t that be a condition present all the time, and even (or progressively worst) through speeds…

they told me they have checked the struts (my first guess) and they look OK, as well as the engine mounts (my second guess) look OK.

First, Any ideas what this might be?
Second, should I give up on the dealership and take it elsewhere?
Third, what is the etiquette at this point for warranty repairs… the car is still under warranty, and I have invested almost 1k$ to get the vibration fixed, it is not, and they said they will not just start replacing parts to fix the problem… which is what I want them to do. I was willing to pony up and pay to replace parts I knew were not related, but they will not… that does not seem right… don’t they get paid through the warranty program also?

HELP!
thanks,
kevin

2

You’re leaving out really impt info. If a catalytic converter was replaced and if there was something about a cylinder 2 misfire then you’ve had a check engine light on - ? If so, this comes with error codes. The format is “P1234” People need to know what those error codes are.

However, this is on the assumption that the vibration is from having the car not running correctly. (E.g. misfiring will create vibration as can a clogged cat). It is also quite possible that the vibration is in the drivetrain - broken/worn motor mounts and/or a bad inner CV joint.

Keep documenting the complaint & they will have to fix it - if its a warranty item - even after the warranty if up.

In any case - you need to give details on the diagnostics/codes etc.

3

Yes, the check engine light did come on (ironically, between when I made the appointment and when I brought them the car), so the dealer did see the codes and thats why they recommended and installed the cat. there was no mention of the cyl2 misfire at that time, they only found that after they replaced the cat conv, I don’t have a code reader myself, and I did not get the codes from the dealer, but I will next time I take it there. I apologize, i was trying to be thorough!

4

No one has suggested this might be a bad CV joint? Vibration under load seems to lead to drive train issue and CV joints going bad can cause this type of vibration.

5

I am in agreement with both Cigroller and Uncle Turbo.
This exact symptom can result from a bad CV joint or two.

6

You may have needed a cat converter and perhaps were due for plugs at that mileage, but I have to agree with Cig and Uncle T that your symptoms are typical of a bad inner CV joint. The outer joint will typically create noise when turning, the inner often will manifest itself as noise or vibration under load. The fact that you can put the car in neutral and rev the engine without it exhibiting the vibration strongly suggests that it’s not engine related.

7

I will ask the dealer to inspect or replace the inner CV joint.
Thanks all for the great suggestions, I will post back results!
kevin

8

The CV joint is part of the axle assembly (often called the “half-shaft”). If it does turn out to be the joint, expect them to replace the entire shaft.

9

The only thing I will add to the advice that you’ve been given is that replacing all related parts is not the way to look at it because that could get into all kinds of things other than engine mounts and halfshafts.

The dealer getting paid under warranty is also debateable because that is not always a slam dunk. This is especially true if the warranty program is a 3rd party and not a Honda Motor Company backed program.

The misfire code does present a problem though and it would be interesting to know if this misfire code has returned.

10

it is a honda backed warranty (purchased with the car new), and I wasn’t suggesting to replace all the parts, just their best guess as part of process of elimination… I wanted the same commitment from the dealer that I was making. I don’t want the dealer to loose money, but I did pay for the extended warranty, and would have been happy if I never had to use it… but currently that is not the case. I have never had a problem with the way the car ran (the fact they said cyl2 was experiencing a misfire was kinda shocking to me)… the engine performs well. so i would be surprised if the vibration problem is related. I will post the results later this week, and hopefully have no vibration problems.
thanks

11

Since you notified the dealer of the problem while the vehicle was under warranty and the dealer was unable to find and fix the problem, Honda might continue the warranty past the mileage limit for that problem until it is fixed. Many car companies do. Check with Honda to confirm. I live in Illinois and had a fuel filler neck rust out on a 1986 Honda after 120K miles- about 1994- and Honda paid for the repair after I requested reimbursement. Fuel spilling out of the filler neck when you fill up the tank is a fire hazard. Because of being treated fairly by Honda and their great cars, we continue to buy Hondas.

If it is a Honda backed warranty then Honda, not the dealer, is paying the warranty costs and I’m not sure why the dealer is charging you for a part they believe is causing a problem covered under warranty. Is there a deductible on the warranty? I’d ask to speak with Honda’s area service rep because the dealer hasn’t been able to fix the problem and you’ve had it in multiple times. The dealer may not want to let you talk with the rep, but be persistent. Also, if the dealer doesn’t let you talk with the rep, call or email Honda directly. My experience is that Honda has been very fair. If absolutely nothing fixes the car, check your state’s “lemon law”

12

OK, I have a working vehicle again! Hooray! So the dealer swapped all the tires and it made no difference, and no apparent noise. So they replaced the right axle and half shaft, covered under the warranty at no cost to me. (I forgot to ask if the codes returned, but the check engine light has not been on.)

Thanks all for your help.

13

Congratulations and sincere thanks for posting back. It’s rare that we hear the results of these threads, and it’s a nice feeling. And it sounds like the cat converter too care of that CEL light too.

Sincere best.