Bloomberg’s 2015 Acura TLX brake recall headline misleading
In a move to grab a bit of sensationalism-driven readership, Bloomberg.Com reported Wednesday in the wake of the latest Takata airbag recall action, a pending parking brake related recall for Acura’s best selling 2015 TLX V6-9. While the essence of the article reads true, the headline exaggerates the conditions and scope of the pending recall, stating that 'Acura TLX sales in the U.S. halted;' not entirely true.
We've driven TLX and were more than a bit impressed by the technology and performance value represented by Acura’s latest premium sport sedan. looking to the Bloomberg piece we find an over emphasis on Honda’s ongoing Japanese built Fit and now worldwide Takata airbag related recall action.
Yes, Honda has(perhaps) adopted an over cautionary stance in the wake of Takata and Fit related defects as to pulling the trigger on near future “precautionary, voluntary” product recalls; and there may lie the problem.
According to our trusted source at Acura: Yes, dealers were notified December 4 to stop selling certain Vin # 2015 Acura TLX V6 9 speeds. However, the statement from Acura is explicit as to the facts of the matter, and they are:
*Statement from Acura regarding 2015 Acura TLX V6
Stop Sale Dealer Communication
On Dec. 4, 2014, Acura notified its U.S. dealers to stop the sale of certain TLX V6
vehicles until they receive specific inspection and repair instructions from Acura.
Only certain vehicles are included in this action, and nearly all new TLX V6 vehicles
being delivered to dealers currently are unaffected by this stop sale order.
Acura will provide further information to its dealers and clients as it becomes
available in the near future. In the interim, Acura encourages all drivers to engage
the parking brake whenever parking their vehicles.
As of November 15,293, 2015 Acura TLX in all variants have been sold. We've received customer satisfaction reports bordering on giddy from our readers.* I do recall an initial vehicle weight mislabeling affecting fewer than 300 cars. Perhaps that will be the extent of the latest recall. In the meantime Acura strongly suggests that all 2015 Acura TLX V6 owners set the parking brake when leaving the car in stationary position.
The parking brake is activated by a secondary toggle. * You can feel the parking brake engage and disengage. However, reading between the lines of the dealership notification, the setting of the parking brake is not automatic when the TLX 9 speed is positioned in “Park.” I also recall buttoning the 9 speed into reverse at speed while driving in the dark. Thankfully, TLX is smarter than I am and did not engage in reverse mode while moving forward at 70 mph.
In closing: There’s a short learning curve to Acura’s push-button driving mode and transmission setting button interface. If you've had a problem with your TLX, we'd like to read your comment here.
*American Honda Motor Company, Acura Division.
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