1. The rack and pinion steering rack is leaking power steering hydraulic fluid. The power assist is not working and the vehicle is undrivable. Putting in new fluid does not help as it just drains out from he pinion within half a day. 2. Luckily, the seals on the rack and pinion failed in the community as low speeds and power steering was lost. Drove back home. No one was hurt. Afraid to think of what would have happened if this had occurred at highway speeds. 3. Not yet confirmed by dealer as car needs towing, which costs money as closest dealer is quiet far away. But many reports of similar incidents across online communities for this vehicle, where folks had to shell out thousands to replace the entire rack and pinion system. The seals are sealed inside and cannot be serviced. 4. Component has not been removed from the car yet or inspected by anyone. Yet to be removed for replacement 5. There were no warning lights, sounds or indications of any kind. No warning of loss of hydraulic pressure or air in system. Just a weird whining noise began when negotiating a slow speed turn and within a minute, all fluid drained and all power assist was lost.
2008 Acura TSX steering problems
17 complaints (50% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 87,000. 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 17
- of this car's complaints
- 50%
- typical mileage
- 87,000
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Hydraulic power assist: power steering fluid1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Acura TSX steering problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2008 Acura TSX steering
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Steering: hydraulic power assist: hose, piping, and connections
- What is wrong
- Honda is recalling certain model year 2004 through 2008 acura tsx passenger vehicles manufactured between september 25, 2002 and february 13, 2008. Prolonged high under hood temperatures may cause the power steering hose to deteriorate prematurely and may cause the hose to crack and leak power steering oil.
- Risk
- Oil leaking onto a hot exhaust pipe will generate smoke and a burning smell, and could potentially result in an under hood fire.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began may 28, 2010. Owners may contact acura client services at 1‑800‑382‑2238.
Recall number 10V174000 · Recall details
What 2008 Acura TSX owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2008 Acura TSX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to complete a turn, an abnormal amount of effort was needed to turn the steering wheel. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the power steering fluid was abnormally low. Upon refilling the power steering fluid reservoir, the contact observed a leak in the power steering hose. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 198,231.
While driving I noticed my car completely lost all of its power steering in one shot without warning. This leads to very stiff driving experience and when I brought it too the mechanic he said it would be a substantial amount of money to fix, because of this I googled and noticed many other acura tsx's have this issue. I applied power steering fluid in hope of that helping out but it just leaked out.
While driving the car on the highway, it became increasingly hard to steer. By the time I got home the steering wheel couldn't be turned. Had it taken to the dealer where it was noted that the power steering was completely inoperable, the rack and pinion was leaking and the power steering pump was leaking. Dealer said that my VIN hadn't been affected by the previous power steering hose recall. It cost $1500 for the repair and it seems a little fishy to me that so many tsx drivers are reporting the same issue.
Day 1-2 of this issue: squeaky sound with steering, short drives of a few mins each- (with my child in the car). Parked car in garage. Day 3: could not get vehicle out of the garage as the steering was extremely hard, harder to left than right. No fluid found on garage floor. Had vehicle towed to dealership to diagnose. I was told it was the power steering rack but was not told exactly how it was failing but he did mention he sees this 'a lot'. Car was purchased and driven in maryland/dc/n. Va (unsure if car was properly treated against the substance to melt ice). I'm glad this did not happen while driving with my child but if indeed a faulty mechanism, why isn't acura recalling?
I noticed that the vehicle began making a grinding noise, at approximately 120 000 miles as read by the odometer, when making turns and slips. The driver side pinion boot is leaking and a grinding noise can be heard from the the rack and pinion when turning the wheel with the car on jack stands.
Power steering started to fail all of a sudden. Was not able to steer at all. The dealer told me it was caused by the rack and pinion going out which also affected the power steering pump to fail. This should not happen when the car itself was driven only 60k plus miles and the car was always well taken care of through the dealership. I paid 3,000 dollars to get this fixed! There are multiple cases regarding rack and pinion power steering issues from the acura tsx. There should be a recall from acura a long time ago. This issue must be resolved asap.
Had the power steering hose recall done in 2014 (recall number sb10-010). Now in 2017 came out to drive car and found all power steering fluid leaked and car had no power steering when trying to drive it. Car drove and power steering was perfectly fine the day before. Also just had a multi point inspection 4 months prior at acura dealership which found no issues with power steering.
My tsx has 58,469 miles and has always been serviced at an acura dealership. About 6 months ago during a routine service the service advisor pointed out that the rack and pinion was leaking. The advisor said that the leak came from the seals and that this was a common issue on the tsx's. Given that the veh has such low mileage and having been serviced at the dealer this issue should not occur. Rack and pinions are designed to last much longer. Doing a quick research online I came across multiple stories from tsx owners experiencing the same issue and some resulting in accidents occurring. I have all the service records and would be happy to share them or any additional details you may need.
Was traveling on the highway at around 65 MPH when the car steering felt a bit rough, upon arrival at my job's parking lot I lost complete power steering. Upon a quick inspection later that day I noticed the rack and pinion was leaking, I tried to add more fluid just to make it home but the leak was so quick that I lost complete power steering when trying to exit my parking space after just having top'd off the fluid. The safety concern is due to the loss of power steering aid when the car is in motion at low speeds as this will make turning difficult due to the low speed, this may be sudden as experienced from the quick ps fluid loss. Many other people have reported the same issue and acura's service bulletin 10-025 addresses a power steering rack squeak due a deformed seal in the steering rack. However the bigger concern is due to the lost of vehicle control from loss of fluid. Furthermore, merely letting the car idle when there has suffered a noticeable power steering fluid loss may cause damage to the steering pump as the lack of such fluid starves the pump of lubing medium. The quote to repair such damage is estimated at around 2200+ 1000+ for steering rack and 1000+ for labor.
Questions about the 2008 Acura TSX steering
Does the 2008 Acura TSX have steering problems?
Owners have filed 17 complaints about the steering of the 2008 Acura TSX, 50% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2008 Acura TSX steering problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 87,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Acura TSX steering?
Yes, 1 recall: 10V174000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Acura TSX have bad steering?
The Acura TSX model years with the most steering complaints are 2012 (100 complaints), 2006 (24 complaints) and 2013 (19 complaints).
Other 2008 Acura TSX problems
Brakes 7Electrical 4Body 3Tires 3Airbags 2Engine 2Driver assistance 1Suspension 1Visibility 1Wheels 1
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2008 Acura TSX?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history