2004 Acura TL. Consumer writes in regards to ball joint failure the consumer stated he backed out of his driveway, stopped in the street and turned the steering wheel counterclockwise to drive up the street, when suddenly he heard a very loud metallic snap and the front end of the vehicle dropped to the ground. The passenger side front lower control arm ball joint had severed. The unsupported wheel then pulled the axle out of the transmission. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealer.

- Ashland, MA, USA

On January 4, 2008, while turning left from a stoplight in clifton park, NY, the right front wheel of the my 2004 Acura TL broke loose and was no longer controllable. I was able to navigate/coast the car to the side of the road. The tow truck driver took the car to northeast Acura. At the time of the incident, the car had 61,634 miles on it. I didn't hear from northeast Acura for over a week. The service advisor (stephen wittek) verified that the ball joint had snapped and it had caused damage to the driveshaft. At this point I asked him if it was normal to only replace one ball joint. He said, normally, you're right. But the left side ball joint didn't show any wear at all. In fact, the right ball joint did not show any sign of wear either. It just broke - it wasn't actually the joint that failed but the suspension arm that held the ball portion of the joint. There was no sign of damage. It just broke. We've never seen anything like this. Note the quotation marks. I called northeast Acura again on Friday, January 18, 2008 at approximately 3:00 P.M. to confirm that the service department would be open on Saturday so that I could pick up my car. I asked the person to ensure they put the broken parts from the repair in my trunk. She stated that they had already disposed of the broken parts. I find it highly doubtful that those parts were not retrievable one day after the repairs were completed. In my subsequent dealings with Acura of North America customer service, the customer service rep (kevin mccarthy) stated that it was my responsibility to request that the part be retained for inspection of material failure. They obviously knew it was material failure (see the quoted passage above) and failed to retain the part or report it to Acura of North America. Had this failure occurred at highway speed (I had just exited off I-87 North in a 65 mph zone), the results of this failure would have been far graver than the nominal damage to my car.

- Baldwinsville, NY, USA

2004 Acura TL right front ball joint broke in half. The consumer believed the incident happened because of a manufacturing defect. The dealer blamed the failure on after market rims that the consumer purchased, the business where the rims were purchased stated they were a proper fit for the vehicle.

- Auburn, NY, USA

I was driving my 2004 Acura TL on a recently repaved highway when the wheel fell off the axle without warning. There were no preceding noises or changes in handling. Fortunately, I was able to pull off the road quickly and avoid injury. The car is still under warranty, so I contacted Acura tlc service and was towed to the nearest dealer's referring auto body shop. Acura evaluated the car, and the service manager told me that it would not be covered under warranty, and to file a claim with my insurance. The auto body mechanics and my insurance adjuster both felt that it should be covered under warranty. Acura dealership was contacted by the auto body shop and asked to take a second look; they declined. I contacted Acura client services and requested a regional service manager to evaluate the car. They declined. One week after the incident, Acura client services made their final determination not to cover this incident. Ultimately, the lower ball joint was found to have snapped without evidence of impact or wear and tear. It was repaired with a new lower ball joint, control arm, axle, tire, wheel, and front quarter panel at the expense of my auto insurance provider.

- Hawthorn Woods, IL, USA