Hello all,
This is my first post here, as this is the first issue I've had with my Element. Please bear with me, this is quite long. I'm going to take the car to the dealer, but I'm hoping that someone here has had the same issues and can give me a little guidance. I'll give as much background as possible.
I've got 35,500 miles currently. The stock Goodyear tires are nearing the end of their life. When I had the 35k service done, my mechanic said I could get tires and an alignment "anytime."
Over the last six months, on five separate occasions, my VSA and Traction Control (yellow triangle) lights have come on. The first time, I was in Frech Lick, Indiana on the steepest hill I've ever driven up/down. The car did fine on the way up the hill, no warning lights. On the way down, I noticed that the Grade Logic Control had taken over (which is normal) and I was on the brakes almost the whole way down....all of the sudden, the VSA and Traction Lights came on. We weren't sliding or skidding, everything seemed normal. The lights remained on until the next time I cycled the key. After that, all was normal.
Since that time, the lights have come on three more times, all under normal driving. Last week, while driving on a straight, level road, both lights came on again. It was raining, but again, I wasn't out of control or noticing any wheel slip. I drove directly to my local mechanic (who had performed the 35k service the week before) and he ran a diagnostic check. No engine or transmission codes present but the wierd thing is, he could not communicate with the ABS/VSA system. We then cycled the key and the lights were out.
I received the brake pedal recall notice in the mail and felt validated because I have always thought my brake pedal was too soft. I bought the car new and it had a "hard spot" on one of the front rotors from day one. The rotors were resurfaced and all was fine. Around 15-20k, the dealer turned the back rotors due to a vibration while braking at highway speeds. When I had the 35k service last week, the tech noted that I would need pads soon, about 5k miles.
Now, my next issue may be related or perhaps its something different all together.
I had to have a right front axle seal replaced 10-15k miles ago because I was leaking transmission fluid. Not a major leak, but I did notice it on the garage floor. Dealer did the work, covered under warranty, of course. My issue is that over the last 5-10k miles, I have noticed an intermittent vibration when driving. At first, it would do it every now and again. But over the last couple of months, it has gotten much worse. As best I can describe, its almost like a "torque converter shudder" at around 40 mph. Under normal/light acceleration, the car will shudder and the tachometer seems to fluctuate. Almost as if one of the tires is square, the car kinda has this "hopping" feeling. Once it's in overdrive, it goes away. Under harder acceleration, it's totally fine. Doesn't shudder at all.
Honestly, it feels more like a tire that is totally out of balance but it is completely intermittent. It happens almost every morning when I have 5 miles of stop & go traffic on the way to work. It's almost like I can feel the transmission going in and out of overdrive, like rapid-fire, before it finally settles into gear. The last stretch of my drive has several stop lights with enough room in between to hit 45 mph. That's when I notice it the most. Like I said though, it really is intermittent, but I'm noticing it more & more.
After getting burned really bad by the horrendous transmssion issues in my previous Honda (2003 Accord EX V6 Coupe), I'm a bit nervous. I love my Element and I hope this isn't a sign of things to come. Anyone have any insight as to what might be going on?
This is my first post here, as this is the first issue I've had with my Element. Please bear with me, this is quite long. I'm going to take the car to the dealer, but I'm hoping that someone here has had the same issues and can give me a little guidance. I'll give as much background as possible.
I've got 35,500 miles currently. The stock Goodyear tires are nearing the end of their life. When I had the 35k service done, my mechanic said I could get tires and an alignment "anytime."
Over the last six months, on five separate occasions, my VSA and Traction Control (yellow triangle) lights have come on. The first time, I was in Frech Lick, Indiana on the steepest hill I've ever driven up/down. The car did fine on the way up the hill, no warning lights. On the way down, I noticed that the Grade Logic Control had taken over (which is normal) and I was on the brakes almost the whole way down....all of the sudden, the VSA and Traction Lights came on. We weren't sliding or skidding, everything seemed normal. The lights remained on until the next time I cycled the key. After that, all was normal.
Since that time, the lights have come on three more times, all under normal driving. Last week, while driving on a straight, level road, both lights came on again. It was raining, but again, I wasn't out of control or noticing any wheel slip. I drove directly to my local mechanic (who had performed the 35k service the week before) and he ran a diagnostic check. No engine or transmission codes present but the wierd thing is, he could not communicate with the ABS/VSA system. We then cycled the key and the lights were out.
I received the brake pedal recall notice in the mail and felt validated because I have always thought my brake pedal was too soft. I bought the car new and it had a "hard spot" on one of the front rotors from day one. The rotors were resurfaced and all was fine. Around 15-20k, the dealer turned the back rotors due to a vibration while braking at highway speeds. When I had the 35k service last week, the tech noted that I would need pads soon, about 5k miles.
Now, my next issue may be related or perhaps its something different all together.
I had to have a right front axle seal replaced 10-15k miles ago because I was leaking transmission fluid. Not a major leak, but I did notice it on the garage floor. Dealer did the work, covered under warranty, of course. My issue is that over the last 5-10k miles, I have noticed an intermittent vibration when driving. At first, it would do it every now and again. But over the last couple of months, it has gotten much worse. As best I can describe, its almost like a "torque converter shudder" at around 40 mph. Under normal/light acceleration, the car will shudder and the tachometer seems to fluctuate. Almost as if one of the tires is square, the car kinda has this "hopping" feeling. Once it's in overdrive, it goes away. Under harder acceleration, it's totally fine. Doesn't shudder at all.
Honestly, it feels more like a tire that is totally out of balance but it is completely intermittent. It happens almost every morning when I have 5 miles of stop & go traffic on the way to work. It's almost like I can feel the transmission going in and out of overdrive, like rapid-fire, before it finally settles into gear. The last stretch of my drive has several stop lights with enough room in between to hit 45 mph. That's when I notice it the most. Like I said though, it really is intermittent, but I'm noticing it more & more.
After getting burned really bad by the horrendous transmssion issues in my previous Honda (2003 Accord EX V6 Coupe), I'm a bit nervous. I love my Element and I hope this isn't a sign of things to come. Anyone have any insight as to what might be going on?
