2003 Acura TL Type-S with Navigation review from North America

Eight months after purchasing what was at the time Acura's top-of-the-line TL, a 2003 Type-S with Navigation, I am experiencing the following problems:

The vehicle is driven daily, but has occasionally had difficulty starting on for no apparent reason. I currently live in Southern California where climate is not as issue.

The vehicle sometimes will lurch forward at a stoplight, as if it were in second gear while stopped, and settling back into first gear. This causes the vehicle to shoot forward about one foot or so.

With clean hands a given, the navigation screen becomes greasy easily, resulting in difficulty seeing the screen clearly during the day. The system also seems to re-route itself quite often without any change in course or direction.

Rapid acceleration after deceleration, but not coming to a complete stop will sometimes cause the car to shift jumpily instead of in its normally smooth manner.

Lastly, while the car's performance is pretty good, the tires do not match the capability of the rest of the vehicle. The tires fail to grip on a right-turn at 37mph into the far fifth lane of a five-lane expressway.

This is the second Acura I have owned. In Acuras past, the problems have always been with window rattling and a/c vent noise. In general, this vehicle has been a pleasure to own and drive. However, as small problems become apparent, I still question the quality control element at Acura, especially since this top-of-the-line TL model was purchased at the very end of its product cycle before a new model was being introduced-- with a full four years prior for any problems to be pinpointed and eradicated!