2003 ACURA MDX Complaints

SOME GEAR SLIPPAGE FOR A FEW DAYS PRIOR WHEN FIRST GET GOING IN THE MORNING. THE DAY IT FINALLY WENT, IT DID IT SUDDENLY WHILE GOING ABOUT 35 MPH. FELT LIKE IT KICKED A GEAR OR TWO MAKING THE CAR JERK VIOLENTLY ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. I WAS ONLY A BLOCK OR SO AWAY FROM HOME, ALL THE WAY HOME IT WOULD ALMOST REV TO REDLINE WHILE GOING ABOUT 10 MPH. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS REVERSE NOW AND I'M GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE IT TOWED TO A SHOP LOCALLY FOR A VERY EXPENSIVE FIX. IF I WOULD'VE HAD SOME ONE CLOSER FOLLOWING ME THAT DAY AND WITH MY KIDS IN THE FAR BACK I'M AFRAID TO THINK OF WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED EXCEPT A LAWSUIT! *TR

MOTOR MOUNTS CRACKED ON 2003 ACURA MDX, OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN FLAW, SINCE THIS HAPPENS TO EVERY VEHICLE. *TR

2003 MAZDA MDX TRANSMISSION FAILED, AND I WAS NEARLY KILLED WHEN ANOTHER CAR BARELY MISSED HITTING (T BONING, MY CAR) MY STOPPED CAR. MY CAR WENT TO SHIFT INTO 2ND WHEN THE TRANSMISSION FAILED, WENT INTO NEUTRAL, AND CAME TO A DEAD STOP. THE TRANSMISSION FLUID HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE IN LAST YEAR, DEALER SAID IT WAS DIRTY. THIS DIDN'T MAKE SENSE SINCE ITS A CLOSED SYSTEM. SOMETHING MUST BE BRAKING DOWN. *TR

2003 ACURA MDX TRANSMISSION FAILURE. VEHICLE STARTED SLIPPING OUT OF GEAR, RPMS SHOOTING UP. VEHICLE JOLTING FORWARD AND THEN LOSING POWER. WAS TRAVELLING WITH MY FAMILY WHEN SUDDENLY THE VEHICLE STARTED REVVING AND JUMPING FORWARD AND THEN BUCKING LOSING POWER. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION ON MAIN ROAD WITH BUSY TRAFFIC. WAS TRAVELLING AT ABOUT 35MPH AT TIME OF INCIDENT. FORTUNATELY WAS ABLE TO COAST OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD AVOIDING AN ACCIDENT. AM NOW TOLD TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. 123,000 MILES, HAVE OWNED FOR 7 YEARS AND 2 MONTHS. NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. UPSET THAT ACURA SEEMS AWARE OF PROBLEMS WITH 2003 TRANSMISSIONS SINCE THEY HAD ISSUES WITH 2001/02 MODELS BUT WILL NOT ADMIT TO 03 MODELS. SOMEONE COULD GET SERIOUSLY INJURED BY THE WAY THESE VEHICLES MALFUNCTION WHEN THE TRANSMISSION GOES. PLEASE FOLLOW UP ON THIS, IT'S A SERIOUS PROBLEM. *TR

BOUGHT USED ACURA MDX 2003 IN 2004 FROM CARMAX STILL UNDER MANUFACTURER WARRANTY OF 50,0000 MILES. HAVE RECURRENT TORQUE CONVERTER/ TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. CAR PERIODICALLY GRINDS, SHUDDERS, AND HESITATES WHILE DRIVING AROUND 25-40 MPH.... CAUSING NEAR ACCIDENTS SEVERAL TIMES. REPLACED TRANSMISSION WITH REFURBISHED TRANSMISSIONS AT APPROXIMATELY 53,000 MILES IN 2006, AND AGAIN AT APPROXIMATELY 61,900 MILES IN 2007. NOW IN JAN. 2011@ APPROXIMATELY 119,000MILES, ACURA DEALER DIAGNOSED THE SAME TORQUE CONVERTER PROBLEM REQUIRING A THIRD TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT.... BASICALLY, THIS 2003 ACURA MDX WILL HAVE FOUR TRANSMISSIONS IN IT'S LIFE TIME. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED PER ACURA SERVICE SCHEDULE AT PRIMARILY ACURA DEALERS.THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY NIGHTMARE WAITING TO HAPPEN AND AS A CONCERNED CONSUMER AND PARENT, REQUEST THE GOVERNMENT TO INVESTIGATE THIS SAFETY ISSUE AND IF WARRANTED, WARN THE PUBLIC OF POTENTIAL DANGERS.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CONTINUOUSLY GOES OFF INDICATING LOOSE GAS VALVE. MANUFACTURER'S ERROR CODE: P0457 DEALER TELLS OWNER GAS CAP IS LOOSE AND REPLACES. AFTER 100 MILES AND CAREFUL ATTENTION TO MAKING SURE CAP IS TIGHT AFTER EACH REFILL, SAME ERROR CODE OCCURS. AFTER SMOKE CHECKS VERIFY NO OTHER LEAKS, GAS CAP IS REPLACED. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS OFF (OSTENSIBLY BECAUSE THE DEALER SOMEHOW CLEARS THE CODE OR DISCONNECTS BATTERY). AFTER 100 MILES THE LIGHT GOES BACK ON. THIS HAS HAPPENED CONTINUOUSLY OVER THE COURSE OF 3 YEARS. CANNOT KNOW IF SOMETHING ELSE IS WRONG WITH CAR WITHOUT PAYING FOR A DIAGNOSTIC BECAUSE LIGHT IS CONTINUOUSLY ON. CANNOT PASS CA SMOG CHECK WITH A MALFUNCTIONING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (AS THIS SEEMS PRETTY CLEAR TO ME THAT IS WHAT IT IS). ACURA REFUSES TO ADMIT THERE IS A PROBLEM. (ALTHOUGH THE DEALER I GO TO HAS BEEN GREAT.) HAVE WASTED MUCH MONEY TO EACH TIME BE TOLD "LOOSE GAS CAP" WHEN I KNOW THAT IS NOT THE CASE.

AS I WAS BRING MY HUSBAND HOME FROM MAJOR BACK SURGERY OUR 2003 ACURA MDX STARTED TO SLIP INTO NEUTRAL AS WE WERE LEAVING THE HOSPITAL. THIS WAS ONE HOUR AWAY FROM OUR HOME! IN SHIFTING THROUGH THE GEARS, I FINALLY GOT THE TRANSMISSION TO CATCH AT D3. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES TO US AS WE WERE TRAVELING THROUGH A CITY AND HAD TO STOP AT SEVERAL STOP LIGHTS. EVERY TIME WE STOPPED, IT WAS THE SAME SCENARIO. D3 SEEMED TO BE THE 'TICKET' GEAR TO GET IT TO CATCH. I CAME HOME AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT AT A LOCAL GARAGE. THANKFULLY I WENT TO DROP IT OFF TWO DAYS EARLY, AS THE CAR COMPLETELY STOPPED MOVING ON OUR WAY TO THE GARAGE AND I HAD TO CALL AND HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED. FOR A LUXURY VEHICLE, I AM SADLY DISAPPOINTED AS I LOVE EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT THE CAR. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE PRICE TAG ON THIS REPAIR AND FOR THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS WITH THE TRANSMISSIONS GOING BAD, I WOULD THINK THAT THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL BY NOW.

I HAVE A 2003 ACURA MDX WITH 108K MILES AS OF DEC 29, 2010. TWO YEARS AGO AROUND 80K MILES, WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING WITH OUR KID, SUDDENLY THE ENGINE LOST POWER ON HIGHWAY 95. SHE HAD TO REV UP TO 6000 RPM TO KEEP THE SPEED AT 30 MPH. ACURA DEALER CHECKED THE TRANSMISSION AND SAID THEY FOUND METALLIC PARTICLES IN THE TRANSMISSION FLUID, AND THE FLUID WAS CHARRED. THEY ALSO SAID GEAR WAS SLIGHTLY DAMAGED, BUT TOLD ME TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION FLUID VERY FREQUENTLY (MORE THAN RECOMMENDATION). NO ONE TOLD ME 2003 MDX HAS FAULTY TRANSMISSION SYSTEM. AFTER 1 YEAR AT AROUND 90K MILES I CHANGED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AGAIN. NOW, THREE DAYS AGO, SAME TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. EVEN AT 25 MPH, THE RPM GOES SUDDENLY TO 5000 RPM AT SAME ACCELERATION PRESSURE LEVEL. I CHECKED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID IMMEDIATELY. THE TRANSMISSION FLUID LEVEL IS PERFECTLY FINE. BUT FLUID IS BLACK AND CHARRED PARTICLES, POSSIBLY METALLIC. NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN FOR $40K LUXURY SUV AT 80K MILES AND 108K MILES. DROPPED MY CAR AT LOCAL ACURA DEALER HOPING ACURA CAN REPLACE TRANSMISSION AT THEIR OWN COST. I ALREADY SPENT $1000 FIRST TIME TWO YEARS AGO. THEN I SPEND OVER $600 FOR 90K MILES REGULAR MAINTENANCE THAT INCLUDED TRANSMISSION FLUID SERVICE. I AM NOT SPENDING AGAIN ON THE SAME STUPID FAULTY TRANSMISSION THAT ACURA SHOULD HAVE NOTIFIED ALL ITS CUSTOMERS IN THE FIRST PLACE. IF THEY DON'T FIX IT AT THEIR OWN COST, I WILL NEVER BUY OR RECOMMEND ACURA TO ANYONE. VERY VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH ACURA. *TR

THE VEHICLE STARTS SHAKING, FEELING LIKE I AM RUNNING OVER METAL BUMPS IN THE ROAD. I BELIEVE THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER IS THE PROBLEM AND THAT ALL OF THE LARGER HONDA/ACURA VEHICLES HAVE A DEFECTIVE TORQUE CONVERTER. IT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED BEFORE ENGINE FAILURE OCCURS AND INJURIES/DEATH ARE IMMINENT.

WHILE DRIVING ON A ROUTINE ERRAND, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. THE CAR WAS NOT MOVING ON SHIFTING TO DRIVE. FOUND TRANSMISSION FLUID ON THE ROAD UNDER THE VEHICLE. *TR