2003 ACURA MDX Complaints

ACURA MDX 2003 WITH OVER 110,000 MILES, BEGAN SLIPPING OUT OF DRIVE WHILE RUNNING, USUALLY SOON AFTER STARTING. DEALERSHIP SERVICE HAD IT SEVERAL TIMES, MOST RECENTLY FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK IN DECEMBER 2009. NO TROUBLE FOUND. NO INDICATORS LIT. DEALER-MAINTAINED CAR REGULARLY FOR LAST 75,000 MILES. FINALLY SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR WHILE DRIVING ON A BUSY FREEWAY AT 60+ MPH, BUT WAS ABLE TO COAST TO SAFE EXIT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 ACURA MDX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND ACCELERATING THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN THE ENGINE STARTED TO REV EXTREMELY HIGH. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN AND ALMOST CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE; HOWEVER, IT BEGAN DRIVING NORMAL. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER REGARDING THIS ISSUE BUT HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM THEM AT THIS TIME. THE CONTACT IS CONCERNED OF THE SAFETY RISK WITH HIS YEAR MAKE AND MODEL. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,000.

DRIVING DOWN I78 ON THANKSGIVING AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE CAR STOPPED RESPONDING. ENGINE WAS REVVING BUT CAR WASN'T ACCELERATING COMMENSURATE WITH THE ENGINE. THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING. I NAVIGATED MY WAY TOWARDS THE RIGHT ACROSS A COUPLE OF LANES OF TRAFFIC AND MADE MY WAY TO THE EXIT. GOT OFF THE INTERSTATE AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR COMPLETELY STOPPED RESPONDING. I PULLED OVER AND COULD NOT MOVE AT ALL - THE TRANSMISSION WAS GONE. CALLED AAA AND HAD THE CAR TOWED. I STARTING RESEARCHING THIS AND DISCOVERED THAT THIS WAS A WELL KNOWN ISSUE FOR ACURA MDX'S OF THE 2003 VINTAGE. I EVENTUALLY HAD THE CAR TOWED TO CLINTON ACURA AND OF COURSE THEY TOLD ME I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION FOR $4000. I COMPLAINED AND ASKED IF THERE WAS ANYTHING THEY COULD DO AND THEY SAID NO. I TOLD THEM TO WAIT AND THAT I WAS GOING TO CALL ACURA CUSTOMER CARE. I DID SO AND ASKED THEM TO HELP DEFRAY THE COST OF THE NEW TRANSMISSION SINCE IT WAS APPARENT THAT THEY HAD A DEFICIENCY. THEY TOOK THE COMPLAINT AND REQUEST BUT SUGGESTED I NEEDED TO MAKE THE SAME REQUEST OF THE DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID THE DEALER WOULD CONSULT WITH THEIR LOCAL ACURA FIELD REP TO MAKE A DECISION. I DID AS THEY SUGGESTED AND ABOUT 3 HOURS LATER THEY CALLED ME BACK AND SAID MY REQUEST WAS DENIED. ESSENTIALLY THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY SO IT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY. I TOLD THEM I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED BUT I HAD THEM DO THE WORK. I ALSO CALLED BACK ACURA CUSTOMER CARE AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAPPENED. FURTHER, I TOLD THEM I WOULD NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER ACURA PRODUCT. *TR

REGARDING A 2003 ACURA MDX WITH 108,000 MILES, THE TRANSMISSION AND TWO MOTOR MOUNTS FAILED. INFORMATION ON THE EDMUNDS WEBSITE CONFIRM THESE REPETITIVE FAILURES AND POTENTIAL TRANSMISSION LOCKUP AT HIGH SPEEDS. I HAVE ALL MAINTENANCE RECORDS TO SHOW THE CAR WAS TAKEN CARE OF. NEW MOTOR MOUNTS WERE $500. THE DEALER PAID FOR MOST OF THE TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT BUT IT STILL COSTS US $460 OUT OF POCKET. *TR

MY 2003 ACURA MDX SHOWED NO SIGNS OF A TRANSMISSION ISSUE UNTIL ONE DAY THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED INTO NEUTRAL WITHOUT WARNING. BY THAT I MEAN NO ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON. I PULLED OVER SHUT THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE WHICH THAN WENT BACK INTO GEAR. THIS HAPPENED OCCASIONALLY FOR ABOUT A WEEK. I TOOK IT TO A DEALER WHO CHECKED IT OUT AND SAID THERE WERE NO ISSUES. UPON LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP IT HAPPENED AGAIN BUT THIS TIME THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED. *TR

2003 ACURA MDX APPROX 89,000 MILES. DRIVING AND CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE FROM STOP. CAR WAS IN GEAR D5 BUT WOULD NOT RUN. HAD TO STOP IN TRAFFIC AND RESTART. GOT TO SIDE OF ROAD AND WOULD NOT RE-ENGAGE IN GEAR. HAD TOWED REPLACED DRIVE TRAIN IN VEHICLE. DEALER DID 75-25 SPLIT THEY KNOW IT'S A PROBLEM. *TR

FAMILY IN 2003 ACURA MDX WITH 92,000 MILES ON IT AT HIGHWAY SPEED WHEN VEHICLE COMES OUT OF GEAR, UNABLE TO DRIVE, TOWED TO REPAIR FACILITY. TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED AND MUST BE REPLACED. *TR

THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING. GEAR INDICATOR SHOWED IN D5. VEHICLE BASICALLY STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF ROADWAY. IT HAPPENED A COUPLE TIMES AND NO REPAIR HAS BEEN PERFORMED. SHIFTED TO P AND BACK TO D5, NORMAL DRIVING RESUMED. *TR

I HAVE 2003 ACURA MDX WHICH SEEMS TO HAVE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE ITS AUTOMATICALLY SHIFT TO NEUTRAL STOPPING THE CAR IN MID TRAFFIC IT HAS HAPPEN ON NUMEROUS OCCASION, NO REPAIRS LIGHTS TO INDICATE THERE IS A PROBLEM. I HAD 2 TAKE THIS VEHICLE TO THE DEALER 3 TIMES BEFORE THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM AND THAT WAS ONLY AFTER MECHANIC TRIED 2 DRIVE IT HOME WHEN IT HAPPENED 2 HIM. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED PERIODICALLY AT ANY GIVEN TIME. MY VEHICLE HAD JUST BEEN SERVICE FOR ITS 90,000 MAINTENANCE AT $560 I TOLD THEM THEN I NOTICED THIS PROBLEM ASSURED ME VEHICLE WAS FINE. NEXT WEEK TOOK IT BACK THEY TOLD ME THE MAT WAS CAUSING THE ACCELERATION TO STICK REMOVED MATS DROVE HOME NEXT DAY SAME PROBLEM WHILE DRIVING CAR JUST STOP IN MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. TOOK VEHICLE BACK THAT'S WHEN MECHANIC TRIED TO HOME WITH IT HAPPENED TO HIM HE BROUGHT BACK INTO SHOP SHE'S RIGHT IT IS DANGEROUS. NOW THEY WANT $4700 TO FIX IT.. THERE ARE STILL NO WARNING SIGNALS THAT THIS VEHICLE NEEDS SERVICE COMPUTERS STILL SAYS ITS FINE. I ALSO JUST REPLACED ALTERNATOR A FEW MONTHS AGO COULD NOT SIT IN PARK POSITIONS WITH LIGHTS ON OR KEY HANGING IN IGNITION CAR WOULD JUST STOP AND WOULD NEED A HOT SHOT. *TR

WHILE DRIVING I LOST POWER MEANING I COULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE BECAUSE THERE WAS NO LINKAGE FROM THE ENGINE TO THE TRANSMISSION. THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING OK, BUT I HAD NO POWER TO MOVE THE VEHICLE. WHILE ACURA IS A RESPECTED AND QUALITY VEHICLE, I FEEL THAT THERE MAY BE A PRODUCT DEFECT IN THAT MY PROBLEM RESULTED IN ME HAVING TO REPLACE THE COOLING SYSTEM ALONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION. WHILE IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF THE ACURA DEALER, I OVERHEARD SOME OF THE SERVICE MECHANICS SAYING THAT THEY'VE SEEN THIS HAPPEN TO THIS MODEL VEHICLE BEFORE AND THAT ACURA OF TORRENCE CALIFORNIA SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. ACURA WOULD HAVE PAID FOR THE REPAIR BUT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. I HAVE A COPY OF THE SERVICE MANAGERS REPORT TO THE TD BANK AS TO WHAT,'THEY, THE DEALERSHIPS SERVICE DEPARTMENT" THINKS CAUSED THIS PROBLEM. THIS LETTER CAN BE MADE AVAILABLE TO YOU UPON REQUEST. *TR