2002 ACURA MDX Complaints

MICHELIN TIRES P235-65R17103T CUSTOMER STATES THAT THE TIRES HAVE ENOUGH RUBBER ON THEM BUT ARE CRACKING ON THE TREAD**CC THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THE TIRES HAD DRY ROT DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS. *JB

1ST INCIDENT: WE WERE GOING UP A HILL WITH CAR FULL OF CHILDREN WHEN MY 2002 ACURA MDX SLOWED DOWN CONSIDERABLY AND THE RPM REVVED UP TO 4-5,000. IT CONTINUED TO DO THIS AS TRUCKS AND CARS STARTED TO PILE BEHIND ME. I FINALLY REACHED AN EXIT AND PULLED OVER. AFTER PARKING, I COULD NOT REVERSE, IT WOULD NOT MOVE. AFTER WAITING AN HOUR FOR THE TOW TRUCK, WE DECIDED TO TEST THE CAR AROUND THE PARKING LOT .. IT STARTED DRIVING LIKE NOTHING WAS WRONG, AND REVERSED AGAIN. SO WE TOOK OUR CHANCES AND DROVE CAREFULLY HOME. THE CAR DIDN'T ACT UP AFTER THAT BUT WE STARTED A CASE WITH ACURA/HONDA AFTER REALIZING THERE WAS A MASS TRANSMISSION RECALL. THEY SAID MY VIN WAS NOT UNDER THE RECALL WARRANTY AND THEY COULD NOT HELP. 2 DAYS LATER: WE ASSUMED THE HILL MUST HAVE BEEN TOO MUCH FOR THE CAR, BUT IT WAS OK TO DRIVE ON FLAT ROADS. WHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS AT 35MPH, THE CAR JERKED VIOLENTLY AND CONTINUED TO UNTIL I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AFTER A PHONECALL TO ASSESS WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED, IT WAS SUGGESTED THE TRANSMISSION WAS ACTING UP. I CAUTIOUSLY DROVE THE CAR HOME WITH MY YOUNG DAUGHTER IN TOW. AFTER RESEARCHING THE ACURA TRANSMISSION RECALL, I GOT A CASE GOING AGAIN WITH HONDA. THEY SUGGESTED I TAKE THE CAR IN FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. I DID JUST THAT AND FAXED IN THE TECH COMMENTS. BASED ON THE COMMENTS, THEY CONCLUDED THAT THEY WILL NOT HELP BECAUSE I HAD TOO MANY MILES (98K) AND MY CAR WAS "POORLY MAINTAINED". HOWEVER I CONTESTED HOW IT WAS POORLY MAINTAINED AND THEY COULD NOT GIVE ME AN ANSWER. I BOUGHT THE CAR 6 MONTHS AGO AT 95K AND PEFORMED ITS REGULAR OIL CHANGE AND TRANSMISSION FLUID. THEY RECOMMENDED I HAD TO REPLACE MY CV BOOTS AND BRAKES, BUT I DON'T SEE HOW THAT WOULD AFFECT THE TRANSMISSION. THEY QUOTED ME AT $5000 AND WOULD SEE TO ANY DISCOUNTS. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH, IT IS APPARENT THAT THERE ARE DEFINITELY MANUFACTURE DEFECTS IN THESE TRANSMISSIONS, BUT ACURA AND HONDA HAS MADE IT CLEAR TO ME THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO HELP.

1ST INCIDENT: WE WERE GOING UP A HILL WITH CAR FULL OF CHILDREN WHEN MY 2002 ACURA MDX SLOWED DOWN CONSIDERABLY AND THE RPM REVVED UP TO 4-5,000. IT CONTINUED TO DO THIS AS TRUCKS AND CARS STARTED TO PILE BEHIND ME. I FINALLY REACHED AN EXIT AND PULLED OVER. AFTER PARKING, I COULD NOT REVERSE, IT WOULD NOT MOVE. AFTER WAITING AN HOUR FOR THE TOW TRUCK, WE DECIDED TO TEST THE CAR AROUND THE PARKING LOT .. IT STARTED DRIVING LIKE NOTHING WAS WRONG, AND REVERSED AGAIN. SO WE TOOK OUR CHANCES AND DROVE CAREFULLY HOME. THE CAR DIDN'T ACT UP AFTER THAT BUT WE STARTED A CASE WITH ACURA/HONDA AFTER REALIZING THERE WAS A MASS TRANSMISSION RECALL. THEY SAID MY VIN WAS NOT UNDER THE RECALL WARRANTY AND THEY COULD NOT HELP. 2 DAYS LATER: WE ASSUMED THE HILL MUST HAVE BEEN TOO MUCH FOR THE CAR, BUT IT WAS OK TO DRIVE ON FLAT ROADS. WHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS AT 35 MPH, THE CAR JERKED VIOLENTLY AND CONTINUED TO UNTIL I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AFTER A PHONE CALL TO ASSESS WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED, IT WAS SUGGESTED THE TRANSMISSION WAS ACTING UP. I CAUTIOUSLY DROVE THE CAR HOME WITH MY YOUNG DAUGHTER IN TOW. AFTER RESEARCHING THE ACURA TRANSMISSION RECALL, I GOT A CASE GOING AGAIN WITH HONDA. THEY SUGGESTED I TAKE THE CAR IN FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. I DID JUST THAT AND FAXED IN THE TECH COMMENTS. BASED ON THE COMMENTS, THEY CONCLUDED THAT THEY WILL NOT HELP BECAUSE I HAD TOO MANY MILES (98K) AND MY CAR WAS "POORLY MAINTAINED". HOWEVER I CONTESTED HOW IT WAS POORLY MAINTAINED AND THEY COULD NOT GIVE ME AN ANSWER. I BOUGHT THE CAR 6 MONTHS AGO AT 95K AND PERFORMED ITS REGULAR OIL CHANGE AND TRANSMISSION FLUID. THEY RECOMMENDED I HAD TO REPLACE MY CV BOOTS AND BRAKES, BUT I DON'T SEE HOW THAT WOULD AFFECT THE TRANSMISSION. THEY QUOTED ME AT $5000 AND WOULD SEE TO ANY DISCOUNTS. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH, IT IS APPARENT THAT THERE ARE DEFINITELY MANUFACTURER DEFECTS IN THESE TRANSMISSIONS, BUT ACURA AND HONDA HAS MADE IT CLEAR TO ME THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO HELP. *JB

I FEEL VERY AFRAID TO DRIVE MY 2002 ACURA MDX, WITH 100K MILES, AS IT HAS COME OUT OF GEAR WHEN I AM TURNING ACROSS TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE MEDIAN ONTO THE HIGHWAY. I AM VERY FORTUNATE THAT A SEMI TRUCK WAS NOT COMING AT ME AT A HIGH SPEED WHEN MY VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. I HAVE FOUR CHILDREN IN THE MDX WITH ME AT ALL TIMES, AS I AM A STAY AT HOME MOTHER AND HOME SCHOOL MY OLDEST AT AGE 7. THIS FAILURE IS NOT A RESULT OF ABUSE, OR NEGLIGENT SERVICE. THE ACURA GUIDELINES FOR TRANSMISSION SERVICE HAVE BEEN MAINTAINED ACCORDING TO THE MANUAL AND WERE DONE SO AT ACURA SERVICE CENTERS BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER. THE TRANSMISSION WAS CHECKED AND FLUIDS FLUSHED AND CHANGED LASTLY AT 80K MILES AND WE WERE TOLD BY ACURA SERVICE (IN JANUARY) THAT OUR NEXT SERVICE FOR THIS WOULD BE DUE AT 120K MILES. THIS TRANSMISSION DEFECT IS ABUNDANTLY EVIDENT IN HUNDREDS OF WRITE-INS ON SEVERAL WEB FORUMS. SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE SERIOUSLY INJURED OR WORSE WHEN THIS FAILURE OCCURS AT THE RIGHT MOMENT. WE WANT TO TRUST ACURA TO TAKE CARE OF ITS CUSTOMERS, TO RESPECT THEIR SAFETY, TAKE CARE OF ITS NEW CUSTOMERS AND FUTURE CUSTOMERS, PLEASE HELP TO MAKE THIS THE OUTCOME WE WILL COME TO KNOW AND ENJOY. ACURA HAS AGREED TO DISCOUNT A TOTAL OF $900 FROM THE OTHERWISE $4909 TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT. THAT IS ALL THEY ARE OFFERING AS OF NOW, BUT WE ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH THIS OFFER AND ARE APPEALING THIS DECISION. A NEW, UPDATED TRANSMISSION MUST REPLACE THE EXISTING FAULTY ONE IN ORDER FOR THESE VEHICLES TO BE SAFELY DRIVEN. THANK YOU! *NM

REGULAR DRIVING OF ACURA MDX. CAR TRANSMISSION SLIPPING BETWEEN 20-40 MPH. DEALER INSPECTED PROBLEM AND ATTRIBUTED PROBLEM TO THE 3RD GEAR. DEALER REPORTS RECALL IS ONLY INVOLVING 2ND GEAR THEREFORE I HAVE TO PAY FOR TRANSMISSION REPAIR REBUILD. *JB

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, ON EITHER WET OR DRY PAVEMENT, THE CAR FAILED TO STOP AND CONTINUED ON DANGEROUSLY INTO INTERSECTIONS. ONCE THE BRAKES WERE EITHER APPLIED OR PUMPED THE CAR CONTINUED TO SLIDE FOR AT LEAST 30 FEET WHEN GOING SLOWLY TO COME TO A STOP AT A STOP LIGHT. THE DEALER ON EACH OCCASION TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. *NM

TRANSMISSION HARD DOWNSHIFT FROM 3RD TO 2ND GEAR. FLUID JET KIT (RECALL ACTION) HAS BEEN COMPLETED. DEALER STATES THIS IS NOT COVERED AND TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT IS NECESSARY. HAVE SEEN LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON ACURA MESSAGE BOARDS. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE MADE A CLICKING NOISE AS IT ACCELERATED FROM 30-40 MPH. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE TORK CONVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

ACURA CLAIMED TO FIX MY TRANSMISSION, AS PER THE RECALLS THAT WERE MADE ON 2001-2002 ACURA MDX'S. THEY OBVIOUSLY DID NOT FIX WHAT THEY NEEDED TO. YESTERDAY AS I WAS DRIVING I NOTICED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SHIFT TO DIFFERENT GEARS ON ITS OWN!! FOR EXAMPLE I WOULD BE IN D5 A DRIVE GEAR. SOMETIMES IT WOULD SHIFT ITSELF TO NEUTRAL, AND SOMETIMES TO D4,3. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS IT CAN CAUSE ACCIDENTS IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN AT INOPPORTUNE TIMES. I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH ACURA AND THEY SAID THAT THEY FIXED WHAT WAS NECESSARY TO BE FIXED WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR IN 1-2 YEARS AGO. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND I FEEL THAT THE NHTSA SHOULD BE DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS POTENTIALLY FATAL ISSUE WITH THIS CAR. I WAS TOLD TO WAIT FOR A MANAGER TO COME BACK IN THIS WEDNESDAY JULY 5TH. MY ACURA DEALERSHIP IS LOCATED IN ROSLYN, NY; CALLED RALLYE ACURA. THIS CAR IS A P.O.S., AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS AGAINST ACURA FOR THIS CAR. I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THERE ARE NUMEROUS DESIGN FLAWS IN THE 2001-2002 MDX TRANSMISSIONS. PLEASE HELP TO FORCE ACURA TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE AS THEY ARE NOT BEING COOPERATIVE NOR CAREFUL, WHICH I FEEL IS OUTRAGEOUS DUE TO THE DANGEROUS NATURE OF THIS TRANSMISSION ISSUE. ALSO, I DO NOT WANT A "REFURBISHED OR REBUILT" TRANSMISSION WHICH I HAVE BEEN INFORMED IS WHAT THEY ARE DOING. OBVIOUSLY WHATEVER THEY ARE DOING IS NOT WORKING. *NM

FROM THIRD GEAR INTO FOURTH GEAR, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS, IT DISENGAGES LIKE IF IT'S IN NEUTRAL FOR JUST A FEW SECONDS, AND THEN GOES INTO THE NEXT GEAR WITH A JERK. NOW IT SEEMS LIKE THAT IT'S ALWAYS JERKING. ABOUT A YEAR OR TWO AGO, I HAD A MUCH LESS NOTICEABLE LOSS OF POWER INCIDENT WITH THE VEHICLE WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON. THE DEALER CLEARED THE WARNING LIGHT AND ADVISED THAT THERE WAS NO PROBLEMS. ON 06/16/06 I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION FLUID, BUT THAT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. THEY ADVISED I WOULD NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. *NM