2003 ACURA MDX Complaints

RIGHT FRONT METAL WHEEL SEPARATED WITHIN SECONDS, PULLED THE CAR RIGHT INTO AN EMBANKMENT, CAR ROLLED LEFT MULTIPLE TIMES INVESTIGATING OFFICER FROM GOOCHLAND COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT. SAID HAD NEVER SEEN SIMILAR FAILURE. THERE WERE NO REPORTED OBSTRUCTIONS IN THE ROAD. THERE WERE NO EYEWITNESSES. DRIVER LOST CONSCIOUSNESS DURING FIRST ROLLOVER. CHILD SAID THEY ROLLED 3 OR 4 TIMES AND APPARENTLY DID NOT LOSE CONSCIOUSNESS. WHEEL FAILED IN THE VERTICAL AXIS IN A JAGGED MANNER. PICTURES OF FAILED WHEEL ARE AVAILABLE SEATBELTS WERE ON 31 YEAR OLD DRIVER AND 8 YEAR OLD SON NO TICKET OR VIOLATION WAS ISSUED DRIVER WENT TO PATIENT FIRST FOLLOWING DAY WITH HEADACHE AND CHEST PAIN CHILD COMPLAINED FOLLOWING DAY OF MINOR NECK PAIN BUT NOT SINCE AUTO WAS TAKEN BY STATE FARM FOR INVESTIGATION CAR WAS WELL MAINTAINED SINCE PURCHASED NEW IN 2003 AND MAINTENANCE RECORDS ARE AVAILABLE TIRES WERE PURCHASED IN SEPT AND DEC OF 2013 - SO LESS THAN 12 MONTHS OLD IF NOT FOR SEATBELTS THIS WOULD LIKELY HAVE CAUSED FATALITIES. *TR

TRANSMISSION STOPPED WORKING. FAILED WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE CAR. THE CAR BASICALLY COASTED TO A STOP. THERE SEEM TO BE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE 2003 MDX TRANSMISSION FAILING. ACURA IS REIMBURSING SOME DRIVERS, BUT NOT OTHERS. *TR

WHILE MERGING ONTO A HIGHWAY OR PASSING ANOTHER CAR ON A TWO LANE ROAD I PUSH THE GAS PEDAL HARD TO ACCELERATE QUICKLY (EITHER TO PASS QUICKLY OR TO ACCELERATE BEYOND A CAR WHO IS NOT ALLOWING ME TO MERGE ONTO A FREEWAY). THE TRANSMISSION COMES OUT OF GEAR AND JUST REVS AS IF IN NEUTRAL. I MUST RELEASE THE GAS PEDAL AND SLOWLY ATTEMPT TO ACCELERATE. THIS CAUSES A HUGE SAFETY RISK WHILE TRYING TO AVOID AN ONCOMING CAR WHILE PASSING OR TRYING TO AVOID GETTING RUN OFF THE FREEWAY OR WORSE INTO A BARRIER WHEN MERGING ONTO A FREEWAY. TRANSMISSION IS SHOWING NO OTHER SIGNS OF TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT ALL. NO SLIPPING, GOOD FLUID COLOR, AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED BY MULTIPLE ACURA DEALERSHIPS. ACURA DIAGNOSED TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND 3RD GEAR CLUTCH BEING GONE AT A REPAIR COST OF $6K. ACURA DECLINED TO ASSIST IN COST SINCE I AM SECOND OWNER. *TR

AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH THE CAR MADE A VIBRATION OR SHUDDER NOISE FOR ABOUT 10-15 SECONDS AND BEGAN TO DONE THIS FROM THEN ON AT ABOUT THAT SPEED. I THE CAR TO ACURA TO HAVE A RECALL PERFORMED AND ASKED THEM TO CHECK THIS. I TOLD THEM THAT YOU HAVE TO DRIVE THE CAR TO FEEL WHEN IS HAPPEN. THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT REPEAT THE EFFECT. AFTER PICKING THE CAR UP I FELT THE SAME VIBRATION ON MY WAY HOME. I DID SOME WEB RESEARCH AND FOUND THIS TO BE A FAIRLY COMMON ISSUE IN MODELS WITH THE ENGINE TRANSMISSION SETUP. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE DEPTH OF TESTING REQUIRED TO TROUBLE SHOOT THIS ISSUE AND IF THE CAR IS SAFE TO USE? WHAT WILL THE FAILURE MODE BE? *TR

AUTO DIMMING REAR VIEW MIRROR DEVELOPED STRANGE CIRCLES. IT BECAME TRIPLE VISION. THEN OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS IT BEGAN LEAKING A BLACK OILY SUBSTANCE ON THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR AND THE VIEW FROM THE MIRROR IS SOO DISTORTED YOU CANNOT SEE ANYTHING. I CONTACTED ACURA AND THEY SAID OUT OF WARRANTY. TOUGH LUCK. I EXPLAINED THAT THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY DEFECT AND I RECEIVED THE SAME RESPONSE. *TR

OWNER OF 2003 MDX WITH 140,000 MILES ON IT. WAS WORKING PERFECTLY TILL IT DECELERATE ALL THE SUDDEN WHILE DRIVING IN DALLAS TOLLWAY. IT FELT AS IF THE GEAR WAS ON NEUTRAL AND GAS PEDAL WAS BEING FORCED. THIS WOULD CAUSE THE MOTOR TO REV UP BUT THE TRANSMISSION WAS FAILING AND THE GEAR WASN'T RESPONDING. VEHICLE CAME TO COMPLETE STOP, WHERE THE DRIVER POWER OFF THE ENGINE AND POWERED BACK ON TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE AND THE VEHICLE STARTED MOVING AGAIN FOR A MINUTE AND THEN BACK TO NO POWER. AFTER TAKEN TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST, IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *TR

FOUR TRANSMISSIONS ON 2003 MDX,1) ORIGINAL, 2) 28K MILES REMANUFACURED FROM DEALER; 3) 85KMILES REBUILD DUE TO SLIPPING ON HIGHWAY AND BURNT ODOR FROM TRANSMISSION; 4) 96K MILES IN REVERSE WOULD GO ONLY A FEW FEET THEN LOCKED UP. AT 85K CONTACTED ACURA WHO GAVE NO ASSISTANCE DUE TO BEING MY FIRST ACURA/HONDA AND NOT SERVICING AT THEIR DEALERS.NO RECALL. WOULD LIKE SOME COMPENSATION, SERVICE, WARRANTY... *JS

WHILE TRAVELING AT AROUND THE SPEED LIMIT ON A BUSY FREEWAY THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STARTED COASTING WITHOUT ANY WARNING. STEPPING ON THE GAS CAUSED THE ENGINE TO REV BUT NO ACCELERATION, WHICH MADE IT EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO TRY TO PULL THE VEHICLE TO THE SHOULDER WITH THE RIGHT LANE HEAVILY OCCUPIED BY 18 WHEELER TRUCKS THAT ARE LONG AND RESPOND SLOWLY. ANY SPEED YOU LOOSE, PARTICULARLY AFTER APPLYING SOME BRAKE TO MOVE FROM ONE LANE TO ANOTHER, CANNOT BE REGAINED TO SAFELY MANEUVER WITH FLOW OF THE TRAFFIC AND MAKE THE SUBSEQUENT LANE CHANGE EVEN MORE DANGEROUS. AFTER TOWING TO AN ACURA DEALER IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A FAILED TRANSMISSION AND COSTS $6,100 TO REPLACE WITH A REBUILT TRANSMISSION. ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE IS BEYOND ITS WARRANTY PERIOD, IT IS NONETHELESS DISAPPOINTING TO HAVE AN ACURA FAIL IN THIS FASHION CONSIDERING THAT THERE ARE MANY LOWER COST VEHICLES THAT EASILY LAST BEYOND 100,000 MILES WITHOUT TRANSMISSION ISSUES. THE VEHICLE CERTAINLY MET ITS WARRANTY REQUIREMENTS, BUT IT IS REALLY THE SUDDEN NATURE AND CRASH RISK OF THIS FAILURE THAT IS A BIGGER CONCERN. I LATER LEARNED FROM 3 CO-WORKERS THAT HAD SIMILAR TRANSMISSION EXPERIENCES WITH THEIR MDX. TWO WERE 2001/2002 MDX WITH APPROX 100,000 AND 80,000 MILES. THE 3RD WAS A 2006 MDX WITH ONLY APPROX 55,000 MILES. *TR

THIS PROBLEM STARTED A FEW YEARS BACK MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE OUT OF THE GARAGE AT HARTFORD HOSPITAL SHE SAID SHE STEPPED ON THE GAS AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE,THIS DID NOT HAPPEN AGAIN FOR SEVERAL MONTHS,WHEN THE WEATHER GOT COLDER IT STARTED TO HAPPEN MORE FREQUENT,THEN IN THE SPRING IT WENT AWAY AGAIN I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE A SENSOR IT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN WHEN I DROVE IT ,THIS WINTER IT HAS DONE THIS MANY TIMES WE TOOK IT TO CAPITOL TRANSMISSION IN HARTFORD LAST SUMMER THEY DID NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS BUT SAID IT COULD BE THE TRANS OR POSSIBLY A SENSOR NO DEFINITE ANSWER SO DO I FORK UP 4 GRAND OR WAIT TILL IT HAS A CODE OR BLOWS UP WHILE DRIVING THE FLUID HAS BEEN REPLACED ALMOST EVERY YEAR DRAINED AND FILLED WITH HONDA FLUID THIS LAST TIME I FLUSHED OUT THE WHOLE SYSTEM ( I AM A AUTOMOTIVE TECH ) I DO HAVE SOME INVOICES FROM HONDA FOR THE FLUID. *TR

THE TRANSMISSION ON THE VEHICLE WHEN COLD FUNCTIONS AND SHIFTS NORMALLY. ONCE THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN OPERATING FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AND IS WARM THE TRANSMISSION, WHEN AT A STOP SIGN OR TRAFFIC LIGHT, WILL DROP OUT OF DRIVE AND INTO NEUTRAL DISENGAGING THE DRIVE TRAIN. THE ONLY WAY FOR THE TRANSMISSION TO BECOME REENGAGED IS TO SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL OR PARK AND THEN RESHIFT INTO DRIVE. THIS WORKS SOMETIMES AND OTHERS IT DOES NOT AND HAS TO BE RESHIFTED SEVERAL TIME FOR THE TRANSMISSION TO REENGAGE. *TR