This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Un intended non acceleration. Due to severe lag, delay, and sluggish transmission response. Acura has replaced my transmission under warranty at 11,000 miles and did not admit fault and say there was a problem. Here's more on my experience..in my 1 year of ownership.. to whom it may concern: 2016 Acura MDX 13,000 miles, purchase new from Sierra Acura, alhambra, ca I am writing to request buy back of my vehicle this car is a lemon. Since taking ownership a year ago, my 2016 MDX purchased new has experienced nothing but one problem after problem. Acura replaced transmission a month ago but the problem is still there. Is it engineered and designed to perform in a not safe manner " many times I experience shifting and accelerating hesitation and jerky/jolting. My family and I do not feel safe operating and riding in this vehicle. Several times gas pedal depressed and vehicle lagged at 20 mph for more than 10 seconds before accelerating. A few of the latest new and ongoing problems are below. Driver door now appears off set and at different angle protruding out now. Appears that the door is not closing properly and therefore not sealed at closing. Furthermore every single window has experienced faulty mechanisms with motors, actuators, and seals. When closing the doors it feels like the windows are loose. There are also squeaks and rattles eminating throughout the cabin area. I secured and collected all loose items and the sound is still there. At engine start up each time, there is a high pitch whining noise for a few seconds before engine starts (perhaps something else faulty") I have video / sound documentation of this with 2 seperate recording dates. With regard to the navigation, multimedia unit, it has been lagging, slow (er) to function, and severe delay in backup camera actuating, and audio functions delay in response sometimes.
Hi, I bought a MDX 2016 from autonation Acura last year. I had a problem with the car this week. When I was driving(moving), merging onto a freeway, as the traffic was more, it was slow merge, suddenly I was not able to accelerate as the transmission moved to "neutral" from "drive" automatically. I don't think this is normal behavior and I did not touch the gear buttons or steering wheel shift paddles. This could be a problem with car and its dangerous issue. I was lucky that the traffic was slow moving and I did manage to push to drive again and accelerate. What if this is on a fast moving freeway. Thanks, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Engine does not start and all the warning lights come up on dashboard. After a few seconds, each of the system comes up as failed. Dashboard shows as acc failed, lane warning failed, emission failed, engine check failed. This is a second failure in last 45 days. First failed on Nov 20 and car was in service till Dec 21. Again the engine failed on Jan 02, not allowing to start at all.
While in transit with just 15000 miles on the car the transmission system problem light illuminated. Car was immediately taken to dealer. This vehicle has a center console push button control for the transmission. The dealer said that there was residue in the controller most likely due to a spilled drink. The controller would need to be replaced and it would not be covered under warranty. To the best of our knowledge we spilled no drinks on the controller. However, what a poor design. The drink holders are right next to the controller! could a spilled drink cause the transmission to lock up based on this design?
There is no way to place the car in neutral without turning the engine on. Today I was at a gas station when a fuel pump malfunctioned and there was a fuel spill that needed to be cleaned. The procedure was to move the car without turning on the engine so they can access the area to clean up the spill. After speaking to my local dealer and to the main contact phone number for Honda North America, there is no way to get the car in neutral without the engine being on. This caused a significant delay in getting my car moved since a tow truck with a dolly was needed.
- Richmond, TX, USA
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As I drive my car I experience very strange behavior from my 9 speed transmission. It occurs both while accelerating and decelerating. During deceleration: (1) by only taking your foot off the gas to decelerate creates transmission confusion (the car doesn't know which gear to be in), which can cause the car to lung forward or jerk backward (2) this also makes it hard to stop, requiring lots of extra brake pressure. During acceleration the car can feel unresponsive, which can prove scary when pulling out into traffic.
We purchased a 2016 Acura MDX with sh-AWD. Within the first few weeks we noticed the transmission shifts were jerky and erratic. Most of the problems occurred when driving blow 40 mph. The vehicle also lunges forward unexpectedly when decelerating while your foot is off the gas pedal. It feels as if the car downshifts and you get some unexpected accelerating. We had issues with the transmission since the first few weeks, the dealership kept saying that it is an 'adaptive transmission' and will get better after time. After a few months, things only got worse. The transmission would make a loud metal on metal noise when starting the car up. The vehicle was in the dealership for almost 3 weeks before they could identify and fix the problem. They ended up replacing the entire transmission December 2015 and we had to go back to have the transmission adjusted as it was shifting so hard that you would hear a clunk. The vehicle has never been the same and it does not feel safe to drive, especially in the winter. We are very careful when coming to a stop because you never know if it will suddenly lunge forward. Now 8 months after having the transmission replaced, the same noise is coming back. The car is back in the dealership and they were able to replicate the sound again. However, now they are telling us that it's a characteristic of the transmission and that 40-50% of all MDX's with the 9 speed auto will develop this noise! they say it is due to the fluid building up at the bottom of the transmission and when it starts up the fluid gets pushed through all the gears. It sounds more like metal on metal to me and why was the noise not there prior and always develops after 6-8 months? I have not seen anything online regarding this noise that supposedly occurs to 40-50% of Mdxs.
I have purchased the vehicle on 3/23/16 and from day one I have been having issues with the transmission. When I come to a stop and wait for oncoming traffic to give me chance to cross the street. When I finally get the chance to cross I press the gas pedal and the car just does not want to go, it stalls. Same issue when getting on the highway waiting for a chance to get in but the car does not want to. It is an safety issue for everyone because I do not know if the car will respond and if it does not I can cause other vehicles to crash into mine. Another issue just came out yesterday I just got home and was parking the car on my parking lot which is flat. While parking and shifting from reverse to drive the car just would not move forward at all and a light came out shift to park so I did and then when I shifted to reverse the car would accelerate rapidly. I have that several times and every time would do the same did not go forward at all and reverse rapidly. I have recorded the whole issue on my phone and brought it to the dealer. They have told me that they never have seen this problem and they will stay with my new car for about one week. Something should be done with transmission issue before anyone gets injured or killed. Definitely did not expect that from a $54,000 luxury SUV. I had traded my 2009 Acura MDX for this huge problem, what a mistake.
Transmission failed. This 9 speed transmission has a fluid heater in it that has radiator water supplied to it. Car was not shifting correctly and making a beeping noise at 20 to 25 mph. Car was taken to dealer on 06/11/16 with 8,800 miles on it. They called to tell me that the 2 way valve between the coolant and transmission was faulty and coolant got into the transmission. Acura told them to replace the transmission entirely. Will take 2-3 weeks. Have been having issues the entire time we have had the car. When taking off the car does not accelerate quick, in fact, tends to stall then lurch. Have had issues with the sensors coming on, not sure if this is related to the transmission, but is a continuous issue.
Transmission failed causing engine to overheat. This 9 speed transmission has a fluid heater in it that has radiator water supplied to it. Car was not shifting correctly and making a beeping noise at 20 to 25 mph. Car was taken to deal on 2/13/16 with 5,635 miles they test drove and said they could not find anything wrong. Same issues driving home from dealer. While driving car on 2/23/2016 with appox. 6700 miles engine light came on, smoke from under hood, display said engine overheated and appox. 1 quart of light blue fluid leaked out from under car. Towed to dealer, they said transmission heater(not cooler) ruptured, causing the transmission fluid and engine coolant to mix and this is what caused overheating. Tthey are ordering a new transmission with at least one week down time.
I bought my 2016 MDX on 02/01/2016 and was quite happy with the initial purchase. After driving for two days I started setting up the car's options, I realized that the cars drive system was set to start in sport mode. I changed the option to allow the car to start in 'normal' mode permanently and that's when I started to feel the problem. There is a noticeable 2 - 3 second lag at take off or when attempted to accelerate from a reduced speed in lower gears. A very uncomfortable feeling when attempting to make a left turn when you have oncoming traffic and the car falls to engage after you make the commitment to drive. I waited a few days to see if this was just a kink that would go away since the car was new. No such luck. I took the car to the dealer and they said everything was fine. I asked about the lag and they said it is normal operational part of the car. Apparently this is a known issue with the car for which they don't think it is worth looking into. The salesman actually told me he has the same model and it's just something you have to get used to. I guess this will only be addressed when someone gets killed making a turn and don't get the power they expect. I had this issue in a new 2007 Camry I bought a few years ago and they were able to get it fixed with an update to the computer system on board. I don't know why Acura has taken this stance and hope you guys can get them to address this issue.
With 1000ish miles on car, while we were driving it shifted into neutral then into park by itself. We were unable to shift the car at all. Fortunately we were at an intersection and not on a freeway. The dealership working with Acura were unable to diagnose the problem. Then it magically worked but they didn't feel we should drive it. Because cause not determined.
I purchased the vehicle on 10/29/15. The car is not driven on a daily basis so there was only a little over 200 miles when my husband noticed a leak while the car was parked on the driveway. When it was taken to the dealer, the technician has confirmed that it was a transmission leak. Gasket and cover will be replaced. The service advisor mentioned to me that there was service bulletin for that problem dated back August. Don't know why the problem wasn't addressed before the car was sold.
I got my 2016 Acura MDX in July. Since then, I am having transmission problems. Off-the-line shifts are erratic, depending on how much throttle I give the engine. Give it 3/4 throttle and acceleration is great, but mileage suffers badly. Give it any less throttle and acceleration is meager, plus the engine revs very high between shifts. One time, I was pulling away from a stoplight after slowing to nearly a full stop (the light just changed as I approached), I pressed 1/2 way on the accelerator and the engine bogged to nearly zero rpms. I thought it died. I let up and pressed down again and it returned to normal. Merging on the highway is also very dangerous and scary. As I hit the gas to accelerate on the on-ramp, the engine hesitates so badly, I nearly run out of ramp. Passing on the highway is the same, unless I press the throttle to the floorboard. Another time, I floored the throttle on the highway while going 50 mph, to pass a car. The transmission down shifted then revved up to 5,000 RPM and stayed there, even after I took my foot off the gas pedal! I had to floor the pedal again to coax the trans to up-shift. I complained to Acura hq. They told me to talk to my dealer. I spoke to my dealer, and they said that's just how the transmission is. So disappointed with car. I suspect bad programming in the transmission on Acura's part. They need to fix this problem before someone dies in a highway traffic accident.
While driving, the MDX shifts into neutral and cannot be shifted out of neutral. This has occurred on the highway multiple times. The information display shows first emissions problem, then transmission problem. Acura has a tsb out for this B15-034, but won't apply it until the problem appears. Having your vehicle shift into neutral in a high speed environment is extremely dangerous. Tsb B15-034 needs to be a recall before their MDX shifts into neutral driving on the highway and they become immobilized and people are killed as a result....updated 09/22/15
The 9 speed zf transmission has unpredictable behavior including: Delayed shifting leading to pauses in power, delayed down shift during attempts at highway speed acceleration, jerky shifts, car remains in neutral when shifting from drive to reverse. Very unsafe condition due to unpredictable effects on speed and car control. This is now a widespread problem affecting the same transmission in Jeep, Chrysler, and Acura models. The Acura tlx has previously been described with this problem. Now the same transmission has been included in the 2016 MDX with the same out come......updated 10/20/15 the consumer stated the transmission was replaced. Updated 12/17/15.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Arcadia, CA, USA