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Acura MDX Transmission Problems

967 messages,  Last post on May 06, 2013 at 9:22 AM

You are in the Acura MDX Forum.

What is this discussion about? Acura MDX, SUV


 
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Messages Page 39 of 98

#375 of 967 One More Time by redhorse1962

Aug 31, 2010 (5:27 pm)

Last November the torque converter on our 2006 MDX with 55K was replaced under warranty. It never seemed right. Two months later, we took it back and the same problem was the conclusion. When the dealership was doing the work it was determined that is was actually the transmission. Corporate pushed back to replace the TC and update the software (does software go bad?). This still did not fix the issues and after some discussion the transmission was replaced along with the EGR valve as a "precaution." We are now six month is and - IT'S BACK. With all of these experiences and Honda, Acura and the MDX still get great reliability reviews in the mainstream. I guess as long as that's true it will be easy to dump when I have had enough pain.

#376 of 967 2003 MDX transmission problems + what to replace it with by sam91320

Sep 04, 2010 (10:28 am)

I too am now having problems with my tranny. The light came on 4 days ago. I went to my independent Acura mechanic that I have used now for 3 years as the dealership is pretty far away. Thinking it might be just an error, we reset the light and it came back on in the same day. I took the car in for a fliud check to "diagnose" the issue. He did find metal in the the fluid and stated that the car could have 5 or 50k miles left on it...who knows when the tranny would fail. So I am working with the dealer to see what they can do for this car and also looking for another vehicle - most likely used car. In my research, I am finding similar issues with several vehicles in this size range. Pilots seem to have some similar tranny issues, Toyota as a brand has their recall issues. Friends with Acadias and Enclaves have had their first year car bugs and issues. So I am curious to see what other autos the folks on this thread have identified as the replacement for your MDX. Thanks.

#377 of 967 Re: 2003 MDX transmission problems + what to replace it with [sam91320] by jslivon

Sep 04, 2010 (1:01 pm)

Replying to: sam91320 (Sep 04, 2010 10:28 am)
Acura paid 90% of the cost for our new transmision in our 03 MDX. It failed with 107,000 miles. The replacement transmission has a 3yr/36k miles warranty. When the warranty expires, my choice for a new car will be Ford. They are the car company of the future. Within the last few years, everyone raves about them (disregard the "old" Ford company, I think they were forced to do better then the competion in order to survive). I was a fan of the foreign companies but they are living on past reputation. Their new stuff has gotten cheaper quality.

#378 of 967 Re: 2003 MDX transmission problems + what to replace it with [jslivon] by tpulak

Sep 05, 2010 (9:22 am)

Replying to: jslivon (Sep 04, 2010 1:01 pm)
I am sorry to hear about the failure. Although Ford is very good in my opinion, we shouldn't go to hard on Acura. The 5-speed transmissions on Honda's and Acura's had a design fault, meaning that regardless, at one point, a transmission will go wrong. It was a mistake, but of course, a big mistake. But Acura and Honda still make quality vehicles.

#379 of 967 Replacement Quality by bekeatts

Sep 08, 2010 (9:18 am)

My wife and I just purchased (Labor Day!) an '05 MDX Touring with approximately 78k miles on it. We didn't notice any problems on the test drive but my wife (primary driver) tells me she hears a "noise" at around 30-40 mph. Well, my family owns our own automotive shop so we had my father look at the car and drive it. His conclusion was the torque converter (he came to this conclusion without any outside influence from blogs or anything). As a precaution my dad had my VIN run by an associate at Acura and was told there weren't any recalls for my particular model, so he started to research the problem and found postings like these.
 
     Last night I called the dealer that we purchased the car from and explained the problem we encountered and fortunately they (so far) are willing to work with us. The car is being checked out today and we'll know if their mechanic comes to the same conclusion. If so, I would really prefer that a certified Acura mechanic to the work. It seems that people have had this problem for years and that it's re-occuring despite replacing the parts (with OEM or re-built).
 
I guess I have a few questions:
 
-Are the replacement parts the exact same configuration as the original faulty part? Have there been any advancements in these parts' original design to prevent this from happening every 6 months or so?
 
-Typically, if the diagnosis is a torque converter does that automatically lend itself to a full transmission replacement?
 
-Lastly, is it really a trifecta consisting of torque converter, transmission, and code updates?
 
I am really just trying to get a feel for the situation I'm seemingly about to walk into and compare your answers with what my 6 month warranty actually covers.
 
Thanks for your advice in advance!

#380 of 967 Re: Replacement Quality [bekeatts] by madmommy3

Sep 08, 2010 (9:39 am)

Replying to: bekeatts (Sep 08, 2010 9:18 am)
you are lucky you are still in some warranty. our xmission failed first but last week the car started a vibration/buzzing sound sort of intermittedly. it seems from reading that torque, transmission, etc. are all common problems (one or the other and then the other so to speak) along with metal in the radiator. I would print out all that you can on the subject and try and negotiate a return if that is even possible. you are potentially headed for disaster. We finally took ours in and traded it on a new Pilot and got fair trade b/c it was running. I am sorry that they will turn around and sell it to someone who will think they are gettting a beatiful car for a fair deal. If you get anything fixed, try and get a 3 year warranty on the fix so at least you will have a chance to drive the car for 3 years...but be prepared for a transmission outage if you are like many of us. good luck!

#381 of 967 Re: Replacement Quality [bekeatts] by jslivon

Sep 08, 2010 (10:30 am)

Replying to: bekeatts (Sep 08, 2010 9:18 am)
If they don't replace the whole transmission with an Acura rebuilt unit with a 3yr/36k mile warranty, get your money back and buy something else.

#382 of 967 Class Action Suit prep by wallabyguy

Sep 08, 2010 (10:50 am)

We are working on a facebook page to bring together owner's with these problems and prepare for a class action suit. The page link is:
 
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Owners-Dealing-with-Acura-MDX-Problems/13568474313- 9321
 
It's already getting Acura's attention.

#383 of 967 Re: Replacement Quality [madmommy3] by bekeatts

Sep 09, 2010 (8:02 am)

Replying to: madmommy3 (Sep 08, 2010 9:39 am)
Thanks for the advice. The dealer who we purchased the car from called me yesterday afternoon and informed me that they are going to take the car to an Acura dealership today for further investigation. Right now I'm just happy that our dealer is working with us and not trying to give us "the run-around."
 
     The next hurdle is going to be working with the warranty company. You know that what the Acura dealership charges for the repairs and what the warranty company is actually willing to pay for labor and parts are going to be two different things. We'll have to determine if the cost difference for Acura certified parts and labor are worth paying the difference, if it comes to that.
 
    This is the very reason I was trying to determine if Acura had made any advancements on these replacement parts. I don't want to have to pay extra (to cover what the warranty doesn't cover) for Acura parts if they aren't ANY BETTER than the part they're replacing. In some instances an aftermarket part can be better because they have modified the original and resolved some OEM flaws.
 
We'll keep everyone posted on how it all goes down.

#384 of 967 Re: Replacement Quality [bekeatts] by jslivon

Sep 09, 2010 (8:56 am)

Replying to: bekeatts (Sep 09, 2010 8:02 am)
Acura will not provide details regarding what improvements they made in the replacement transmission. I believe you can get an independent rebuild for 1/2 price but it woul;d have the same reoccuring trouble. My best guess is that there is a software issue within the original transmission controls that Acura repairs or upgrades with a certified Acura rebuilt transmission.

Messages Page 39 of 98

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