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Acura MDX Transmission Problems

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Comments

  • mdxer10mdxer10 Member Posts: 1
    I drive 2003 Acura MDX with 139,900 miles now. First owner and replaced timing belt, belt tensioner, power steering component?, engine mount, and some electronic component that caused VPN light to come on and off.

    All cars after about 100,000 miles have to replace timing belt and other components that wear down. If it's a moving part, it's going to wear and tear.

    Transmission never gave me problems. But I think I know how I avoided the problem. When the car was only a year or two old I noticed sometimes the car would jump into gear going from Reverse to Drive shift if I pushed the accelerator as soon as I shifted the gear into "D". From that point on I just shift to D and wait. Then I would feel the car gear engaging on its own and after that I would push the accelerator. That only takes a second or two. But not more than 2 seconds. From then I never had the car jump into gear. And it still drives fine.

    And as long as it drives I'm saving at least $500 a month for new car payment to purchase a comparable car.
  • lemonacuralemonacura Member Posts: 1
    I don't want to start bashing Acura just yet however, I am going to give them one more chance to make things right.
    My mdx just went out of warranty in January 2013 which is only at 45,500 miles. 2009 year model.

    #1 They convinced me that my moon roof leaks in the car wash because it is water proof but not air proof so that's why now every time I wash the car water drips on the driver and passenger. Okay Acura. Why didn't this happen before the car went out of warranty?

    # 2 The check engine and transmission light came on and trouble code p0847 came up. Acura wanted to charge me $125.00 to run a diagnostic which I declined and told the service manager this can be related to a letter I received a few months back about software or repairing a torque converter which Acura extended the warranty on. The software was done then after we picked up the mdx and drove for about 20 miles the lights came back on. I started to google the issue and come to find out many complains about 3rd gear pressure switch and some people having issues with TC on older models. I do not understand why this is not covered under emission which in some states Acura gives 80k/8 year warranty on or why isn't it covered by the power train 70k/ 6 year warranty if this is a common issue. I see some dealers doing the repairs under the power train warranty and others are making the customer pay. My dealer is telling me now I have to pay the $125 to run it to find the issue when they know what the issue is by the trouble code and telling me it may not be covered by the warranty for the power train.
  • jga5jga5 Member Posts: 11
    edited April 2013
    Thanks for the report and I'm sorry your having to "pay" your way through the problems Acura built into your MDX. It all comes down to a fundamental issue of integrity. Any company that allows this many problems to persist lacks judgement and the ability to look long term. Sure, they are avoiding some warranty costs today, but they have lost, forever, my "new car purchase" dollars. And I'm not alone.
  • irismariseirismarise Member Posts: 3
    I hear you, I had all the problems above and I have a 2005, its crazy, and am still,paying for it! Sad story for all of us ugh
  • irismariseirismarise Member Posts: 3
    Nope, they are not fixed!! Trust me, :mad: and keep reading these posts, its crazy.
  • tpulaktpulak Member Posts: 44
    Hello all,

    I was the original poster of this thread over 5 years ago. It's amazing how time flies :)

    I still own my '04 MDX, now running at over 110K miles. I have been having a very slight shudder/grinding sound of the car at around 35-40 mph. This has been happening ever since 60K miles. However, I've chosen not to do anything about it, and it's been running perfectly fine ever since.

    However, I noticed when driving at "D4" on the transmission (meaning, just using 4 gears), the shudder is completely gone. I did some research online, and I see that 35-40 mph is a "trouble spot" for these transmissions, as the car is confused when to downshift or upshift.

    But at "D4" the car no longer attempts to switch gears at this speed range. I now drive with D4 in town, and D5 in the highway, and the car drives beautifully.

    I recommend everyone to try it out! The Acura MDX truly is a beautiful car, and I still have faith in the vehicle. I plan on selling it for a 2014 model soon , but I will be sad to see it go!
  • markkamp76markkamp76 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2001 Acura MDX second hand. Bought it October of 2009 and it has been a wonderful vechile, and have had to only replace the alternator over the past 4 yrs. I bought it with 181, 000 kms and it now has 255,000km. I had the Check Engine light go on after driving on the highway. I took it to acura and they said it was the Torque Convertor sensor and the Transmission malmunction sensor. They said my tranny fluid smelt burnt and it needed a new transmission and quoted me $4700 for a rebuilt and $5300 for a new one. Funny thing is there have been no signs of any transmission problems. I have done a lot of research and YES it probably will need a rebuilt transmission but a reputable transmission shop gave me a max quote of $3300 so I will probably go with them, when I need to. For now I will drive it until it truly goes so I can save some coin to pay for the replacement.

    Overall I have loved this vehicle even though I havent loved it with regular maintenance and taken it to some pretty crazy places on some rough roads. The only problems I have had with it are the altenator, A/C went a long time ago, and the stereo is dead, and not the transmission. I feel that all cars have their issues, some manufacturers more than others but I still love my Honda/ Acura and will probably try to stick with them when I can. Sometimes you get a lemon and that cant be helped. Obviously the Transmissions on these dont have a long life but from most of these posts Acura has been good enough to offer something to help with the cost. Good luck trying to get that from any other business after the waranty runs out. Go try that at Future Shop and tell me how that works out for you! LOL. For a top end car they are beautifully made and decently priced. You cant beat that! And compared to a Chrysler transmission they are much better, not much of a conparison though. Im sure they have done their homework and the new MDX probably wont have this issue.

    Love my MDX! ">
  • jga5jga5 Member Posts: 11
    At 125,000 miles, my '04 MDX developed a high pitch whine from the transmission. I took it to the dealer and then to a transmission place. $4000 later, I had a re-built tranny and I'm driving smoothly & quietly again. I also have a 100,000 mile warranty. The very next week, the rear, passenger side widow controller goes out. Don't even ask how much the dealer wanted to fix that. I found the parts I needed on-line for $94 and was able to make the repair myself...don't use duct tape to hold the window glass up while you remove the mechanism.
  • jslivonjslivon Member Posts: 57
    Good for you! Go with the lower price tranny but make sure they have experience with these units and can perform updates and modifications so it reduces the chances of failure. Also expect to replace two broken motor mounts. If the timing belt and spark plugs are over 100,000 miles, replace them too.
  • umkumk Member Posts: 1
    Hi Tony,
    Can u please let me know what dealer said about your Mdx problem. I do have exact problem on my 2013 MDX. I just got and noticed that when going on uphill it does not accelerate beyond 70 mph, no matter how much we push the pedal. All 4 cyl cars are passing by me.
  • frogpeltfrogpelt Member Posts: 1
    Same exact problem for me (shudder around 35 or 40). Same solution too (switch to D4). I can also let off the gas or stomp the gas to make it stop.

    Has anyone tried putting Mr. Tranny transmission additive in their MDX to see if it fixes this problem?
  • jerrystroudjerrystroud Member Posts: 2
    My 2005 Acura MDX started the "chudder" as they referred to it. I took it in and they charged me $3000 to replace the torque converter. The software caused the torque converter to go bad. I told them that is a factory defect and it should be covered. They said they said replacing the torque converter once it is bad is my problem. I only had the car for 1 year and it only had 60,000 miles on it. It was bought from the dealer as a certified pre-owned vehicle. Software causing a mechanical defect? That is a first for me. Software defects need to be covered just like any other defect, especially if it cause mechanical failure!
  • jerrystroudjerrystroud Member Posts: 2
    Acuras are notorious for transmission problems! Acura does everything it can to make the customer pay. Never had a problem with a Toyota transmission nor have any of my friends.
  • jslivonjslivon Member Posts: 57
    A "Certified" car should come with an extended bumper-to-bumper warranty. Lexus' is 3 years from the date of purchase and up to 100k on the odometer.. You are getting screwed.

    First, make the dealer call the CA Acura office and get them to pay it. If that doesn't work, file a complaint with Better Business.

    Second, Don't buy another Acura, we swithed to Lexus and love it!
  • cwy1cwy1 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2002 MDX and love it since the day i bought it. My friend had a 2003 MDX and his transmission quitted on him @50k and luckily it was replaced under warranteed. I heard about the transmission issue of MDX and has been crossing my fingers but my transmission finally died on me @120k. I negotiated with Acura N America and were able to get a $1000 from them as a good faith gesture (they wouldn't give more because of the age of the car and way out of warrantee). Got the dealership to chip in a few hundred and I ended up replacing it for $1700. The problem is those thing only have a limited warrantee and I worry everytime I got that in between gears shutter
  • jslivonjslivon Member Posts: 57
    Our 2003 transmission died at 105k miles. Acura paid 90% after many complaints from me. We have 180k miles now and it's still running. But like you, I have my fingers crossed.
  • drcoreydrcorey Member Posts: 1
    edited September 2013
    I have a 2003 and our transmission just went out at 148k miles. We are the second owners, will Acura still help us pay for it at the 90%? I read a few of you that posted about Acura of CA, but are you original owners? does that matter? I need to get this fixed asap, we gotta fit 3 car seats in the back ;).
    Thank you to anyone that can help me asap
  • jslivonjslivon Member Posts: 57
    Don't expect anthing being that your are the second owner and at that higher mileage. But you should still try. If it fails, go to an independant and reputable transmission shop and have it rebuilt instead of paying Acura prices. Make sure the shop is familure with Acura problems and their noted faliures.

    We won't buy Acura anymore and just bought a used Lexus. Much better car all around!
  • ben124ben124 Member Posts: 1
    Hey,
    Check the air filter. It might be restricted with something, thus starving the vehicke of air.

    The air intake is at the bottom of the vehicle. Mine pulled up a plastic bag that got stuck inside and had the same issue.
  • pwr1pwr1 Member Posts: 5
    edited October 2013
    My 2012 MDX transmission sucks. Period. Now I know why the salesman said to really drive the car hard during the test drive. Because if you don't, it will constantly up shift too early into a higher gear, and you wouldn't buy it. Shame on you Acura for charging $50K and delivering such an otherwise great vehicle. Great style, workmanship, materials, engine, interior... Cannot overcome this transmission issue. Come on Acura, just do a remap so we can all start driving normally again. WE REALLY WON'T BUY ANOTHER ACURA VEHICLE IF YOU DONT FIX THIS! My Mom's 2006 Pilot is a joy to drive compared to this car... Does that really make sense?? Now I know what "near luxury" means. This vehicle is almost not drivable in the mountains because of the transmission hunting around all the time and up shifting. I'm done.
  • jslivonjslivon Member Posts: 57
    We have a 2003 MDX and got stung with the transmission issue. Recently, we shopped for a used car and discovered that the Lexus RX 350 is a much better vehicle then the MDX. However, we wanted a more comfortable sedan and settled on a Lexus ES 350. The Acura equivilants were not as comprable.

    Acura is going downhill.
  • chrismcdogchrismcdog Member Posts: 2
    We have a 2004 MDX with the transmission issues. It made noises at around 1300 rpms. Acura told us it would cost about 5K to fix. I actually found a great workaround by always driving in D4 instead of D5. We are also going be looking at a used RX 350.

    Any advice?
  • jslivonjslivon Member Posts: 57
    The best deals are buying a car 3 years old that was turned in after a lease. They are like new, still have a warranty, and thousands less then new. Use the Edmunds website to read reviews. We drove 600 miles one-way to Miami, Florida to buy our car and saved 5 to 6 grand over buying local. Use the internet to do your searching. It wa workth paying a thousand or two more for a "Certified" car from a dealer. Our Lexus came with an extended factory warranty, was completely gone through and detailed from the dealer in Palm Beach, FL , including a full tank of gas. All I had to do was add a little air in the tires.
  • dougc3dougc3 Member Posts: 2
    I purchased a used 2003 MDX with 87,000 miles 5 months ago; driving on a busy highway I noticed a bad smell. I pulled the car off the road and had it towed to the Acura Dealership I had purchased the car from. After almost 3 hours they came in and gave me the bad news... my transmission and radiator needed to be replaced... OUCH! No extended warranty and a cost of over $6,000. I'm waiting to hear if the dealership will help with the price, any suggestions on how to handle this discussion?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Ouch indeed.

    There's some tips here:

    The Secret Warranty
  • qaliqali Member Posts: 60
    Not knowing what exactly happened, I cant say for certain if you have experienced the issue that a number of MDX owners have had. See my post http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f1775eb/944#MSG944
  • jslivonjslivon Member Posts: 57
    Make the dealership call the Acura home office in CA. Tell them about this blog and you are aware of the defective transmissions. That's what we did and got Acura to pay 90% of the cost. I would think the dealership would take some responsibilty since it was only 5 months since you bought the car.

    Last resort is to file a complain with your local Better Business Bureau, but don't expect them to do much. It will just be a recorded complaint on the dealership's record. I'm assuming that the failure wasn't due to negligence on your part.

    If all this fails, an independant transmission shop can rebuild it for $2500.
  • dougc3dougc3 Member Posts: 2
    After a brief discussion with the dealership and mentioning theses blogs, they and Honda stepped to the plate and paid 100% of the cost for the new radiator and transmission.
  • JBaumgartJBaumgart Member Posts: 890
    Fantastic. Kudos to Honda/Acura for standing behind their product when they had no legal obligation to do so. My 2010 Advance with around 38,000 miles has been perfect so far. Couldn't be happier with it.
  • piratejoepiratejoe Member Posts: 1
    Fantastic design and build quality. However, there is a very severe problem when trying to merge and having to accelerate quickly. The car stalls and acts like you are using the brakes for a few critical and sometimes fearful seconds before it "kicks in" and starts to accelerate as it should. I brought it back to the dealer who checked it out and said that it was working fine and that they couldn't find any problems. Well, there is a problem and I think that Acura knows about it, but won't admit to it in fear that it might affect sales. I'll have to tolerate it for now, but no more Acuras for me ever again. I am warning others through this post -- you won't be happy with a MDX! $50,000.00 isn't enough money to get a really good car; the price is now $65-$75K for an Infiniti or a Lexus.
  • gwilkigwilki Member Posts: 1
    Piratejoe: Did you ever get any satisfaction from Acura? While slowing down, my 2009 holds 3rd gear until I am pretty much stopped. So, when slowing for corner, for example, it is in 3rd gear when I try to accelerate out of the corner. Since it is going too slow for 3rd, it shifts down to 2nd, but only after quite a pause. According to the owner's manual, it should shift into 2nd while slowing down, so it is in the right gear to accelerate. I've taken it into the dealer twice and spoken to Acura Canada. I'm told that the manual is simply wrong and that the transmission is shifting as it is supposed to.
    I'm told, too, that the shift pattern can be changed, but Acura won't authorize the dealer to do it.
    It's very maddening to find this in a vehicle that is supposed to be high end. Between this, and the fact that many of the electronic stuff doesn't work in our Canadian winters, it's time to go back to Subaru, I think.
  • dave_nhdave_nh Member Posts: 6

    referring to my post in Sept 2010. (transmission replaced at 112K miles)

    We finally traded in the MDX for a Ford F-350 - an MDX cannot tote a truck camper. :-)

    At turn in time, at had 186K miles and the replacement transmission was starting to make the same noises the original one did at around 100K. The good news, I guess, is that I got about 75K miles out of the rebuilt transmission. The bad news is that if the transmission had not been showing signs of giving up, again, I would have kept the MDX and traded in the 2001 MBenz.

    I suppose it is telling that instead of designing their own transmission, Acura bought one from Garbage Motors.

    At any rate, the whole experience of owning a 2005 MDX has been a positive one with kudos to Sunnyside Acura Customer Service.

    Dave

  • azwldctfanazwldctfan Member Posts: 1

    @ckpc said:
    82,402 miles on our 03 MDX and transmission is shot. Car is my wife's and only driven in town and to take kids to school. We have owned it since new and followed dealer recommended service using the same dealer for all service. Dealer said $4500 but agreed to call Acura Corp and called back with a $2400 price. The Cat Converter also went out another $900!!!

    I am done with Acura I have spent all kinds of money on a vehicle I mistakenly thought was a quality product.

    I have the 2003 Acura MDX and the transmission has gone bad at 150,000 miles. This is a car that I've always serviced at the Acura of Tempe dealership. They are quoting me $5200 for the repair. Other smaller Honda mechanics in town are around $4200. I've made my plea with the dealer to help me out since we've been so loyal there. I didn't know there were so many problems with 2003 transmissions until I came here! Wonder if the Corporate Acura route may help me.

  • 1cincykid1cincykid Member Posts: 1

    Well, I am victim # 4080 to the faulty 03 MDX transmission issue. I have never had my car serviced anywhere except the dealer and now, without ANY warning, my transmission is out. Completely gone and need a new one. Yes I have 160K, but check this out. My car started leaking oil so i took it in to get the leak fixed. I was told it would be close to 1k to fix, since it was leaking from the rear main. They woud have to take the transmission out and move the engine to get to the part to fix. I said go ahead and fix it, since I felt pretty good about my car (I've given it to my son) They fix the rear main ($800+) and two weeks later i now have bad motor mounts. Tehy never told me the mounts were bad when they removed them (since they had to remove the engne) nor did they tell me when they put them back on. ($400 to fix) So now that i have new motor mounts and a newly repaird rear main, a month later the transmission gives out. My son was driving it and it just stopped accelerating. No slipping of the trany, no pulling, no lights, no nothing -as a warning. The car would not drive in D5, D4 or D3. I had to drive it to the dealership in D1 and it would go in reverse. They looked at it and said $5200 for a new tranny. I got on here and read all the post, I called Acura in CA ( they claim to know nothing about 02/03 tranny issues in MDX's) and offered NO help. The dealer (since I'm on my 3rd Acura with them) offered some help (about 1/2) but I dissappointed in Acura overall. They have an issue with 02/03 Tranny and are turning a blind eye. If you own an MDX 02/03 and have not had this issue.. GET RID OF IT NOW!!!!!!! you will be posting on here at some point.

  • sesnowangelsesnowangel Member Posts: 1
    My 2003 MDX has been great other than numerous transmission problems. Had my transmission initially rebuilt at 116,000 miles. Cost me $3,500. Drove it for about 10,000 miles and it started having serious issues where it wouldn't drive (slipping- step on gas pedal and engine just revs without car moving while in drive) and my D5 light was flashing. Took it back in and the shop "fixed" it under the warranty from the transmission. Less than a month later, had the same or similar issues. They rebuilt it again and said one of the transmission solenoids needed replacing. Had that repaired under warranty. Still didn't fix the issue. Long story short, I had my mdx in the shop 5 different times with 3 rebuilt transmissions before the shop finally completely replaced the transmission with a brand new one. I spent weeks without a vehicle and this all took place over the course of 8 months. 8 months without a reliable vehicle and in and out of the shop! What a pain!! That was 35,000 miles ago but I still fear I'm going to have problems again!! My transmission still sometimes does this weird rev thing after I let off the accelerator where the rpms drop way down and flick back up before evening out around 2,000rpms. I baby the heck out of it out of fear. Ready to get a new vehicle which is unfortunate because I haven't had my car in the shop for any other repairs since I've owned it at 100,000 miles.
  • chaos666chaos666 Member Posts: 1

    Just read 7 years of posts, lol, WEEW! Unbelievable!! After being a lifelong HONDA driver, I decided I'm almost 40 now, time for a nice "Luxury" car, ACURA! the "High End" HONDA, LOL! Boy was I surprised, this seems to be the most poorly designed car by Honda ever. Purchased a 2003 MDX, drained and Filled the Trans 4X, did the Transfer Case, Rear Diff, Oil and Filter, Air Filter and Cabin Filter etc... Seems Amazing; then 1,000 Miles later, CEL comes on and guess who "P0741". Car has been driving and shifting amazing ?
    I am so angry at everything I'm reading about this vehicle, the radiator fiasco, Torque Converter BS etc... I mean c'mon my 2002 CR-V had a timing chain, for shame... I thought I was moving UP, lol. I have already begun sending full page letters in email and snail mail to ACURA Client Relations, in case I need to get this fixed, I will not give up, even if it has 140k and I'm the second owner, this is bull.

    Quick Question, can I really drive like this and ignore the CEL, or will it eventually fail ? Should I drive around town in D4 ?

    Here's some info if anyone cares:

    Acura Client Relations

    1919 Torrance Blvd.

    M/S 500-2N7E

    Torrance, CA 90501-2746

    [email protected]

    Phone: (800) 382-2238

    Fax: (310) 783-3535

  • tpulaktpulak Member Posts: 44
    Hi all,

    I originally started this thread nearly 10 years ago. It is staggering to see how many people have posted their responses over the years. Not sure why after 2014, there was a sudden stop to the posts though!

    I just wanted to update - I still have the 2004 MDX - it currently has about 130K miles on it. It DOES shudder between 30-40 mph when cruising gently on D5 setting. The rpms dip quite low when allowed to shift up to D5, and when you accelerate, the car "grinds" and tends to lack power.

    Driving in D4, you don't hear the noises at all. The transmission shifts at all the right points. At this point, my MDX isn't worth much - and I don't feel it's worth it to spend $2.5K-3K + on a solution that isn't even permanent (most of the people I've seen that replace their torque converters end up having the same problem 30-40K miles later).

    I've been driving in D4 for the past few years, and the car has held up great. Yes, the fuel economy has suffered a bit (~13 in the city, ~19-20 in the highway) - but it never was great to begin with (don't recall getting more than ~15 mpg in the city ever...). With gas being as cheap as it is today, it is definitely worth the fuel economy hit versus replacing the entire torque converter.

    So...my advice to y'all owning 2004-2006 MDXs is to drive in D4. By this point, many of our MDXs are probably in the 140-170K mileage range or more - at this point, we should focus on squeezing out the most miles remaining in these cars without spending significant $$$ in them. For those owning 2003 and lower models....I don't really know what to recommend, as the problems seem to be more in the transmissions themselves, rather than the torque converters.

    For now, I intend on driving my 2004 MDX up until it starts causing problems in other areas, and these problems start costing amounts that aren't justifiable anymore. But for now, I can say, that my MDX has had basically zero problems with anything, asides from the rumbling issues when driving in D5. Just regular oil changes have been the main source of maintenance for this car - being a 13+ year old car, I give kudos to Acura for that.

    Thanks,

    tpulak




  • mdxisthebestmdxisthebest Member Posts: 2
    chaos666 said:

    Just read 7 years of posts, lol, WEEW! Unbelievable!! After being a lifelong HONDA driver, I decided I'm almost 40 now, time for a nice "Luxury" car, ACURA! the "High End" HONDA, LOL! Boy was I surprised, this seems to be the most poorly designed car by Honda ever. Purchased a 2003 MDX, drained and Filled the Trans 4X, did the Transfer Case, Rear Diff, Oil and Filter, Air Filter and Cabin Filter etc... Seems Amazing; then 1,000 Miles later, CEL comes on and guess who "P0741". Car has been driving and shifting amazing ?
    I am so angry at everything I'm reading about this vehicle, the radiator fiasco, Torque Converter BS etc... I mean c'mon my 2002 CR-V had a timing chain, for shame... I thought I was moving UP, lol. I have already begun sending full page letters in email and snail mail to ACURA Client Relations, in case I need to get this fixed, I will not give up, even if it has 140k and I'm the second owner, this is bull.

    Quick Question, can I really drive like this and ignore the CEL, or will it eventually fail ? Should I drive around town in D4 ?

    Here's some info if anyone cares:

    Acura Client Relations

    1919 Torrance Blvd.

    M/S 500-2N7E

    Torrance, CA 90501-2746

    [email protected]

    Phone: (800) 382-2238

    Fax: (310) 783-3535

    Thanks!
  • mdxisthebestmdxisthebest Member Posts: 2
    tpulak said:
    Hi all, I originally started this thread nearly 10 years ago. It is staggering to see how many people have posted their responses over the years. Not sure why after 2014, there was a sudden stop to the posts though! I just wanted to update - I still have the 2004 MDX - it currently has about 130K miles on it. It DOES shudder between 30-40 mph when cruising gently on D5 setting. The rpms dip quite low when allowed to shift up to D5, and when you accelerate, the car "grinds" and tends to lack power. Driving in D4, you don't hear the noises at all. The transmission shifts at all the right points. At this point, my MDX isn't worth much - and I don't feel it's worth it to spend $2.5K-3K + on a solution that isn't even permanent (most of the people I've seen that replace their torque converters end up having the same problem 30-40K miles later). I've been driving in D4 for the past few years, and the car has held up great. Yes, the fuel economy has suffered a bit (~13 in the city, ~19-20 in the highway) - but it never was great to begin with (don't recall getting more than ~15 mpg in the city ever...). With gas being as cheap as it is today, it is definitely worth the fuel economy hit versus replacing the entire torque converter. So...my advice to y'all owning 2004-2006 MDXs is to drive in D4. By this point, many of our MDXs are probably in the 140-170K mileage range or more - at this point, we should focus on squeezing out the most miles remaining in these cars without spending significant $$$ in them. For those owning 2003 and lower models....I don't really know what to recommend, as the problems seem to be more in the transmissions themselves, rather than the torque converters. For now, I intend on driving my 2004 MDX up until it starts causing problems in other areas, and these problems start costing amounts that aren't justifiable anymore. But for now, I can say, that my MDX has had basically zero problems with anything, asides from the rumbling issues when driving in D5. Just regular oil changes have been the main source of maintenance for this car - being a 13+ year old car, I give kudos to Acura for that. Thanks, tpulak
    Thanks so much! This is the information I was looking for. I drive an ‘05 MDX that’s at 140K miles and I’m having the same issue with my torque converter. I’ve been hearing the rumbling for a couple of months and just started driving it in D4 last week after I did my research. I bought this car in May and it had never had the necessary maintenance on it. So I had an entire tune up done in September. Now I’m considering having the trans fully serviced. But I want to bypass having the torque converter replaced if it’s going to be a recurring issue. So what do you recommend that I have done to the trans?
  • EddieHanEddieHan Member Posts: 1
    I have 2010 Acura mdx and it was giving me A/T transmission light on.
    When i reversed, it was taking jerks and give same msg again. I tried to check in internet i couldn't get any solution. So thats what i did:
    I checked the transmission fluid and it was low, i added around more than half litter and then it was given me engine light on, then i open gas cap and close again, then i put the key on number 2 position and push the gas paddle for 35 second and start the car.
    Everything was good after.
    Hope it will help someone. 
    Please check transmission fluid before go check you error code.

    Thanks
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