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MDX steering wheel vibration at highway speed
Hello,
I have noticed steering wheel vibration when going over 70 mph with my 2007 MDX after first few weeks of driving it.
I got wheel balancing done but the problem remains.
Will be going back to the dealer later this week for further diagnosis.
I have researched other MDX and Pilot forums regarding this issue and there are multiple cases of folks experiencing problem with 2006 Pilot and 2007 MDX.
Anyone else experiencing this problem?
I have noticed steering wheel vibration when going over 70 mph with my 2007 MDX after first few weeks of driving it.
I got wheel balancing done but the problem remains.
Will be going back to the dealer later this week for further diagnosis.
I have researched other MDX and Pilot forums regarding this issue and there are multiple cases of folks experiencing problem with 2006 Pilot and 2007 MDX.
Anyone else experiencing this problem?
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Comments
My last suv was a pilot, I seem to recall a similar issue. I have the same issue with my 05 Accord. Likely a bad rim, since the new tires didn't help.
car has only close to 11000mileages and we have visited atleast 10+ times
steering wheel vibration
window noise
enought is enough, we are filing for lemon law
advise to all mdx new owners... dont get fooled by the dealership
saying that these problems are normal... they are just filling you in
with craps...
make sure you keep all records... your car may be a lemon car...
read about it... yahoo it, consumer's affair guide...
before it is too late...
by the way... i dont know what acura manufacturer is thinking about because
these vibration is not normal... i wouldn't be surprise if they are getting
a massive recall on the 07+ mdx...
You will find people report issues like this with ANY car due to possible problems with bent rims, etc.
And I have read virtually every magazine, internet, etc, review of the MDX and never seen any reviewer mention vibration and other such problems.
Please read "Acura MDX Maintenance and Repair" discussion for more owner reviews on vibration.
My $40,000 Audi A4 has some squeaks and a rustling noise coming from the vents when the fan is on a higher speed.
I had a set of rims for my older A4 which had vibration at 70-80mph on the highway, it never could be fixed. Swap out for new rims fixed that problem.
The reality is that these are cars that get driven over potholes, bumps, ice, etc, and they are never going to be perfect. Certainly some problems are easier to fix than others, but I know plenty of people with Acura products who are very happy with them.
To be on the safe side we leased our new MDX. If it turns out to be unreliable or has rattles and other issues we will simply turn it in at lease end. If it turns out to be a great car than we will buy it out at lease end. This is one of the few advantages of leasing, being able to get the car for an extended period and only buy it if you are really happy with it. Sure beats resale headaches if the car has issues.
but it seems the problem still exist and will likely have to go back.
this is very frunstrating for a brand new MDX. I had driven acura Integra for 8 years and never had any issue. even driving at 85~90mph in california the integra steer wheel is solid stable.
The problem now is that dealer claim that the highway limit here is 55mph, and they can not risk getting ticket to confirm the problem at 70mph above. any suggestion?
First, call Acura North America and log a ticket with the problem saying that after balancing the tires this problem exists. This trouble ticket will get assigned to an account manager who will contact you for further details. Then he/she will call the dealer service manager to resolve the problem.
Above step is to escalate the problem and put pressure on service manager to expediate and put resources to resolve the problem.
Second, when you do go in again for the problem to be resolved at the dealer, have the technician sit in the passenger seat and you drive the car. That is what I did and showed the problem to the technician at that speed.
In my case, the technician relaced all 4 rims/tires with brand new ones from another vehicle. This resolved my problem. I believe that me logging my case with Acura North America definitely put pressure for the dealership to go the extra mile.
OFcourse, the technician was very good and clearly understood the problem. He said he was going to log this issue and a solution he provided back to Acura North America as he could not understand why the set of rims/tires I had were causing the problem.
thank you so much for your valueable experience. I am going to give Acura North America a call monday to address this issue. Even though the vibration is not signicantly terriable, it is still unacceptable for a brand new luxury car to have this problem right out to door of dealship. I will post update later.
1. Are people experiencing this issue with both tire types? (Bridgestone or Michelin)?
2. When your tires have been replaced by the dealer for the 'flat spot issue' - did they replace two tires or all four tires? Also, do they replace all four with the same tire brand or something else?
3. An unrealated question - has anyone compared the ride between the Michelins and Bridgestones? Significant difference?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Will keep you guys posted.
I took it back to the dealer for a balance and alignment. That helped but did not cure it. Then I took it to a Firestone around the corner that has the latest Road Force balancing equipment (my dealer does not). They made it slightly better, but still not perfect. I'm taking it back there to give them another shot. If that doesn't work, I'm going back to the dealer and telling them to keep the car until they can tell me what is wrong with it.
If the wheel balance is perfect there are other things that can cause vibration. Alignment, warped rotors, or bad/loose suspension bushings. But none of these should be an issue on a brand new car, so I'm stumped.
In my case, the tech replaced all 4 rims and tires from another new car on the lot.
This fixed the problem.
Just seems odd to me that this was never an issue until after one of the times I had the tires balanced.
I'm comparing my MDX to my A4 and 330, both of which have high performance tires on them. So it's a bit of an unfair comparison. My shop manager seemed to think this 75 mph vibration is a trait of most MDXs. Great. Wish I knew that before I bought the car.
Luckily I do most of my driving in the city. Of course then I have to deal with the thumps/thuds coming from the rear suspension.
I really love this car. These two issues are minor, but VERY annoying.
i don't know if this helps but...i have 07 mdx; i just went thru a hard time with putting the first set of new tires on it. I had vibrations and buffeting of the mdx above 70 mph and got worse thru 80. Long story short. two sets of michelins later. i ended up going to the tire and alignment guru in town. Here's what he did.
1. rounded the tires...the tires where out of round(eventhough they were top of the line.
2. redid the alignment
3. most important---Balanced the tires on the hub at 80mph......
believe me the tire company i started with used a roadforce balancer and they couldn't dial them in at all.
tires balanced on the hub while on the vehicle fixed my problems
ok...hope this helps, it was expensive to have this done and only one shop in my town had this equipment.
i don't know if this will fix your problem, but thought i would let everyone know my experience.
best bet is to find some one with this type of balancer and ask them.
good luck
1. Does the dealerships have the equipment to balance the tires on the hub at 70 mph?
2. Does my warranty cover the problems or will it be out of pocket cost for me?
3. I'll request them to round the tires, but how I can I tell if they did the work?
in your case, it might be you just threw a weight off, which is possible.(i believe they are just stick on weights).
again, if you are close to dealer, check with them.
as far as your question..."how do i know if they did the work..."...there should be no vibrations at highway speed or any other speed...(dependant on roadsurface)..
good luck
I have had the shake everyone here describes in my '08 Camry from day one and am doing my best to purchase a vehicle that does not have it. Always had Honda/Acura and didn't have the shake until my '05 Pilot - the shake started after 2 years. Honda wanted me to spend thousand to figure out what could be the issue on a 2yr old car. They had a wheel bearing TSB which might have been the issue, but neglected to let me know about it - found out years later.
Was told what all these postings say, with respect to Toyota, live with it, that's how it was designed. Even went to arbitration - they did nothing. I am debating between an RX350 and Acura MDX.
I test drove an '09 MDX that had been traded for a Lexus RX350 - had the shake on the highway. So...is this saying buy the Lexus? Are you referring to Lexus Rx330, when you say 330?
It's a very annoying thing...I am finally able to get rid of my '08 Camry but with all the recalls can't sell on my own and a bit hesitant about a Lexus purchase.
and also EACH time the machine is used the proper setting has to be chosen or else that balance will not be done correctly, my 2007 had an issue, I took the vehicle to my
local trusted small tire guy with the same equipment and he spent the time to roadforce match AND balance the tires and absolutely NO vibration at all speeds, I never rotated the tires at all and the tires lasted 40k, my 2010 which I picked up had the same issue, I took it to the same shop and guess what , no VIBRATION, I did give the dealer a shot but the mechanics do not want to spend the time dealing with the tires and MADE the vibration worse by improper use of the Hunter machine, I was reimbursed by the dealer and I will never rotate tires as I do not want to deal with any vibration issues and tire wear issues have been non existent without rotation, I would say that 95% of these vibrations can be traced to improper operation of the Hunter roadforce balancer and not a tire issue.
It almost feels like the car needs a tune-up. I service it at the regular intervals, but I wonder if they need to be doing something more.
Has anyone had any issues with the 2010 models? I have only heard about years prior to the new models. I need to get rid of this thing but not sure what to get in its place.
I know a couple of other people with this SUV and they are not experiencing the problems that I am. I also read that others are having serious vibration problems intermittently. That is how mine is as well, always a vibration but some days worse than others. I really don't know what to do, the dealer does not know what to do for the problem. It is very frustrating to say the least.
It is going to be very hard to have the dealer experience this because the closest highway where this has happened is about a 30-minute drive away and the car needs to have been off for a few hours to make this happen, and again, it isn't consistent.
Hoping that when I go in for my next service, they will understand my explanation, but my experience has been that if they can't reproduce it, they won't fix it.
"Oh, we can't recreate the problem because we can't drive at that speed for fear of getting a ticket!"
Well, the RD may protect them somewhat depending on what kind it is. :P
Our '07 had the SW vibration and it turned out to be the L front strut. They replaced it under warranty. It seemed odd that the warranty would cover a wear-and-tear item but I didn't argue because it didn't cost me a thing. Perhaps there is a secret TSB out on this. :confuse:
there is a definite vibration in the wheel at speed, but no pulling of the wheel. My brother suggested it might be my tire balancing but was baffled that Quality Control at Acura wouldl allow their tires / wheels to get out the door not properly balanced.
Should I start there? Could it be my alignment already? Any help would be greatly appreciated as my 14 year old Lexus ES and my Honda Odyssey both drive smoothly at highway speed.
Thanks
I hope they can fix it but, these service visits are becoming a hardship for me. I may go the lemon law route and get another vehicle (Lexus) 2010 may be a bad model year for the MDX.