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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!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Owners-Dealing-with-Acura-MDX-Problems/13568474313- 9321
It's already getting Acura's attention.
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.
I am very sorry for the delay. I wanted to wait until I had the car back for a bit. After picking up my car and test driving another 2010 MDX it essentially is the design of this model. My only option is to hear back from other 2010 owners and/or decided if this shifting really bothers me and will trade it in at some point.
On another note, I had a pebble/rock land on my window and front bumper of the car while driving on the freeway at 65-70 mph. I'm disappointed to say that it chipped my window and paint. You'd think there would be a better design for this type of basic freeway travel. I had a VW Jetta for 17 years and nothing like this every happened.
Overall, I'm not as ecstatic about this car especially for the price paid. The interior panels get scratched fairly easy by basic wear and tear. The leather seats are easily stained by the slightest drip of water (drinking from a water bottle) and I have to ensure when I get home I wipe it down ASAP. By no means am I a slob but seriously, I don't want to be stressed out over using the car and having to be careful every day over basic behaviors of drinking in the car. It is actually annoying and I'm driving my husband insane by saying, "be careful" every two minutes.
I also had a survey come to me directly from Acura. I made sure everything (with the exception of the window chip and paint chip - it didn't happen yet) I stated above was in my review. They need to be aware of the shifting not being very smooth and the interior panels being so cheaply made and not scratch resistant. For the price of this car, this shouldn't be happening.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Regards.
littlebits
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Owners-Dealing-with-Acura-MDX-Problems/13568474313- - 9321
It's already getting Acura's attention. "
Although we never had any problems in 70k miles on our '04, this is obviously a problem Acura is aware of and they are trying to get out of it as cheaply as possible. The other automakers would do the same thing.
If facebook doesn't work out you could always sick 4chan on them, I've heard that they're ruthless. :P
i just don't feel confident that the replacement transmission will last. my mechanic's wife has an '03 mdx and he thinks this one will work, but i don't really know what he is basing that on. i wish i could get rid of it but i can't do anything unless the transmission is replaced so i am f*&%$#! -am i going to get blacklisted for that????
IF ANYONE HAS HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED MORE THAN ONCE & GOT ACURA TO FOOT THE BILL PLEASE TELL ME HOW!
they suck. and they have us! fight it or ditch the car and move on. you may be lucky with the car (doubtful) but you will have the bad taste and worry like we did. we licked our wounds and moved on...unfortuantely to a Honda! so they didn't have to be punished tha badly but....you get the picture. And tell everyone you know about it. file a complaint with the NSHA government (whatever their auto thing is), call Acura corporate and file a compliant and see what other options you may have. at the end of the day, the little guy loses. yuck!
Well, after 112K miles the transmission in my 05 MDX was replaced.
I brought it in for an oil/filter change and mentioned hearing odd noises from the transmission area, although there seemed to be no performance issues. Normally, I would have ignored the noises, however this forum caused me to be cautious. The tech and I went for a test drive and (Murphy's law notwithstanding) he heard the same noises. The shop looked at it, studied error codes, took it out for another test drive and proclaimed it a terminal problem, the transmission needed replacing.
The service writer told me the cost was $4800. I mused that an automatic transmission should last a bit longer than 112K miles. The service writer agreed and said that I fit the "profile" for someone whom Honda would consider eating a portion of the cost. He said he would fill out the paperwork and talk with the Honda rep. The "profile" he was talking about was that I had purchased the vehicle new from them and had it serviced to the schedule in the manual at Acura.
Later that day I got a call back saying that the new (rebuilt) transmission, with a 3 mos/36K miles warranty would only cost me ~$400 parts and labor. I dropped it off Monday am, free loaner (as usual), picked it up Tuesday pm. I don't know how much of the cost the dealer ate and how much Honda ate; in the end all I care is that I only paid $350 (note, less than quoted) for the new transmission.
This is the ONLY thing that has broken in 112K miles and it was way over the length of the warranty. I have never had a manufacturer or dealer offer to share the cost of an out of warranty repair and you can see from my previous entry that I have had experience with many manufacturers.
From my perspective, I walk away with a very positive experience from Acura/Honda in general and particularly from Sunnyside Acura in Nashua, NH.
Your mileage may vary.
Dave_nh
However, having some experience with Class Action Lawsuits, I offer a few observations.....
What is the basis for the suit? Where is the harm?
If the transmissions fail after the warranty period, Honda has no contractual obligation. If they fail during the warranty period, Honda has the contractual obligation (warranty) to replace or repair. If they fix it, same question - where is the harm? If the transmissions fail during warranty, or even close after warranty, and Honda does not replace or repair, then there MAY BE an actionable harm.
Without a track record of Honda refusing to honor its warranty, it will be very difficult to even get the class certified (get the court's permission to file a class action suit).
If it is somehow certified, it will be a very long time before it actually gets to a jury - if ever. Many class action suits are long, drawn out nuisance suits where the law firm just wants the defendant to negotiate out of court and make it go away.
If a settlement is negotiated, and/or if you get lucky and a jury actually awards something, the law firm gets approximately 1/3 and the rest is to be split amongst the members of the class. That is to suggest, all you will get out of it is little more than a moral victory. But the lawyers will thank you.
Not throwing cold water, just commenting on the process.
As always, for what it's worth
Dave_nh
did acura cover the cost of the previous 3 replacements? i would appeal to the district manager and if you can hold out, write to acura corporate and see if they will help you. don't settle for the first offer or for a flat out no. it's frustrating that acura won't simply accept total responsibility for the transmission issues and replace every transmission that fails, regardless of the number of times a transmission has to be replaced. honestly, if i could afford it, i would trade my mdx for a used toyota, lexus or subaru.
if the first replacement transmission had lasted more than 20K miles without having the EXACT same problem as the first one in my mdx, and i didn't have to plead my case with the service and district manager to get them to replace the 2nd defective transmission, i might have a better opinion of acura in general. and this is what really sucks-i have zero confidence that this transmission will last more than 30k miles. it will probably fail at 36,001 miles.
the decision-making process with acura shouldn't be so arbitrary-100K miles gets 90%+ covered on a replacement trannie and someone with less than 50K miles on a trannie gets 75% covered-that doesn't make any sense. maybe this is how crap like this is handled by all manufacturers, i don't know. i never had to replace a trannie before-the only car that i owned that had a crap transmission was a '69 ford fairlane, my first car, that didn't go into reverse. that was 1984-86. since then, i have owned a mitsubishi tredia to 45k miles, a mitsubishi eclipse to 115K miles and a nissan pathfinder to 135K miles. i was hoping to drive the mdx to 200k miles but i don't think that's gonna happen.
it is good to hear that acura did right by you. hopefully there will be others who check out this forum and use it get acura to do right by them as well.
The problem may relate to the use, PRE-EMPTIVE use, of the rear drive system even when the pavement is PERFECTLY dry and highly tractive.
FWD and/or F/awd systems have always had very high propensity for loss of directional when too much engine torque is used for road conditions. That's why the TC, Traction Control, system on most modern day FWD and/or F/awd vehicles is so aggressive at activation. The threat to life and limb upon even the slightest level of front wheelspin/slip is just too great to be ignored.
One would think that the first action of a F/awd system upon detection of wheelspin/spin would be to engage the rear drive in order to more evenly distribute engine torque over the entire available tire contact surface. But no, the THREAT is so potentially QUICK the first action will almost always be DETHROTTLING of the engine and moderate braking of the (front) wheels.
That's why we find that many of these same vehicles now have a TC disable capability so the driver can knowingly disable TC in order to get unstuck or started out up a slippery incline.
The real problem is that for the moment there is no known method for determining, in advance, the tractive conditions of the driving surface prior to the application of engine torque.
The (MDX, etc,) answer....
ALWAYS presume a slippery surface....
That violates, of course, all the tenants of the use of a traditional 4WD system..
1. NEVER engage the system unless the driving surface has enough "slip" to prevent driveline windup or tire scrubbing.
2. With the system engaged be fully aware of the feedback, KICK-back, you might expereince on the stearing wheel when turning, especially TIGHTLY turning.
Many of these new FWD and/or F/awd systems, VTM-4 and SH-AWD system included, are putting so much extra stress on the drive line by engaging rear drive without the need that either the transmission, PTO, or rear drive coupling are failing prematurely.
Acura paid 90% for the repairs, but based on this forum, I'll buy a Ford next time around
If you have the newer MDX with the SH-AWD system then the system is "enabled'' FULL-TIME. Whether or not the rear drive is actually engaged, AUTOMATICALLY engaged, is a function of driving dynamics, acceleration, turning, etc.
Otherwise your MDX would just be yet another patently unsafe, DANGEROUS to life and limb, FWD all the time you drive on an adverse roadbed surface and have not manually engaged the system.
Actually most of these new F/awd systems now have a TC disable system, effectively disabling the braking method of re-apportioning engine torque, to allow unthrottled, wheelspin, drive capability.
Yes, there is a PROBLEM, but not due to a poorly designed transmission. Having all four wheels, or even three, engaged to DRIVE on a highly tractive surface is most definitely a problem.
But if you begin the design from a base FWD vehicle you really have very little choice.
John
Already traded out of the MDX after 2 replacements and the third one beginning to fail. All with only 78K miles on the vehicle.
Year.......Total Complaints.......All Tranny Complaints.........Shudder/Vibration
2004................42............................17 (41%)........................13 (77%)
2005................51............................30 (59%)........................27 (90%)
2006................23............................14 (61%)..........................8 (57%)
Totals............116.............................61 (53%)........................48 (77%)
Transmission complaints by far out numbered all other complaints for Acura MDX. The Shudder/Vibration/Torque Converter issue comprised 77% of all transmission complaints. It is obvious that there was a "defect" for several years that was ignored by Acura. To speculate a little, if 48 vehicle owners reported the shudder/vibration/torque converter problem to NHSTA, and only 2% of owners with with problem actually took the time to file a complaint, that would extrapolate out to over 2,000 (2,400) vehicles that could potentially have the problem. I am sure Acura has done these numbers and has decided to address this problem one on one as owners complain (and I am sure Acura is hopefully that their vehicles are out of warranty). Also, think of all the owners that had this problem and their vehicles "were" within warranty and we would not hear from those owners in a forum such as this!
PS - Honda Pilot owners (same transmission at Acura MDX) have similar statistics in the NHSTA database.
With some of the new F/awd systems a single fuse can be removed, or an on/off switch added in series, during the summer period to disable the rear drive functionality with no adverse efffects.
ript off in DE
That's weird.....A transmission problem in an Acura.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Needless to say, we're very upset about this when we found this out.
Found this forum by googling acura 2004 torque converter so we could learn about it. How can I get involved with any class action suit etc for this matter?
Thanks.
I too am having major issues with my transmission shuddering and vibrating on my 2004 Acura MDX. I had purchased this vehicle with 50k miles on it and currently have 104k miles on it. I've been experiencing the vibrations over the last couple of months and took it into the Acura Dealership.
I have done some research and took in some service bulletins with me and the Acura Service Consultant, before taking a look at the vehicle, was trying to talk me out of having a Service Tech take a look at it. He said it would be a waste of money because they KNEW that the transmission wouldn't be covered if it was bad. He said he was looking out for me...oh pleeease. I had a Service Tech diagnose the vehicle, and lo and behold, it was the torque converter issue everyone here is dealing with. I also requested for a goodwill replacement for the transmission because this is a huge issue that Acura is dealing with...he did submit the goodwill replacement reluctantly, but said it was a long shot.
See, I currently own a 2004 Acura MDX and TL and have been a Honda Owner and Supporter for 10 years...but the level of service, or lack thereof, is making me second guess purchasing future vehicles from them.
I'm currently waiting on a response from the District Service Manager and it's been two weeks, but I'm not holding my breath. I don't know what to do here, I can't afford a $2.5k-$4k replacement, times are tough.
I just can't believe Acura/Honda is completely ignoring an issue....what's it going to take for them to recall these bad transmission...an accident? or worse?
If there's a class action suit....COUNT ME IN!
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/index.cfm
The dealer immediately suggested I open a case file with Honda America, which I did. I also presented the rep at Honda with all my documentation. Their standard procedure is to deny claims for vehicles that are out of warranty. You have to keep insisting that your claim be taken to the next level, including arbitration. I also presented them with the Acura Service Bulletin for 2003 and 2004 MDX for the torque converter problem, which should have also applied to 2005. Here is the link for the service bulliten:
http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/thebesthonda/2010-02-04_181956_B06-003.pdf
It will take many phone calls back and forth with the Honda rep that is assigned to your case file. You must be patient and keep insisting you are not satisfied. They may at some point offer to pay for 25%, 50% or 75%. I held out and got them to pay 100%. They knew I was not going to give up when I said I would take my claim all the way to arbitration, if necessary.
Several forum members have stated that they have had to replace the torque converter more than once. If I were to do it over again I would have pushed for a rebuilt transmission with a 3 year / 36,000 mile warranty.
One last thought. There are several forums on the Internet that you can refer too regarding this issue. Listed are a couple to check out:
http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/acura-mdx/TP7UEAC3B0BJIIK88/p2
http://repairpal.com/trans-noise-325
I hope this info helps. It took me 4-6 weeks of discussion with Honda/Acura to get my repair done. I will probably sell my 2005 MDX while it is working. No telling when the torque converter may fail again!