Disclaimer: Not affiliated with or endorsed by Acura Motor Company. For informational purposes only. Full Disclaimer

Problems with 2001 Acura MDX POWER TRAIN

On average, the 2001 Acura MDX starts to “feel” problems with the POWER TRAIN and its various aspects after 142 291 miles.

Components Affected by POWER TRAIN Issues

We have classified the 34 complaints from 2001 Acura MDX about POWER TRAIN into the following categories.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 86

Recently reported POWER TRAIN problems on 2001 Acura MDX

Purchased 2001 acura in 2007 with 90k miles, right after purchase wife began to notice a "flutter" sound from the front of the vehicle. it sounded like you drove over very small speed bumps. after 2 different trips to 2 different dealers they reported they never heard anything. gradually the sound became more and more pronounced to the extent i was worried that car would lock-up while driving as i have heard/read other have done resulting in a crash. i took again to the dealer recently and they reported the problem now as a common technical service bulletin. the tsb and dealer stated i need to replace the torque converter and pcm. the pcm or ecu is the computer module that controls the whole engine. if the torque converter failed or wore out, why does their tsb and acura service recommend replace the pcm/ecu? could it be pcm/ecu is the root of all of these transmission problems and caused the torque converter to fail? $2600 after fighting for reduced parts and labor costs. great car, bad very bad transmission. i won't be buying another honda product. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 acura mdx. while driving the vehicle, the contact noticed that the check engine light had appeared on the dashboard. the acura dealer informed him that the transmission needed to be replaced due to the torque converter. the vehicle has not been repaired and there were no prior warnings. the current and failure mileages were 215,000.

My 2001 mdx has been having this issue for over 2 years. it happens only sometimes but usually when accelerating from 2nd to 3rd gear. it makes a shuddering sound and then the rpms go up and it will not accelerate. you have to then stop or slow down to make it go in a lower gear. sometimes this will happen 2 to 4 times a drive and sometimes will go days without happening. mechanic thought it to be transmission issue and said drive it until it stops. however...after reading hundreds of complaints online...it appears that individuals have fixed the tranny or torque converter only to have the problem soon reappear. i am hesitant to replace tranny/trans as i have 163,000 miles on it and do not want to replace these items if they won't fix the problem. many, many complaints of the exact same thing all over the web. honda should be made to address this issue and see what the problem is! i am the original owner ...bought it new in 2000. have taken good care of it and performed scheduled maintenance. just want to know what the issue really is before i spend $3000 to $4000 dollars to fix it. other than this....love the vehicle! please look into this issue!! *tr

We purchased a 2001 acura mdx, used, for our 18 year old son. within 9 months, it began shifting poorly. of course, with a young driver, he didn't know what was going on. just by happenstance, we were taking it around for tires, oil change, etc. they pulled the tranny dipstick and said 'you're tranny's shot'. we had it towed back to the car lot service department, where they confirmed. then, luckily, we were at just under 122,000 miles, which is where my extended warranty would have expired! it was replaced under that warranty, with my only having to come out of pocket just over $700.00, which i paid for betterment b/c i elected to get a brand new transmission, rather than a used one with almost as many miles on it as the original! i have looked and asked around and i am not able to confirm that there is, indeed, a recall on the tranny itself, just on the converter, which was not replaced in my circumstance. but, if someone knows different or learns about a recall later, please post! *tr

I have a 2001 acura mdx, last year it began not shifting into 2nd gear and i couldn't go over 20-25 mph. i contacted my local acura dealership and they said i was out of warranty and they couldn't do anything. after insisting, they had me bring it in for them to look at it and they said it was my torque converter. i had another mechanic test it and he couldn't find anything and suggested it was my transmission. acura wanted to charge be $3-4,000 to repair. didn't have that kind of money for a car repair that should have happened on a car i spent $40,000 on. now again, it is doing it. there are thousands of complaints and i cannot believe someone is not making them correct this problem. please help. *tr

Driver is able to remove keys to car while car is in drive and engine is off. *tr

2001 acura mdx transmission locked up at high speed. if this had been on anything other than a dry road we could have lost control of the vehicle. *tr

Faulty torque converter. car shudders while driving. it occurs every time i move at a constant speed, typically anywhere between 20-50 . *tr

I purchased the 2001 acura mdx on 3/29/05 for $24,000.00 w/aprox.57,000 miles.the 1st incident was in 11/23/07 with 90,000 miles i felt vibration and metal grinding sound and the vehicle hesitated for a second the dealer stated the torque converter needed to be replaced,it was changed and it was still under warrenty.the 2nd incident was the same as the first except i was entering the highway, it was on 5/12/08 and the vehicle had 93,000 miles and the dealer stated once again the torque converter needed to be replaced,it was replaced and still under warrenty.the 3rd incident is the same as the other two with much louder squealing.now 6/25/09 with 106,000 miles the dealer states again the torque converter needed to be replaced only this time i am not under warrenty.the dealer sales person and technician recommended that the transmission be replaced since this was the third time.i feel that this should have been fixed correctly the first time instead of putting band aids on it.spoke directly with acura and they swear that one part has nothing to do with the other.i beg to differ and told them that i knew alot about cars and the automatic transmission will fail if the torque converter fails.they want to put another torque converter at my expense,this is not right and is a huge hazard to me and my family that includes 2 small children. i did a quick search online and found many people with the same issues on there 2001 acura mdx. please help me, no one else seems to think this is defective product and a huge safety risk. *tr

My 2001 mdx transmission began hesitating when shifting (84.849 miles). i immediately parked the vehicle and then had it diagnosed by a local mechanic who followed the owners manual instructions and flushed the transmission. modis scan for codes, none in memory. transmission fluid was extremely black and full of small metal debris and fiber material. flushed several times with same results. called acura dealer to check warranties, etc. they advised that the ecu causes transmission failure and that it along with the transmission would need to be replaced, warranty expired. ecu are known to short out and will cause new transmission to burn up if not replaced. acura should have recalled the ecu long ago when they knew about the problem. the failure of this component could cause transmission failure resulting in a crash. *tr

I am writing to nhtsa to report a transmission lockup incidence on the highway of my 2001 acura mdx suv. on 1/23/2009, while i was driving at the highway at 60 mph, the car has abruptly stopped to low 30 mph and almost caused a catastrophic accident to my family. the car didn't have any warning light on the dashboard console prior to the failure. the car has 148,000 miles and it's in a good mechanical standing (with regular interval maintenance). since then, i have done some research and found that this vehicle is known to produce such symptom. it's clear that the vehicle transmission has design issue at its beginning, and at high mileage, it might exacerbate more severely. should nhtsa regulate acura to concern more for the safety of its customers? action that acura can help could be as issues new errata bulletins or courteous accident preventive measurement to make its older(high mileage) car safe. i have tried to contact to acura but didn't think it has any use. for one thing that acura factory won't make its customer safe is to collect actual older high mileage failure transmission and investigate for preventive safety measurement. acura showed no interest despite my effort in talking to them. i have driven cars with failure transmission, but have not experience one that locks up at high speed in highway. this type of failure symptom is totally not acceptable. surprisingly, i was able to find report of many mdx transmission lockup cases on web. should there be law to prevent high mileage unsafe mdx go ride on highway unless some safety inspection has been performed. and, this is for the safety of others. i am currently having the transmission replaced at my own expense. *tr

I purchased my 2001 acura mdx new. . . i have been the only driver. . .around 100,000 miles i began to hear this gurgling noise coming from under the engine compartment. . . i took it to two acura dealers and one independent repair shop. . .all indicated that the torque converter was shot and that i had to replace the transmission at a cost of over $3,800 . . . highway robbery . . . i have continued to drive the vehicle and besides the noise between 35 - 50 miles per hour, it continues to run good. . . i now have 127k+ on the vehicle and its still going. . . .i plan to replace the transmission soon. . . . i'm tired of the noise and the reduction in gas mileage. . . *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 acura mdx. while driving approximately 20 mph going up a hill the transmission would lunge forward. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and he advised her that he could not duplicated the failure. she stated that a local mechanic looked at the vehicle at least three times and was unable to duplicate the failure. the vehicle was taken to another local mechanic and she was advised that a diagnostic test would cost $700. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the vehicle had not been driven since october 2010. the vehicle was pre-owned. the contact referenced recall 04v176000, power train:automatic transmission and stated that the recall was performed per acura's website. the approximate failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 115,000.

I own 2001 acura mdx and my daughter is the primary driver. she stated that while driving down with her four month infant the car began to jump in a jerking motion at 35 mph. the gear light started to blink repeatedly and the check engine light came on. while pulling off the road the vehicle was skipping before came to a complete stop trying to make it home , the vehicle slowly sped up and started to jerk and skip again and then started back into reverse. it was taken to a local repair shop and was told that the vehicle had a transmission failure and it was recalled the same problem. as the second owner of the vehicle, i was not aware of the recall so i did some research and found out that other owners are still having problem even with the recall so call to be fixed the defect problems. i called the dealer( provided vin) to verify my vehicle was taken in for the recall and was told it was taken in and "inspected" and not further information what else was done. the dealer gave me an over the phone estimate for repair cost of $5500. i requested a hard copy via email and they sent me an estimate for $6581.37 to replace the transmission. i called america honda co on several occasion to get more information about the recall and to find out what exactly done to the vehicle and all they are telling me that my vehicle was fixed during the recall and they have no information on what was fixed or done to the vehicle and that i was responsible for the repair cost. i told america honda that i was calling for recall information and they were more concern about who were responsible repair cost. during my research i learn this incident with my vehicle is still a safety issue and luckily no one was hurt and no fatality yet. this is my complaint about my acura mdx still dangerous even as older luxury vehicle. *kb

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 acura mdx. while driving 20 to 30 mph and attempting to shifts gears they failed to shift. there was a thrust and then the gear shifted very hard into the next gear. this failure occured intermittently. the dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. there is also a recall for the transmission. the failure mileage was 135,000.

I purchased my 2001 acura mdx in aug 2004 and the transmission recall had already been serviced per records on the acura owners website. approximately 18 months ago i noticed the car sporadically behaving as if going over rumble strips on a road. i took it in for service however could not get the vehicle to replicate the event. in the fall of 07 again i took it to the same acura dealer and told them to check out the bizarre behavior. again, to no avail. in feb 08 i took it in for the 120k mile service which included cleaning brakes, checking belts etc. i reminded them of the noise once again. they said the car was fine. last week i took it in again after determining the rumble-strip noise was occurring between 25 & 35 mph. initially i was told i needed a serpentine belt & when i rejected that notion, the diagnosis was that i needed a new transmission. i called corporate acura and spoke with 3 different people. the last representative read the report taken by the prior person and i had to correct my actual statements several times. when asked what action i wanted acura to take, i said that acura should absorb the cost since my car was involved in the transmission recall the "fix" was merely a "patch" as other cars had the same issue upon reaching the 100k mile + mark. my car has 125k. when corporate acura called me today, they said essentially they were not gong to bear the cost of any of the repairs that it was my responsibility. i have been a loyal acura owner to one dealer and was preparing to purchase yet another mdx. these cars cost a lot of money in the first place and there is no reason for them not to absorb the cost. in fact, their cost is way less than the consumer cost and they can write it off as customer good faith expense or something of the sort. *tr

My 2001 acura mdx transmission and computer board needs to be replaced at 65,000 miles as well as two engine mounts. the vehicle has a recall report on the transmission and i thought they fixed it. the dealer will not explain to me what work was done for the repair. i wanted to know if they followed honda's procedure to see if it was damaged. *tr

Transmission failure on 2001 acura mdx-leading up to determining the actual problem, car's performance deteriorated over a two-year period. dealer performing services on the car misdiagnosed car problems on several occasions. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 acura mdx. while driving 35 mph, the transmission failed. the engine accelerated, but the vehicle moved slowly and jerked before shifting into the next gear. through online research, the contact discovered nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission); however, the dealer stated that the vin was not included in the recall. the current and failure mileages were 88,000. *updated 10/20/08 *bf the consumer stated 5 months after paying for a transmission, the problem has returned. the consumer stated at times the transmission will not go into gear. updated 10/21/08. *jb

Started having issues with my 2001 acura mdx about a year ago, i took it to my local acura dealer and explained to them the problems i was noticing with the transmission. they checked it out and said everything was fine, well apparently it wasn't because now i need a whole new transmission. this has been a recurring problem with these vehicles and alot of owners have been compensated in one fashion or another according to different threads i have read online. i called acura today and pleaded my case but they essentially told me to "suck it up" (easy for them to say, a $4,500 repair) they did tell me that the case manager would review the case and get back to me but i shouldn't expect any compensation from acura. *tr

Hard shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear in transmission. at a later time the transmission slipped in these two gears causing no acceleration up shifting and sudden severe (lock up) down shifts. *tr

I have a 2001 acura mdx i purchased new in 2001. since my purchase i have just replaced the 5th transmission. my mdx use has been 90% highway driving with no trailer towing. per blogs on the internet many other 2001 mdxs have had similar problems, but acura (honda) seems to ignore this issue. also motor mounts failed at about 60k miles. another issue acura seems to ignore. obviously these are vehicle (engineering) design issues. acura should have a recall on all the vehicles of the 2001-2002 vehicles to correct these problems. i have all the services done per the manual on this vehicle at david mcdavid acura. the vehicle has never been abused. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 acura mdx. while driving 70 mph, the transmission locked up. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the transmission suffered internal failure. the contact researched his vehicle's make and model and found recall number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission). the manufacturer stated that the previous owner of the vehicle had the recall repaired at 108,000 miles. the vehicle is currently at the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 114,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 acura mdx. while driving 25 mph, the contact was unable to drive at normal speeds when the rpms were above 3000. he is also unable to place the vehicle in reverse. the acura representative stated that they inspected the vehicle per recall number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission) and repairs were made with the previous owner. the dealer also stated that they installed an oil cooler to avoid build up while in second gear. the manufacturer stated that the owner would be responsible for the repairs. the current mileage is 105,000 and failure mileage was 97,000.

The transmission will not work properly. the car has 77k miles and had one transmission replaced approx. 30k miles ago. first the dealer said it was a loose wire and now says the transmission computer is broken. *tr

2001 acura mdx vibrations lead to dealer/ manufacturer to focus on other components then the true issue. were different finds stated to divert attention of know problems, to minimize financial and reputation? (lemon laws or poor design run around?) i'm not the primary driver and then when i drove it (my wife is the primary driver), same problems were felt and it only had dealer service since purchasing it in 2001. i investigated the noise myself on 7/15 /2007 and noticed the motor mounts were broke. how long were they like this, who knows, but a noticeable engine vibration is gone after i pointed this out to the dealer/ manufacturer and had it repaired. i asked for reimbursement for the motor mounts from the manufacturer since it is a documented problem. the manufacture, acura/ honda, would not reimburse due to the age and mileage. i paid for the replacement of the motor mounts. a vibration was occurring around 30 - 40 mph, dealers/ manufacturer state it was a egr valve not allowing transmission to shift smoothly, and it was due to running below grade gas. premium has and was ran, yet the transmission was 1.5 quarts low of transmission fluid, where is it going? is it heating up and pushing back through the egr valve in gaseous state and then cooling, clogging the intake, thence effecting the shifting? there is known issues with the transmissions and the dealer/ manufacturer should replace it and step up to the know issue. lastly, the sway bar has been lose and i've been told it was the a/c compressor to a strut. i got under the vehicle and was able to identify it the first time. is the manufacturer hiding know issues on these items stated above? *jb

The 2001 acura mdx started to have major transmission problems. seemed like when i first start driving the transmission only went to second gear and didn't go higher. if i pushed the gas pedal the rpms went over 5000 at speeds of only 40 to 50 mph. sometimes, it felt that the car was in neutral, and when there was a shift in gear the car jumped as when skip ping a gear while driving a vehicle with manual transmission. the whole experience felt like when i drove a manual transmission car for the first time and didn't know how to work the shifts. *ak

Safety recall on 2001 acura mdx customer states that the transmission problem started in 07 and feels like acura should pay for it because it falls under the recall from 04**cc the consumer stated when the recall was first issued, he took the vehicle to the dealer who determined that the transmission was not in serious enough condition to warrant replacement, but instead an oil kit was installed. on may 25, 2007 the transmission developed a problem with shifting. the vehicle would rev more off a start and switch hard into second gear, making pulling in front of a vehicle hard. the dealer installed a transmission at an estimated cost of $3000. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 acura mdx. while driving 40 mph, the contact heard a loud banging noise and the vehicle failed to shift gears. the dealer stated that the transmission is defective and should be replaced. the dealer did not make the replacement because the contact wanted to consult with nhtsa. the current mileage is 98,225 and failure mileage was 98,125.

Tl*-the contact stated that while driving the 2001 acura mdx,on a clear dry day at 50 mph the vehicle made a jerking motion and felt as if the vehicle went into park. the vehicle skidded on the road, it shifted into gear , and the rpms were high. the vehicle didn't lose power, but did lose acceleration. he was able to put the foot on the accelerator and proceed, but the vehicle would only go about 30-35 mph. the contact took the vehicle to the dealership, and they informed him that the transmission was ruined and needed to be replaced. the contact stated that this vehicle had 125,000 miles, and the replacement of the transmission totaled $4,100, the dealership replaced the transmission. the contact took the vehicle back to the dealership due to a noise from the engine. the dealership informed him that the engine mount sheared. the contact stated that this was going to cost him another $500.00. there was recall o4v176000 concerning the powertrain: automatic transmission, but this vehicle was not includede in the recall. the current mileage was 126,000.*ak

Noticed transmission slippage in 4/06 on my '01 acura mdx. dealer not able to duplicate problem. yesterday, 2/22/07 with 71000 miles, the transmission, will without warning, appear to suddenly down shift and engine will spike in rpm's as if thrown into neutral. this occurs while driving at 40-40 mpg and causing sudden lost of control due to the forward thrust of the down shift and loss of throttle control. engine light comes on along with a flashing and d5 indicator light. very dangerous transmission problem that needs to be addressed. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 20 mph, the engine stalled when turning a corner and the automatic transmission froze up in drive. the key in the ignition could not be turned and the steering was difficult to turn without the engine running. the problem was intermittent and occurred when the weather was cold. the service dealer had not inspected the vehicle but the manufacturer was notified. the consumer stated the vehicle would randomly stall when his foot was removed from the accelerator. updated 01/1/07. *jb

Tl* - the contact noted that a noise was detected eminating from the vehicle while traveling at 30-40 mph he , always heard a low vibration. there was recall for this 04v17600) which he had repaired. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer , and they would not look or repair the recall again without charge. the manufacture rstated that since he had the recall work done once they were no longer obglated to repair the recall free of charge. *ak

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 60 mph down a hill, all four wheels locked up, and the vehicle skidded to a stop. it was unable to be maneuvered off the road and was towed to the dealer. a nhtsa recall, #04v176000 concerning, the automatic transmission was performed on the vehicle, however the recall did not remedy the problem. the dealership would not offer a second repair under the recall. updated 11/2/2006 - the manufacturer decided to repair the vehicle. the vehicle is running fine now. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated the transmission was slipping. the dealership was unable to duplicate the problem. a nhtsa recall, # 04v176000 was performed on the vehicle concerning, the power train: automatic transmission however, the recall did not remedy the problem. the dealership did not offer a second repair under the recall.

My mdx shakes while driving not specific to acceleration, but periodically it will shake severely for a few seconds and stop with no intervention from me. i do not slow down or stop when this hard shaking occurs--course it's normal for me but my passengers are startled and concerned. this mdx has bee doing this for years. dealer says i need a new transmission. other repair facilities have investigated and tried repairs that did not resolve the problem. this mdx also "growls" there is a loud sound that is heard while driving that ends with the vehicle nearly stalling out but i continue to press on the accelerator and it has so far not stalled. i brought this to the attention of the dealer also during the inspection for severe shaking and i was told i needed a new transmission. this was 4 years ago and i am still driving the vehicle with these concerns. since the original complaints of shaking and loud growling sounds i have had issues with the gear shifter. when i wanted to put the gear in drive it would not go. there was something preventing it from moving-locked maybe? i used the key release for the gear and put the car in neutral to start the engine and then into drive. this happens sporadically maybe a couple times a year so far. i have not had this issue investigated. i started to hear front end sounds almost immediately after the recall work was performed by the dealership. since that dealership and i had a mutual disagreement that was distasteful enough to cause me not to return there i have tolerated the clunking sounds from my front end. now that particular dealer is no longer in business (sold the franchise) i am bringing my vehicle back to the dealer for possible investigation of the front-end noise. *tr

Transmission failure: apr 15, 2004: my 2001 acura mdx recall on the transmission campaign #04v176000. july 20, 2004: my acura has 65,809 miles - lewis acura in shelburne vt inspected transmission - and instead of replacing it they installed a "jet kit" to lube the gears and keep the transmission from heating up too much. i believe the transmission should have been replaced. july 16, 2006: transmission is slipping and i have read many reports on line of other people who are having the same problem with their 2001 acura mdx transmissions. these people too only received the "jet kit" and their transmissions failed. i have had cars for a lot longer and the transmission has not failed like this. there needs to be a better look into how acura handled this problem and really fix the problem rather than putting a band-aid (jet kit) on it. *jb

Vehicle began surging under light acceleration in traffic. when the vehicle was taken to dealership they could not replicate. when they checked the dash code they discovered transmission was shot. transmission is being replaced. *nm

Close call trying to merge onto busy los angeles freeway in front of a freight truck when the transmission slipped into neutral for several seconds, until i let go of the accelerator and tried again. had to slam on brakes and pull into emergency lane to avoid collision with truck. *jb

Acura mdx 2001 automatic transmission failure. transmission seems to always get stuck in neutral while driving. engine will rev very high until the transmission shifts gear. each time the transmission fails the car is brought to sudden stop and then shifts gears then continues on moving. the transmission problem causes sudden stop when driving in both freeway and when go at lows speeds of 30 mph. the engine light warning lights up, the d5 gears starts to blink. *jb

2001 mdx transmission failed and was replaced with rebuilt transmission by dealer. this was after 4 visits over 9 months complaining about a shudder between 40 - 45 mph. another repair shop (non-dealer) had diagnosed a faulty transmission on the first visit. transmission fluid was burnt. dealer refused to accept that diagnosis and replaced egr valve (had already been replaced once), 4th gear pressure switch, and one time claimed not to be able to reproduce the problem. dealer denied knowledge of any history of transmission failures in this model, despite many documented cases which i discovered after the transmission failed. in retrospect, the car was obviously dangerous to drive the entire period from the first occurrence till the replacement. acura cs has refused any sort of good will reimbursement, partial or otherwise, due to the fact that all service was not exclusively done at a dealer. honda/acura is stone walling the public about these transmission problems, and a dangerous and defective product remains on the market for each consumer to discover for him/herself. it is only good luck that none of my family was killed or injured, and it is just a matter of time before some unsuspecting person is. please investigate and force honda/acura to do the right thing and recall these transmissions and replace them at their cost. *jb

Transmission failure. the automatic transmission failed without warning at 87,000 miles. *nm

My vehicle is an acura mdx 2001 1) driving on road ~35 mph transmission slipped into park and the car come to a halt, almost rear-ended by car behind us. held up traffic for several minutes. 2) transmission slips between 3rd and 4th gear into neutral or park when going ~30-40 mph 3) took it to acura dealership and contacted acura customer service. acura customer service declined my claim although the car only has 58k miles on it. acuramdx.org referred me to this site where hundreds of customers have the same problem and for most acura corp. replaces the transmission. this is a defective product that should be recalled and it is putting the life of hundreds of owners and the public in danger. *nm

Transmission would repeatedly rev as if in neutral gear while driving in 4th or 5th gear at or above 30-50 mph. luckily no accidents/injuries. had complained to dealer twice previously about a burning smell coming from the transmission but no problems found and car was still drivable at that time. failure occurred at around 88,000 miles. entire transmission needed to be replaced. seems to be a problem common with other acura mdx 2001-2002 model years once the car is above 75,000 miles but acura does not acknowledge it. *jb

2001 acura mdx transmission failure. driving on the freeway at 60 mph the car almost stalled before getting in proper gear (automatic transmission??). no accident. but looking at several wed sites on the topic, i realized that i was not the only one in the same situation. i would consider that the transmission should not be a safety hazard after only 67k miles on the car. what are you waiting for to take action? a death? *nm

I purchased a '01 acura mdx as a pre-owned vehicle on october 23, 2003. the car ran great except for the occasional recall. the first recall was done at 35,000 miles for the front springs and then at 39,000 miles for the transmission overheating issue. on march 17,2006 i was traveling down the highway when i completely lost all power to my vehicle and have to swerve off the road to avoid getting hit. i was quite scared. after pulling off to the side of the road i got out of my vehicle to see if there was anything wrong externally and there wasn't, but i noticed that the check engine light had come on. i immediately brought it into my dealer and had then check the car over. they stated that the check engine light indicated a total transmission failure. they told me that this type of thing was common in these cars and that the recall was supposed to fix the issue. apparently it hasn't. at 77,000 miles my transmission failed and acura wants nothing to do with it. their headquarters have stated that the two problems, the recall and my transmission issue are unrelated. after doing a consider amount of research on the internet i've noticed these cars are known for transmission issues and that a total transmission failure can result because the recall was not done properly or because the recall didn't catch the problem in early enough. my problem is that the car was driven 40,000 miles before the recall was done and during that time some damage had to have been done to the transmission to warrant this transmission. my question to you is, where do i go from here?? acura wants nothing to do with the car because they know it is a major safety defect in there vehicles. in the least they could have provided me with a rebuilt transmission, but they denied even that request. they should be stopped!!*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 acura mdx. the vehicle hesitates when attempting to accelerate. also at speeds above 40 mph the vehicle will shimmy. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the technician stated that the torque converter needed to be replaced at an expense of $2300.00. no repairs were made. however, five years prior the torque converter was replaced. the failure mileage was 23,000. the current mileage was 127,000.

Dt: the contact owns a 2001 acura mdx. while driving at 25 mph the transmission seized and caused other vehicles to swerve to avoid the consumers vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an acura dealership and they confirm ed that the transmission seized. the contact told the dealership to inspect the transmission to see what the repair should be, and an explanation as to why this happened. the dealership told him that they could not give an explanation as to why this happened. however, they could send the transmission to acura for inspection. the vehicle was regularly maintained, and had 149,000 miles on it. the vehicle was traded to the dealership a couple of weeks ago for another vehicle, but the contact assumed that the transmission was replaced. spoke with the service manager and he could not give an explanation, but mentioned that there was a recall in april or may 2004 , and during a scheduled maintenance they did a diagnostic test. therefore, it did not need recall repairs. also, there was a variable torque converter management system, and in the owner's manual it explained, that if using the variable torque converter management system it could cause rear differential damage. the contact felt that this was a safety issue. transmission seized on august 16, 2005. the contact contacted acura service hotline, and they agreed to pay 25% of the cost. ak *jb

Dt: there was a recall on the consumers vehicle to have the transmission fixed. the next day, the consumer heard a low pinging noise, then 30 miles after she started to hear noise while driving on the freeway. the transmission locked up and put the consumer into a skid of about 150 feet. no other vehicles were involved. *jb

Premature transmission failure on 2001 acura mdx

Other 2001 Acura MDX Problem Categories