Problems with 2002 Acura MDX POWER TRAIN

Takata recall my mdx is having a heat build up between the countershaft and second shaft gears. its casuing my transmission to lock up and i am very concern

Transmission recall was prev addressed but still has same problem hwy overheating of transmission causing failure extreme jerking scared us bad and could cause accident gears go out slip from overheating as well burns transm fluid recalled previously same exact issue of extreme overheating and at temp gauge not workingoccours while driving in motion

Gear failure, transmission lock up, smoke coming from transmission inside the car. heat build up from transmission when we do long drive.

Priority acura gave 2002 mdx back monday 4/3/17 had problems again with it slippin into neutral and wont move in d5...this time check engine light came on and d5 started blinking and gear shift was not move pass n until james the mechanic shut off vehicle and started it back up.

My name is [xxx] i purchased a used 2002 acura mdx from dealer [xxx] at priority honda hampton va 2/13/2017 ( 757 8381252 ). within the first week of driving this acura mdx it stalled as i made a turn on lynnhaven pkwy into my job parking lot. there where cars behind me beeping. my first reaction was try reverse it did reverse so i try to put it back in d5 no movement rpms with just run up no check engine light on so then i tried d5, d4, d3,2 no movement the vehicle move when i put it in gear at 1 and it drove me to a parking space and that is when i called acura priority and had car towed to them and explained that i had purchased the car from priority honda this was my 6/7 day driving it this happen. so the tow company came and towed it to priority acura chesapeake ( 757 5231700) unfortunately they could not duplicate the problem and the check engine light wasn't on and car driving back normal and no codes held in the computer for them to check what is going on. therefore i requested they do a thoroughly check on vehicle which cost me 150.00 dollars to make sure it wasn't nothing wrong with vehicle. they did a extra check and came back with bushings needed to be replace other than that vehicle was good priority acura stated. in meantime i called priority honda where i just purchased the vehicle from not even a week and explained to them what was going on to timothy use car supervisor at priority honda hampton ( 7578381252) he got the car towed over there no cost to me and gave me a rental for 4 days ?when i was called i was told again i can pick up my vehicle priority honda hampton mechanic was not able to duplicate my complaint on acura or diagnosis it due to no check engine light on. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Hello my name is [xxx] i purchased a used 2002 acura mdx from priority honda hampton va ( 757 838 1252) the first week i drove the car the transmission shifted downward while i was turning a corner at a busy intersection the car did not cut off however it stop and when i pressed on the gas the rpm will go up but the car would not move i then try to shift to d4 would not move d3 would not move 2 it drove again. i took the car back to priority and explain what happen they sold me a lemon they states my check engine light not on or keeping records of what happen when car act up therefore the car is not doing it all the time and not doing it while in there possession. they sent me home again the next week i was back with same problem they could not diagnose . sent me home again the next week happen again i they still cant figure out problem this is a very dangerous situation when cars are behind me and can result in a crash can you please reach out to me at [xxx] or priority honda hampton va ([xxx]) to correct this dangerous problem with my vehicle i see others have had this problem . i have any recorded this on my phone and show them car not moving rpms going up the advisor [xxx] states looks like transmission slipping but it wont do for them. my vehicle is currently at priority honda hampton again. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 acura mdx. while driving 55 mph, the vehicle felt as if the brake pedal were depressed quickly and the accelerator pedal were suddenly depressed inadvertently. when depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to move and would suddenly engage and operate normally. the dealer diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact stated that the vehicle was serviced per nhtsa campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). the contact notified the manufacturer of the failure. the failure mileage was 220,000.

My car was repaired in 2004 due to a recall.the issue has accured again and the acura dealer wants to charge me $7000 to fix the transmission again.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 acura mdx. when the contact shifted the vehicle into park and removed the keys from the ignition, it began to roll independently. as a result, the contact's vehicle crashed into another vehicle. the air bags deployed. there were no injuries and a police report was not filed. the dealer diagnosed that the transmission interlock failed. the approximate failure mileage was 171,000.

All the recalls have been taken care of but it still has the transmission issue. i have seen many complaints about this and acura does agree that there a known issue and won't anything to rectify the issue. me and a lot of other owners are considering a class action suit to force acura to rectify the issue that is well known in these transmissions. when you call the dealer they know exactly what the issue is but want to put in a rebuilt transmission and charge between $2500 to $3800. this is ridiculous if the issue is known why not fix it and the loyal customers happy.

Transmission occasionally bumps when backing, turning, and changing from one direction to another. there have been times, at different speeds, when there would be a sound as is the vehicle is crossing stop bumps. this has happened on smooth roads while accelerating, maintaining a speed, and decelerating. the transmission stared slipping in 5th gear, and is now beginning to slip in 4th gear.

Takaya recall, i'm having transmission issues while i'm driving on the highway the vehicle seems to slow down and then picks up speed i have trouble switching gears when i try to reverse there's no movement the all of the sudden the vehicle will do our hard jerk reverse motion and stars going in reverse. passages air bag read a code of airbag malfunction. torque control, gears getting stuck flashing d5 light after going over 40.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 acura mdx. while operating the vehicle, the transmission suddenly malfunctioned and the vehicle would not drive forward or accelerate. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact indicated that the transmission was previously replaced for the same failure at 59,000 miles. the failure mileage was 122,000. updated 04/26/16*lj *tr

Drove vehicle on the highway and noticed a vibration in the front end. also noticed when driving vehicle in the morning a vibration that felt like driving over rubble strips. talked to my daughter (primary driver) and she said the vibration has been occurring for a couple of months, but not consistently. did some research and took vehicle to a transmission mechanic. need a new transmission. bought this acura in 2006 as a certified vehicle from dealer with 43k miles. torque converter was replaced in 2009 at 90k miles. need a new transmission at 156k. i expected more from a honda vehicle.

The keys can be removed while car is not in park so it rolled and bumped into another car. i checked the recall and it is not included in their recall. my car is 2002 acura mdx and the year they have recall is 2003 version.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 acura mdx. while driving 30 mph, the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission seized and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who confirmed the failure and stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. however, while driving various speeds, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to accelerate. the vehicle jerked before moving forward. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). the failure mileage was 161,810. the vin was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 acura mdx. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 mph, both front wheels seized and the steering wheel required force in order to maneuver the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the transmission seized. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 142,875.

Upon exiting off the freeway and accelerating onto a busy 3 lane street, my vehicle engine began revving and had no power. it acted like it had been shifted to neutral. i shifted to a lower gear and it caught and allowed me to get enough power to coast to a parking spot off the busy street that had no shoulder to pull a non working vehicle to. i was nearly rear ended because of the loss of power so suddenly. i was fortunate that i had just got off the freeway or it could have been much worse. i read on line that the 2001 and 2002 acura mdx has had a common problem with transmission failure. at a quote for repair of $5,400 this is a major issue as i am a full time student. of greater concern is the safety issue that i could have been rear ended and caused a major accident. the dealer offered $500 off as concession that there is a "known" problem with the 2001 and 2002 transmissions. prior to the transmission failing, i was only offered $2,000 as trade in value towards a new vehicle. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 acura mdx. the contact stated that the vehicle accelerated and decelerated without being prompted. none of the warning lights illuminated when the failure occurred. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where the technician diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 155,034. the current mileage was 155,530.

My wife was driving west bound on hwy 50 just west of pollock pines ca. i was in the passenger seat. the vehicle abruptly downshifted to low gear and spun out of control . we glanced off the center medium with minimal damage to the vehicle. my wife and i were very shook up. i switched spots with her and moved the car off the freeway. we drove the vehicle the rest of the way home (10 miles) using back roads not going over 20 mph. we contacted niello acura of sacramento and they told us to bring the car to them and they would see what they can do for us. they told me i would have to pay $5,500 for a new transmission and they would not take care of this as a safety issue. if this happens to someone else, they might not be as lucky as we were. i was told there was a recall for this issue (the transmission downshifting unexpectedly). i asked the acura dealer about this and they told me the vehicle had already had the fix installed in 2004. if this is a common problem with this vehicle, other people could be effected or even injured. over the past year the check engine light came on a couple times but within a day or two it would go out. now the light is on. the codes that acura told me are p700 and p730. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 acura mdx. the contact stated that the steering was extremely rough and the service engine sensor illuminated intermittently. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician diagnosed that the torque converter and clutch solenoid was defective and needed to be replaced. the contact was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 04v176000 (power train). the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 30,672.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 acura mdx. the contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the transmission began to make noises while going from first to second gear. the manufacture was notified. a private mechanic stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the failure mileage was 160,000 and the current mileage was 170,000.

Driving on the freeway, transmission disengaged and engine revved up to red line. car had no power and lost speed. close call with other vehicles, including semi trucks. had to pull into far right lane and was only able to go around 30 mph since the car continued to rev and the transmission engaged and disengaged. engine light came on and d5 light on dash started flashing. took it to a mechanic who said transmission needs to be replaced. in investigating, this appears to be a common problem with this model year. car is worth $6500 in good shape, but with this issue, it is now only worth $2000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 acura mdx. the contact stated while traveling various speeds, the vehicle jerked. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the transmission needed be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. the failure mileage 195,239.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 acura mdx. the contact stated while driving approximately 50 mph, the engine made a fluttering noise. the failure continued to recur intermittently over a six month period. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

Driving back home from las vegas, nv about 150 miles away (utah) the a/t light came on. looked it up online it stated auto/transmission oil temp is high.decided to pull over and let it cool down at the nearest gas station. decided it was ok since the temp in utah went down this was around 2 pm. about 10 min later when we got back onto highway the a/t light came on again. then the car started to smoke from the engine bay. we pulled over took a look at it realized no puncture to the lines and figured the pressure build up from tranny spat out from where you usually pour fluids in. we tried getting off hwy for safety and ended up middle on no where. then we waited til 5 pm and as the weather cooled down we started the drive again. the engine was fine the transmission wouldn't let me push it pass 3 1/2 rpm so we drove about 50-70 mph. we reached colorado then spent the night. the next day it started to snow, the transmission decided to stop responding it will go into gears but it will stall and go but it wouldn't let me go past 2 rpm. check engine light came on then we decided to take the car to autozone. the o2 test stated: low tranny oil, torque control solenoid sensor, and electrical sensor. then we had the car tow to nearby transmission shop they ran some diagnostics and said the gears are slipping and the whole transmission needs to be rebuilt. total cost in rebuilt 4100.00 out the door. car in on 3/4/13 car was done on 3/19/13. *tr

Automatic transmission failed on the drive back to los angeles from las vegas. *tr

I was driving and there was smoke coming out of the engine compartment. i stopped and had the car towed to an acura dealer. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 acura mdx. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle started to shake violently. the contact maneuvered the vehicle to the shoulder and left it parked. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for inspection. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who referred him to the dealer. the failure mileage was 109,000.

On my way to home from work, i noticed that my acura mdx makes grinding and shuddering sound when increasing speed after a stop or from slow speed. while going on state highway at 50/mhp speed, the front wheels locked up. the car dragged on the road for about 25 feet and came to a complete stop in the driving lane as i could not steer the vehicle on to the shoulder due to locked front wheels. the lady behind me driving at the same speed was able to just stop her suv within six inches of the back of my vehicle. it scary and frightening experience for both of as my vehicle completely stopped in driving lane in about 5 to 7 second from 50/mph to a complete stop. my vehicle could not be pushed over to the side of the road due to locked front wheels. this was a near death experience i had for the first time in my life. i was searching on internet to see if others had similar problem. i was amazed to find hundreds of comments about this problem from the owners of mdx for model years that range from 2002 to 2010. they appear to have the same transmission problem where the second gear just freezes. i am wondering why the sha has not investigated this problem and found faults with honda's lack of willingness to correct this problem. some of the comments on internet says that this happened to them on highways.. *js

I have a 2001 acura mdx with 80k miles. i am in the process of replacing my transmission as it is showing signs of transmission lockage. while i was driving on the highway, i noticed the truck just seemed to make a really hard brake, like someone was pumping the brakes with a lot of pressure. i took it to acura and they denied any goodwill repair! this will most likely be my last honda/acura as i have lost faith in them and their reputation. would this have happened during rush hour, i am sure i would have gotten in an accident or worse killed. i believe if i drove it any longer the transmission would have completely locked up and other components like the axles, mounts, etc...would have been disabled. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 acura mdx. the contact stated that the transmission failed. the vehicle was repaired by the previous owner under nhtsa recall campaign id number: 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission) for the same failure. the contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated prior to the failure. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the dealer advised that the torque converter failed in the transmission. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage and the current mileage was 134,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 acura mdx. the contact stated that when driving in second or third gears, the vehicle would exhibit an abnormal grinding noise with a vibrating sensation. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection but the manager advised that due to the mileage and the year of the vehicle, they would not be able to repair the vehicle under the warranty. the contact stated that the vehicle had been taken to the dealer four times for the same exact transmission failure. the manufacturer was notified of the failure who advised that there were no recalls and they were unable to honor the warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 130,127.

2002 acura mdx transmission failure, transmission failed at 71k miles and cut power from engine to wheels in the middle of the street. there are many reports of this similar thing happening to mdx owners. the transmission is defective! *kb

Purchased new, a 2002 acura mdx. first transmission replaced 2 months shy of 7 year extended warranty at approx. 47,000 miles. transmission warranty ended with the expiration of the 7 year warranty (2 months). the car would shudder, seize, rendering it a safety issue. next transmission failure at 87,000 miles. same symptoms, shudders, gear slippage, seizing, again rendering the car undrivable. the car is currently back in with so. bay acura in torrance, california, receiving the third transmission. these same symptoms have been reported by several hundred customers and i don't understand what would constitute a recall. i only searched for like complaints for an hour so i am quite confident i could locate several thousand. this same transmission failure has been reported in the ny times. six thousand dollars is an excessive amount so i am working on a class action suit with other owners as the car is unsafe as a family vehicle. also had the car tested extensively at other transmission facilities. *tr

Purchased a 2002 acura mdx based in large part on prior vehicle reliability found with acuras and hondas. transmission on this $40,000+ vehicle, though properly flushed (ahead of mfg. intervals) and maintained, failed at just over 110,000 miles and at 45 mph with the car effectively "seizing", creating a road hazard. acura dealer refused to cover the costs of repair, though '01-'02 mdx transmission failures are well-documented, and instead "generously offered" (after my goodwill complaint; their term) to knock off appx. 20% from the $4,300 replacement cost for the replacement transmission. given this unit's known design problems and acura's incredibly short-sighted handling of the goodwill procedure (during which i volunteered to pay up to $2,500 of the new transmission's cost; ie over 50%), will never purchase another honda or acura product again. *tr

My vehicle is shuddering on the 2nd to 3rd gear upshift. loss of power. this is occurring with greater and greater frequency, after just a short time of driving. i brought this to the attention of the dealer who advised that i would need a re-man transmission. when i asked about this being related to the known recall for this exact problem, they stated they would bring this up to the manufacturer. the manufacturer's reply was that they don't know me well enough, so they would not look into this any further, and would fix this defect. the dealer advised that the recall was closed for this vehicle, and that only an inspection was done; there was no jet kit installed, no transmission replacement done. they inspected, and sent it on its way, and now it is failing. i fear that the consequence of this known recalled defect not being corrected by the manufacturer, will be transmission lockup at speed, leading to a crash. *kb

Well i bout this car about a year ago at about 112k miles ..and was a proud owner of a 2002 acura mdx...was great for a while until i started noticing slow acceleration while pressing on the gas...thought nothing of it at first....took it for a service to acura dealership ...told the service dept about my issue and they are the once who recommended the 120k mi service made me forget about the reason i brought it in the first place ...now 3 mo later malfunction light came on at 128k mi and they tell me my transmission is going bad ....they knew this when i took it in the first time..but of course instead of telling me then they let me spend $2k on service and now telling me its going to cost me $5k for a new transmission ...thanks! i am pretty ticked coming to know that this issue has been ongoing for thousands of people and they are not doing a thing about it ! *tr

Bought 02 mdx and have had no issues. began noticing a stutter when accelerating. never thought much of it since vehicle performance was never compromised. recently check engine light came on and had code read. informed it was a gear ratio mismatch. call acura dealer and was informed i would need to replace the non-serviceable trany@ ~$2000! researching, found reams of complaints for the same issue. *tr

The car will make a vibration sound at random intervals. it does not matter what speed you are driving at or the type of road. additionally, it feels as though you are being pushed back by the wind when the vibration sound occurs. at this time no work has been completed on the car for the new noise. one repair shop concluded that it was the entire transmission that needed to be replaced. another place feels it is the torque converter. the torque converter was already replaced once on this car due to a different noise. the car had to go to the shop three times to fix the first noise. the car was finally repaired after a week and after a new timing belt, tensioner and pulley, which had already been replaced. they also replaced the drive shaft, idler pulley and compressor belt . *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 acura mdx. the contact stated that the vehicle would shift gears independently. when shifted into reverse, the vehicle would abnormally accelerate forward. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was defective and would need to be replaced. the mechanic also stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under nhtsa campaign id number: 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission). the manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 89,000.

I have a 2002 acura mdx. i was driving on the highway when suddenly my car jerked violently and the d5 began to flash. the transmission was locked at low gear and the check engine light went on. my car nearly ran over by a tractor truck. i went to the dealership and was told that the transmission and engine mounts are broken, which are systemic problems for 2001-2002 acura mdx models. however, acura would not be responsible for this manufacturing defect. *tr

I have a 2002 acura mdx. i bought the vehicle brand new from the dealership and have had numerous components on it replaced, however the one item which has not been resolved is a shudder which i get in the vehicle when driving between 30 - 40 mph. it appears to be a transmission issue, but the dealership has not dealt with the issue. the vehicle now has 100k miles on it, but the issue first arose at ~35k miles and was taken to the dealership numerous times while still under warranty with no resolution to the problem. *tr

2002 acura mdx - transmission noise. purchased vehicle new from acura dealership in 2002. maintained religiously as per manufactures specifications. brought vehicle to dealership after hearing noise in transmission between 20-30mph. vehicle mileage: 88,512. dealership reported internal transmission failure - transmission needs to be replaced. estimated cost: $4738. after receiving news, researched mdx transmission issues and found numerous complaints filed online about 2002 mdx transmissions, citing risk of transmission lock-up, and loss of control of vehicle for 2001 / 2002 mdx - posing a significant safety risk. spoke with acura corporate. per corporate - warranty expired at 50,000. acura will only stand behind product within warranty. acura does not consider us an "acura customer" and will not offer any good-will assistance on transmission because maintenance was not performed at acura dealership, despite offering service record history, and having a prior ownership history of acuras, and family ownership history of hondas and acuras. acura representative indicated that we should have purchased an extended warranty when we bought the vehicle. *tr

The vehicle stalls whenever you stop moving because the transmission torque converter locks up and does not release. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 acura mdx. the contact stated that when she attempted to accelerate, the vehicle would not move and other times, the rpms would increase but the vehicle would still accelerate abnormally slow. the contact also experienced problems when shifting gears. the vehicle was previously repaired by an authorized dealer in 2004 under nhtsa campaign id number: 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission) and when the vehicle was returned to the contact, the dealer advised that the transmission would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact called the manufacturer who stated that because the vehicle was previously repaired under the recall, they could offer no further assistance. the failure mileage was 107,962 and the current mileage was approximately 108,000.

2002 acura mdx frequently hesitates shifting at about 1200-1500 rpm. problem began at around 110, 000 miles and expect it's the torque converter or faulty transmission that is so prominent with these vehicles. *tr

There has been an intermittent grinding noise and shudder in the transmission between 35-45 miles and hour in 5th gear. this is a known issue in acura mdx 2002 and has been issued a recall for other vin # 's but mine is not included in the recall even though it has the same symptoms. i am worried that it will lock up and cause an accident but the dealer and acura have so far refused to fix the issue. *tr

Torque converter shudder or vibration between 35-40 mph. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 acura mdx. the contact stated that the transmission began slipping. the contact was able to locate a recall for the failure (nhtsa campaign id number: 04v176000- power train: automatic transmission) but was advised by the dealer that his vehicle was outside of the mileage limitation of the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage and current mileage was 151,000.