Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2004 Acura MDX submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
SUDDEN INADVERTENT BRAKING, ESPECIALLY WITHOUT ILLUMINATION OF THE BRAKE LIGHTS. AFTER THE SUDDEN BRAKING, THE VSA LIGHT WILL BE ON. THIS IS THE EXACTLY SAME PROBLEM AS THE RECALL ACURA HAS MADE TO ACURA MDX 2005/2006 (THE NAME OF THIS RECALL IS: VSA ECU MALFUNCTION. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENED BOTH IN HIGHWAYS AND CITY STREETS FOR ME.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 ACURA MDX. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN, THERE WAS A CLUNKING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE VSA WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED, THE BRAKES APPLIED INDEPENDENTLY, AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED. THE CONTACT HAD TO DEPRESS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO CONTINUE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE STABILITY ASSIST SYSTEM FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC REPLACED THE BRAKE PADS, DISCS, CALIPERS, AND FLUID; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONTACT OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V092000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM) AND TO CONTACT THE DEALER. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,179.
I WAS TRAVELING ON A CITY STREET WHEN ANOTHER DRIVER TRAVELING FULL SPEED FAILED TO YIELD AS HE WAS ENTERING THE CITY STREET AT A HIGH SPEED AND HARSHLY IMPACTED MY CAR IN THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE AND THEN A SECOND IMPACT TO MY REAR DRIVER SIDE. MY SEATBELT FAILED TO RESTRAIN ME TO THE SEAT AND AS A RESULT I WAS BRUTALLY BANGED AROUND THE INTERIOR OF MY VEHICLE. EVEN THOUGH THE PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO MY CAR DIDN'T LOOK TO BE TOO BAD, I SUSTAINED 7 HERNIATED / BULGING DISC IN MY BACK AND NECK IN WHICH MANY ARE PRESSING MY SPINE. NONE OF MY AIRBAGS DEPLOYED AS WELL. NOT EVEN THE SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG ON THE IMPACTED DRIVER'S SIDE. HAD THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED AND MY SEATBELT RESTRAINED ME PROPERLY, I WOULD NOT HAVE SUSTAINED THE SERIOUS INJURIES I DID
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 ACURA MDX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE SYSTEM FAILED. THE CONTACT HAD TO ENGAGE THE BRAKE PEDAL AT A LONGER DISTANCE TO BE ABLE TO STOP. IN ADDITION, THE BRAKE PEDAL WOULD REMAIN STUCK TO THE FLOORBOARD WHEN DEPRESSED AND THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHILE THE FAILURE OCCUR. THE CONTACT DIAGNOSED THAT THE STABILITY ASSIST MODULE FAILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 171,000.
WAS DRIVING CAR AN THE BRAKES LOCKED UP LIGHTS CAME ON, VSA ABS ECT. HAD TO PARK CAR AS IF BRAKES WERE STUCK. DID NOT WANT BRAKES HEATING UP CAUSING ACCIDENT
WHILE DRIVING, MY CAR'S ANTI-LOCK BRAKES ENGAGE AND MY VSA IDIOT LIGHT GOES ON SIMUTANEOUSLY WITHOUT ANY WARNING. I AM NOT TRYING TO BRAKE WHEN THIS HAPPENS. IT DOES IT ALL BY ITSELF EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR NOW. SPEED DOESN'T MATTER. I AM WORRIED I CAN NOT MAINTAIN CONTROL ON ICY ROADS. *TR
SINCE ABOUT FEBRUARY 2010 THE VEHICLE STABILITY ASSIST SYSTEM WILL RANDOMLY ACTIVATE DURING PERIODS OF PROLONGED HIGHWAY DRIVING. THIS CONDITION USUALLY HAPPENS ON DRY PAVEMENT AND WITHOUT WARNING. IT FEELS LIKE ONLY THE DRIVERS SIDE FRONT BRAKE IS APPLIED AND THE VEHICLE SWERVES TO THE RIGHT UNCONTROLLABLY. THE CONDITION HAS NEARLY CAUSED ME TO CRASH MULTIPLE TIMES AND IS VERY FRIGHTENING. I HAVE HAD THE ACURA DEALER TROUBLESHOOT THE PROBLEM MANY TIMES WITH NO RESULTS. THE MOST RECENT TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS EARLY DECEMBER 2013. I IMMEDIATELY DROPPED THE VEHICLE OFF AT AN ACURA DEALER AND THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A FAULTY LATERAL ACCELERATION SENSOR. UNFORTUNATELY THIS PART IS NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME AND IS ON INDEFINITE BACKORDER. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT HAS NEARLY CAUSED HARM TO MYSELF AND OTHER VEHICLES DUE TO MY OUT OF CONTROL VEHICLE. I AM NOW WITHOUT TRANSPORTATION UNTIL ACURA IS ABLE TO GET THE PART BACK IN STOCK. ACURA OF AMERICA HAS REFUSED TO EVEN LOG AND FILE MY COMPLAINT LET ALONE ASSIST ME WITH THIS SAFETY ISSUE AND HARDSHIP. *TR
MY 2004 ACURA MDX DOES NOT BRAKE PROPERLY IN A PANIC TYPE STOP FROM ANY SPEED. APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL WITH MAXIMUM FORCE DOES NOT GENERATE ENOUGH HYDRAULIC PRESSURE TO "LOCK THE WHEELS" AND ACTIVATE THE ABS ON DRY PAVEMENT. THE ABS WORKS WELL UNDER OTHER LOW FRICTION CIRCUMSTANCES SUCH AS RAIN, SNOW, AND ICE. THE ABS AND BRAKING SYSTEM HAVE BEEN CHECKED AND FOUND TO BE WORKING PROPERLY. PANIC BRAKING DISTANCES ARE LONG WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL PUSHED TO THE FLOOR, THE CAR FEELS AS IF IT IS NOT STOPPING FAST ENOUGH ON DRY PAVEMENT. NORMAL, NON PANIC BRAKING SEEMS TO BE NORMAL. I HAVE HAD NEW BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS INSTALLED. BRAKE FLUID HAS BEEN FLUSHED TWICE AND I INSTALLED STAINLESS STEEL FLEXIBLE BRAKE LINES ALL OF WHICH MADE NO DIFFERENCE IN FULL PANIC BRAKING. OVER A FEW YEARS I HAVE HAD 3 INDEPENDENT SHOPS CHECK THE BRAKES AND ALL SAID THAT THE BRAKES WERE NORMAL. IN APRIL 2013, I HAD THE ACURA DEALER EVALUATE THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND WAS TOLD "NORMAL, THIS IS JUST HOW THEY BRAKE". TO DO A COMPARISON, I TEST DROVE A USED 05 MDX AT THE HONDA DEALER AND IT BRAKED EXACTLY THE SAME AS MY 04: NO ABILITY TO ACTIVATE THE ABS IN A FULL PANIC STOP FROM ANY SPEED ON DRY PAVEMENT. RECENTLY, HONDA RECALLED 250,000 VEHICLES FOR A DEFECTIVE BRAKE BOOSTER AND THE 01-06 MDX IS NOT INCLUDED IN THAT RECALL. THIS RECALL WAS BASED ON HONDA'S AUDIT OF WARRANTY CLAIMS. CARS LIKE MY MDX ARE WELL BEYOND THE WARRANTY PERIOD AND WOULD NEVER BE FOUND BASED ON ANY WARRANTY CLAIM HISTORY. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT MY 04 MDX (AND LIKELY OTHER MDX VEHICLES) HAS A DEFECTIVE BRAKE BOOSTER RESULTING IN POOR BRAKING PERFORMANCE AND CREATES A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. IN MAY 2013, I SOLD MY 04 MDX TO THE SAME ACURA DEALER WHO DID THE EVALUATION OF THE BRAKES. IN JUNE 2013, I CONTACTED ACURA HQ AND ADVISED THEM OF THE PROBLEM AND THEY ARE GOING TO MONITOR FOR SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 ACURA MDX. THE CONTACT STATED HE WAS INVOLVED IN A MINOR CRASH DUE TO BRAKE FAILURE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED BUT THERE WAS HESITATION IN ENGAGEMENT OF THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE FRONT BUMPER. THE CONTACT CONFIRMED THAT THE BRAKES IN THE VEHICLE WERE UNUSUALLY SOFT. THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE IN THE BRAKING SYSTEM. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 138,000.
2004 ACURA MDX DRAMATIC DETERIORATION IN THE BRAKING. *TS THE CONSUMER STATED THE NOISE HAS MANIFESTED INTO A GRINDING METAL TO METAL SOUND. THE DEALER TOLD THE CONSUMER THE NOISE WAS A RESULT OF HEAT BUILD UP IN THE BRAKES WHEN THEY GET LOW. THE RIGHT REAR SPEAKER VIBRATED. *JB
INTERMITTENT, RANDOM PULLING TO THE RIGHT WHILE BRAKING - FREQUENTLY SLIGHT AND OCCASIONALLY SIGNIFICANT. ON RARE OCCASION, SIGNIFICANT PULLING TO THE LEFT. ACURA DEALER TECHNICIAN AND SERVICE MANAGER CLAIM THAT THIS IN "NORMAL."
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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