2005 Acura MDX Owner's Manual

Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Make sure the shif t lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.Without touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. Do not hold
the key in START (III) f or more
than 15 seconds at a time. If the
engine does not start right away,
pause f or at least 10 seconds
bef ore trying again.If the engine does not start within
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 4 with the
accelerator pedal pressed halfway
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race.
If the engine still does not start,
press the accelerator pedal all the
way down and hold it there while
starting in order to clear f looding.
If the engine still does not start,
return to step 5.
5.
6.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Starting the Engine
Driving
199
Immobilizer System T he immobilizer system protects your
vehicle f rom thef t. If an improperly-
coded key (or other device) is used, the
engine’s f uel system is disabled. See
on page .
The engine is harder to start in cold
weather. Also, the thinner air f ound at
altitudes above 8,000 f eet (2,400
meters) adds to this problem.
80

These indicators on the instrument
panel show which position the shif t
lever is in.
The ‘‘D ’’ indicator comes on f or a
f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to ON (II). If it
f lashes while driving (in any shif t
position), it indicates a possible
problem in the transmission.If the malf unction indicator lamp
come on along with the ‘‘D ’’
indicator, there is a problem in the
automatic transmission control
system. Avoid rapid acceleration and
havethetransmissioncheckedbyan
Acura dealer as soon as possible.
Bef ore shif ting f rom park to any
position, press f irmly on the brake
pedal making sure to keep your f oot
of f the accelerator pedal. You cannot
shif t out of Park when the ignition
switch is in the LOCK (0) or
ACCESSORY (I) position.
5 5
Do this:
Press the brake pedal,
making sure to keep your
f oot of f the accelerator
pedal, then move the shift
lever.
Move the lever.
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoN
NtoD
DtoD
DtoD Dto22to1
1to2
2toD
DtoD
DtoD DtoN NtoRRtoP
5
54
43 3
3
34
45 5
Automatic Transmission
Shif t L ever Position Indicators
Shif ting
200

µµµµµ µ
CONT INUED
This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning of f or
starting the engine. To shif t out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see on
page .
To avoid transmission damage, come
to a complete stop bef ore shif ting
into Park. The shif t lever must be in
Park bef ore you can remove the key
from the ignition switch. Press the brake
pedal, making sure to keep your f oot
of f the accelerator pedal, then shif t
f rom Park to Reverse. To shif t f rom
Neutral to Reverse, come to a
completestopandthenshift. Use Neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop brief ly with
the engine idling. Shif t to the Park
position if you need to leave your
vehicle for any reason. Press the
brake pedal, making sure to keep
your f oot of f the accelerator pedal,
when you are moving the shif t lever
f rom Neutral to another gear.
Your vehicle has a reverse lockout so
you cannot accidentally shif t to
Reverse from Neutral or any other
driving position when the vehicle
speed exceeds 7 9 mph (12 14
km/h).
If you cannot shif t to Reverse when
the vehicle is stopped, press the
brake pedal and slowly shift to
Neutral, and then to Reverse.
If there is a problem in the reverse
lockout system, or your vehicle’s
battery is disconnected or goes dead,
you cannot shif t to Reverse. (Ref er
to
on page ). Use this position f or
normal driving. The transmission
automatically selects a suitable gear
f or your speed and acceleration. You
may notice the transmission shif ting
up at higher speeds when the engine
is cold. This helps the engine warm
up f aster.
203
203
Automatic Transmission
Park (P)Shif t L ock Release Reverse (R)
Neutral (N)
Shif t L ock Release Drive (D )
5Driving
201

µµ µThese positions
are similar to D , except when you
select the D position, only the f irst
f our gears are selected. When you
select D , only the f irst three gears
are selected. D can also keep the
transmission f rom cycling between
f ourth and f if th gears in stop-and-go
driving, and D can keep the
transmission f rom cycling between
third and f ourth gears. This position locks
thetransmissioninsecondgear.It
does not downshif t to f irst gear
when you come to a stop.
Use Second gear: For more power when climbing.
To increase engine braking when
going down steep hills.
For starting out on a slippery
surf ace or in deep snow. With the lever in this
position, the transmission locks in
First gear.
If you shif t into First position when
the vehicle speed is above 31 mph
(50 km/h), the transmission shif ts
into Second gear f irst to avoid
sudden engine braking.
If you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the tachometer’s
red zone. If this occurs, you may f eel
the engine cut in and out. This is
caused by a limiter in the engine’s
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce the
RPM below the red zone.
Use D to provide engine braking
when going down a steep hill. D
gives you more power and increased
engine braking.
When driving downhill with a
trailer. To help reduce wheel spin.
5
4
3 4
3
3 3
Automatic Transmission
Drive(D,D) Second(2)First(1)
Engine Speed L imiter43
202

Set the parking brake.
Make sure the ignition switch is in
the LOCK (0) position.
To release the Reverse Lockout,
make sure the ignition switch is in
the ACCESSORY (I) position. Put a cloth on the edge of the Shif tLock Release slot cover. Using a
key, caref ully pry on the edge of
the cover to remove it.
Insert the key in the Shift Lock
Release slot.
Push down on the key and move
the shift lever out of Park to
Neutral.To release the reverse lockout,
move the shift lever from Neutral
to Reverse, then to Park.
Do this if pushing on the brake pedal
does not shif t the transmission out of
Park. This procedure is also used to
release the Reverse Lockout.
Remove the key from the Shift
Lock Release slot. Press the brake
pedal and restart the engine.
If you need to use the shif t lock
release, it means your vehicle is
developing a problem. Have it
checked by your dealer.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.6.
Automatic Transmission
Shif t L ock Release
Driving
203
SHIFT LOCK RELEASE SLOT
COVER

The Variable Torque Management
4WD System (VTM-4) automatically
transf ers varying amounts of engine
torque to the rear wheels under
lower traction conditions.The vehicle must be stopped with
the engine running.
If more traction is needed when your
vehicle is stuck, or is likely to
become stuck, you can use the
VTM-4 Lock button to increase
torque to the rear wheels. Move the shift lever to First (1),
Second (2), or Reverse (R) gear.
Press the VTM-4 Lock button.
The indicator in the button comes
on.
To get unstuck, apply light pressure
to the accelerator pedal. Do not spin
the f ront tires f or more than a f ew
seconds. Because of the amount of
torque applied to the rear tires, they
should not spin. This is normal. If
you are not able to move the vehicle,
stop and reverse direction. do
one of the f ollowing: Press the VTM-4 Lock button.
Move the shift lever to D , D or
D.
Turn the ignition switch to LOCK
(0).
The VTM-4 Lock will temporarily
disengage when the vehicle speed
exceeds 18 mph (30 km/h). It will
automatically engage again as the
speed slows below 18 mph (30
km/h). The indicator in the button
will remain on.
1.
2.
3.
54
3
To Engage the VTM-4 Lock To Disengage the VTM-4 Lock,
VTM-4 System
204
Do not use the VTM-4 Lock button on
dry, paved roads. Driving on dry,
paved roads with VTM-4 Lock ON may
damage the rear dif f erential when
making a turn. Strange noise and
vibration can also result. Do not continuously spin the f ront tires
of your vehicle. Continuously spinning
the f ront tires can cause transmission
or rear dif f erential damage.

Each tire has its own pressure
sensor. If the air pressure of a tire
becomes signif icantly low, the
sensor in that tire immediately sends
a signal that causes the low tire
pressure indicator and the
appropriate tire on the tire pressure
monitor to come on. Your vehicle is equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
that turns on every time you start the
engine and monitors the pressure in
your tires while driving.When the tire pressure monitoring
system warning light is lit, one or
more of your tires is signif icantly
under-inf lated. You should stop and
check your tires as soon as possible.
If you think you can saf ely drive a
short distance to a service station,
proceed slowly, and inf late the tire to
the recommended pressure shown
on the driver’s doorjamb.
If the tire is f lat, or if the tire
pressure is too low to continue
driving, replace the tire with the
compact spare tire.Driving on a signif icantly under-
inf lated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inf lation also reduces f uel
efficiency and tire tread life, and may
af f ect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.
Although your tire pressure is
monitored, each tire should be
checked monthly, including the
spare.
Check the pressure with the tires
cold, af ter the vehicle has been
parked f or at least 2 hours.
Set to the recommended inf lation
pressure as specif ied on the vehicle
placard and in the owner’s manual
(see page ).
252
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Low Tire Pressure
Indicator
Driving
205

The appropriate tire indicator and
low tire pressure indicator comes on
if a tire becomes signif icantly
underinf lated. Follow the
instructions under ‘‘Low Tire
Pressure Indicator’’.The indicator comes on and stays on
if there is a problem with the tire
pressure monitoring system.
Af ter you replace the f lat tire, the
Low Tire Pressure indicator stays on.
This is normal; the system is not
monitoring the spare tire pressure.
Manually check the spare tire
pressure to be sure it is correct.
If this happens, the system will shut
of f and no longer monitor tire
pressures. Have the system checked
by your dealer as soon as possible. Each wheel is equipped with a tire
pressure sensor mounted inside the
tire behind the valve stem. You must
use TPMS specif ic wheels. It is
recommended that you always have
your tires serviced by your dealer or
qualif ied technician.
Never use a puncture-repairing agent
in a f lat tire. If used, you will have to
replace the tire pressure sensor.
Havetheflattirerepairedbyyour
dealer as soon as possible.
If you have a f lat tire, the low tire
pressure and tire monitor indicators
will come on. Replace the indicated
flat tire with the compact spare tire
(see page ).
261
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Tire Pressure Monitor Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (T PMS) Indicator
Changing a T ire with T PMS
206