2006 Acura MDX transmission

2006 MDX Online Reference Owner's Manual
Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.helminc.com.

Contents
Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
............................................................................. i
A Few Wo r

ds About Safety ........................................................................\
.................................................. ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
.......................................................4
Driver and Pas

senger Safety ........................................................................\
...............................................7
P r

oper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restraint System.
Instruments and Cont r
ols........................................................................\
...................................................57
Instrument panel indica tor and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering column controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features........................................................................\
...............................105
How t o
op era

te the climate control system, the audio system, and other convenience features.
Before Driving ........................................................................\
...................................................... .
............. .

187
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving........................................................................\
...................................................................................199
The proper way to start

the engine, shift the transmission, and park, plus towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.........................................................................227
T h
e Ma int

enance Schedule shows you when you need to take your vehicle to the dealer.
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
.......................................259
This section covers severa l pr

oblems motorists someti mes experience, and how to handle them.
Technical Information........................................................................\
.......................................................281
ID numbers, dimensions, capaciti es, and techni

cal information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)..................................................................... 295
A summary of th
e warr anties coverin

g your new Honda, and how to contact us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
......................................299
How t o
order manuals an

d other technical literature.
Index ........................................................................\
......................................................................................... I
Service Inf ormat

ion Summary
A summary of informat

ion you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.

This indicator monitors the
temperature of the automatic
transmission f luid. It should come on
f or a f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. If it comes on while driving,
it means the transmission f luid
temperature is too high. Pull to the
side of the road when it is saf e, shif t
to Park, and let the engine idle until
the indicator goes out.This indicator normally comes on f or
a f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. If it comes on at any other
time, there is a problem in the 4WD
system. Take the vehicle to your
dealer to have it checked.
If the indicator blinks while driving,
the VTM-4 fluid temperature is too
high. Pull to the side of the road
when it is saf e, shif t to Park, and let
the engine idle until the indicator
goes out.
This indicator reminds you that the
exterior lights are on. It comes on
when the light switch is in either the
or position. This indicator
will also come on when the light
switch is in AUTO and the lights
turn on automatically.
If you turn the ignition switch to the
ACCESSORY (I) or LOCK (0)
position without turning of f the light
switch, this indicator will remain on.
A reminder chime will also sound
when you open the driver’s door.
U.S. models only
U.S. Models except Touring
Lights On Indicator A/T Temperature
IndicatorVTM-4 Indicator
Instrument Panel Indicators
64
Continuing to drive with the A/T
temperature indicator on may cause
serious damage to the transmission.
Continuing to drive with the VTM-4
indicator blinking may cause serious
damage to the system.

Turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position.
Move the selector switch to L
(driver’s side) or R (passenger’s
side).
Push the appropriate edge of the
adjustment switch to move the
mirrorright,left,up,ordown.When you f inish, move the
selector switch to the center (off)
position. This turns the
adjustment switch of f to keep your
settings.
The outside mirrors are heated to
remove fog and frost. With the
ignition switch in the ON (II)
position, turn on the heaters by
pressing the button. The indicator in
the button comes on as a reminder.
Press the button again to turn the
heaters of f .
With the selector switch in the
center (of f ) position, the passenger’s
side mirror will pivot downward
slightly when you shif t the
transmission into Reverse. This
gives you a better view of the side of
the vehicle while parallel parking.
The mirror returns to its original
position when you take the
transmission out of reverse.
Turn this f eature of f by leaving the
selector switch in the lef t or right
position.
1.
2.
3. 4.
Touring model only
Adjusting the Power Mirrors
Mirrors
96
HEATED MIRROR BUTTON
SELECTOR SWITCH
ADJUSTMENT SWITCH

This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
automatic transmission. It also
includes important inf ormation on
parking your vehicle, the braking
system, the VTM-4system, the VSA
system, the tire pressure monitoring
system, and f acts you need if you are
planning to tow a trailer. ........................
Driving Guidelines .200
........................
Preparing to Drive .200
.......................
Starting the Engine .201
..............
Automatic Transmission . 202
Variable Torque Management ..............................
4WD System .206
..............................
VTM-4 Lock .206
Tire Pressure Monitoring System ......................................
(TPMS) .207
...........................................
Parking .209
.............................
Braking System .210
...........................
Anti-lock Brakes .211
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) ........................................
System .213
.................
Towing Weight Limits . 215
...........................
Towing a Trailer .216
..............
Of f -Highway Guidelines . 224
Driving
Driving
199

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 the ON (II)
position. 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
foot off 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
202

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.
205
205
Automatic Transmission
Park (P)Shif t L ock Release Reverse (R)
Neutral (N)
Shif t L ock Release Drive (D )
5Driving
203

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 f irst position when
the vehicle speed is above 31 mph
(50 km/h), the transmission shif ts
into second gear first 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
204

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
205
SHIFT LOCK RELEASE SLOT
COVER