2007 Acura 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.h\
elminc.com.
Contents
Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safety........................................................................\
........................................ iii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
............................................ .3
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
..................................... .5
Proper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restr\
aint System.
Instruments and Control s........................................................................\
........................................ .61
Instrume nt panel indicator and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering colu\
mn controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features ........................................................................\
..................... .167
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other c\
onvenience features.
Before Driving........................................................................\
..........................................................315
What gasoline to use, how to break -in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
..................................................................... .329
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, pl\
us towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.............................................................373
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take you r vehicle to the dealer.
Taking Care of the Unexpecte d........................................................................\
..............................417
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, an d how to handle them.
Technical Informatio n........................................................................\
............................................ .443
ID numbers, dimensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canad a)................................................................459
A summary of the warranties covering your new Acura, and how to contact \
us.
Authorized Manu als (U.S. only)........................................................................\
..............................463
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index........................................................................\
........................................................................\
...... I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.
Accord Value Package Audio System
Calif ornia Proposition 65 WarningThis product contains or emits chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth
def ects or other reproductive harm.
Event Data Recorders
This vehicle is equipped with one or more devices commonly ref erred to as event data recorders. These devices
record f ront seat belt use, f ront passenger seat occupancy, airbag deployment data, and the f ailure of any airbag
system component. This data belongs to the vehicle owner and may not be accessed by anyone else except as legally
required or with the permission of the vehicle owner.
Service Diagnostic Recorders
This vehicle is equipped with service-related devices that record inf ormation about powertrain perf ormance. The data
can be used to verif y emissions law requirements and/or help technicians diagnose and solve service problems. It may
also be combined with data f rom other sources f or research purposes, but it remains conf idential and is never linked to
the vehicle owner.
Introduction
WARNING:
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California Perchlorate Contamination Prevention Act
The airbags, seat belt tensioners, and CR type batteries in this vehicle contain perchlorate materials - special handling
may apply. See www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate.
Your MDX has higher ground clearance than a passenger vehicle designed for use only on pavement. Higher ground
clearance has many advantages for off-highway driving. It allows you to travel over bumps, obstacles, and rough
terrain. It also pro vides good visibility so you can anticipate problems earlier.
Th ese advantages come at some cost. Because your vehicle is taller and rides higher off the ground, it has a high
center of gravi ty. This means your vehicle can tip or roll over if you make abrupt turns. Utility vehicles have a
significantly higher rollover rate than oth er types of vehicles. In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is signifi cantly
more likely to die than a person wearing a seat belt. As a reminder, make sure you and your passengers always wear
seat belts.
For information on how to reduce the risk of rollover, read ‘‘Driving Guidelines’’ on page of this manual and the
section on page . Failure to operate your vehicle correctly might result in loss of
control or an accident. 369 330
Off-Highway
Driving Guidelines
Important Handling Inf ormation
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This section gives you important
inf ormation about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It
shows you how to use seat belts
properly. It explains how your
airbags work, and it tells you how to
properly restrain infants and
children in your vehicle.
.........
Important Safety Precautions .6
.......
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features .7
.........
Protecting Adults and Teens .11
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors .11
...........
2. Adjust the Front Seats .12
............
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs .13
...
4. Adjust the Head Restraints .14
5. Fasten and Position the Seat
.....................................
Belts .15
6. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .17
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women .18
...
Additional Safety Precautions .19 Additional Inf ormation About
.......................
Your Seat Belts .20
..
Seat Belt System Components .20
......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .21
Automatic Seat Belt
...............................
Tensioners .22
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance .23
Additional Inf ormation About ...........................
Your Airbags .24
......
Airbag System Components .24
.........27
........................
Advanced Airbag .29
...
How Your Side Airbags Work .30
How Your Side Curtain Airbags
.........................................
Work .32
..
How the SRS Indicator Works .33
How The Side Airbag Of f
......................
Indicator Works .33
How the Passenger Airbag ...............
Of f Indicator Works .34
.............................
Airbag Service .35
...
Additional Safety Precautions .35
Protecting Children General ................................
Guidelines .37
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .37 All Children Should Sit in a
.................................
Back Seat .38
The Passenger’s Front Airbag .........
Can Pose Serious Risks .38
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .40
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .40
...
Additional Safety Precautions .41
Protecting inf ants and .........................
Small Children .42
.......................
Protecting Inf ants .42
.........
Protecting Small Children .43
.....................
Selecting a Child Seat .45
....................
Installing a Child Seat .46
...............................
With LATCH .47
.
With a Lap/Shoulder Seat Belt .50
..............................
With a Tether .51
...........
Protecting Larger Children .54
...............
Checking Seat Belt Fit .54
..................
Using a Booster Seat .55
..
When Can a Child Sit in Front .56
...
Additional Safety Precautions .57
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard .58
...................................
Saf ety Labels .59
How Your Front Airbags Work
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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You’ll
find many safety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
Therecommendationsonthispage
are the ones we consider to be the
most important.
A seat belt is your best protection in
all typ es of collisions. Airbags are
designed to supplement seat belts,
not replace them. So even though
your vehicle is equipped with airbags,
make sure you and your passengers
always wear your seat belts, and
wear them properly (see page ).Children
age 12 and under should
ride properly restrained in a back
seat, not the front seat. Infants and
smallchildrenshouldberestrained
in a child seat. Larger children
should use a booster seat and a lap/
shoulder belt until they can use the
belt properly without a booster seat
(see pages ).
While airbags can save lives, they
can cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Infants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
su re to follow all instru ctions and
warnings in this manual. Having
a tire blowout or a
mech anical failure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition frequently,
and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance (see page ).
Excessive
speed is a maj or factor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed, the greater the
risk, but serious injuries can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
faster than is safe for current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
Al cohol and driving don’t mix. Even
one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and
your reaction time gets worse with every
additional drink. So don’t drink
and drive, and don’t let your friends
drink and drive, either.
15 409
37 57
Always Wear Your Seat Belt Restrain All Children
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition Control Your Speed
Don’t Drink and Drive Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
Important Saf ety Precautions
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Your vehicle is equipped with many
features that work together to
protect you and your passengers
during a crash.
Some f eatures do not require any
action on your part. These include a
strong steel f ramework that f orms a
saf ety cage around the passenger
compartment; front and rear crush
zones; a collapsible steering column;
and tensioners that tighten the f ront
seat belts in a crash.
However, you and your passengers
can’t take f ull advantage of these
f eatures unless you remain sitting in
a proper position and. In fact, some safety
f eatures can contribute to injuries if
they are not used properly.
The f ollowing pages explain how you
cantakeanactiveroleinprotecting
yourself and your passengers.
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
always wear
your seat belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
7
(7) (9)
(3) (1)
(2)
(6)
(10) (8)
(5)
(2)(11)
(4)
(1) Safety Cage
(2) Crush Zones
(3) Seats and Seat-Backs
(4) Head Restraints
(5) Collapsible Steering Column
(6) Seat Belts
(7) Front Airbags
(8) Side Airbags
(9) Side Curtain Airbags
(10) Front Seat Belt Tensioners
(11) Door Locks
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Your vehicle is equipped with seat
belts in all seating positions.
Seat belts are the single most
effectivesafetydeviceforadultsand
larger children. (Inf ants and smaller
children must be properly restrained
in child seats.)
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts.When properly worn, seat belts:
Keep you connected to the vehicle
so you can take advantage of the
vehicle’s built-in saf ety f eatures.
Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including f rontal,
side, and rear impacts and
rollovers. Help keep you f rom being thrown
against the inside of the vehicle
and against other occupants.
Keep you f rom being thrown out
of the vehicle.
Help keep you in a good position
should the airbags ever deploy. A
good position reduces the risk of
injury f rom an inf lating airbag and
allows you to get the best
advantage f rom the airbag.
Of course, seat belts cannot
completely protect you in every
crash.Butinmostcases,seatbelts
can reduce your risk of serious
injury. Always wear
your seat belt, and make sure you
wear it properly.
Your seat belt system also includes
an indicator on the instrument panel
and a beeper to remind you and your
passengers to f asten your seat belts.
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Seat Belts
Why Wear Seat Belt s
What you should do:
8
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
Be sure you and your
passengers always wear seat
belts and wear them properly.
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The most important things you need
to know about your airbags are:They are designed to supplement
the seat belts.
To do their job, airbags must
inf late with tremendous f orce. So
while airbags help save lives, they
can cause minor injuries or more
serious or even fatal injuries if
occupants are not properly
restrained or sitting properly. Always wear
your seat belt properly, and sit
upright and as f ar back f rom the
steering wheel as possible while
allowing f ull control of the vehicle. A
f ront passenger should move their
seat as far back from the dashboard
as possible. The rest of this section gives more
detailed inf ormation about how you
can maximize your saf ety.
Remember, however, that no saf ety
system can prevent all injuries or
deaths that can occur in a severe
crash, even when seat belts are
properly worn and the airbags deploy.
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Airbags do not replace seat belts.
A irbags of f er no prot ect ion in rearimpact s, or minor f ront al or sidecollisions.
Airbags can pose serious hazards. What you should do:
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