2008 Acura MDX Owner's Manual

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
comes on along with the ‘‘D’’
indicator, there is a problem with the
automatic transmission control
system. Avoid rapid acceleration, and
have the transmission checked by
your dealer as soon as possible.
When the ‘‘D’’ indicator warns of a
possible problem with the
transmission, you will see a ‘‘CHECK
TRANSMISSION’’ message on the
multi-inf ormation display (see page).
These indicators on the instrument
panel show which position the shif t
lever is in. In the Sequential
SportShif t Mode, the ‘‘M’’ indicator
next to the ‘‘D’’ indicator comes on,
and the illuminated number under
the charging system indicator shows
you the gear you have selected. To shif t f rom Park to any position,
pressfirmlyonthebrakepedal,and
pressthereleasebuttononthefront
of the shift lever, then move the
lever. You cannot shift out of Park
when the ignition switch is in the
LOCK (0) or ACCESSORY (I)
position.
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CONT INUED
Shif t L ever Position Indicators Shif ting
Automatic Transmission
Driving
341
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2008 MDX

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µ µ
µ 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 and press the release button
on the f ront of the shif t lever to shif t
f rom Park to reverse. To shif t f rom
reverse to neutral, come to a
completestop,andthenshift.Press
the release button bef ore shif ting
into reverse f rom neutral.
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 on the
brake pedal when you are moving
the shift lever from neutral to
another gear. Use this position f or
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear (1 through 5) f or your
speed and acceleration. You may
notice the transmission shifting up at
higher engine speeds when the
engine is cold. This helps the engine
warm up f aster.
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 press the release button
on the shif t lever. Make sure your
f oot is 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 . 346
Do this:
Press the brake pedal, and
press the shift lever release
button.
Press the shift lever release
button.
Move the shift lever.
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoP
NtoR
DtoD DtoD DtoN
NtoDRtoN
3
3
Automatic Transmission
Reverse (R)
Neutral (N) Drive (D)
Park (P) Shif t L ock Release
342
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2008 MDX

µ
´
With the shif t lever in ‘‘D’’ position,
you can select the Sequential
SportShift mode to shift gears much
like a manual transmission, but
without a clutch pedal.
To enter the Sequential SportShif t
mode, move the shif t lever f urther to
the driver’s side. To return to ‘‘D,’’
move the shift lever to the
passenger’s side.
In Sequential SportShif t mode, each
time you push f orward on the shif t
lever, the transmission shifts to a
higher gear. Pull back on the lever to
downshif t. The number of the gear
selected is displayed on the
instrument panel.
When you move the shif t lever f rom
‘‘D’’ to ‘‘M’’ position, the display
shows the selected gear. The transmission remains in the
selectedgear(5,4,3,2,or1).There
is no automatic downshif t when you
push the accelerator pedal to the
f loor.
When you accelerate away f rom a
stop, the transmission starts in f irst
gear. You have to manually upshift
between f irst and f if th gears. Make
sure you upshif t bef ore the engine
speed reaches the tachometer’s red
zone.
CONT INUED
Sequential SportShif t Mode
Automatic Transmission
Driving
343
SELECTED GEAR
( ) DOWN SHIFT
( ) UP SHIFT
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The transmission may automatically
downshif t f rom the higher gear to
the lower gear under these
conditions:
Driving on level roads and downhill
Driving uphill
To shift from
43
54
To shift from 43
54 Downshif ting gives you more power
when climbing, and provides engine
braking when going down a steep hill.
If you try to manually downshif t at a
speed that would cause the engine to
exceed the redline in a lower gear,
the transmission does not downshif t.
Thegearindicatorwillflashthe
numberof thelowergearseveral
times, then return to the higher gear.
If the vehicle speed slows to below
the redline of the selected lower gear
position while the indicator is
f lashing, the transmission
downshif ts, and the display shows
the selected lower gear.
Speed range
under 19 mph
(31 km/h)
under 38 mph
(60 km/h)
Speed range
under 34 mph
(55 km/h)
under 47 mph
(75 km/h) The transmission also shif ts
automatically as the vehicle comes to
a complete stop. It downshif ts to f irst
gear when the vehicle speed is under
10 mph (16 km/h).
Automatic Transmission
344
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2008 MDX

à
à
à
àà
à
à
The table shows the speed ranges
f or upshif ting and downshif ting. When you are in Sequential
SportShif t mode, and the vehicle is
stopped, push f orward on the shif t
lever to shif t to second gear. You
will see ‘‘2’’ in the display. Starting
out in second gear will help to
reduce wheelspin in deep snow or
on a slippery surf ace.
If you start out in second gear, the
transmission will be f ixed in that
gear.
To shift from
12
23
34
45 To shift from
32
43
54
Speed range
over 0 mph
(0 km/h)
over 10 mph
(16 km/h)
over 19 mph
(31 km/h)
over 37 mph
(60 km/h) Speed range
under 60 mph
(96 km/h)
under 93 mph
(150 km/h)
under 118 mph
(190 km/h)
The transmission will not
automatically downshif t to f irst gear
even when the vehicle speed is
under 10 mph (16 km/h). You need
to shif t down to f irst gear manually.
CONT INUED
St art ing in Second Gear
Automatic Transmission
Driving
345
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2008 MDX

µIf 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.
Bef ore downshif ting, make sure the
engine will not go into the
tachometer’s red zone.
This position is
similar to D, except only the f irst
three gears are selected. Use D
when towing a trailer in hilly terrain,
or to provide engine braking when
going down a steep hill. D can also
keep the transmission f rom cycling
between third, f ourth, and f if th gears
in stop-and-go driving.
ForfasteraccelerationwheninD or
D, you can get the transmission to
automatically downshif t by pushing
the accelerator pedal to the floor.
The transmission will shif t down one,
two, or three gears, depending on
your speed. This allows you to move the shif t
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake
pedal and pressing the release
button does not work.
Remove the key from the ignition
switch.
Set the parking brake.
1.
2.
3
3
3
Engine Speed Limiter Shift Lock Release
Drive (D )
Automatic Transmission
3
346
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2008 MDX

If you need to use the shif t lock
release, it means your vehicle is
developing a problem. Have the
vehicle checked by a dealer.Remove the key from the shift
lock release slot, then reinstall the
cover. Make sure the notch on the
cover is on the driver’s side. Press
the brake pedal, and restart the
engine.
Insert a key into the shift lock
release slot.
Put a cloth on the edge of the shif t
lock release slot cover. Use a small
f lat-tipped screwdriver or metal
f ingernail f ile to caref ully pry up
the edge of the cover and remove
it f rom the slot. Push down on the key while you
pressthereleasebuttononthe
f ront of the shif t lever and move
the shift lever out of Park to
neutral.
3. 4.
5.6.
Automatic Transmission
Driving
347
COVER
SHIFT LOCK RELEASE SLOT
RELEASE
BUTTON
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2008 MDX

Each torque indicator is displayed
as a bar graph divided into 5
segments. The number of
segments represents the amount
of torque distributed to each
wheel.
monitor on the multi-inf ormation
display shows you the amount of
torque being sent to the wheels.
Each wheel: right f ront (RF), lef t
front(LF),rightrear(RR),andleft
rear (LR), has its own torque
indicator.
The super handling-all wheel drive
wheel-drive system that
automatically controls and transfers
varying amounts of engine torque to
all wheels independently, according
to the driving conditions.
enhance the vehicle’s driving
stability in all situations, it is still
your responsibility to drive and
corner at reasonable speeds and to
leave a sufficient margin of safety.
When there is only a slight change in
torque distribution while driving,
such as cruising on level roads at the
same speed, the torque distribution
monitor may stop displaying the
amount of torque. This is not a
system problem. The monitor will
show the amount if the system
senses any change in torque
distribution.
Monitor
348
TORQUE INDICATOR
TORQUE INDICATOR
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) System®SuperHandling-AllWheelDrive(SH-AWD
(SH-AWD®) system is a f ull time all-
SH-AWD®T orque Distribution
WhiletheSH-AWD®system helps to
TheSH-AWD®torque distribution
2008 MDX