2009 Acura MDX tailgate

To lock all doors and the tailgate,
press the bottom of the master door
lock switch on either front door, pull
the lock tab above the driver's door
handle, or use the key on the outside
lock on the driver's door.
Pressing the top of either master
door lock switch will unlock all doors
and the tailgate.
The lock tab on any passenger's door
locks and unlocks that door.
All doors and the tailgate can be
locked from the outside by using the
key in the driver's door lock. To
unlock only the driver's door, insert
the key, turn the key, and release it.
The remaining doors and the tailgate
unlock when you turn the key a
second time within a few seconds.To change the
‘‘KEY AND REMOTE
UNLOCK MODE ’’setting, see page
109.
When the vehicle speed reaches
about 10 mph (about 16 km/h) or
more, all the doors lock
automatically.
To change the ‘‘AUTO DOOR
LOCK ’’setting, see page106.
When you shift to P after driving, the
driver's door unlocks.
To change the ‘‘AUTO DOOR
UNLOCK ’’setting, see page107.
UNLOCK
LOCK
LOCK
UNLOCK
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2009 MDX

Lockout PreventionWith any door and the tailgate open
and the key in the ignition, both
master door lock switches are
disabled. They are not disabled if all
the doors and the tailgate are closed.
If you try to lock an open driver's
door by pulling the lock tab rearward
the lock tab on the driver's door pops
out.Childproof Door Locks
The childproof door locks are
designed to prevent children seated
in the rear from accidentally opening
the rear doors. Each rear door has a
lock lever near the edge. With the
lever in the LOCK position (lever is
down), the door cannot be opened
from the inside regardless of the
position of the lock tab. To open the
door, push the lock tab forward and
use the outside door handle.Tailgate
To open the tailgate, push up inside
the handle, then lift up. To close the
tailgate, use the inner handle to pull
it down, then press down on the back
edge.
Keep the tailgate closed at all times
while driving to avoid damaging the
tailgate and to prevent exhaust gas
from getting into the interior. See
Carbon Monoxide Hazard
on page
58.
LOCK
Door Locks, Tailgate
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Inst rument s and Cont rols
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2009 MDX

Power TailgateIf equippedThe tailgate can be opened and
closed with the remote transmitter
(see page135)or the switch in the
driver's door pocket when both front
doors are unlocked.
Press and hold the tailgate button on
the remote transmitter or the switch
for about 1 second to open or close
the tailgate. Each time you press the
button on the remote transmitter or
the switch, you will hear a beep, and
some front and rear lights will flash.If you push the same button or
switch again while the tailgate is
opening or closing, you will hear
three beeps, and the tailgate will stop
moving, reverse direction, and stop
at the fully opened or closed position.
The tailgate can also be closed by
pressing the button on the tailgate. If
you press the button again while the
tailgate is closing, you will hear three
beeps, and the tailgate will stop
moving, reverse direction, and stop
at the fully opened position.
POWER TAILGATE SWITCH
TAILGATE SWITCH
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2009 MDX

Auto-ReverseThe power tailgate has an auto-
reverse feature. If it meets resistance
while opening or closing, it will beep
three times and reverse direction.
However, the tailgate may not
reverse immediately. Always make
sure passengers and objects are clear
of the tailgate before opening or
closing it.
Closing a power tailgate while
anyone is in the path of the
tailgate can cause serious
injury.
Make sure everyone is clear
before closing the power
tailgate.Also check that passengers,
especially children, do not have their
hands on the edge of the tailgate or
on the tailgate sill. The auto reverse
feature stops working when the
tailgate is about to latch so the motor
can pull the tailgate shut.
If your vehicle's battery is
disconnected, goes dead, or the fuse
is removed while the tailgate is fully
open, the power tailgate needs to be
reset. After connecting the battery or
installing the fuse, close the tailgate
fully by hand.
The power tailgate may not open or
close under the these conditions:
●The vehicle is parked on a steep
hill.●When the vehicle is swayed in a
strong wind.
●When the tailgate or the roof is
covered with snow or ice.
Do not install any accessories on the
tailgate. It may cause the tailgate not
to function properly. If there is snow
or ice on the tailgate, make sure to
remove it before you operate the
tailgate.
If you push the tailgate release
button inside the handle while the
tailgate is opening or closing, it will
stop moving. You need to open or
close it the rest of the way manually.
The tailgate has sensors on both
sides. Be careful not to damage
them. If the sensors are damaged,
the power tailgate does not function
properly.
CONTINUED
Tailgate
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Inst rument s and Cont rols
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2009 MDX

If you try to drive off with the tailgate
not closed completely, a beeper
sounds and a‘‘DOOR & TAILGATE
OPEN ’’message is shown on the
multi-information display.
Keep the tailgate closed at all times
while driving to avoid damaging the
tailgate and to prevent exhaust gas
from getting into the interior. See
Carbon Monoxide Hazard on page
58.
If there is a problem in the power
tailgate system, you will see a
‘‘ CHECK POWER TAILGATE ’’
message on the multi-information
display. Have the system checked by
your dealer.
With this message shown on the
multi-information display, you can
still open or close the tailgate
manually. Unlocking the Tailgate
Models with power tailgateIf the power door lock system cannot
unlock the tailgate, unlock it
manually.
Use a small flat-tipped screwdriver to
remove the cover on the back of the
tailgate.
Push the release lever to the right as
shown.
If you need to unlock the tailgate
manually, it means there is a
problem with the tailgate. Have the
vehicle checked by your dealer.
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2009 MDX

Models without power tailgateIf you cannot open the tailgate,
remove the cover on the back of the
tailgate (see page134).Push the
release lever to the right as shown,
then pull the outer handle to open
the tailgate.Remote Transmitter
LOCK
－Press this button once to
lock all doors and the tailgate. Some
exterior lights will flash. When you
push LOCK twice within 5 seconds,
you will hear a beep to verify that the
doors and tailgate are locked and the
security system has set. This button
does not work if any door or tailgate
is not fully closed.
To change the ‘‘KEYLESS LOCK
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ’’setting,
see page110.
Models without power tailgate
UNLOCK
BUTTON LOCK
BUTTON
PANIC
BUTTON
Models with power tailgate
UNLOCK
BUTTON LOCK
BUTTON
PANIC
BUTTON
TAILGATE
BUTTON
CONTINUED
Tailgate, Remote Transmitter
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Inst rument s and Cont rols
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2009 MDX

UNLOCK－Press this button once
to unlock the driver's door. Push it
twice to unlock the other doors.
Some exterior lights will flash twice
when you push the button. If you do
not open any door or the tailgate
within 30 seconds, they will
automatically relock.
To change the ‘‘KEY AND REMOTE
UNLOCK MODE ’’setting, see page
109.
To change the ‘‘SECURITY RELOCK
TIMER ’’setting, see page111. When you press the UNLOCK
button, the front and rear individual
map lights and the cargo area light,
depending on their switch positions,
will come on (see page160).If you
do not open any door or the tailgate,
the lights stay on for about 30
seconds, then go out. If you relock
the doors and the tailgate with the
remote transmitter before 30 seconds
have elapsed, the lights will go off
immediately.
Models with power tailgateTAILGATE
－Press and hold the
TAILGATE button to open or close
the power tailgate. When the tailgate
begins to move, you will hear a beep,
and some front and rear lights will
flash. If you push the same button again
while the tailgate is opening or
closing, three beeps sound, the
tailgate stops moving, reverses
direction and stops in the fully
opened or fully closed position.
PANIC
－Press and hold this
button for about 1 second to attract
attention; the horn will sound, and
the exterior lights will flash for about
30 seconds. To cancel panic mode,
press any other button on the remote
transmitter, or turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position. Panic
mode does not work when the key is
in the ignition switch.
Remote Transmitter13608/06/06 16:58:07 09 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX620 enu
2009 MDX

Remote Transmitter Care●Avoid dropping or throwing the
transmitter.●Protect the transmitter from
extreme temperature.●Do not immerse the transmitter in
any liquid.●If you lose a transmitter, the
replacement needs to be
reprogrammed by your dealer.Replacing the Transmitter Battery
If it takes several pushes on the
button to lock or unlock the doors
and the tailgate, replace the battery
as soon as possible.
Battery type: CR1616
To replace the battery:
1. Remove the screw at the base of
the transmitter with a small
Phillips-head screwdriver.
2. Separate the keypad from the transmitter by pushing any button
from outside.SCREW KEYPAD
CONTINUED
Remote Transmitter
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Inst rument s and Cont rols
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2009 MDX