2009 Acura MDX Owner's Manual

Shift Lever Position IndicatorsThese indicators on the instrument
panel show which position the shift
lever is in. In the Sequential
SportShift 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. The
‘‘D ’’indicator comes on for a few
seconds when you turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position. If it
flashes while driving (in any shift
position), it indicates a possible
problem in the transmission.
If the malfunction 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-information display (see page
82). Shifting
To shift from Park to any position,
press firmly on the brake pedal, and
press the release button on the front
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.
CONTINUED
Automatic Transmission
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To shift from:Do this:
PtoR Press the brake pedal, and
press the shift lever release
button.
RtoP
NtoR
DtoD3 Press the shift lever release
button.
D3 to D DtoN
NtoD
RtoN Move the shift lever.Park (P)
－This position
mechanically locks the transmission.
Use Park whenever you are turning
off or starting the engine. To shift out
of Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and press the release button on
the shift lever. Make sure your foot is
off the accelerator pedal.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see Shift Lock Release on
page346. To avoid transmission damage, come
to a complete stop before shifting
into Park. The shift lever must be in
Park before you can remove the key
from the ignition switch.
Reverse (R)
－Press the brake
pedal and press the release button on
the front of the shift lever to shift
from Park to reverse. To shift from
reverse to neutral, come to a
complete stop, and then shift. Press
the release button before shifting
into reverse from neutral.
Neutral (N) －Use neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop briefly with the
engine idling. Shift 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. Drive (D)
－Use this position for
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear (1 through 5) for 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 faster.Automatic Transmission34208/06/06 16:58:07 09 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX620 enu
2009 MDX

Sequential SportShift ModeWith the shift lever in‘‘D ’’position,
you can select the Sequential
SportShift mode to shift gears much
like a manual transmission, but
without a clutch pedal.
When you move the shift lever from
‘‘ D ’’to ‘‘M’’ position, the display
shows the selected gear.
To enter the Sequential SportShift
mode, move the shift lever further to
the driver's side. To return to ‘‘D, ’’
move the shift lever to the
passenger's side.
In Sequential SportShift mode, each
time you push forward on the shift
lever, the transmission shifts to a
higher gear. Pull back on the lever to
downshift. The number of the gear
selected is displayed on the
instrument panel. When you accelerate away from a
stop, the transmission starts in first
gear. You have to manually upshift
between first and fifth gears. Make
sure you upshift before the engine
speed reaches the tachometer's red
zone.
The transmission remains in the
selected gear (5, 4, 3, 2, or 1). There
is no automatic downshift when you
push the accelerator pedal to the
floor.
SELECTED GEAR
(
ꬽ ) UP SHIFT
(ꭥ ) DOWN SHIFT
CONTINUED
Automatic Transmission
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The transmission may automatically
downshift from the higher gear to
the lower gear under these
conditions:
Driving on level roads and downhillTo shift from Speed range
4→ 3 under 19 mph
(31 km/h)
5 → 4 under 38 mph
(60 km/h)
Driving uphill To shift from Speed range
4→ 3 under 34 mph
(55 km/h)
5 → 4 under 47 mph
(75 km/h) Downshifting gives you more power
when climbing, and provides engine
braking when going down a steep
hill.
The transmission also shifts
automatically as the vehicle comes to
a complete stop. It downshifts to first
gear when the vehicle speed is under
10 mph (16 km/h).
If you try to manually downshift at a
speed that would cause the engine to
exceed the redline in a lower gear,
the transmission does not downshift.
The gear indicator will flash the
number of the lower gear several
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
flashing, the transmission
downshifts, and the display shows
the selected lower gear.Automatic Transmission34408/06/06 16:58:07 09 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX620 enu
2009 MDX

The table shows the speed ranges for
upshifting and downshifting.To shift from Speed range
1→ 2 over 0 mph
(0 km/h)
2 → 3 over 10 mph
(16 km/h)
3 → 4 over 19 mph
(31 km/h)
4 → 5 over 37 mph
(60 km/h) To shift from Speed range
3→ 2 under 60 mph
(96 km/h)
4 → 3 under 93 mph
(150 km/h)
5 → 4 under 118 mph
(190 km/h)
Starting in Second GearWhen you are in Sequential
SportShift mode, and the vehicle is
stopped, push forward on the shift
lever to shift 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 surface.
If you start out in second gear, the
transmission will be fixed in that
gear.
The transmission will not
automatically downshift to first gear
even when the vehicle speed is
under 10 mph (16 km/h). You need
to shift down to first gear manually.
CONTINUED
Automatic Transmission
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Drive (D
3)－ This position is similar
to D, except only the first three gears
are selected. Use D
3when towing a
trailer in hilly terrain, or to provide
engine braking when going down a
steep hill. D
3can also keep the
transmission from cycling between
third, fourth, and fifth gears in stop-
and-go driving.
For faster acceleration when in D
3or
D, you can get the transmission to
automatically downshift by pushing
the accelerator pedal to the floor.
The transmission will shift down one,
two, or three gears, depending on
your speed. Engine Speed Limiter
If you exceed the maximum speed
for the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the
tachometer's red zone. If this occurs,
you may feel 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.
Before downshifting, make sure the
engine will not go into the
tachometer's red zone.
Shift Lock Release
This allows you to move the shift
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake
pedal and pressing the release button
does not work.
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Remove the key from the ignition
switch.
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2009 MDX

3. Put a cloth on the edge of the shiftlock release slot cover. Use a small
flat-tipped screwdriver or metal
fingernail file to carefully pry up
the edge of the cover and remove
it from the slot.
4. Insert a key into the shift lockrelease slot.
5. Push down on the key while you press the release button on the
front of the shift lever and move
the shift lever out of Park to
neutral. 6. 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.
If you need to use the shift lock
release, it means your vehicle is
developing a problem. Have the
vehicle checked by a dealer.
COVER
RELEASE
BUTTON
SHIFT LOCK RELEASE SLOT
Automatic Transmission
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The super handling-all wheel drive
(SH-AWD) system is a full time all-
wheel-drive system that
automatically controls and transfers
varying amounts of engine torque to
all wheels independently, according
to the driving conditions.
While the SH-AWD system helps to
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.SH-AWD Torque Distribution
Monitor
The SH-AWD torque distribution
monitor on the multi-information
display shows you the amount of
torque being sent to the wheels.
Each wheel: right front (RF), left
front (LF), right rear (RR), and left
rear (LR), has its own torque
indicator.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.
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.
TORQUE INDICATOR
TORQUE INDICATOR
Super Handling-All Wheel Drive
™(SH-AWD
®) System
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