2014 Acura MDX service

Contents
Child Safety P. 54 Exhaust Gas Hazard P. 66 Safety Labels P. 67Opening and Closing the Tailgate P. 128 Security System P. 135 Opening and Closing the Windows P. 138
Operating the Switches Around the Steering Wheel P. 141 Adjusting the Mirrors P. 158
Interior Lights/Interior Convenience Items P. 172 Climate Control System P. 185Audio Error Messages P. 239 General Information on the Audio System P. 244
Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® P. 268 Compass
* P. 301
Off-Highway Driving Guidelines P. 320 When Driving P. 322 Braking P. 367
Refueling P. 383 Fuel Economy P. 385 Accessories and Modifications P. 386Maintenance Under the Hood P. 395 Replacing Light Bulbs P. 407
Checking and Maintaining Tires P. 417 Battery P. 426 Remote Transmitter Care P. 427Engine Does Not Start P. 457 Jump Starting P. 460 Shift Lever Does Not Move P. 462
Fuses P. 469 Emergency Towing P. 475
When You Cannot Unlock the Fuel Fill Door P. 476
Devices that Emit Radio Waves P. 483 Reporting Safety Defects P. 484
Authorized Manuals P. 489 Client Service Information P. 490
Quick Reference Guide
P. 2
Safe Driving
P. 25
Instrument Panel
P. 69
Controls
P. 113
Features
P. 197
Driving
P. 303
Maintenance
P. 387
Handling the Unexpected
P. 437
Information
P. 479
Index
P. 491

18Quick Reference Guide
Handling the Unexpected
(P437)
Flat Tire
(P439)
●Park in a safe location and repair the flat
tire using the tire repair kit.
●Park in a safe location and replace the
flat tire with the compact spare tire
located under the cargo area.
Indicators Come On
(P465)
●Identify the indicator and consult the
owner’s manual.
Vehicles with tire repair kitVehicles with compact spare tire kit
Engine Won’t Start
(P457)
●If the battery is dead, jump start using a
booster battery.
Blown Fuse
(P474)
●Check for a blown fuse if an electrical
device does not operate.
Overheating
(P463)
●Park in a safe location. If you do not see
steam under the hood, open the hood,
and let the engine cool down.
Emergency Towing
(P475)
●Call a professional towing service if you
need to tow your vehicle.

22Quick Reference Guide
California Proposition 65 WarningEvent Data RecordersThis vehicle is equipped with an event data recorder (EDR).
The main purpose of an EDR is to record, in certain crash or near
crash-like situations, such as an air bag deployment or hitting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understanding how a vehicle’s
systems performed. The EDR is designed to record data related
to vehicle dynamics and safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this vehicle is
designed to record such data as:
•How various systems in your vehicle were operating;
•Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts were
buckled/fastened;
•How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator
and/or brake pedal; and,
•How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can help provide a better understanding of the
circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur. NOTE: EDR data
are recorded by your vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situation
occurs; no data are recorded by the EDR under normal driving
conditions and no personal data (e.g., name, gender, age, and
crash location) are recorded. However, other parties, such as law
enforcement, could combine the EDR data with the type of
personally identifying data routinely acquired during a crash
investigation.WARNING: This product contains or emits
chemicals known to the state of California to cause
cancer and birth defects or other reproductive
harm.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment is required,
and access to the vehicle or the EDR is needed. In addition to the
vehicle manufacturer, other parties, such as law enforcement, that
have the special equipment, can read the information if they have
access to the vehicle or the EDR.
The 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 RecordersThis vehicle is equipped with service-related devices that record
information about powertrain performance. The data can be used
to verify emissions law requirements and/or help technicians
diagnose and solve service problems. It may also be combined with
data from other sources for research purposes, but it remains
confidential.California Perchlorate Contamination Prevention ActThe airbags, seat belt tensioners, and CR type batteries in this
vehicle may contain perchlorate materials - special handling may
apply. See www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate/
As you read this manual, you will find information that is preceded
by a symbol. This information is intended to help you avoid
damage to your vehicle, other property, or the environment.
NOTICE

53
uuAirbagsuAirbag Care
Safe Driving
Airbag CareYou do not need to, and should not, perform any maintenance on or replace any
airbag system components yourself. However, you should have your vehicle
inspected by a dealer in the following situations:■When the airbags have deployed
If an airbag has inflated, the control unit and other related parts must be replaced.
Similarly, once an automatic seat belt tensioner has been activated, it must be
replaced.■When the vehicle has been in a moderate-to-severe collision
Even if the airbags did not inflate, have your dealer inspect the following: the driver’s
seat position sensor, weight sensors in the passenger’s seat, front seat belt
tensioners, and each seat belt that was worn during the crash.■Do not remove or modify a front seat without consulting a dealer
This would likely disable the driver’s seat position sensor or the weight sensors in the
passenger’s seat. If it is necessary to remove or modify a front seat to accommodate
a person with disabilities, contact an Acura dealer. For U.S. vehicles, Acura Client
Service at 800-382-2238 and for Canadian vehicles, Acura Client Service at 888-9-
ACURA-9.
1Airbag Care
We recommend against the use of salvaged airbag
system components, including the airbag, tensioners,
sensors, and control unit.

110
uuGauges and Multi-Information Display (MID)uMID
Instrument Panel
*1: Default SettingSetup Group Customizable Features Description Selectable SettingsPower
Tailgate
Setup
Power Open By Outer
Handle
Changes the setting to open power tailgate by
tailgate outer handle.
On (Power/Manual)
*1/Off
(Manual Only)
Keyless Open Mode
Changes the keyless setting for when the power
tailgate opens.
Anytime
*1/When Unlocked
IDS Setup
Preferred IDS Mode
Changes the IDS mode setting for when you set the
power mode to ON.
Last Used
*1/Comfort/Normal/
Sport
Maintenance
Info.
Maintenance Reset
Resets/Cancels the engine oil life display when you
have performed the maintenance service.
Cancel/Reset
Default All—Cancels/Resets all the customized settings as
default.Cancel/Set

197
Features
This chapter describes how to operate technology features.
Audio System
About Your Audio System ................ 198
USB Port .......................................... 199
Auxiliary Input Jack .......................... 200
Audio System Theft Protection ......... 201
Audio Remote Controls .................... 202
Audio System Basic Operation........ 203
On Demand Multi-Use Display
TM....... 204
Audio/Information Screen ................ 211
Adjusting the Sound ........................ 215
Display Setup ................................... 216
Playing AM/FM Radio ....................... 217
Playing XM® Radio ........................... 221Playing a CD .................................... 224
Playing an iPod®............................... 227
Playing Internet Radio ...................... 231
Playing a USB Flash Drive ................. 234
Playing Bluetooth® Audio................. 237
Audio Error Messages
CD Player ......................................... 239
iPod®/USB Flash Drive....................... 240
Pandora®......................................... 241
Aha
TM Radio ..................................... 243
General Information on the Audio
System
XM® Radio Service ........................... 244Recommended CDs ......................... 245
Compatible iPod®, iPhone®, and USB Flash
Drives ................................................. 247
Customized Features........................ 248
Defaulting All the Settings ............... 265
HomeLink® Universal Transceiver... 266
Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®
Using HFL ........................................ 268
HFL Menus ...................................... 270
Compass
*.......................................... 301
* Not available on all models

198Features
Audio SystemAbout Your Audio SystemSee the Navigation System Manual for operation of the audio system, AcuraLink,
rear entertainment system
*, Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®, and voice commands for
these features.
The audio system features AM/FM radio and XM® Radio service. It can also play
audio CDs, WMA/MP3/AAC files, USB flash drives, and iPod®, iPhone® and
Bluetooth® devices.
You can operate the audio system from the buttons and switches on the panel or
the icons on the touchscreen interface.
1About Your Audio System
XM® Radio is available on a subscription basis only.
For more information on XM® Radio, contact a
dealer.
2General Information on the Audio System
P. 244
XM® Radio is available in the United States and
Canada, except Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico.
XM® is a registered trademark of Sirius XM Radio, Inc.
Video CDs, DVDs
*, and 3-inch (8-cm) mini CDs are
not supported.
iPod® and iPhone® are registered trademarks owned
by Apple Inc.
State or local laws may prohibit the operation of
handheld electronic devices while operating a
vehicle.
When the screen is viewed through polarized
sunglasses, a rainbow pattern may appear on the
screen due to optical characteristics of the screen. If
this is disturbing, please operate the screen without
polarized sunglasses.
Models with navigation systemModels without navigation system
Remote ControlsiPod®
USB Flash
Drive
* Not available on all models

uuAudio System Basic OperationuPlaying Internet Radio
232Features
You can operate some of the Pandora® menu items from your vehicle’s audio
system. The available items are:■Operating a menu item
The menu items are shown in the lower half of
the audio/information screen.
Rotate to select an item and press .
To select Change Source, press the MENU
button, then press .■Pandora® Menu•Skip Forward•Dislike
•Play/Pause•Bookmark Track
•Station List•Bookmark Artist
•Like•Change SourceU.S. models
1Playing Internet Radio
To find out if your phone is compatible with this
feature, visit www.acura.com/handsfreelink, or call
1-888-528-7876.
Pandora® is a personalized Internet radio service that
selects music based on an artist, song, or genre a user
enters, and streams what is likely to be of interest.
To use this service in your vehicle, the Pandora® app
must first be installed on your phone. Visit
www.pandora.com. for more information.
If you cannot operate Pandora® through the audio
system, it may be streaming through Bluetooth®
Audio. Make sure Pandora® mode on your audio
system is selected.U.S. models1Pandora® Menu
Available operating functions vary on software
versions. Some functions may not be available on the
vehicle’s audio system.
If there is a problem, you may see an error message
on the audio/information screen.
2Pandora® P. 241
There are restrictions on the number of songs you
can skip or dislike in a given hour.