service Acura MDX 2004 Owner's Manual

2004 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.helminc.com. Contents
Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
............................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safety ........................................................................\
.................................................. ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance ........................................................................\
....................................................... 2
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
............................................... 5
Proper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restraint System.
Instruments and Controls........................................................................\
...................................................55
Instrument panel indica tor and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering column controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features........................................................................\
............................... 103
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other convenience features.
Before Driving ........................................................................\
....................................................... ..............157
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving........................................................................\
...................................................................................169
The proper way to start the engine, shift the tr ansmission, and park, plus towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
....................................................... ..................195
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your vehicle to the dealer.
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
.......................................229
This section covers several problems motorists someti mes experience, and how to handle them.
Technical Information........................................................................\
....................................................... 251
ID numbers, dimensions, capaciti es, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)......................................................................265
A summary of the warranties covering your new Honda, and how to contact us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
....................................... 269
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.

µ
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 airbag
work, and it tells you how to properly
restrain inf ants and children in your
vehicle.
.........
Important Safety Precautions . 6
.......
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features . 7
.......................................
Seat Belts .8
...........................................
Airbags .9
.........
Protecting Adults and Teens . 11
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors . 11
...........
2. Adjust the Front Seats . 11
............
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs . 12
...
4. Adjust the Head Restraints . 13
5. Fasten and Position the Seat .....................................
Belts .14
....
6. Adjust the Steering Wheel . 16
7. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .16
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women . 17
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 17Additional Inf ormation About Your
.................................
Seat Belts .19
..
Seat Belt System Components . 19
......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .19
........ 20
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance . 21
Additional Inf ormation About Your .....................................
Airbags .22
......
Airbag System Components . 22
......... 23
........................
Advanced Airbag .25
...
How Your Side Airbags Work . 27
How Your Side Curtain Airbag .........................................
Work .28
How the SRS Indicator Light .......................................
Works .28
How The Side Airbag Of f ......................
Indicator Works .29
How the Passenger Airbag ...............
Of f indicator Works . 30
.............................
Airbag Service .31
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 32
Protecting Children General ................................
Guidelines .33
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .33 All Children Should Sit in a Back
...........................................
Seat .34
The Passenger’s Front Airbag Can Pose Serious Risks to ...............................
Children .34
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .36
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .36
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 36
Protecting inf ants and .........................
Small Children .38
.......................
Protecting Inf ants .38
.........
Protecting Small Children . 39
.....................
Selecting a Child Seat .40
....................
Installing a Child Seat .41
Installing a Child Seat with .....................................
LATCH .42
Installing a Child Seat with ...............
a Lap/Shoulder Belt . 44
Installing a Child Seat with ...................................
a Tether .45
...........
Protecting Larger Children . 47
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 51
...................................
Saf ety Labels .52
Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners
How Your Front Airbags Work
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety5

your dealer
should inspect the driver’s seat
position sensor and the f ront
passenger’s weight sensors to
make sure they are operating
properly.
Take your vehicle to an
authorized Acura dealer as soon as
possible. If you ignore this
indication, your airbags may not
operate properly.
Your airbag systems are virtually
maintenance-f ree, and there are no
parts you can saf ely service.
However, you must have your
vehicle serviced if:
Any airbag
that has deployed must be
replaced along with the control
unit and other related parts. If a
f ront airbag inf lates, the seat belt
tensioners must also be replaced.
Do not try to remove or replace
anyairbagbyyourself.Thismust
be done by an Acura dealer or a
knowledgeable body shop.
If this happens, have the passenger
ride properly restrained in a back
seat. If the passenger must ride in
front, move the seat as far to the
rear as possible, have the passenger
sit upright and wear the seat belt
properly.
This indicator may come on and of f
repeatedly if objects are placed on
the front passenger’s seat, or if the
interior temperature of the vehicle
changes suddenly when a door is
opened.
See page f or more inf ormation
about the passenger’s advanced
f ront airbag.
25
If your vehicle has a moderat e t o
severe impact , and even if yourairbags do not inf late,
T he SRS indicat or alert s you t o a problem.
An airbag ever inf lates.Airbag Service
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety31

Pushing or
pulling on the back of the seat,
placing heavy items in the back
seat pocket, pushing cargo against
the seat, or hanging heavy items
on the seat back can interf ere with
the proper operation of the
passenger’s advanced front airbag.
Do not remove or modif y a f ront
seat without consulting an Acura
dealer. This could make the driver’s
seat position sensor or the f ront
passenger’s weight sensors
inef f ective. If it is necessary to
remove or modif y a f ront seat to
accommodate a person with
disabilities, f irst contact Acura
Client Services at 800-382-2238.
Together, airbags and
seat belts provide the best
protection.
Tampering could cause
the airbags to deploy, possibly
causing very serious injury.
If water or another liquid
or spilled water soaks into a seat-
back, it can prevent the side airbag
cutof f system f rom working
properly.
This could make the
driver’s seat position sensor and
the f ront passenger’s weight
sensors inef f ective. This could make the front
passenger’s weight sensors
inef f ective.
Improperly
replacing or covering f ront seat-
back covers can prevent your side
airbags f rom inf lating during a
collision.
This could make the driver’s seat
position sensor and the f ront
passenger’s weight sensors
inef f ective.
Do not do anyt hing t hat would
increase or decrease weight on t hef ront passenger’s seat .
Donotattempttodeactivateyour
airbags.
Do not t amper wit h airbagcomponent s or wiring f or anyreason.
Do not expose t he f ront seat -backsto liquid.
Do not place any it ems under t hefront seats. Do not place t he second row f loor
mat under t he f ront passenger’sseat .
Do not cover or replace f ront seat -back covers wit hout consult ing anAcura dealer.
Do not modif y t he f ront seat s.Additional Saf ety Precautions
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety32

This indicator normally comes on f or
a f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition to ON (II).
This indicator normally comes on f or
a f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition to ON (II).
If it comes on while driving, it
indicates that one or more of your
vehicle’s tires are extremely low on
pressure.
If this happens, pull to the side of the
road when it is saf e, check which tire
has lost the pressure on the Tire
Pressure Monitor, and determine the
cause. If it is because of a f lat tire,
replace the flat tire with the compact
spare (see page ), and have the
f lat tire repaired as soon as possible.
If two or more tires are underinf lated,
call a prof essional towing service
(see page ). Ref er to page
f or more inf ormation. The appropriate tire indicator will
come on along with the Low Tire
Pressure Indicator if a tire is
extremely under inf lated or has
suddenly lost pressure. See Low Tire
Pressure Indicator f or what to do if
this indicator comes on.
If this indicator comes on and stays
on at any other time, or it does not
come on when you turn the ignition
switch to ON (II), there is a problem
with the TPMS. With this indicator
on, the low tire pressure indicator
and the tire pressure monitor will not
come on when a tire loses pressure.
Take the vehicle to your dealer to
have the system checked.
231
244
178
Instrument Panel Indicators
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (T PMS) Indicator
Low Tire Pressure
Indicator Tire Pressure Monitor
64

Bef ore you begin driving your Acura,
youshouldknowwhatgasolineto
use, and how to check the levels of
important f luids. You also need to
know how to properly store luggage
or packages. The inf ormation in this
section will help you. If you plan to
add any accessories to your vehicle,
please read the inf ormation in this
section f irst..............................
Break-in Period .158
...............................
Gasoline Type .158
.........
Service Station Procedures . 159
...............................
Fuel Economy .162
...
Accessories and Modif ications . 163
.............................
Carrying Cargo .165
Bef ore Driving
Bef ore Driving157

Help assure your vehicle’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period:Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
Do not change the oil until the
scheduled maintenance time. Your Acura is designed to operate on
premium unleaded gasoline with a
pump octane number of 91 or higher.
Useof aloweroctanegasolinecan
cause occasional metallic knocking
noises in the engine and will result in
decreased engine perf ormance.
You should also f ollow these same
recommendations with an
overhauled or exchanged engine, or
when the brakes are replaced. Avoidhardbrakingforthefirst
200 miles (300 km).
We recommended using a gasoline
containing detergent additives that
help prevent f uel system and engine
deposits. Some gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol or
MTBE. Your vehicle is designed to
operate on oxygenated gasoline
containing up to 10 percent ethanol
by volume and up to 15 percent
MTBE by volume. Do not use
gasoline containing methanol.
If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline.
In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend, in areas where it is
available, the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain manganese-based
f uel additives such as MMT. Use of
gasoline with these additives may
adversely affect performance, and
cause the Malf unction Indicator
Lamp on your instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, contact your
authorized Acura dealer f or service.
For f urther important f uel-related
inf ormation, please ref er to your
Quick Start Guide.
Break-in Period, Gasoline T ype
Bef ore Driving
Break-in Period
Gasoline Type
158

Remove the f uel f ill cap slowly.
You may hear a hissing sound as
pressure inside the tank escapes.
Place the cap in the holder on the
fuel fill door.
Stop f illing the tank af ter the f uel
nozzle automatically clicks of f . Do
not try to ‘‘top off’’ the tank. Leave
some room f or the f uel to expand
with temperature changes.even
though the tank is not full, there may
be a problem with your vehicle’s f uel
vapor recovery system. The system
helps keep f uel vapors f rom going
into the atmosphere. Consult your
dealer.
Open the f uel f ill door by pulling
onthehandletotheleftof the
driver’s seat. Park with the driver’s side closest
to the service station pump.
1.
2. 3.
4.
If the f uel nozzle keeps clicking of f
CONT INUED
Service Station Procedure
Bef ore Driving
Fueling
159
Pull
FUEL FILL CAP
Gasoline is highly flammable
and explosive. You can be
burned or seriously injured
when handling fuel.Stop the engine and keep
heat, sparks, and flames
away.
Handle fuel only outdoors.
Wipe up spills immediately.

Screw the fuel fill cap back on
until it clicks at least three times.
If you do not properly tighten the
cap, the Malf unction Indicator
Lampmaycomeon(seepage).
Push the f uel f ill door closed until
it latches.
Park the vehicle, and set the
parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower lef t corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly.Put your f ingers under the f ront
edge of the hood to the left of
center. Slide your hand to the lef t
until you f eel the hood latch
handle. Push this handle up until it
releases the hood. Lif t the hood.
If the hood latch handle moves stif f ly,
or if you can open the hood without
lifting the handle, the mechanism
should be cleaned and lubricated
(see page ).
1.
5.
6.
2.
243
214
Service Station Procedure
Bef ore Driving
Opening the Hood
160
HOOD RELEASE HANDLELATCH

Lif t the hood up most of the way.
The hydraulic supports will lif t it
uptherestof thewayandholdit
up.Wait a f ew minutes af ter turning the
engine of f bef ore you check the oil.Remove the dipstick (orange
handle).
Wipe the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel.
Insert it all the way back in its tube. Remove the dipstick again and
check the level. It should be
between the upper and lower
marks.
If it is near or below the lower mark,
see on page .
Lower the hood to about a f oot (30
cm) above the f ender, then press
down f irmly with your hands. Make
sure it is securely latched.
1.
3.
3. 2.4.
205
Service Station Procedure
Bef ore Driving
A dding Oil
Oil Check
T o Close the Hood
161
DIPSTICK UPPER MARK
LOWER MARK