Acura MDX 2011 Owner's Manual
Manufacturer: ACURA, Model Year: 2011, Model line: MDX, Model: Acura MDX 2011Pages: 609, PDF Size: 12.7 MB
Page 351 of 609

Overview
Adaptive cruise control (ACC) allows
you to maintain a set speed and keep
the vehicle ahead of you and your
vehicle at a safe distance without
having to use the accelerator pedal or
the brake pedal.
When the vehicle ahead of you slows
down or speeds up, ACC senses the
change in distance and compensates
by adjusting your vehicle speed
accordingly. The distance between
vehicles is based on your speed: the
faster you go, the longer the distance
will be; the slower you go, the
shorter it will be.If the vehicle ahead of you slows
down suddenly or another vehicle
cuts in front of your vehicle, ACC
alerts you by sounding a beeper and
displaying a message on the multi-
information display.
The ACC radar sensor in the front
grille can detect and monitor the
distance of a vehicle up to 328 feet
(100 meters) ahead of your vehicle.
For more information on the radar
sensor, see page 458.
Important Safety Precautions
As with any system, there are limits
to ACC. Inappropriate use of ACC
can result in a serious accident. Use
the brake pedal whenever necessary,
and always keep a safe distance
between your vehicle and other
vehicles.Do not use ACC under these
conditions:
●
In poor visibility.
●
In heavy traffic.
●
When you must slow down and
speed up repeatedly.
●
On winding roads.
●
When you enter a toll gate,
interchange, service area, parking
area, etc. In these areas, there is
no vehicle ahead of you, but ACC
would still try to accelerate to your
set speed.
●
In bad weather (rain, fog, snow,
etc.)
●
On a slippery road (for example a
road covered with ice or snow).
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)34610/06/29 11:59:04 11 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX640 enu
Page 352 of 609

Improper use of ACC can lead
to a crash.
Use ACC only when traveling
on open highways in good
weather.Operating Characteristics
When there is no vehicle ahead within
ACC rangeYour vehicle will maintain a set
cruising speed.
When a vehicle ahead is within ACCrange and going slower than your setspeedIf the vehicle ahead of you is going
slower than your set speed, your
vehicle will slow down to the speed
of that vehicle. Your vehicle will then
follow at a constant distance until the
vehicle ahead changes speed again.
CONTINUED
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
347
Features
10/06/29 11:59:04 11 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX640 enu
Page 353 of 609

If the vehicle ahead of you slows
down abruptly, or if another vehicle
cuts in front of you, a beeper sounds
and a message appears on the multi-
information display to warn you.
In this case, decelerate your vehicle
by pressing the brake pedal, and
keep an appropriate distance from
the vehicle ahead.
When a vehicle ahead is within ACCrange and going at a steady speedYour vehicle follows the vehicle
ahead of it, keeping a constant
distance. ACC will not keep your
vehicle at a constant distance if the
vehicle ahead of you goes out of
range of your set speed.
If the vehicle ahead of you slows
down and changes lanes, ACC no
longer tracks it. Your vehicle will
then return to your set speed.
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)34810/06/29 11:59:04 11 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX640 enu
Page 354 of 609

Limitations●
ACC does not work below 25 mph
(40 km/h). It cannot bring your
vehicle to a complete stop.
●
ACC will not sound a beeper or
display a message on the multi-
information display to warn you of
vehicles going slower than 13 mph
(20 km/h) or vehicles that are
parked. In these cases, it is up to
you to maintain a safe distance by
using the brake pedal.
●
ACC may not recognize
motorcycles or other small
vehicles ahead of your vehicle.
●
ACC may react to vehicles beside
you or even a building beside you
by momentarily applying the
brakes or sounding a beeper
under conditions such as a sudden
curve or narrowing of the road, an
abrupt movement of the steering
wheel, or if you are in an unusual
position within your lane.
CONTINUED
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
349
Features
10/06/29 11:59:04 11 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX640 enu
Page 355 of 609

Using the ACC1. Push the MAIN button on thesteering wheel. The ACC indicator
on the instrument panel comes on,
and ‘‘ACC’’ is shown on the multi-
information display.
2. Accelerate to the desired speed above 25 mph (40 km/h).
3. Press and release the SET/DECEL button on the steering
wheel, then release the accelerator
pedal.
If you press the SET/DECEL button
when the vehicle speed is below 25
mph (40 km/h), you will hear a beep
for about 1 second. This means ACC
is not activated, and you cannot set
your speed.
When your speed reaches 25 mph
(40 km/h), ACC goes into wait
mode, and ‘‘ACC ’’is shown on the
multi-information display.
MAIN BUTTON
SET/DECEL BUTTON
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)35010/06/29 11:59:04 11 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX640 enu
Page 356 of 609

When the speed is set, it is shown
along with a vehicle icon and
distance bars on the multi-
information display.
Refer to page 354 for how to set and
change the set distance between
your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of
you.
To change the speed unit
measurement from mph to km/h,
see page 97.
If you change the speed unit
measurement from the factory
default setting, the initial speed unit
measurement is shown under the
current unit.Increasing the Set Speed
The set speed can be increased by
using the RES/ACCEL button or the
accelerator pedal.
To increase the set speed with the
RES/ACCEL button, do this:
Press and hold the RES/ACCEL
button. The vehicle will accelerate.
When you reach the speed you want,
release the button.
U.S.
SET VEHICLE
DISTANCE
CANADA SET VEHICLE
SPEED
U.S.
INITIAL SPEED UNIT
CANADA
RES/ACCEL BUTTON
CONTINUED
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
351
Features
10/06/29 11:59:04 11 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX640 enu
Page 357 of 609

To increase your speed in small
amounts, tap the RES/ACCEL button
repeatedly. Each time you do this,
your vehicle will speed up about 1
mph (1 km/h).
While the vehicle accelerates to the
set speed, the set speed on the multi-
information display will flash.
If a vehicle ahead of you is driving at
a slower speed than the speed you
want to set, your vehicle will not
accelerate; it will keep some distance
between your vehicles.
To increase the set speed with the
accelerator pedal, do this:
Press the accelerator pedal to
increase to the speed you want, then
press the SET/DECEL button. The
set speed will be shown on the multi-
information display. If you do not
press the SET/DECEL button, your
vehicle will return to the previously
set speed.The ACC beeper will not sound while
you press the accelerator pedal, no
matter how close you get to the
vehicle ahead of you.
Decreasing the Set Speed
The set speed can be decreased
using the SET/DECEL button or the
brake pedal.
To decrease the set speed with the
SET/DECEL button, do this:
Press and hold the SET/DECEL
button. Release the button when you
reach the speed you want.
SET/DECEL BUTTON
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)35210/06/29 11:59:04 11 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX640 enu
Page 358 of 609

To slow down in small amounts, tap
the SET/DECEL button repeatedly.
Each time you do this, your vehicle
slows down about 1 mph (1 km/h).
The set cruising speed will be shown
on the multi-information display.
On a steep downhill, the vehicle
speed may exceed the set cruising
speed.
To decrease the set speed with the
brake pedal, do this:
Tap the brake pedal. When the
vehicle slows down to the speed you
want, press the SET/DECEL button.
The set speed will be shown on the
multi-information display. If you use
the brake pedal to decrease speed,
and then press the RES/ACCEL
button, your vehicle will return to the
previously set speed.Detecting a Vehicle Ahead of You
When the system detects a vehicle
ahead of you, a beeper sounds once
and a solid-line vehicle icon appears
on the multi-information display.
When that vehicle changes lanes or
goes out of ACC range, a beeper
sounds once. If there is no vehicle
ahead of you within ACC range, a
dotted-line vehicle icon will be on the
multi-information display.
To set the ACC beeper on or off, see
page 96.
U.S.
CANADA
U.S.
CANADA
CONTINUED
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
353
Features
10/06/29 11:59:04 11 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX640 enu
Page 359 of 609

Changing Vehicle DistanceWith ACC on, the distance between
your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of
you is controlled and maintained.
You can change this distance to one
of three ranges: long, middle, or
short.To change the range, press the
distance button. Each time you press
the button, the range changes from
Long, to Middle, and then to Short.
The higher your vehicle speed is, the
longer the distance between the
vehicle in front will be set as shown
below.
Speed 50 mph
(80 Km/h) 65 mph
(104 Km/h)
Vehicle
Distance Long 154 feet 47 meters 200 feet
61 meters
Middle 111 feet 34 meters 173 feet
42 meters
Short 85 feet 26 meters 101 feet
31 meters
The distance you select is also shown
on the multi-information display.
DISTANCE BUTTON
U.S.
LONG
RANGE
U.S.
CANADA CANADA
U.S.
CANADA
MIDDLE
RANGE
SHORT
RANGE
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)35410/06/29 11:59:04 11 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX640 enu
Page 360 of 609

Canceling the ACCACC is canceled whenever you do
any of these actions:●
Push the CANCEL button on the
steering wheel.
●
Tap the brake pedal.
●
Press the MAIN button. The ACC
indicator in the instrument panel
goes off.When you push the CANCEL button
or tap the brake pedal to cancel ACC,
the set cruising speed stays in
memory. When you turn on ACC
again, the speed is shown on the
multi-information display. To return
to that speed, accelerate to over 25
mph (40 km/h), then press the RES/
ACCEL button.
If you cancel ACC by pressing the
MAIN button, the previously set
cruising speed is erased from
memory.
Automatic ACC Cancelation
When ACC is automatically canceled,
the beeper sounds for about 1
second, and the ACC OFF message
appears on the multi-information
display for 3 seconds.
Any of these conditions may cause
ACC to cancel:
●
The vehicle speed decreases
below 22 mph (35 km/h).
●
Poor weather (rain, fog, snow, etc.)
●
When the radar sensor in the front
grille gets dirty.
●
The vehicle ahead of you cannot
be detected.
●
An abnormal tire condition is
detected, or the tires are skidding.
CANCEL BUTTON
CONTINUED
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
355
Features
10/06/29 11:59:04 11 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX640 enu