service Acura MDX 2012 Owner's Guide

Break-in Period
Help assure your vehicle's future
reliability and performance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the first 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period:●
Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
●
Avoid hard braking for the first 200
miles (300 km).
●
Do not change the oil until the
multi-information display indicates
it is needed.
●
Do not tow a trailer.
You should also follow these
recommendations with an
overhauled or exchanged engine, or
when the brakes are replaced.Fuel Recommendation
Your vehicle is designed to operate
on premium unleaded gasoline with
a pump octane of 91 or higher. If this
octane grade is unavailable, regular
unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane of 87 or higher may be used
temporarily. The use of regular
unleaded gasoline can cause metallic
knocking noises in the engine and
will result in decreased engine
performance. The long-term use of
regular-grade gasoline can lead to
engine damage.
To help prevent harmful fuel system and
engine deposits, use high quality fuel
containing detergent and additives. In
addition, in order to maintain good
performance, fuel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain harmful
manganesebased fuel additives such as
MMT, if such gasoline is available.
Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely affect performance,
and cause the malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, contact
your dealer for service.
Break-in Period, Fuel Recommendation422

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% ethanol by
volume and up to 15% 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.Because the level of detergency and
additives in gasoline vary in the
market, Honda endorses the use of
‘‘TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline’’
where available to help maintain the
performance and reliability of your
vehicle. TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline meets a new gasoline
standard jointly established by
leading automotive manufacturers to
meet the needs of today’s advanced
engines. Qualifying gasoline retailers
will, in most cases, identify their
gasoline as having met‘‘TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline’’standards at the
retail location. This fuel is
guaranteed to contain the proper
level of detergent additives and be
free of metallic additives. The proper
level of detergent additives, and
absence of harmful metallic additives
in gasoline, help avoid build-up of
deposits in your engine and emission
control system.For further important fuel-related
information for your vehicle, or
information on gasoline that does not
contain MMT, visit My Acura at
owners.acura.com.
In Canada, visit
www.acura.ca
for additional
information on gasoline.
Fuel Recommendation
423
Before Driving

Refueling1. Park with the driver's side closest
to the service station pump.
2. Open the fuel fill door by pressing
the button in the driver's door. (To
open the fuel fill door manually,
see page 572.)
3. Remove the fuel fill cap slowly.
You may hear a hissing sound as
pressure inside the tank equalizes.
Place the cap in the holder on the
fuel fill door.
4. Stop filling the tank after the fuel
nozzle automatically clicks off. Do
not try to‘‘top off’’the tank. Leave
some room for the fuel to expand
with temperature changes.If the fuel nozzle keeps clicking off
even though the tank is not full,
there may be a problem with your
vehicle's fuel vapor recovery system.
The system helps keep fuel vapor
from going into the atmosphere. Try
filling at another pump. If this does
not fix the problem, consult your
dealer.
Gasoline is highly flammable
and explosive. You can be
burned or seriously injured
when handling fuel.●
Stop the engine, and keep
heat, sparks, and flame
away.
●
Handle fuel only outdoors.
●
Wipe up spills immediately.
Push
FUEL FILL CAP
TETHER
HOLDER
Service Station Procedures424

5. Screw the fuel fill cap back on until
it clicks at least once. If you do not
properly tighten the cap, you will
see a‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL CAP’’
message on the multi-information
display (see right column on this
page), and the malfunction
indicator lamp may also come on
(see page 563).
6. Push the fuel fill door closed until
it latches.Tighten Fuel Cap Message
Your vehicle's on board diagnostic system
will detect a loose or missing fuel fill cap as
an evaporative system leak. The first time a
leak is detected a‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL CAP’’
message appears on the multi-information
display. Turn the engine off, and confirm the
fuel fill cap is installed. If it is, loosen it, then
retighten it until it clicks at least once. The
message should go off after several days of
normal driving once you tighten or replace
the fuel fill cap. To scroll to another message,
press the INFO button. The‘‘TIGHTEN
FUEL CAP’’message will appear each time
you restart the engine until the system turns
the message off.
If the system still detects a leak in
the vehicle's evaporative emissions
system, the malfunction indicator
lamp (MIL) comes on. If the fuel fill
cap was not already tightened, turn
the engine off, and check or
retighten the fuel fill cap until it
clicks at least once. The MIL should
go off after several days of normal
driving once the cap is tightened or
replaced. If the MIL does not go off,
have your vehicle inspected by a
dealer. For more information, see
page 563.Service Station Procedures
425
Before Driving

Opening and Closing the Hood1. Park the vehicle, and set the
parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower left corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly.
2. Put your fingers under the front
edge of the hood near the center.
Slide your hand to your left until
you feel the hood latch handle.
Push this handle up until it
releases the hood. Lift up the
hood.
If the hood latch handle moves stiffly,
or if you can open the hood without
lifting the handle, the mechanism
should be cleaned and lubricated.3. Lift the hood up most of the way.
The hydraulic supports will lift it
up the rest of the way and hold it
up.
To close the hood, lower the hood to
about a foot (30 cm) above the
fender, then press down firmly with
your hands. Make sure it is securely
latched.
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
LATCH
Service Station Procedures426

Oil CheckWait a few minutes after turning the
engine off before you check the oil.
1. Remove the dipstick (orange loop).
2. Wipe off the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel.
3. Insert the dipstick all the way back
into its hole.
4. 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,
seeAdding Engine Oilon page 517.Engine Coolant Check
Look at the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. Make sure it is
between the MAX and MIN lines. If
it is below the MIN line, seeAdding
Engine Coolanton page 520 for
information on adding the proper
coolant.
Refer toOwner's Maintenance
Checkson page 513 for information
about checking other items on your
vehicle.
DIPSTICK
UPPER MARK
LOWER MARK
RESERVE TANK
MIN
MAX
CONTINUED
Service Station Procedures
427
Before Driving

Your vehicle is equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
that turns on every time you start the
engine and monitors the pressure in
your tires while driving.
Each tire has its own pressure
sensor. If the air pressure of a tire
becomes significantly low, the sensor
in that tire immediately sends a
signal that causes the low tire
pressure/TPMS indicator in the
instrument panel to come on. If this
happens, you will see which tire is
losing pressure on the multi-
information display along with a
‘‘CHECK TIRE PRESSURE’’
message.
Low Tire Pressure/
TPMS Indicator
When the low tire pressure/TPMS
indicator is on, one or more of your
tires is significantly underinflated.
You should stop and check your tires
as soon as possible, and inflate them
to the proper pressure as indicated
on the vehicle's tire information
placard.
It is possible that the pressures
shown on the multi-information
display and the pressures you
manually measure are slightly
different.
If the difference is significant or you
cannot make the low tire pressure/
TPMS indicator and message on the
multi-information display go out after
inflating the tires to the specified
values, have your dealer check the
system as soon as possible.If you think you can safely drive a
short distance to a service station,
proceed slowly to the station, then
inflate the tire to the recommended
pressure.
If the tire is flat, or if the tire pressure
is too low to continue driving, replace
the tire with the compact spare tire
(see page 551).
Driving on a significantly under-
inflated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inflation also reduces fuel
efficiency and tire tread life, and may
affect the vehicle's handling and
stopping ability.
Because tire pressure varies by
temperature and other conditions,
the low tire pressure/TPMS
indicator may come on unexpectedly.
CONTINUED
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
455
Driving

If the low tire pressure/TPMS
indicator comes on, or the multi-
information display shows a‘‘CHECK
TPMS SYSTEM’’message, the VSA
system automatically turns on even
when the VSA system is turned off
by pressing the VSA OFF button
(see page 474). If this happens, you
cannot turn the VSA system off by
pressing the VSA OFF button again.
When you restart the vehicle with
the compact spare tire, the TPMS
system message will also be
displayed on the multi-information
display after several miles
(kilometers) driving.Changing a Tire with TPMS
If you have a flat tire, the low tire
pressure/TPMS and tire monitor
indicators will come on. Replace the
indicated flat tire with the compact
spare tire (see page 551).
After the flat tire is replaced with the
spare tire, the low tire pressure/
TPMS indicator stays on while
driving. After several miles
(kilometers) driving, this indicator
begins to flash, then stays on again.
You will also see a‘‘CHECK TPMS
SYSTEM’’message on the multi-
information display. This is normal;
the system cannot monitor the spare
tire pressure. Manually check the
spare tire pressure to be sure it is
correct.This indicator and the warning
message on the multi-information
display will go off, after several miles
(kilometers) driving, when the spare
tire is replaced with the specified
regular tire equipped with the tire
pressure monitor sensor.
Each wheel is equipped with a tire
pressure sensor. You must use
TPMS specific wheels. It is
recommended that you always have
your tires serviced by your dealer or
a qualified technician.
Never use a puncture-repairing agent
in a flat tire. If used, you will have to
replace the tire pressure sensor.
Have the flat tire repaired by your
dealer as soon as possible.
CONTINUED
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
459
Driving

Pre-Tow Checklist
When preparing to tow, and before
driving away, be sure to check the
following:●
The vehicle has been properly
serviced, and the suspension and
the cooling system are in good
operating condition.
●
The trailer has been properly
serviced and is in good condition.
●
All weights and loads are within
limits.
●
The hitch, safety chains, and any
other attachments are secure.
●
All items on and in the trailer are
properly secured and cannot shift
while you drive.
●
The lights and brakes on your
vehicle and the trailer are working
properly.
●
Your vehicle tires and spare are in
good condition and properly
inflated.
●
The trailer tires and spare are in
good condition and inflated as
recommended by the trailer
maker.Driving Safely With a Trailer
The added weight, length, and
height of a trailer will affect your
vehicle's handling and performance,
so driving with a trailer requires
some special driving skills and
techniques.
For your safety and the safety of
others, take time to practice driving
maneuvers before heading for the
open road, and follow the guidelines
in this section.
Towing a Trailer496

Improperly operating this
vehicle on or off-pavement can
cause a crash or rollover in
which you and your passengers
could be seriously injured or
killed.●
Follow all instructions and
guidelines in this owner's
manual.
●
Keep your speed low, and
don't drive faster than
conditions permit.Important Safety Precautions
To avoid loss of control or rollover,
be sure to follow all precautions and
recommendations.
●
Be sure to store cargo properly
and do not exceed your cargo load
limits (see page 434 and 487).
●
Whenever you drive, make sure
you and your passengers always
wear seat belts.
●
Keep your speed low, and never go
faster than the conditions allow.
●
It's up to you to continually assess
the situation and drive within the
limits.Check Out Your Vehicle
Before you leave the pavement, be
sure to do all scheduled maintenance
and service, and inspect your vehicle
for any problems. Pay special
attention to the condition of the tires,
and check the tire pressures.
After you return to the pavement,
carefully inspect your vehicle to
make sure there is no damage that
could make driving it unsafe.
Recheck the condition of the tires
and the tire pressures.
Remember
The route presents limits (too steep
or bumpy roads). You have limits
(driving skill and comfort). And your
vehicle has limits (traction, stability,
and power).
Driving off-highway can be
hazardous if you fail to recognize
limits and take the proper
precautions.
CONTINUED
Off-Highway Driving Guidelines
501
Driving