automatic transmission Acura MDX 2012 Owner's Manual

ᤳ: If equippedDRIVER'S FRONT
AIRBAG (P. 10, 30)
DRIVING POSITION
MEMORY SYSTEM
(P. 168)
POWER DOOR LOCK
MASTER SWITCH
(P. 140)
PARKING BRAKE
RELEASE HANDLE
(P. 164)
POWER WINDOW
SWITCHES
(P. 160)
FUEL FILL DOOR
RELEASE BUTTON
(P. 424)
POWER TAILGATE
BUTTON (P. 142)
HOOD RELEASE
HANDLE (P. 426)PARKING BRAKE
PEDAL (P. 164)AUXILIARY INPUT
JACKS
ᤳ(P. 339)HEADPHONE
CONNECTORS
ᤳ(P. 340) INSTRUMENT PANEL
INDICATORS (P. 67)HOMELINK BUTTONS
(P. 363)MOONROOF SWITCH
(P. 163)MIRROR CONTROL
AUTO BUTTON
(P. 165)
PASSENGER'S
FRONT AIRBAG
(P. 10, 30)
CLIMATE CONTROL
SYSTEM (P. 182)
AUDIO SYSTEM
(P. 192)
AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION
(P. 443)
REAR CLIMATE
CONTROL SYSTEM
(P. 187) GAUGES (P. 78)
AC POWER OUTLET
(P. 178)
USB ADAPTER
CABLE
ᤳ(P. 280) AUXILIARY INPUT
JACKS (P. 307)
CONTINUED
Your Vehicle at a Glance
3
Your Vehicle at a Glance

ᤳ: If equipped
DRIVING POSITION
MEMORY SYSTEM
(P. 168)
POWER DOOR LOCK
MASTER SWITCH
(P. 140)
PARKING BRAKE
RELEASE HANDLE
(P. 164)
POWER WINDOW
SWITCHES
(P. 160)
FUEL FILL DOOR
RELEASE BUTTON
(P. 424)
POWER TAILGATE
BUTTON (P. 142)
HOOD RELEASE
HANDLE (P. 426)PARKING BRAKE
PEDAL (P. 164)AUXILIARY INPUT
JACKS
ᤳ(P. 339)HEADPHONE
CONNECTORS
ᤳ
(P. 340)REAR CLIMATE
CONTROL SYSTEM
(P. 187)AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION
(P. 443) AUDIO SYSTEM
(P. 192) CLIMATE CONTROL
SYSTEM (P. 182)MIRROR CONTROL
AUTO BUTTON
(P. 165) MOONROOF SWITCH
(P. 163) HOMELINK BUTTONS
(P. 363) INSTRUMENT PANEL
INDICATORS (P. 67)
GAUGES (P. 78)
AC POWER OUTLET
ᤳ
(P. 178)
AUXILIARY INPUT
JACKS
ᤳ(P. 307)
USB ADAPTER CABLE
ᤳ
(P. 280)
Control Locations66

Low Tire Pressure/
TPMS Indicator
This indicator normally comes on for
a few seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position.
This indicator has two functions:
1. If it comes on while driving, it
indicates that one or more of your
vehicle's tires are significantly low
on pressure.
You will also see a‘‘CHECK TIRE
PRESSURE’’message on the multi-
information display (see page 88).
Check the tire pressure monitor on
the multi-information display and
determine the cause (see page 456).If this happens, pull to the side of the
road when it is safe, check which tire
has lost pressure on the multi-
information display, and determine
the cause. If it is because of a flat tire,
have the flat tire repaired as soon as
possible. If two or more tires are
underinflated, call a professional
towing service. For more
information, see page 572.
2. If this indicator begins to flash,
there is a problem with the tire
pressure monitoring system
(TPMS). You will also see a
‘‘CHECK TPMS SYSTEM’’
message on the multi-information
display. The indicator continues to
flash for a while (approximately 1
minute), then stays on. If this
happens, have your dealer check
the system as soon as possible.
For more information, see page
458.
A/T Temperature
Indicator
This indicator monitors the
temperature of the automatic
transmission fluid. It should come on
for a few seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. If it comes on while driving,
it means the transmission fluid
temperature is too high. Pull to the
side of the road when it is safe, shift
to Park, and let the engine idle until
the indicator goes out.
You will also see an‘‘A/T TEMP
HIGH’’message on the multi-
information display (see page 88).
Continuing to drive with the A/T
temperature indicator on may cause
serious damage to the transmission.
Instrument Panel Indicators72

3. When you turn the wiper switch to
the‘‘OFF’’position, the wiper will
return to its parked position.
4. Rotate the switch
counterclockwise to spray the
window washer.
When you shift the transmission to
the reverse position with the front
windshield wipers activated, the
rear window wiper operates
automatically.
When the wiper control lever
position is INT, the rear wiper
operates intermittently. When it is
LO or HI, the rear wiper operates
continuously.
The rear window washer uses the
same fluid reservoir as the
windshield washer.Turn Signal and Headlights
1. Turn signal
2. Off
3. Parking and indicator lights
4. AUTO
5. Headlights on
6. High beams
7. Flash high beams
8. Fog lights off
9. Fog lights onTurn Signal－Push down on the
lever to signal a left turn and up to
signal a right turn. To signal a lane
change, push lightly on the lever,
and hold it. The lever will return to
center when you release it or
complete a turn.
Headlights On－Turning the
switch to the‘‘
’’position turns on
the parking lights, taillights,
instrument panel lights, side-marker
lights, and rear license plate lights.
Turning the switch to the‘‘
’’
position turns on the headlights. If
you leave the lights on with the key
removed from the ignition switch,
you will hear a reminder chime when
you open the driver's door.
Windshield Wipers and Washers, Turn Signal and Headlights128

This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
automatic transmission. It also
includes important information on
parking your vehicle, the braking
system, the Super Handling-All
Wheel Drive™(SH-AWD
®) system,
the vehicle stability assist (VSA
®)
system, active damper system (If
equipped), the tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS), the
collision mitigation braking system™
(CMBS™), the blind spot information
system (BSI) and facts you need if
you are planning to tow a trailer or
drive off-high way.Driving Guidelines
......................
440
Preparing to Drive
......................
441
Starting the Engine
.....................
442
Check Starting System
Message
.............................
443
Automatic Transmission
.............
443
Driving with the Paddle
Shifters
................................
447
Using the Paddle Shifters in
the D position (D-Paddle
Shift Mode)
.....................
447
Using the Paddle Shifters in
the S position (Sequential
Shift Mode)
.....................
449
Super Handling-All Wheel
Drive™(SH-AWD
®)
System
................................
452
Parking
.......................................
454
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS)
...................................
455
Braking System
..........................
460
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS)
...............
461
Collision Mitigation Braking
System™(CMBS™)
...............
463Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA
®),
aka Electronic Stability Control
(ESC), System
.....................
473
Blind Spot Information System
(BSI)
.......................................
476
Active Damper System
................
484
Towing a Trailer
..........................
487
Trailer Stability Assist
.................
498
Off-Highway Driving
Guidelines
...............................
500
Driving
439
Driving

Check Starting System MessageIf there is a problem with the starting
system, you will see a‘‘CHECK
STARTING SYSTEM’’message on
the multi-information display when
the ignition switch is turned to the
ON (II) position. You will also see
this message when the auto control
mode of the starting system has a
problem.If this message is on, the ignition
switch has to be held in the START
(III) position manually until the
engine starts. The ignition switch can
be held in that position up to 15
seconds.
Even though you may be able to start
the engine manually without the auto
control mode of the starting system,
have your dealer inspect your
vehicle.Shift Lever Position Indicators
These indicators on the instrument
panel show which position the shift
lever is in.
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.
CONTINUED
Starting the Engine, Automatic Transmission
443
Driving

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
88).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.
To shift from: Do this:
PtoRPress the brake pedal, and
press the shift lever release
button.
RtoP
NtoR
DtoSPress the shift lever release
button.
StoD
DtoN
NtoD
RtoNMove 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, seeShift Lock Releaseon
page 446.
Automatic Transmission444

To avoid transmission damage, come
to a complete stop before shifting
into Park. You must also press the
release button to shift 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 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 6) 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.S Position (S)－To shift into the S
position, press the release button on
the front of the shift lever, and move
the lever to S. This position is similar
to D, except only gears from first to
fifth are selected. (When shifting up
automatically, the vehicle speed is
higher than when in the D position.)
The S position keeps the
transmission from cycling between
fourth, fifth, and sixth gears in stop-
and-go driving.
With the shift lever in D or S, you
can also use the paddle shifters to
shift the transmission up or down.
Once you begin to use the paddle
shifters in S, the transmission will no
longer upshift or downshift
automatically. For more information
of driving with the paddle shifters,
see page 449.
CONTINUED
Automatic Transmission
445
Driving

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.
The engine may cut in and out in R
position or depending on the road
condition even when the engine
speed is lower than the tachometer's
red zone. This is the engine's
computer working to protect the
transmission.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.
3. Put a cloth on the edge of the shift
lock release slot cover. Use a small
flat-tip screwdriver or metal
fingernail file to carefully pry up
the edge of the cover and remove
it from the slot.
COVER
Automatic Transmission446

4. Insert a key into the shift lock
release 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.Using the Paddle Shifters in the D
position (D-Paddle Shift Mode)
When you are driving in the D
position, pulling either paddle shifter
switches from D-normal drive mode,
to D-paddle shift mode. You can shift
the transmission up or down
manually with the paddle shifters.
Downshifting gives you more power
when climbing, and provides engine
braking when going down a steep
hill.RELEASE
BUTTON
SHIFT LOCK RELEASE SLOT
PADDLE SHIFTERS
CONTINUED
Automatic Transmission, Driving with the Paddle Shifters
447
Driving