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2016 MDX - Loud Chirping Sound During Acceleration

16K views 22 replies 11 participants last post by  Katie 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello,

I have a 2016 Acura MDX AWD, ADV+ENT that I purchased in September 2015. The car currently has about 34K miles. I recently started to hear a loud "chirp" sound when I hit the accelerator as the car is traveling around 30 mph. It's an intermittent sound that you don't hear when you first start driving the car, but once it's been driven for a few minutes, you start to hear it. Especially during stop and go traffic on the freeway. Has anyone encountered this issue or know if this could potentially be a transmission issue. The car is running fine, other than the loud chirp.

So I brought the car into the dealership due to a recall related to the tail lights/sealant. I discussed the issue with the dealership and they will take it for a road test to see if they can replicate the sound. The Service Advisor then asked if I had my transmission and differential fluids replaced. I mentioned that I had not seen a service reminder with that code pop up. The only ones that I've seen were to have my oil changed and tires rotated. The service advisor indicated that I should have already had "2" trans oil change and differential oil changes done by now. Is that TRUE?!? I just started poking around the forum sites and some people are saying transmission change at 50K. I know that YMMV depending on how you use your vehicle, but I honestly don't believe that I've seen those reminders and I am mindful of them.

So my two questions:

1) Has anyone experienced the chirping sound during acceleration
2) What are the estimated miles that I should replace my transmission fluid and differential fluid.

Here's a link to a youtube video which matches the issue that i'm encountering:


Thanks in advance!

Sal
 
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#2 ·
Hello,

I have a 2016 Acura MDX AWD, ADV+ENT that I purchased in September 2015. The car currently has about 34K miles. I recently started to hear a loud "chirp" sound when I hit the accelerator as the car is traveling around 30 mph. It's an intermittent sound that you don't hear when you first start driving the car, but once it's been driven for a few minutes, you start to hear it. Especially during stop and go traffic on the freeway. Has anyone encountered this issue or know if this could potentially be a transmission issue. The car is running fine, other than the loud chirp.

So I brought the car into the dealership due to a recall related to the tail lights/sealant. I discussed the issue with the dealership and they will take it for a road test to see if they can replicate the sound. The Service Advisor then asked if I had my transmission and differential fluids replaced. I mentioned that I had not seen a service reminder with that code pop up. The only ones that I've seen were to have my oil changed and tires rotated. The service advisor indicated that I should have already had "2" trans oil change and differential oil changes done by now. Is that TRUE?!? I just started poking around the forum sites and some people are saying transmission change at 50K. I know that YMMV depending on how you use your vehicle, but I honestly don't believe that I've seen those reminders and I am mindful of them.

So my two questions:

1) Has anyone experienced the chirping sound during acceleration
2) What are the estimated miles that I should replace my transmission fluid and differential fluid.

Here's a link to a youtube video which matches the issue that i'm encountering: https://youtu.be/2B_7VQ4RRuY


Thanks in advance!

Sal
Hi, to answer your questions,
1, there is a recall for the high pressure fuel pump, it's for the chirping noise when the car warms up, you can look it up in this forum or online.
2, Your service adviser is right, as I remember, both fluid change should perform at every 15,000miles, just in case to keep up the warranty.

Thank you
 
#4 ·
Yes, I generally wait for the service reminders to appear and I have NOT received one for the transmission replacement with I believe is a CODE 3. I know that YMMV depending on driving conditions. When we bought our car back in 2015, I was driving around 60 miles per day, but have now reduced my daily drive to 10 miles per day the last 2 years, with an occasional long drive. I did speak to another Acura dealership and the Service Advisor said that for the 2016 Acura MDX, the transmission code to replace the fluid generally appears around 50K.

I'm still very happy with this car. When I was researching back in 2015, I was really worried about the tranny issues that the 2014s were having and that hopefully would be resolved with the 2016. Sad to hear that there are tranny issues with the 2017s. No issues so far other than the chirping sound. Fingers crossed it's nothing major. I'm just glad that my car is still under warranty!
 
#5 ·
The intervals for the 2016 trans would be expected to be different than that for the 2014/15 trans since they're completely different and I thought the 9sp ZF trans was supposed to have longer fluid change times, which would be good since the change is a non-straightforward procedure that I think the dealer charges more for.

I'm not a fan of the maintenance minder system as the only indicator of when to do service. I'd much rather see an old fashioned real schedule published and then have the MM as just a reminder and there's probably not that much benefit anyway to the variables in the MM timing of the intervals. But regardless, this is the way it's designed so it needs to be used but it's easily error prone due to easily being missed. I think Acura predicated it all on Acura doing all the maintenance, which of course affords them the most profit, but some people are more DIY.

I have a 2014 so I'm not at the same MM intervals as yours but unless other posters can state that they saw their 2016 MM pop at certain intervals with the trans/diff fluid change reminders that coincide with what the dealer stated, I'd ask that dealer for a pointer to written documentation from Acura stating those intervals - i.e. that it should have been changed twice by now. I wouldn't inherently trust what an SA says without something they can present to back up their assertion. A lot of them really don' know that much about the vehicles and they could easily be confusing the model years since Acura has made many changes within the gen in the area of the trans.
 
#6 ·
RE: Change interval.... From Odyssey Forum.

Hello all. I've tried searching the forums but haven't found a specific answer for some of my questions. My family has had our 2018 Odyssey EX-L Navi+RES (9-speed ZF) for 15 months and just passed 37,000 miles (mostly highway miles). Took to dealer for maintenance minder code B1 (oil change and tire rotation with inspection on many other items, otherwise I'd do it myself or take to a less expensive local shop I trust.) Dealer says I need a transmission fluid change immediately. I replied: "No way. Your maintenance minder has not produced a code 3 for this maintenance item yet. Show me in your manuals or other official owner's documentation that tells me that I need to do this." He could not provide documentation, but still pressed his reason that "it's recommended at 30,000 miles." Hogwash.

There is very little information that Honda gives for regular service intervals. (The Maintenance Minder is a perfect example of "None of us is as dumb as all of us" corporate mentality of taking something completely logical--a recommended maintenance interval table by mileage--and ramming a stupid solution down customer's throats. I've been doing the regular portions of my own vehicle maintenance for over 25 years, but Honda has decided in their infinite wisdom that regular consumers are too stupid to understand their own vehicles. Please Honda, just give us recommended maintenance schedules like every other sane car maker does! Meh; I digress.)

The owner's manual provides this information as a footnote to the "code 3"--change transmission fluid--in the owner's manual: "Driving in mountainous areas at very low vehicle speeds or trailer towing results in higher transmissiontemperatures. This requires transmission fluid changes more frequently than recommended by theMaintenance Minder. If you regularly drive your vehicle under these conditions, have the transmission fluidchanged at 60,000 miles (100,000 km) or 3 years, thereafter every 30,000 miles (50,000 km) or 2 years." However, there is no explanation of how often the regular interval should be.

The closest equivalent I can find is for the 2016+ Pilot with 9-speed ZF transmission, which several Honda dealers and piloteers.org recommend first change at 60,000 and then every 30,000 thereafter.

1. Can anyone provide the actual manufacturer-recommended replacement interval for the 9-speed transmission oil?

2. Someone provided links to Honda TechInfo pages on how to replace transmission oil and perform a fluid level check. However, they are behind a paywall. I saw some typed-out instructions for the Pilot 9-speed transmission (can't find link at this moment) that was some ridiculously complicated procedure requiring lifting the vehicle up on a level surface (such as with a four-point lift at a dealer's shop), loosening the fluid check-level bolt, hooking up a Honda diagnostic computer, waiting for the oil to reach a certain temperature, entering a disable code for the VSA, and then cycling through 1-4th gears and having someone else underneath the vehicle to verify whether any oil leaks out of the level-check hole. In short: can anyone confirm this for the 2018 Odyssey, or otherwise provide transcribed instructions on how to properly check the transmission fluid level.

3. Lastly, which oil is required? The Honda owners website says: "Use genuine Honda Automatic Transmission Fluid (Type 3). NOTE: Using the wrong type of fluid will damage the transmission." yet the PDF versions of the owner's manual says to use Honda ATF 3.1 or above and 3.3 quarts is required. And: are new fill plugs required with EVERY change? I can see that ebay lists Honda ATF 3.1 anywhere between about $27-53 per quart (also the same as online Honda parts websites). ZF LifeGuard 9, the manufacturer's equivalent, appears to only be sold in Europe and also at the same extortionistic prices. I can't find any other 3rd-party equivalent. I did find a fairly reasonable Acura kit at ebay with 4 qts of Honda ATF 3.1 and two drain plug bolts for $75 (sorry, I can't paste a link).




SALMIR: Try contacting Acura Customer Relations and see what they say.
 
#7 ·
I would contact an Acura Customer Relations person and email them the link for your video. IIUC there are several causes of chirping, one of them being from an internal clutch (the 9-speed has 4 clutches). This can be caused by ATF contamination with engine coolant through the transmission warmer, which is a known problem with the 2016 MDX. (Normally this shows up around 20mph so maybe different.) Acura has been pretty good about dealing with this problem - I got a new transmission. The affected VIN range were sent letters that extended the transmission warranty for this specific problem. My 2016 did not have contamination but they changed the transmission anyway so I suspect there are other causes.

Given the 9-speed problems with the 2016 MDX it is important to not get caught out without timely and proper ATF replacement. At 34k this shouldn't be a problem yet but when the time comes there really isn't a great alternative to going to the dealer. The above description sounds about right.
 
#10 ·
Acura sent me the letter too but they only checked and said everything good, they didn't replace the transmission. I have both dealers checked and they both said no need to replace the transmission. Mine only chirp once in a while but not intermittent.
 
#9 ·
2016 mdx

Hello,

I have a 2016 Acura MDX AWD, ADV+ENT that I purchased in September 2015. The car currently has about 34K miles. I recently started to hear a loud "chirp" sound when I hit the accelerator as the car is traveling around 30 mph. It's an intermittent sound that you don't hear when you first start driving the car, but once it's been driven for a few minutes, you start to hear it. Especially during stop and go traffic on the freeway. Has anyone encountered this issue or know if this could potentially be a transmission issue. The car is running fine, other than the loud chirp.

So I brought the car into the dealership due to a recall related to the tail lights/sealant. I discussed the issue with the dealership and they will take it for a road test to see if they can replicate the sound. The Service Advisor then asked if I had my transmission and differential fluids replaced. I mentioned that I had not seen a service reminder with that code pop up. The only ones that I've seen were to have my oil changed and tires rotated. The service advisor indicated that I should have already had "2" trans oil change and differential oil changes done by now. Is that TRUE?!? I just started poking around the forum sites and some people are saying transmission change at 50K. I know that YMMV depending on how you use your vehicle, but I honestly don't believe that I've seen those reminders and I am mindful of them.

So my two questions:

1) Has anyone experienced the chirping sound during acceleration
2) What are the estimated miles that I should replace my transmission fluid and differential fluid.

Here's a link to a youtube video which matches the issue that i'm encountering: https://youtu.be/2B_7VQ4RRuY


Thanks in advance!

Sal
My 2016 MDX MID shows A123 Services at around 55,000 miles. I have dealer take care the A3 service only and cost me around $300. And I don't think you have to replace at every 15K miles on #3, it's way too early and waste. It's recommended to change the Diff Fluid every 15K according to the manual and for transmission fluid it's also recommended at 50-60K and again it's depend on how you drive. (But for this case @ 34K it's way too early.)
 
#12 ·
PDX and bobby hit the nail on the head. That sound is most definitely the transmission warmer issue. It is consistently at a certain speed at the tipping point of a slowdown to acceleration. You may want to check your coolant when the car is cold to see if it is milky now. Your service advisor is a dumbass. A "2" doesn't even include these fluids. If he's talking about the mountain/high stress driving note that resides on every single indicator, then we would be changing everything every 15k. While it's not necessarily a bad idea for the diff and transfer case, you would be cursing if you had to change this liquid gold of an ATF out every 15k because of the cost per quart.

The ATF on a ZF9 should be changed around 60k (ZF engineer confirmed this when I called their technical line, but said rely on the 3 indicator of the MID). If your service advisor said you should already have had two changes, he thinks you drive a 6 speed MDX (which, arguably 15k is aggressive, but it does have burnt ATF issues) or he is mixing up his intervals with the other components like the rear diff or transfer case.

The TSBs that this falls under are:
TSB 17-009 - Product Update: MDX 9-Speed Transmission Warmer
Applies To: 2016 MDX - All - Check the iN VIN status for eligibility
http://www.urvi.net/forumfiles/SB/B17-009.PDF

It's too bad I didn't see your thread earlier. I was in SF this weekend and would have gladly rode with you to confirm the noise because my 2016 has it too, but mine is too intermittent for Acura to want to fix it right now even though their techs agree that it sounds like that problem.


TSB 17-010 - Product Update: MDX 9-Speed Transmission Warmer (Transmission Previously Replaced for Transmission Warmer Leaking)
Applies To: 2016 MDX - All - Check the iN VIN status for eligibility
http://www.urvi.net/forumfiles/SB/B17-010.PDF


TSB 17-026 - Warranty Extension: MDX Transmission Chirps During 3-4 Shift, Poor Shift Quality, or Engine Overheats Because of Defective ATF Warmer
Applies To: 2016 MDX - ALL - Check the iN VIN status for eligibility
2017 MDX - ALL - Check the iN VIN status for eligibility (Five MDXs affected)
http://www.urvi.net/forumfiles/SB/B17-026.PDF

It's too bad I didn't check the forum earlier. I was in SF this weekend and would have gladly helped you confirm the sound because I have it too in my 2016. Get yourself a new transmission man! If you wait too long, the mixed coolant and ATF will cause your engine to overheat and they will either try to flush your engine block or they will replace the block too (due to warping).
 
#13 ·
Thanks everyone for your feedback! I have an update with regards to my car. After dropping the car off on Thursday for the safety recall (19-019 Inner Taillight Recall), they proceeded to also check my complaint with regards to the chirping noise. In short, they are going to replace my transmission. Here's what was on the summary page of my receipt:

Check and advise, the client states is hearing a chirp noise intermittently when applying throttle.
VERIFIED CONCERN. TRACED NOISE TO TRANSMISSION ON 5-3 KICK DOWN SHIFT AT TIMES.
FOUND FLUID LEVEL LOW DUE TO LEAKING END COVER. TSB 15-039 TO APPLY. TRANSMISSION
STILL MAKES NOISE AFTER REPAIRING LEAK. CONNECTED HDS TO VEHICLE. CAPTURED SNAPSHOT
DURING CONCERN. CONTACTED AMERICAN HONDA TECHLINE. SENT SNAPSHOT TO TECHLINE AND
ADVISED TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY. REPLACED TRANSMISSION END PLATE PER TSB
15-039. ORDERED TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY. CLINET TO BE NOTIFIED UPON PART ARRIVAL TO
SCHEDULE TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT.

So I picked up the car today. Drives fine. I'm still hearing the chirping noise. Dealer states I can drive the car without any issues until the parts arrive and that they will need to keep my car for 2 days once they're ready to put in the new tranny. Luckily my car is still under the 4 year/50K bumper to bumper. The 4 years comes up this September. I'm glad that Acura/Honda is doing this free of charge. I was told that it would be a remanufactured tranny. Hopefully there won't be any issues with the new tranny.

So if anyone is hearing a similar chirping sound, have the dealer check it out ASAP and DO NOT ignore that sound.
 
#14 ·
Good to hear that your tranny is being replaced. I've checked my 16 constantly for the 15-039 issue, but mine doesn't leak from that cover. So yours was due to low ATF instead of the warmer mix, but the core issue is basically the same. Whether low on ATF or having mixed coolant/ATF due to the defective warmer, it is a buildup of friction in the tranny components that ultimately causes that chirp.

Now as for the remanufactured tranny... previous cases were given new transmissions but I see Honda is cost cutting now (they've probably cycled enough replacements through now to have cores for remanufactured units). So be careful of this replacement tranny because on the Pilot forums, we've seen failures of the remanufactured trannies as well.
 
#15 ·
Luckily my car is still under the 4 year/50K bumper to bumper. The 4 years comes up this September.
The trans is covered under the power train warranty which is 6 years/70K miles. You'll still have plenty of factory warranty left once you get the replacement trans unless you're bumping up against the 70K miles. While you're dealing with the dealer on this - ask them if this replacement trans extends the warranty, at least for the trans, to a higher mileage and year value. It'd be great if they extended it to 8 years/100K or something since it's supposed to be a virtual new trans at this point even if it's remanufactured.
 
#17 ·
Hi everyone,
I am a 1st time poster, but felt a responsibility (as well as anger and frustration) to reply to this post. I have a 2016 MDX Tech/Nav and i am slightly over 55,000 miles (mostly highway/long commute) and I noticed a sound, which I would describe as a squeal when I would be accelerating between 25-30 mpg. I took it to my dealer and they told me it was 4 main blocks that needed to be replaced and "I was lucky that my MDX was still under warranty as this would have been a very costly repair." They had to order the replacement parts and it was a week before I got my MDX back. On the way home from picking it up, I heard the "squeal" again. I had my husband drive it too and he heard the squeal also. Back to the dealer and we got the mechanic to ride with us to make sure he heard the noise. He did and we got a call later and were told we needed to have the transmission replaced! I am not a "car" person, but I have owned many including two Acuras. I have never needed a transmission replaced in any of my cars, ever. So I am getting a new transmission, which is going to take close to two weeks to repair. Yes, it is covered by warranty, but I'm getting this same type of crappy transmission. So, I would definitely have your dealership mechanic hear the "chirp". My "squeal" turned out to be bad news and I won't even go into the loaner car issues. I'm thinking about paying it off and getting a different car. Any suggestions? Thanks all.
 
#20 ·
Terminology was wrong!

mdxstang: My terminology was really off - so sorry! It was the engine mounts (4 in total) front and rear. The mechanic thought the squeal I was hearing was coming from the engine mounts. Obviously not the case. I don't think I will be purchasing any more Acuras. Since you worked on cars, is it normal for a transmission to need replacing at 58,000 miles? Thank you.
 
#21 ·
mdxstang: My terminology was really off - so sorry! It was the engine mounts (4 in total) front and rear. The mechanic thought the squeal I was hearing was coming from the engine mounts. Obviously not the case. I don't think I will be purchasing any more Acuras. Since you worked on cars, is it normal for a transmission to need replacing at 58,000 miles? Thank you.
Unfortunately, the 2016 transmission, yes. The 2016s and early 2017s had a specific defect in the transmission warmer that mixed the transmission fluid with the coolant. When this happens, increased friction in the transmission occurs, causing that squeal when the transmission does a gear 3 to 4 shift. There haven't really been reported cases are 2017, so it looks like they fixed a lot of the issues.

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