2005 Touring "Rumble Strip" noise
First off, great site and thanks for putting this information together! I am sad to say that I have another MDX to add to the weird noise "rumble strip" thread.
I bought this '05 MDX in Feb 2011 with 105k and did about 1 month of research before I bought it. This Touring X came with the NAV and DVD (for the kids) and I knew I wanted one before I bought it. The mileage wasn't an issue for me b/c I saw so many others out there with 180k+ so I knew I had plenty of use left with it. Plus, my wife drives it and she only puts about 10k on any vehicle per year. Did I mention I live in Colorado? Perfect vehicle for our crazy weather!
Anyways, I only drive it periodically but I noticed this faint sound once or twice. I also have a Honda Ridgeline and I used to hear a similar sound from that vehicle that is caused by the power steering pump (which apparently is normal after starting out cold). However, I have noticed this sound has been happening more frequently and I can actually reproduce it now at will.
I have owned several manual sports cars in my time and I can liken this sound to when you are geared too high without downshifting. The RPMs are very low when this occurs, usually under 30MPH. If I have the X in D5 and touch the accelerator very lightly to increase speed it shudders. If I engage the accelerator more aggressively the tranny downshifts and all is well. So, I have told my wife to drive around town in D4 - which by the way solves all issues with this problem. I'm no mechanic, but I have come to the conclusion of many others in these posts that eliminating the symptom is the best course of action. Since I know I bought this vehicle without a warranty I was assuming all liability, but crappy feeling all the same since we love this car and it is perfect for our family. The last thing I want to do is shell out $$$$ for a car that we've only had for 8 months! Old car it may be, but new to us.
MidnightMDX Form:
Model Year: 2005 Touring NAV/RES
Date/Mileage of failure: 07-2011/107k
current mileage: 111k
Symptoms: As stated above - shuddering at low speed/rpm in D5 only. Like going up a hill in 5th gear and not downshifting, rumbling sound. It is repeatable by lightly engaging the throttle while in 5th gear at low RPM.
Corrective Action: Driving in D4 for now. However, planning a long haul at Christmas so looking at a service call before the trip to make sure everything is hunky-dory. Probably taking it to a local Import mechanic that works on my Honda Ridgeline.
Current status of transmission: Unknown if computer update has been performed as this was a used vehicle purchase. Tranny feels fine if driving in D4, D5 on highway.
Cost: 0$ so far, but not looking good after everything I've been reading.
Warranty: None