I have my 2007 MDX for almost 2 months. About 2 weeks ago, I went to start the engine and it was dead. I got a boost and charged the battery. About six hours later, it was dead again. Got another boost and took it to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a "bad cell" (although it couldn't be proven). The battery was replaced and two weeks later, I'm finding myself with the same problem. It died yesterday and I got a boost and took it to the dealer where they tightened the terminal connections and sent me home. It died again this morning and it is now back at the dealer. There are no aftermarket installations -- it's equipped only with factory options and a few cosmetic accessories. Anyone noticing any electrical issues with their 2007???? Love the vehicle and this is SO disappointing!!!!!!
2007 MDX Electrical/Battery Problem
ginadoll1
21 - 40 of 45 Posts
Joined
·
11 Posts
Holy old thread batman - But at least I wasn't the one who resurrected it! It did lead me to sign up for this site. I've been lurking here since I bought my wife's 07 MDX at the end of 2010 and finally decided to register to rant about this POS car.
HFL unit goes bad and eats batteries to death? Bang up job in the design dept there. I got to mine today and it was pretty warm to the touch - based on the TSB they say it only consumes 250ma of power when it fails, but that seemed like alot more than 250ma @ 12v worth of heat dissipating off of it in a garage where the ambient temperature was in the mid 60's. If I cared that much I'd take a reading, but I'm not willing to spend any more time chasing electrical demons around that car.
A/C relay fails, destroys your A/C and for no extra charge, will eat your battery to death. Again, another bang up job using an inferior relay on an inductive coil that can fail closed.
The CD changer recently grenaded on me. Again, another well documented problem around the net. The changer is now constantly trying to eject a CD every 90 seconds, give or take - even with the key off and there are no discs in it. Once again, for no additional charge, it'll eat your battery to death. The dealer wants an astronomical amount of money to replace it. It's actually cheaper for Car Toys to install an aftermarket deck and fabricate the custom parts for the dash because they couldn't even use a standard DIN.
And what reject at Acura came up with the brilliant idea to load these cars to the gills with electronics and cheap out on the most important part of any car's electrical system - the battery terminals. The positive terminal actually stretched, probably due to the constant temperature swings we have here. With the bolt tightened all the way you could just grab on the terminal and pull it right off the battery. Thin junk metal. I fabricated a new one out of a marine terminal (yaay lead!).
While I'm on a rant, what's with all the crush washers on every damn fill/drain hole on this car. And why the gorilla on steroids torque on them? I actually busted a 6 month old craftsman ratchet that had barely been used getting the fill plug out of the transmission.
Bottom line and relevance to this thread - if you have parasites in your electrical system, check the AC relay, battery terminals, stereo and bluetooth. I guess the auto lift gate is a problem too but thankfully I don't have one of those. At 1st I had buyers remorse for getting the base model (no navi, no rear entertainment, etc...) but now I know it would have been nothing but hell anyway.
People talk smack about American cars but this is my 1st and last venture into a Honda/Acura product and probably won't ever stray from GM again.
Three batteries and dozens of hours wasted, I'd like to say thanks to everyone on this board, you guys are knowledgeable, polite and entertaining. If it weren't for mdxers.org, I would have rolled this piece of crap off the top of Pikes Peak!
HFL unit goes bad and eats batteries to death? Bang up job in the design dept there. I got to mine today and it was pretty warm to the touch - based on the TSB they say it only consumes 250ma of power when it fails, but that seemed like alot more than 250ma @ 12v worth of heat dissipating off of it in a garage where the ambient temperature was in the mid 60's. If I cared that much I'd take a reading, but I'm not willing to spend any more time chasing electrical demons around that car.
A/C relay fails, destroys your A/C and for no extra charge, will eat your battery to death. Again, another bang up job using an inferior relay on an inductive coil that can fail closed.
The CD changer recently grenaded on me. Again, another well documented problem around the net. The changer is now constantly trying to eject a CD every 90 seconds, give or take - even with the key off and there are no discs in it. Once again, for no additional charge, it'll eat your battery to death. The dealer wants an astronomical amount of money to replace it. It's actually cheaper for Car Toys to install an aftermarket deck and fabricate the custom parts for the dash because they couldn't even use a standard DIN.
And what reject at Acura came up with the brilliant idea to load these cars to the gills with electronics and cheap out on the most important part of any car's electrical system - the battery terminals. The positive terminal actually stretched, probably due to the constant temperature swings we have here. With the bolt tightened all the way you could just grab on the terminal and pull it right off the battery. Thin junk metal. I fabricated a new one out of a marine terminal (yaay lead!).
While I'm on a rant, what's with all the crush washers on every damn fill/drain hole on this car. And why the gorilla on steroids torque on them? I actually busted a 6 month old craftsman ratchet that had barely been used getting the fill plug out of the transmission.
Bottom line and relevance to this thread - if you have parasites in your electrical system, check the AC relay, battery terminals, stereo and bluetooth. I guess the auto lift gate is a problem too but thankfully I don't have one of those. At 1st I had buyers remorse for getting the base model (no navi, no rear entertainment, etc...) but now I know it would have been nothing but hell anyway.
People talk smack about American cars but this is my 1st and last venture into a Honda/Acura product and probably won't ever stray from GM again.
Three batteries and dozens of hours wasted, I'd like to say thanks to everyone on this board, you guys are knowledgeable, polite and entertaining. If it weren't for mdxers.org, I would have rolled this piece of crap off the top of Pikes Peak!
2-10-2014 same problem with the battery draining. Now the shop I'm at says the navigation screen is dead and the radio doesn't work. The battery gets drained in one day. It's a serious problem and it's disturbing and probably costly with my Acura MDX 2007. Now that I see all the comments I'm going to tell the shop about the blue tooth that doesn't work andMFM radio that doesn't work. Thank you all I love my damn Acura but damn this.
Continued Problem With Battery
My 2007 Acura MDX has been having the same issue with a dying battery. My alternator finally went out after a year of issues this past December and was replaced along with yet another new battery. We thought we had fixed the problem but are back at square one as on Saturday, while at a Sonic drive in, I heard what I thought was terrible static coming from the Sonic speaker until I realized everyone was looking at me and it was my car. By this time, a bell hop ran over and said smoke was coming out from under my car. We had it towed and the shop said it was A/C and we were seeing freon and not smoke. They ran an A/C check and added freon. We thought all was fixed until I went to start the car Sunday morning and it was totally dead once again (after 5 months of working). We jumped it and once again the awful sound from engine area and smoke. I am currently waiting on another tow. I think I'm about ready to trade this sucker in for a totally different car (not Acura). For what we paid and for the normal Acura reliability, I would have expected a much more reliable car. My 2007 Acura has spent more time in the shop which means $$$ than my husband's 2003 Toyota Sequoia!
My 2007 Acura MDX has been having the same issue with a dying battery. My alternator finally went out after a year of issues this past December and was replaced along with yet another new battery. We thought we had fixed the problem but are back at square one as on Saturday, while at a Sonic drive in, I heard what I thought was terrible static coming from the Sonic speaker until I realized everyone was looking at me and it was my car. By this time, a bell hop ran over and said smoke was coming out from under my car. We had it towed and the shop said it was A/C and we were seeing freon and not smoke. They ran an A/C check and added freon. We thought all was fixed until I went to start the car Sunday morning and it was totally dead once again (after 5 months of working). We jumped it and once again the awful sound from engine area and smoke. I am currently waiting on another tow. I think I'm about ready to trade this sucker in for a totally different car (not Acura). For what we paid and for the normal Acura reliability, I would have expected a much more reliable car. My 2007 Acura has spent more time in the shop which means $$$ than my husband's 2003 Toyota Sequoia!
Joined
·
1,600 Posts
ouch
I feel your painI would consider taking it to another Acura stealer-ship service department (preferably one with the highest SERVICE DEPT. ratings you can find online...don't worry if the sales department is horrendous, they are 2 different entities...) to ensure that the competent (not lazy, clock watchers fresh out of high school) are adequately diagnosing your MDX's problems (could be a faulty positive battery cable?
)...if worst comes to worst, ask to speak directly with the Service department manager to communicate your frustration...and to see if any 'good will'/slush fund/discount consideration could be given...who knows, can't hurt to ask/inquire...? if all else fails, you can eventually ditch the 2nd generation X (as 3rd generation MDX should NOT even be an option to consider unless you like overpriced Buick Enclave clone SUV's :28: )....
Joined
·
1 Posts
Hello all, I purchased my 2007 in 2011, my car was great until 2013 when the battery started dying all the time, got a new battery same problem, tested the alternator that wasn't it, wasn't the ac fan fuse, etc.... It was my hands free link. The option that makes the car Bluetooth capable, the unit had gone bad and was killing my battery as the car was off trying to locate my devices. I had it disabled at the dealership cost $180 bucks including inspection. The replacement at the dealer is about $400 but I can live without hands free calling and wireless garage access!!!!!! Hope this helps!
Joined
·
3 Posts
Query
1) No real issues until 3 months ago. Battery intermittently died about once/week for 3 weeks, then ok for a month, then did it again.
2) replaced battery with same Walmart battery - even though Walmart said battery ok, Firestone said ok and one other place. We did this as the battery was 37-39 months old and it seemed to be charging ok and then not charging.
3) for the last month, no issues with the battery dying. Until today...
4) so, new battery, intermittently dies, I have not a clue why.
5) few notes: my wife drives the car, primarily in-town (<10 miles/day), her bluetooth is not connected to her new cellphone. Garage parked, etc.
** After the battery was replaced, the Navi works with the entered code. However, the radio reads error code 1.
** Our kids have pressed a million buttons on the rear DVD controls and the DVD player, every time we turn the car on, hums and whirs like its loading a disk. No such luck as no disk in the system. It then shuts off although the green linear light stays on.
Can anyone assist with (in "novice car guy" english please:
1) How do I resolve "error code 1"?
2) Can the DVD be the culprit for the battery drain - I don't understand the voltage ratings and whatnots, so hypertechnical is interesting, but unlikely to help me.
3) How do I disconnect the HFL - just remove my phone (which is connected) from the directory???
Many thanks to all with thoughts.
I am a real car novice. We have been having an issue very similar (if not exact to some) with my wife's 2007 MDX. Sport/Navi packages on the car
1) No real issues until 3 months ago. Battery intermittently died about once/week for 3 weeks, then ok for a month, then did it again.
2) replaced battery with same Walmart battery - even though Walmart said battery ok, Firestone said ok and one other place. We did this as the battery was 37-39 months old and it seemed to be charging ok and then not charging.
3) for the last month, no issues with the battery dying. Until today...
4) so, new battery, intermittently dies, I have not a clue why.
5) few notes: my wife drives the car, primarily in-town (<10 miles/day), her bluetooth is not connected to her new cellphone. Garage parked, etc.
** After the battery was replaced, the Navi works with the entered code. However, the radio reads error code 1.
** Our kids have pressed a million buttons on the rear DVD controls and the DVD player, every time we turn the car on, hums and whirs like its loading a disk. No such luck as no disk in the system. It then shuts off although the green linear light stays on.
Can anyone assist with (in "novice car guy" english please:
1) How do I resolve "error code 1"?
2) Can the DVD be the culprit for the battery drain - I don't understand the voltage ratings and whatnots, so hypertechnical is interesting, but unlikely to help me.
3) How do I disconnect the HFL - just remove my phone (which is connected) from the directory???
Many thanks to all with thoughts.
Houston Stan,
You have to physically disconnect the HFL bluetooth from the car.
You do this but pulling off the panel where the rear AC/Vents are.
Just pull firmly but carefully on the top edge and it will pop off. You don't remove any
screws or anything.
Once you pull that off you will see the blue tooth module. It will show the blue tooth symbol on it.
Just unplug the one connector.
Thats it!
You can replace if you want as well.
But most importantly your battery will stop draining and you decide what you want to do from their.
I recommend anyone having battery issues with a mdx 2007ish or later and has replaced the battery and then continues to have intermittent dead batteries to try this first.
Even you still have problems then you at least know its something else. Personally
i think this is to blame for many of intermittent dead batteries.
The dealership told me they actually have more cases of the A/C clutch relay causing a battery drain but that is more obvious because you get some smoke/freon coming out from under the hood and I assume the AC will not work (see other posts for this), so be on lookout for that as well.
You have to physically disconnect the HFL bluetooth from the car.
You do this but pulling off the panel where the rear AC/Vents are.
Just pull firmly but carefully on the top edge and it will pop off. You don't remove any
screws or anything.
Once you pull that off you will see the blue tooth module. It will show the blue tooth symbol on it.
Just unplug the one connector.
Thats it!
You can replace if you want as well.
But most importantly your battery will stop draining and you decide what you want to do from their.
I recommend anyone having battery issues with a mdx 2007ish or later and has replaced the battery and then continues to have intermittent dead batteries to try this first.
Even you still have problems then you at least know its something else. Personally
i think this is to blame for many of intermittent dead batteries.
The dealership told me they actually have more cases of the A/C clutch relay causing a battery drain but that is more obvious because you get some smoke/freon coming out from under the hood and I assume the AC will not work (see other posts for this), so be on lookout for that as well.
Joined
·
3 Posts
Thanks Kevin T
Have done this, will see if this helps the issue. Also am still experiencing the DVD player 'searching' for a DVD and reading a bad disk. I know that there is not a DVD in the drive (and I can put a CD in that it tries to read) so it must be something stuck/jammed. The dealer said they won't touch it (they only replace them at $800ish a pop) but that disconnecting just the DVD player might do the trick. I just need the battery to stop dying so that the car with kids doesn't get stuck somewhere it shouldn't.
Anyone know how to do this? I couldn't find on YouTube.
Have done this, will see if this helps the issue. Also am still experiencing the DVD player 'searching' for a DVD and reading a bad disk. I know that there is not a DVD in the drive (and I can put a CD in that it tries to read) so it must be something stuck/jammed. The dealer said they won't touch it (they only replace them at $800ish a pop) but that disconnecting just the DVD player might do the trick. I just need the battery to stop dying so that the car with kids doesn't get stuck somewhere it shouldn't.
Anyone know how to do this? I couldn't find on YouTube.
Same issue MDX 07
2 batteries, one brand new alternator, and after days and days of research at the car shop (not deler) he took the fuse of the radio and that was it. Problem is I don't have a radio, cd, changer, dvd, or sound from the nav system. He confirmed the raio is leaking and draining the battery and alternator...
New radio, plus $900
2 batteries, one brand new alternator, and after days and days of research at the car shop (not deler) he took the fuse of the radio and that was it. Problem is I don't have a radio, cd, changer, dvd, or sound from the nav system. He confirmed the raio is leaking and draining the battery and alternator...
New radio, plus $900
Joined
·
3 Posts
zhht - we do have a power tailgate, but never leave it open. simply open/shut. Thanks for the idea. We've disconnected HFL unit and so far so good. Am going to disconnect DVD player as well (if anyone has an idea of how to do this be great).Do you have a power tailgate? If so, are you leaving hte tailgate open? If yes to both, that's whats killiong your battery. THe power tailgate draws 3 AMPS continuous while it's trying to hold the gate up.![Image]()
![Image]()
Joined
·
1 Posts
I have this problem repeatedly. Usually happens when car has been sitting for longer than a day. At first I replaced the battery. Then replaced it again. Replaced battery cables. Something must be drawing on it. Either the tailgate or the Bluetooth. I will assume it is the bluetooth since I obviously am not using the tailgate/lift gate while it is sitting.
Also started having intermittent problems with doors, mirrors, windows, not working and then suddenly working again. I don't believe it is fuses.
Also started having intermittent problems with doors, mirrors, windows, not working and then suddenly working again. I don't believe it is fuses.
Joined
·
3 Posts
Have had the same issue with my 2007 MDX (after having replaced battery & alternator) - have been told it's the Bluetooth Module. Disconnected and problem finally stopped. Has anyone had any luck with Acura Customer Care either fixing this or reimbursing any costs? I once had luck with this for a known issue with the center console leather peeling off (had it replaced for free). Has anyone actually replaced the HFL module and NOT had the problem reoccur? I'm worried that even if they do replace this, I'll end up with the same, unwanted issues.
Thanks!
Thanks!
battery drain
Seems crazy, but my problem seems to have resolved simply by replacing CDs in the radio. I was waiting in my car for child's game to start when I noticed the sound of the radio "loading" a CD. My battery had died 4 times in a week and has now worked every time since I replaced the CDs. Doesn't seem like this could be the problem, but it's worth a try if anyone else's battery is draining quickly.
Seems crazy, but my problem seems to have resolved simply by replacing CDs in the radio. I was waiting in my car for child's game to start when I noticed the sound of the radio "loading" a CD. My battery had died 4 times in a week and has now worked every time since I replaced the CDs. Doesn't seem like this could be the problem, but it's worth a try if anyone else's battery is draining quickly.
So lately I've been having problems with battery going dead after sitting for more than two days. I have an 07 MDX without power tailgate. I have already replaced the relay for A/C.
My first thought was HFL is bad. I tried to pair my phone to it and it started going through the process and when it asked for me to enter my pin code on my phone it stopped working. Tried to do it again and when I push the button for HF it does not do anything no beeps nothing. I can see the link on nav with phone icon.
I did some testing with my meter and not sure if HFL is causing my drain. I tested with HFL connected and my reading started at 3 amps and then about 40 seconds later it drops to .23 amps. This is with doors closed and about five minutes waiting. I then disconnected my HFL and tried testing again. Same thing starts at 3 amps then about 40 seconds later drops to .01 amps. I did this a couple of times to make sure I wasn't over looking something.
I have left the HFL disconnected so see if this stops my dead battery problem.
I believe reading through the forum .25 or less is considered normal.
My battery is less than 1 year old and have no problems as long it's not parked for more than 2 days. With MDX running my battery is over 14 volts. Before I started testing my battery was at 11.75 volts. After troubleshoots for about 1 hour my battery was back up to 12.5 volts.
Any other ideas. I haven't seen any topics of tsb 07-018 about door lock switch.
Thanks
George
My first thought was HFL is bad. I tried to pair my phone to it and it started going through the process and when it asked for me to enter my pin code on my phone it stopped working. Tried to do it again and when I push the button for HF it does not do anything no beeps nothing. I can see the link on nav with phone icon.
I did some testing with my meter and not sure if HFL is causing my drain. I tested with HFL connected and my reading started at 3 amps and then about 40 seconds later it drops to .23 amps. This is with doors closed and about five minutes waiting. I then disconnected my HFL and tried testing again. Same thing starts at 3 amps then about 40 seconds later drops to .01 amps. I did this a couple of times to make sure I wasn't over looking something.
I have left the HFL disconnected so see if this stops my dead battery problem.
I believe reading through the forum .25 or less is considered normal.
My battery is less than 1 year old and have no problems as long it's not parked for more than 2 days. With MDX running my battery is over 14 volts. Before I started testing my battery was at 11.75 volts. After troubleshoots for about 1 hour my battery was back up to 12.5 volts.
Any other ideas. I haven't seen any topics of tsb 07-018 about door lock switch.
Thanks
George
Joined
·
2,879 Posts
if you wait longer you can see the current will surge again. HFL most likely is bad.
Test
I am having the same issue. My wife's 2008 MDX has had a drained battery twice within two weeks. Happens after the vehicle sits for more than two days without driving. I recharged the battery and measured the parasitic drain with engine off, doors shut, and all accessories off and I measured similar characteristic as ghernz. When I connect the battery, I see about 2.5 amps of current draw which settles down to 0.25 amps constant after about 30 or 40 seconds. Then once every 30 or 40 seconds, the current jumps to 2.5 amps for a couple of seconds then drops back to 0.25 amps. That cycle repeated for the 4 or 5 minutes that I observed it. 0.25 amps or 3 watts of continuous power draw at 12 V seems a bit excessive to me. Is 0.25 amp constant current draw normal for an 2008 MDX? How about the 2.5 amp spikes of 1 or 2 second duration every 30 or 40 seconds?
21 - 40 of 45 Posts
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
