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2017 MDX Nav Problems?

13K views 30 replies 17 participants last post by  Krauthawk 
#1 ·
So I'm doing a lot of research on the 2017 MDX as I do plan on getting one come December.. However on a different forum I troll www.acurazine.com there are complaints from 2017 MDX Advance owners about their navigation not working properly.. Like the navigation shows they're somewhere they're not if that makes any sense.. one guy was complaining about his navi showing that he was driving through a nuclear power plant but he says he was on the interstate.. So I just wanted to see if any 17 MDX owners are having the same problems since it has not been mentioned? Thanks in advance for any insight.
 
#7 ·
Hi Laostuh, I have a 2017 MDX tech package. While I was worried about the transmission it has been fine. Most of the negative reviews are from enthusiasts having too many gears and I would agree if it was a manual gearbox. There was a about 1000 mile break in period with my vehicle and it is very smooth since then.

To answer your question about the GPS. I occasionally see it not track correctly if I take off before the navigation is ready. Happen about 4 times now, but waiting until the Acura welcome screen to finish loading will stop that. (About 25 sec before you drive off)

The MDX has been great so far with about 18,000 miles on it.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#13 ·
2017 GPS inaccuracy

Sorry if this got posted twice. About once per month, my MDX thinks it is 3 or 4 blocks away at start up. I have to shut off vehicle and restart to clear the issue. Local dealer said that Acura is aware of the issue, but that they haven't recommended a fix yet.
 
#14 ·
I have the same issue since I got the car from July 2016 for my 2017 MDX. Yes, when the car start and wait for a minute might resolved the starting problem, but sometime when I was driving and it lost. I took my car to the dealer 2nd times for this, they are going to replace the unit. They said they did that on some 2016 MDX, and fixed the problem. So I hope this will fix mine. The best is to complaint to the dealership, they knew this problem! Acura customer relation is useless. They asked me to go buy a new Nav DVD. :(
 
#15 ·
When I drove a 2017 it didn't have problems. However, all in-car, non-cloud-based navigation systems will be terrible compared to Apple Maps, Google Maps or Waze.

For example, from my wife's barn, Apple Maps said 11 miles but the Acura said 16.5. Seems these systems really prefer larger and larger roads because it makes routing much easier.
 
#16 ·
When I drove a 2017 it didn't have problems. However, all in-car, non-cloud-based navigation systems will be terrible compared to Apple Maps, Google Maps or Waze.
Exactly! I have not used a build-in navigation in my MDX for almost 3 years. I use Google Maps and Waze on my iPhone. I get real-time traffic updates that do not require a subscription, directions that are 99% accurate and can be combined both with in-car and walking directions. Another useful feature is Apple Maps "remembers" your parked vehicle's location and makes it convenient to locate it.

I think that all car manufactures should recognize that their long-term commitment to custom-built navigation systems has become obsolete. Cloud based computer systems that get real-time updates and interact with different interfaces such as CarPlay with iPhone or Android (using my example when you start in vehicle then exit out and continue with directions on the phone) are a way to go. This is where I feel Acura has fallen behind the competitors. Luckily, they did manage to get CarPlay into 2018, but will it be enough to keep it modern?
 
#18 ·
2017 Navi Map location startup errors

HURRAY....the MDX Navi fix is finally out...
My 2017 MDX Had the “ wrong car location at startup”. The dealer installed the fix today ( April, 4, 2019) per TSB 18-011, dated April, 2018. It’s a half hour DVD install. Hope that fixes it...too,soon to tell. TSB is online if you look around.
 
#19 ·
2017 Navi Map location startup errors

HURRAY....the MDX Navi fix is finally out...
My 2017 MDX Had the “ wrong car location at startup”. The dealer installed the fix today ( April, 4, 2019) per TSB 18-011, dated April, 2018. It’s a half hour DVD install. Hope that fixes it...too,soon to tell. TSB is online if you look around.
So did TSB 18-011 fix your Navi issue?
New to this forum because my 17 Tech has the same issue and my dealer cannot fix it. Navi has me driving in lakes and golf courses.
Any update out there?
 
#26 ·
Thanks for the reply Elvis. Thought about that too, but I have no other outside electronics within range of the vehicle except for my home WiFi while the vehicle is parked in my garage. Most of the times the Navi gets “lost” is when the vehicle gets at least 200-300 yards away from our house. Once in awhile the vehicle gets lost just going down a major hwy or interstate, but normally it is in my neighborhood within 3-4 miles of our house.
I checked the Acura forum and noticed it was a hot topic there. Numerous people complaining about it, but I have seen no fixes .... yet. I just can’t believe Honda hasn’t figured this thing out. I used to work for them (American Honda Motor Company) and now retired. They would always strive to be the best in customer satisfaction. No longer it seems. This issue evidently isn’t a high enough priority.
 
#28 ·
#1. The Navigation is not useless.
#2. If it fits your needs,it’s convenient
#3. The screen is larger than any phone.
#4. Not everyone has a smart phone.
#5. If you have AcuraLink,try calling them and have them send an address to your phone.
#6. It’s already paid for.
#7. It works even if the cell service goes out.
 
#29 ·
The real question is why are people using the useless Navi anyway?
What Elvis said. It's not 'useless'. It could be better than it is but that doesn't make it useless. While I don't use it routinely for local driving since I already know my way around, I just used it on a 5500 mile road trip and it provided some value. For one thing, the display is large and is placed in an ideal location for being able to see the map without taking one's eyes off the road or trying to view a map on the much smaller iPhone screen I have.

My ideal would be to have Carplay so I could use Google maps on the large, ergonomically and safely located MDX display, but my 2014 doesn't have Carplay so I just deal with what I have, which could be improved but still has some value.

I'm not willing to do the mods necessary to put in an aftermarket hack of Carplay since IMO it's more costly than it's worth to me and seems to have its issues.
 
#30 ·
Just as a continued follow-up on this thread. After all the updates and equipment replacement, the nav still messes up quite a bit. It's about every other day now. And it's happening in places it didn't used to. My service manager recommended I start a Client Relations case on the issue, which I opened about a week ago. They took down all the info, and have contacted the service department to get the supporting info. I have video and picture evidence from countless times this has happened to support it, and the dealer has seen it and is supporting my effort in the escalation. I'm not sure where this will lead, but it's becoming more frustration rather than passing entertainment ("Where will the nav say my car is today?....")

As I watch this happen more and more, I'm starting to believe there's some sort of issue with the nav syncing with the car's computer. Once it figures out where it is, it works flawlessly. But during that startup period, it gets REALLY confused - to the point where it shows me not only in the wrong place, but heading in a completely different compass direction than I am. It's almost like there's a compass/location component to the base car computer that's conflicting with the nav's GPS belief of where it is. The interesting part is that I don't think it's the GPS at all, since the GPS signal indicator on the screen is shown, and in green, even while this is happening.

Will keep folks abreast of this tale as it progresses. For me, after picking up the MDX (new) in Oct 2017, it started to occur within the first 2 months, and has been happening to various degrees for the entire time. Nothing ever fixed the problem even after replacing everything in the navigation system (antenna, HDD unit, nav/GPS unit).

andy
 
#31 ·
Sad to hear that even when replacing all the Navi pieces, it still shows inaccurate locations. I was going to pursue replacement, but probably not now.
I’m convinced there is some type of bug or fault in the software. Just last night I lost all my XM and FM presets and a number of system settings. They changed to other settings on their own when starting up the vehicle. Second time this has happened since getting the TSB update a month ago. Also lost my driver seat settings and my drivers side mirror completely turned out to the max setting. Strange.
I purchased this vehicle used 6 months ago and went on a week long 2500 mile trip a few days later. Absolutely love the ride, quietness, handling, mpg, etc. Had no issues with the Navi. Problems just started occurring the last 3 months. If these problems continue, I will most likely trade it in on an X5 or similar. We have a 15 M235i and have absolutely no issues with it. Great car.
 
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