[victorp]

The dealer no longer charging for tire balancing and didn't pursue for alignment either. But service manager (sm)advised to stop going to this type of forums because "it only will make me find something wrong with my car but actually nothing".

I've been a member on this forum since 2007 and this is the first time I came up to them but I felt intimidated to tell him this.

I don't have the chance to drive at least 70 mph yet if tire balancing corrected the vibration but sm also had doubts the mechanic hit 70mph during test drive.

Otherwise, either go to another dealer far from home or make the vibration my indicator to slow it back down again and don't proceed to pass.

 

[sunny61]

I just bought a 07 MDX sport and been experiencing this vibration. Talked to the dealer they said they can't test for vibration at 75-80mph they're only allowed to test within the speed limit 55mph.
tried already:
- paid to have my wheels balanced - DIDN'T fix it
- Had my tires/rims checked by custom shop they couldn't tell me anything was wrong either. So I have them swap my left side rim/tire with right side and now it moved most of the vibration to the right side but its still there.

It's really bugging me, i bought the car for long highway trips and sucks to shaking the entire ride.

my other theory ... it seems the wheels seem to really vibrate when the engine rpms are low rpm ~2500 kinda like when its in cruise control not at higher rpm. Im trying to see if this is the case at all speeds when cursing at low rpm wheich would point to some other issue.

 

[gregmdx]

I had 2007 traded to 2008 and both new when I got it and drives with vibrations at 70mph. I also have X5 but never had high speed vibrations even at 100mph. It doesn't feel safe for me to drive MDX more than 70mph because of the vibrations and wind noise that I always end up switching to middle lane instead. It is frustrating that I couldn't stay in the inner lane most the time whenever I take a long distrance driving.

I had the same issue. I went to a good shop, had them calibrate their Hunter GPS machine to make sure it was perfect. They were able to get rid of 80-90% of the issue, and the car finally felt more planted at speed, but not planted enough for my tastes. I could still feel a hint of vibration and on long road trips, it would become annoying. I also found myself in the center lane, keeping it below 70.

Early on, the dealer tried to tell me this was a "common characteristic" of the car. At first I laughed at his excuse. But after new rims, three different sets of tires, 6 wheel balances by different shops, AND two loaner MDXs that also vibrated at 75 mph, I'm starting to think the original dealer was right and it is a pretty common characteristic of the MDX.

IF you can find a shop that really knows what they are doing you can get it MUCH better. At first I thought they nailed it, but over the next few weeks, the vibration began to return. I was never able to get it 100% smooth. The next step for me was going to be to try to balance and turn the rotors. But I gave up and just traded it in.

Keep in mind, all of the troubleshooting above was done within 9 months of purchasing a brand new, $41k vehicle. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who had this issue (misery loves company), but that doesn't bode well for Acura's quality control.

 

[bear1906]

The drive shaft issue is more intriguing to me...My mechanic mentioned a possible drivetrain issue causing the vibration since it only occurs at 65+ but Acura is manipulating people into thinking that any tire other than OEM causes the vibration.

 

[gregmdx]

The drive shaft issue is more intriguing to me...My mechanic mentioned a possible drivetrain issue causing the vibration since it only occurs at 65+ but Acura is manipulating people into thinking that any tire other than OEM causes the vibration.

After so many wheel/tire shops failed (to varying degrees), as well as new tires failed I started to wonder the same thing. I decided I didn't want to open that can of worms and just moved on. I hope you guys have better luck!

 

[MURPHY1]

I had the exact same issue as Bear1906 several years ago with my 2007 Sport, 8+ trips to dealer-Balanced Wheels, change wheels and tires, rebalance etc all N/G.

Turned out to be defective drive shaft.

Recently at a trip to dealer for another issue mechanic showed me a room full of defective drive shafts waiting to be sent back to Acura !!!!!!

 

[gregmdx]

I'm guessing that's what was wrong with mine (and the loaners I drove) as well.

 

[allamdxy]

Vibrations continue after factory reps' intervention

I too have experienced vibrations at high speeds in my 09 MDX. The problem occurs typically at speeds of 70+. Many of the problems listed by other posters have been present including steering wheel vibration, front end vibration, pull to the right, etc. I have been to the dealer 5 times in an attempt to have it corrected before contacting client care. The dealer was not responsive at all -rebalanced the tires, realigned the vehicle twice, rotated the tires, replaced a wheel that was "out of round", and then ultimately told me I was crazy. After being assigned a case manager it took nearly a month to get an appointment scheduled with a factory rep. Once he met with me and test drove the car for nearly 2 hours, he determined it was problem with the tires and authorized a replacement set.

The vibration has been reduced but the ride is not what it should be for a vehicle of this caliber. I have owned 3 other Acuras including an MDX and thus far I am losing faith. I will drive the car for a bit longer waiting for the vibration to worsen, contact the factory rep again, then file lemon law.

 

[t-mdx]

But service manager (sm)advised to stop going to this type of forums because "it only will make me find something wrong with my car but actually nothing".

Your SM is just plain lazy...:28:This forum is a big help. :29:

 

[gregmdx]

I too have experienced vibrations at high speeds in my 09 MDX. The problem occurs typically at speeds of 70+. Many of the problems listed by other posters have been present including steering wheel vibration, front end vibration, pull to the right, etc. I have been to the dealer 5 times in an attempt to have it corrected before contacting client care. The dealer was not responsive at all -rebalanced the tires, realigned the vehicle twice, rotated the tires, replaced a wheel that was "out of round", and then ultimately told me I was crazy. After being assigned a case manager it took nearly a month to get an appointment scheduled with a factory rep. Once he met with me and test drove the car for nearly 2 hours, he determined it was problem with the tires and authorized a replacement set.

The vibration has been reduced but the ride is not what it should be for a vehicle of this caliber. I have owned 3 other Acuras including an MDX and thus far I am losing faith. I will drive the car for a bit longer waiting for the vibration to worsen, contact the factory rep again, then file lemon law.

Sounds like we went through a very similar process, minus the call to Acura care. The dealer gave me a new set of wheels and tires one week after I bought the car. The fixed the alignment issue in the first shot. Several wheel balances later, I decided that maybe it was an issue with the Michelin Latitudes in general and gave up on the dealer.I tried the Yoko Avid Envigors as I've had great experiences with Yoko's on other cars. The first three shops botched the balancing, made it worse then ever. Then per a member's suggestion on here, I found a really good local shop that really spent time helping me. The botched the first balance, but then re-calibrated their Hunter machine and got it 90% better. But there was still a hint of it and over the course of the next month, steadily got worse. Now, I was firmly convinced that the issue was not with tires or wheels, but possibly drive shaft, hubs, control arm, etc. What most concerned me is that the two loaner MDXs I had also vibrated and "boomed" as well.

At this point, most people would contact Acura care, file a claim, lemon law, etc. But, combine the vibration with the constant booming coming from the rear suspension and I was just done. Because I bought the MDX at invoice and put $5k down, I was able to trade it in on my new A3 with no loss. It's the best decision I ever made. My wife and I just took the A3 to the lake house. We had the two of us, our 2 year-old daughter, Golden Retriever, 3 small suitcases and misc bags and everything fit just fine. Along the way, I enjoyed a solid, smooth, planted ride, even at speeds up to 90.

I hope others have better results with you MDX issues. I really wanted to like this car - just wasn't mean to be, I guess.

 

[ductman]

I guess the question here is " road feel" verse a shimmy or vibration, Yes, if you have a shimmy in your wheel ( side to side movement), it is definitely a
balance issue, I take the same highways everyday and at speeds of 80, the road feel thru the steering wheel depends on the surface whether concrete or asphalt, I guess I am one of the lucky ones as both my 2007 and my 2010 had no issues other than a balance issue that was solved NOT BY THE DEALER, At speeds of 80 or so, I feel " road feel" which some people might confuse as a vibration but not to the point that my hand is vibrating but I have no shaking or unnecessary movement of the steering wheel, I can just lightly rest my hand on the wheel with no corrections at all at speeds of 80 and above and yes the X feels planted at those speeds.

 

[gregmdx]

Smooth highways should feel smooth. In fact my favorite highway to drive the MDX on was an old concrete highway because the road feel would mask the vibration. When I was on a glass smooth new highway, that's when the vibration was most noticeable because there was little road feel.

 

[sunny61]

Here is my fix for vibration above 73MPH... :29::29::29:

First I thought my sport MDX may have had 2 bent rims causing the vibration because I had attempted to get them balanced 4 times, twice from Acura, then twice from independent shops. Acura numb-nuts told me my wheels were 100% balanced and that the vibration was characteristic of the car (Bridgewater Acura, NJ) and the indi shops told me my wheels were 100% balanced and that if they vibrate its either bent rims or faulty tires.

At this point I took my car to a rim repair shop to have the 2 suspected rims straightened... the owner of the shop immediately told my rims were NOT bent but showed characteristics of a defective wheel meaning the mounting holes were not centered perfectly (which cannot be repaired) or faulty tires. He then recommended I take the wheels to a special shop that had a LASER BALANCE machine.

The LASER BALANCE machine immediately showed that the wheels were NOT balanced (.50 off on outside diameter and .75 off on the inside diameter) and this was on both of my rear wheels which had just been balanced 4 times within 2 months . I had the shop remove all the weights and re-balance the wheels and now I truly believe the annoying vibration is gone.

Just thought I share my experience and hope everyone else with this issue has a simple fix as mine was. GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

[gregmdx]

Here is my fix for vibration above 73MPH... :29::29::29:

First I thought my sport MDX may have had 2 bent rims causing the vibration because I had attempted to get them balanced 4 times, twice from Acura, then twice from independent shops. Acura numb-nuts told me my wheels were 100% balanced and that the vibration was characteristic of the car (Bridgewater Acura, NJ) and the indi shops told me my wheels were 100% balanced and that if they vibrate its either bent rims or faulty tires.

At this point I took my car to a rim repair shop to have the 2 suspected rims straightened... the owner of the shop immediately told my rims were NOT bent but showed characteristics of a defective wheel meaning the mounting holes were not centered perfectly (which cannot be repaired) or faulty tires. He then recommended I take the wheels to a special shop that had a LASER BALANCE machine.

The LASER BALANCE machine immediately showed that the wheels were NOT balanced (.50 off on outside diameter and .75 off on the inside diameter) and this was on both of my rear wheels which had just been balanced 4 times within 2 months . I had the shop remove all the weights and re-balance the wheels and now I truly believe the annoying vibration is gone.

Just thought I share my experience and hope everyone else with this issue has a simple fix as mine was. GOOD LUCK!!!!

Glad you were able to fix yours. I was never able to fix mine 100%, even after multiple road force balance attempts. Never heard of a "laser balance."

The reason Bridgewater Acura told you that it's "normal" is because it's a very common issue (along with the thumping rear suspension) with the MDX. I guess if a large enough percentage of vehicles have the same issue, that makes it "normal."

 

[guugoo]

Here is my fix for vibration above 73MPH... :29::29::29:

First I thought my sport MDX may have had 2 bent rims causing the vibration because I had attempted to get them balanced 4 times, twice from Acura, then twice from independent shops. Acura numb-nuts told me my wheels were 100% balanced and that the vibration was characteristic of the car (Bridgewater Acura, NJ) and the indi shops told me my wheels were 100% balanced and that if they vibrate its either bent rims or faulty tires.

At this point I took my car to a rim repair shop to have the 2 suspected rims straightened... the owner of the shop immediately told my rims were NOT bent but showed characteristics of a defective wheel meaning the mounting holes were not centered perfectly (which cannot be repaired) or faulty tires. He then recommended I take the wheels to a special shop that had a LASER BALANCE machine.

The LASER BALANCE machine immediately showed that the wheels were NOT balanced (.50 off on outside diameter and .75 off on the inside diameter) and this was on both of my rear wheels which had just been balanced 4 times within 2 months . I had the shop remove all the weights and re-balance the wheels and now I truly believe the annoying vibration is gone.

Just thought I share my experience and hope everyone else with this issue has a simple fix as mine was. GOOD LUCK!!!!

hi...i am in NJ too. can you tell me which shop did you goto for the laser balance and how much it cost? TIA

 

[gregmdx]

What interesting about this problem is that almost everybody who has the issue experiences it at the same speed - right around 75 mph. Mine was 73 mph, exactly like yours. Strange.

 

[sunny61]

Reyes Internaitonal Tire 625 Elizabeth Avenue
Elizabeth, NJ 07206-1131

It is a small shop known for their experience with tires... balancing only costs $10 per tire.

 

[sunny61]

What interesting about this problem is that almost everybody who has the issue experiences it at the same speed - right around 75 mph. Mine was 73 mph, exactly like yours. Strange.

Greg, I understand what you are saying it is very strange that the majority of this complaint is coming from individuals that own the SPORT models, all sport models have the same rims!!!! When i went to get my rims straightened, the guy stated rims weren't bent but showed characteristics of being defective (he said off center to describe best, which is not repairable). thats when he sent me to get them balanced. He also stated that this style rims produce a lot of heat at high speeds meaning drivers can sometimes feel vibration when the rim is cold but smooth out after heating up or be smooth when cold and start to vibrate after it gets hot. Either way it is the most annoying characteristic of this car, it drives me crazy on lost drives. I would love to swap all 4 tires and rims for the base models for a day to see if that cures the shakes. Has anyone tried that, or replaced the rims and seen the problem go away?

update... now that I have been driving the balanced wheels for 2 weeks. I now think the vibration is still there just not a noticeable as before and at closer to 80mph now. I will now get my front wheels balanced too :24: (should have gotten all 4 done the same time). Though the vibration is much much better but not completely gone... I am also going to go back to the dealer to see if they have something new to say.

Someone in this tread reported Acura having issues with the drive axles that may have been causing vibrations and swapping them out. I have to see my service manager and see what he says about it.

The problem is only noticeable during a set cruising speed around 75+mph, and either very hard to detect or gone when accelerating or braking.

lets keep this topic alive and get to the bottom of this BS

 

[Xkill]

Same problem with ealrier MDX's

I understand what you are saying it is very strange that the majority of this complaint is coming from individuals that own the SPORT models, all sport models have the same rims!!!!

I've been trying to nail down the same problem for sometime now and I own a 2001 which experiences the exact same problem as many of those here in the "2007 and newer" MDX's. I had the problem when I had the factory rims AND when I replaced the factory rims with Akuza rims and Nitto tires (all purchased from same placed and fully balanced). I've never had the problem move; whenever I rotated the tires, problem always existed on the front driver side AND always near the 75 - 80 MPH range. It hasn't changed whenever I purchased new tires, or had tires balanced, wet weather, dry, left side or right side of the highway.....always the same.

After all my researching, troubleshooting and reading of these forums, I have to believe this is a manufacturer's design defect. Not that I'd expect them to admit and provide resitution of problem, but like others, it doesn't bode well for Acura (although I do still like the MDX as a whole).

I'm posting this after rading up on this problem again to see if ANY solution has truely been found...........still hoping.....

Thanks to you all that have added to this conversation as this does help.

GM

 

[guugoo]

Reyes Internaitonal Tire 625 Elizabeth Avenue
Elizabeth, NJ 07206-1131

It is a small shop known for their experience with tires... balancing only costs $10 per tire.

thanks. will give them a try.