[E92Vancouver]

Mine seem to be pretty warped. On the highway, using the brakes shakes the front end violently. Is this a known issue? Are brake rotors under designed on this car?

 

[mdxstang]

I don't have the problem with my 2014 but several others have posted similar issues here. As brakes wear to where they're nearing full lifetime it's not unusual for rotors to be worn as well and rotors on vehicles in the last 15-20 years seem to be 'throwaway' rotors where they might not be able to be turned even one time without being under the minimum thickness. I just replace my rotors when it's time to replace pads. I have 'not' replaced the brakes on my 2014 yet (about 41K miles on it).

Regardless - your brakes should never cause your vehicle to shake violently like that - i.e. the rotors should never get that out of round with routine maintenance - i.e. either turning or replacing them when the pads are replaced. It sounds like you definitely need new rotors. Maybe Acura under-spec'd the rotors for this vehicle.

 

[skirmich]

To answer your question.. Nope brakes are not under-designed..
The MDXs uses the biggest OD front rotors of all Honda/Acura cars (except new NSX) and the dual piston caliper is more than sufficient for the weight too.. Add to that that the rear rotors are oversized too you got excellent brake hardware on the MDX.

The main issue is:
1.- Using the OEM brake pads which are not very good if you are the kind of people that like to ride the brakes for too long.
And second issue is:
2.- Using the OEM rotors in concert with OEM pads if you like to ride the brakes = Recipe to warping which is very VERY common in Acura/Hondas.

Your options are:
1.- Re-surface the OEM Rotor (If allowed) and get better brake pads (EBC Green Stuff highly recommended).
2.- Get new Rotors and better brake pads (same recommendation).
3.- Re-surface the OEM Rotors (If allowed) and Stop riding the brakes.

 

[E92Vancouver]

Thanks for your replies guys. I went into the dealer and they told me the factory rotors and pads have issues. Acura's policy is to replace the pads and discs under warranty if the driver complains. My vehicle has 32,000 km on it so brake pads were pretty worn. Acura changed everything for free. They said If I paid it would have cost me $1,200. This warranty is only for fussy drivers so they don't promote it, just in case you are not fussy.

And oh did I mention that Acura is awesome!!!!

 

[skirmich]

32000km to brake pad change is absurdly low, that is barely 20K (miles) out of your brake pads... OE brake pads in mine lasted well over 80K miles. I will suggest to upgrade the brake pads ASAP, seems Acura dropped the ball on new brake pad material.

 

[mdxstang]

32000km to brake pad change is absurdly low...

And they make up for it with an absurdly high potential cost - $1200 for brakes, which is ridiculous and hopefully not what it really would have been - even in Canadian dollars.

E92 - I'm glad you got these replaced at no cost to you. That's great actually. There is, however, a problem with abnormally short brake life for you. Mine's at 41K miles and last I checked I still have miles left. I think Elvis reported quite a bit of mileage on the brakes of the MDX he had before trading it for his hybrid one, and Skirmitch is saying his lasted 80K miles on his 2nd gen, which is actually quite high for brakes.

Do you think you ride the brakes a lot or are you a 2 footed driver - one of those who rests the left foot on the brake pedal while the other foot's on the gas? There must be some reason why you got such low mileage out of your brakes.

 

[E92Vancouver]

And they make up for it with an absurdly high potential cost - $1200 for brakes, which is ridiculous and hopefully not what it really would have been - even in Canadian dollars.

E92 - I'm glad you got these replaced at no cost to you. That's great actually. There is, however, a problem with abnormally short brake life for you. Mine's at 41K miles and last I checked I still have miles left. I think Elvis reported quite a bit of mileage on the brakes of the MDX he had before trading it for his hybrid one, and Skirmitch is saying his lasted 80K miles on his 2nd gen, which is actually quite high for brakes.

Do you think you ride the brakes a lot or are you a 2 footed driver - one of those who rests the left foot on the brake pedal while the other foot's on the gas? There must be some reason why you got such low mileage out of your brakes.

Hi MDXSTANG. Acutally I had lots of brake pad left. My previous service indicated that I had 80% left.

The issue was that my rotors were warped. I do not ride my brakes. But ACC seems to.

 

[E92Vancouver]

BTW, my dealer says they have been doing lots of these replacements.

 

[skirmich]

Do you use ACC a lot?

 

[jiggs1219]

In my case, the car would shudder a tiny bit on the highway when braking. The dealer ended up resurfacing the rotors and that seemed to have solved it. I have around 15k miles on mine and many of them are city miles.

 

[mdxstang]

I do not ride my brakes. But ACC seems to.

I don't have ACC on mine so that can be a factor in the different experiences between our vehicles.

I thought you said the pads were pretty worn hence the question about the brake riding. If you have 80% left then that's likely not a factor, as you confirmed.

I still wonder about the rotors. Did they happen to mention if the rotors are 'clean' - i.e. don't have some pad material or something on them that might be causing the same symptom as as a warped rotor? Also - did they see if the warpage is just one rotor or is it multiple - ex: both fronts? This isn't something you'd be able to discern driving but they s/b able to check it with a gauge.

 

[elvisfan]

And they make up for it with an absurdly high potential cost - $1200 for brakes, which is ridiculous and hopefully not what it really would have been - even in Canadian dollars.

E92 - I'm glad you got these replaced at no cost to you. That's great actually. There is, however, a problem with abnormally short brake life for you. Mine's at 41K miles and last I checked I still have miles left. I think Elvis reported quite a bit of mileage on the brakes of the MDX he had before trading it for his hybrid one, and Skirmitch is saying his lasted 80K miles on his 2nd gen, which is actually quite high for brakes.

Do you think you ride the brakes a lot or are you a 2 footed driver - one of those who rests the left foot on the brake pedal while the other foot's on the gas? There must be some reason why you got such low mileage out of your brakes.

I had 56,000 miles. I am a 1 footed driver and I never creep at lights. Also,no ACC. Now I do,so time will tell.

 

[racer001]

Brakes suck on the 2015 MDX. Mine were replaced at 32,000 miles and had to include rotors. Best pads and rotors cost me $548.00 installed at an independent. I took mine in at least 3 times to the dealer and they told me it was normal operation for my MDX and there was nothing they could do about it. And that is only one reason this is my last Acura. I have a fleet of Chevrolet's that never have brake jobs before 70,000 miles and they are driven 10 times harder than my MDX.

 

[skirmich]

^ Would you say its the brake pad material that wear out faster than the rotors?
If so maybe just switching to a higher performance brake pad would do the trick.

 

[E92Vancouver]

Do you use ACC a lot?

Every chance I get.

 

[E92Vancouver]

In my case, the car would shudder a tiny bit on the highway when braking. The dealer ended up resurfacing the rotors and that seemed to have solved it. I have around 15k miles on mine and many of them are city miles.

Same!!!

 

[E92Vancouver]

I don't have ACC on mine so that can be a factor in the different experiences between our vehicles.

I thought you said the pads were pretty worn hence the question about the brake riding. If you have 80% left then that's likely not a factor, as you confirmed.

I still wonder about the rotors. Did they happen to mention if the rotors are 'clean' - i.e. don't have some pad material or something on them that might be causing the same symptom as as a warped rotor? Also - did they see if the warpage is just one rotor or is it multiple - ex: both fronts? This isn't something you'd be able to discern driving but they s/b able to check it with a gauge.

They said all rotors needed changing due to warping.

 

[racer001]

^ Would you say its the brake pad material that wear out faster than the rotors?
If so maybe just switching to a higher performance brake pad would do the trick.

I just think it's poor quality brakes and rotors. I was having brake pad movement at about 15,000 but again that is normal. Right on that one?? I have never had to put brakes on a car at 32,000 miles.

 

[Wanderlust]

Dunno. I think the pads are biased toward low noise and all-condition grip as opposed to high-heat tolerance for hot laps at the local track. I think I managed to cook some pad material onto the rotors doing "spirited" driving in the Rockies recently, and got a wicked shimmy going when I applied the brakes ( and no, I don't ride the brakes more than necessary to avoid slamming into another car, the guardrail, or "terrain". ) But the pulsation seems to have mostly cured itself after more sedate subsequent driving. So I assume I cooked some pad material onto hot rotors, then wore it off. But I'm open to other interpretations.

 

[mdxstang]

^^ That's due to Wisconsinites driving in the mountains.

Just teasing - but I learned to drive while living in Colorado and it was noticeable how many flatlanders would ride their brakes almost all the way down long mountain grades rather than applying them in a way where they have a chance to cool a bit in between applications and/or using engine braking. On a downgrade section of the road from the summit of Pikes Peak to the bottom they used to have a mandatory brake check point to to some of these people riding their brakes all the way down and having them on the brink of failure. I haven't been on that road in a long time so I don't know if they still do that.

Note - I usually use Ohioans or Kansans to do this characterization rather than Wisonsinites.