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My MDX has been dropped off at South Coast Acura in Costa Mesa, California.
I don't believe it'd be the software issue because prior to this incident, I had my car updated the software regarding the Power Steering by DCH Tustin Acura in California.
I will proceed to NTSB if Acura fails to find the solution for it. But I will keep you posted and others in the Acura community.
Originally Posted by 808tesh
There's a software update TSB out for the MY14-15 IIRC - check with the dealer, that's what warranties are for....
...however - if it truly is a mechanical failure:
1. Report it to the NTSB so they can document if this is a widespread issue
2. Report back here so we all know if it's something to worry about (include the dealer's service notes if you can, for science.)
UPDATE: 2014-2015 Acura MDX Power Steering problem
So, at 12:52 PM, California time zone; John Wong from service department called me and left the message stated that his technicians are in contact with Acura on trying to figure out what is wrong with the vehicle.
Lemon Law for California:
The Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act (beginning with Civil Code section 1790) provides protection for consumers who lease or buy new motor vehicles. The law requires that if the manufacturer or its representative in this state, such as an authorized dealer, is unable to service or repair a new motor vehicle to meet the terms of an express written warranty after a reasonable number of repair attempts, the manufacturer is required promptly to replace the vehicle or return the purchase price to the lessee or buyer. The purchase price that must be returned includes the price paid for manufacturer-installed items and transportation but does not include the price paid for nonmanufacturer items installed by the dealer. The lessee or buyer is completely free to choose whether to accept a replacement or a refund. Whatever the choice, the manufacturer is also responsible to pay for sales or use tax; license, registration, and other official fees; and incidental damages that the lessee or buyer may have incurred such as finance charges, repair, towing, and rental car costs.
The lessee or buyer may be charged for the use of the vehicle regardless of whether the vehicle is replaced or the purchase price is refunded. The amount that may be charged for use is determined by multiplying the actual price of the new vehicle by a fraction having as its denominator 120,000 and as its numerator the number of miles traveled by the vehicle before it was first brought in for correction of the problem. For example, if the car had traveled 6,000 miles before it was first brought in for correction of the problem, the lessee or buyer could be charged 5% (6,000/120,000 = 5%) of the purchase price for usage. The law applies for the entire period of your warranty. For example, if your vehicle is covered by a three-year warranty and you discover a defect after two years, the manufacturer will have to replace the vehicle or reimburse you as outlined above if the manufacturer or its representative is unable to conform the vehicle to the express warranty after a reasonable number of attempts to do so.
Song-Beverly does not apply if the problem was caused by abuse after the vehicle was delivered. Be sure you follow the terms of the warranty for maintenance and proper use of the vehicle.
Although there is a four-year statute of limitations to bring a law suit for breach of warranty or for violations of Song-Beverly, you should act promptly to try to resolve the problem fairly and quickly without legal action if possible.
A special provision, often called the "Lemon Law," helps determine what is a reasonable number of repair attempts for problems that substantially impair the use, value, or safety of the vehicle. The "Lemon Law" applies to these problems if they arise during the first 18 months after the consumer received delivery of the vehicle or within the first 18,000 miles on the odometer, whichever occurs first. During the first 18 months or 18,000 miles, the "Lemon Law" presumes that a manufacturer has had a reasonable number of attempts to repair the vehicle if either (1) The same problem results in a condition that is likely to cause death or serious bodily injury if the vehicle is driven and the problem has been subject to repair two or more times by the manufacturer or its agents, and the buyer or lessee has at least once directly notified the manufacturer of the need for the repair of the problem as provided in the warranty or owner's manual or (2) The same problem has been subject to repair four or more times by the manufacturer or its agents and the buyer has at least once directly notified the manufacturer of the need for the repair of the problem as provided in the warranty or owner's manual or (3) The vehicle is out of service because of the repair of any number of problems by the manufacturer or its agents for a cumulative total of more than 30 days since delivery of the vehicle.
wouldn't you have had to show a reasonable number of repairs or at least have had the vehicle out of service for at least 30 cumulative days? maybe I don't fully understand how the lemon law applies here.
wouldn't you have had to show a reasonable number of repairs or at least have had the vehicle out of service for at least 30 cumulative days? maybe I don't fully understand how the lemon law applies here.
I am equally confused as you....
Good luck OP with your Lemon Law claim...likely you will be laughed at by dealer AND your lawyer!
wouldn't you have had to show a reasonable number of repairs or at least have had the vehicle out of service for at least 30 cumulative days? maybe I don't fully understand how the lemon law applies here.
"The law requires that if the manufacturer or its representative in this state, such as an authorized dealer, is unable to service or repair a new motor vehicle to meet the terms of an express written warranty after a reasonable number of repair attempts, the manufacturer is required promptly to replace the vehicle or return the purchase price to the lessee or buyer..." (three pages long)
The reason why I brought up about the lemon law because, the incident involved my wife, my kid and my mother. Fortunately, nothing ugly happened on Monday, January 26th, 2015. The vehicle's steering wheel some how, for whatever reasons locked up, my wife couldn't turn the wheel. Can you imagine if it happened while she was on the freeway? Really ugly. Three lives, buddy.
So I have my right(s) to blame Acura for this, since it is a safety matter; not only to my family and myself, but to other drivers as well. I could have brought the media into this if I can, CNN for example. For a $50,000+ vehicle, I'd expect a lot better, wouldn't you?
I don't know if you remembered the Toyota's floor mats incident / case? Why the manufacturers had to wait until someone to be dead in order for them to start fixing it? Nothing in this world would bring someone back, if you know what I mean.
Good luck OP with your Lemon Law claim...likely you will be laughed at by dealer AND your lawyer!
I don't hope to use it yet, I will do so if applicable. As matter of fact, I have consulted an attorney regarding this issue. So now, I am documenting everything regarding this case.
Fortunately, nothing ugly happened on Monday, January 26th, 2015. The vehicle's steering wheel some how, for whatever reasons locked up, my wife couldn't turn the wheel. Can you imagine if it happened while she was on the freeway? Really ugly. Three lives, buddy.
So, the steering wheel LOCKED up? She could not turn it at all? How did your wife manage to get the car to safety with steering LOCKED UP?
Again, she could NOT turn the wheel at all?
How did you get it to dealer? Tow truck? Flat bed?
I don't know if you remembered the Toyota's floor mats incident / case? Why the manufacturers had to wait until someone to be dead in order for them to start fixing it? Nothing in this world would bring someone back, if you know what I mean.
You mean where the owner put on aftermarket mat ON TOP of the OEM mats and then it interferes with the pedals? That one?
I'm glad that nothing serious happened to you and your family as a result of this power steering failure incident. If my steering wheel locked up, I would put the blinkers on and get the vehicle to a stop. If power steering fails, the steering wheel still works, but just requires a much higher amount of force to turn, no? I could be wrong here but that's how I thought it worked.
While you may have some grounds for a lawsuit, the lemon law does not yet apply in this scenario as none of the criteria has been met thus far. That's just based on what you have posted so far.
In any case, keep us posted on what happens, whether there is a repair that may also apply to these vehicles, or whether a lawsuit is the route you pursue.
Originally Posted by jayth.lg
"The law requires that if the manufacturer or its representative in this state, such as an authorized dealer, is unable to service or repair a new motor vehicle to meet the terms of an express written warranty after a reasonable number of repair attempts, the manufacturer is required promptly to replace the vehicle or return the purchase price to the lessee or buyer..." (three pages long)
The reason why I brought up about the lemon law because, the incident involved my wife, my kid and my mother. Fortunately, nothing ugly happened on Monday, January 26th, 2015. The vehicle's steering wheel some how, for whatever reasons locked up, my wife couldn't turn the wheel. Can you imagine if it happened while she was on the freeway? Really ugly. Three lives, buddy.
So I have my right(s) to blame Acura for this, since it is a safety matter; not only to my family and myself, but to other drivers as well. I could have brought the media into this if I can, CNN for example. For a $50,000+ vehicle, I'd expect a lot better, wouldn't you?
I don't know if you remembered the Toyota's floor mats incident / case? Why the manufacturers had to wait until someone to be dead in order for them to start fixing it? Nothing in this world would bring someone back, if you know what I mean.
Also, the cost of the vehicle has no significance for me with regards to basic safety. Whether this happened to a $10,000 or a $100,000 car doesn't change my expectations either way. Like you said, a life is a life.
Wondering after the malfunction, did the steering unit recover after it locked up? or did it stay locked up once it arrived at the dealer? Did the malfunction last for a few seconds? That is something to let us know about in case it happens to any of us.
So, the steering wheel LOCKED up? She could not turn it at all? How did your wife manage to get the car to safety with steering LOCKED UP?
Again, she could NOT turn the wheel at all?
How did you get it to dealer? Tow truck? Flat bed?
She was going taking my kid and my mother to the restaurant and when she was turning in to the parking lot, she couldn't turn. So she asked folks who were shopping in that plaza to help her to push the car.
She said she could not turn the wheel.
I called TLC = Total Luxury Care, Acura toll free roadside assistance to request a tow truck, a flat bed.
Wondering after the malfunction, did the steering unit recover after it locked up? or did it stay locked up once it arrived at the dealer? Did the malfunction last for a few seconds? That is something to let us know about in case it happens to any of us.
So I had to leave work early, I clocked out at 11:02 AM, took me approximately 30 minutes to get the location of the vehicle.
Once there, I turned on the car, the car did turn on but there was a really bad mechanism noise like something was stuck; the sound was coming from the steering wheel, then it triggered the message that I took the photo with my phone and posted up for you guys to see.
Only solution for me was to call Acura roadside assistance to request for a tow truck. A flat bed tow truck came, picked up the vehicle and dropped it off at South Coast Acura, Costa Mesa in California. The service advisor that greeted me that day was John Wong, I explained to him what happened and showed him the picture; he went out to test the vehicle, the vehicle did turn on and the noise activated. So he said that something is wrong with the vehicle.
Oh my god it happened again, just picked up today, drove for three blocks and same old shit, "Power Steering System Problem", son of a gun. Will upload video on YouTube, have a watch community.
Dealer gave you back the car repaired??What did the dealer replace?
And the steering wheel will not lock up, it will just have no assist and turning will be very stiff but still drivable, for a man of course,
women etc...will prob not be able to turn it at slow speeds.
Well, that is repair #1 and one week towards Lemon Law. Did this happen during low speed? in a parking lot of the Chevron? Going straight ahead? Turning? Hard or soft turn?
Oh yes, tell us what they did for this 1st round of repair. You can quote your copy of the repair order.
Weird video...you care more about documenting where you're at than showing us the issue.
You need to show in the video that your steering wheel is locking up! Show that you cannot steer. I am still confused, even after the video.
The warning is definitely troublesome...what did you dealer do with the first fix? It would be helpful to post your service papers (blacked out name of course).
What did Acura find?
Otherwise, one can create any warning by pulling plugs, etc....show us that the steering wheel is LOCKED and cannot be turned per your initial post. Show us the service papers.
Sorry, posted that before watching the video. If you cannot steer the car, why is your steering wheel upside down and the front wheels turned off-center? Sounds like you can steer, just without any assist.
I think they need to replace your EPS system, which looks like they did not do the first time.
Dealer gave you back the car repaired??What did the dealer replace?
And the steering wheel will not lock up, it will just have no assist and turning will be very stiff but still drivable, for a man of course,
women etc...will prob not be able to turn it at slow speeds.
Well, that is repair #1 and one week towards Lemon Law. Did this happen during low speed? in a parking lot of the Chevron? Going straight ahead? Turning? Hard or soft turn?
Oh yes, tell us what they did for this 1st round of repair. You can quote your copy of the repair order.
Yes, low speed, I was in local, didn't even hop on the freeway yet.
So the steering rack was replaced???why?
I've never seen one go bad. You need to tell that dealer to have the shop foreman work on the car. Its most likely a connector or pin-fit issue since the car is so new.
Any updates yet?
And also I understand your upset but there is no need to start a lemon law claim, just let them fix it, let them drive it for a week if they have to after the repair just so its confirmed a 100% fixed car before you pick it back up.
So the steering rack was replaced???why?
I've never seen one go bad. You need to tell that dealer to have the shop foreman work on the car. Its most likely a connector or pin-fit issue since the car is so new.
Any updates yet?
And also I understand your upset but there is no need to start a lemon law claim, just let them fix it, let them drive it for a week if they have to after the repair just so its confirmed a 100% fixed car before you pick it back up.
Am I allowed to tell them about the foreman? No updates until Monday. The Service Manager told me that he will contact Acura technical department again about the problem.
About the steering rack, I do not know what led them to that.
South Coast Acura in California, Fred Harbor as Service Supervisor and Scott Barbiere as Master Technician. I am not sure which would qualify as foreman.
I never rushed them. For the record, I still have the email responses between the Service Manager and myself, let me try to post it in here as well; if I can.
An owner would not know why a Tech replaced the steering unit. As it says in invoice tech followed Flow chart for the DTC. Im sure the flow chart gives direction on what a tech would do and not why you replace something.
An owner would not know why a Tech replaced the steering unit. As it says in invoice tech followed Flow chart for the DTC. Im sure the flow chart gives direction on what a tech would do and not why you replace something.
So I assumed that what they thought or the system thought was faulty, but possibly something else; not the power steering rack unit, itself.
I do not feel confident driving this vehicle anymore, to be honest with you and the community.
Once they iron out this issue, it should be ok. Its just the initial part of figuring it out makes if frustrating. When they have to call the Tech line, it's not the easiest problem.
Once they iron out this issue, it should be ok. Its just the initial part of figuring it out makes if frustrating. When they have to call the Tech line, it's not the easiest problem.
Correct, they will have to call them again and probably escalate to the next step. My car had to go thru the Tech line where the Noise canceling system was making loud noises. Had to bring it back another day to continue the diagnoses. Reason I had to bring it back was due to New Years holiday and the Tech was off for 5 days. But my issue is not as serious as yours.
Correct, they will have to call them again and probably escalate to the next step. My car had to go thru the Tech line where the Noise canceling system was making loud noises. Had to bring it back another day to continue the diagnoses. Reason I had to bring it back was due to New Years holiday and the Tech was off for 5 days. But my issue is not as serious as yours.
It was fixed. Defective Active Noise Cancel control unit was replaced. None of the Techs has seen or heard my issue until then. You probably have an issue that is not common.
01-26-2015, 02:02 PM
