Hi there, I got my 2013 MDX w/tech package about a week ago and I am overall very happy with it.
The two issues that I am having are squeaks and creeks that seem to be coming from the back (roof?) of the car, even on smooth streets. Has anybody else experience this?
The other issue is that the steering is very light and twitchy at highway speeds. My 2005 Pilot was more composed when I had to make a sudden change in direction with more weight needed.
Also, I noticed that the third row of seats does not fold completely flat. Is that normal?

 

Welcome to Acurazine. I hope you find your experience here to be pleasant and resourceful.

As far as your experience with the squeaks, I've not experienced that in my own 12 MDX Tech which I picked up a few months ago. Can you tell if it's coming from the interior or exterior.

Also with the third row, are the seat backs making any contact with that of the second row, possibly preventing it from fully folding?

 

The squeaks are definitively from the inside.
The third row of seats is not touching the second one.

 

Our 2010 tech+ent has been solid in the squeaks department and it's done nearly 20k miles at this point.

My steering sensitivity is pretty decent and generally comparable to our RL. It did well for us yesterday night when I had to swerve to avoid a trailer that was coming into our lane. Do you have the OEM Mich Latitude HP Tour tires running on 18 inch OEM rims ? Is your tire pressure set at the recommended level - check the door jamb.

I never felt my 3rd row was not flat but I admit there is a very slight incline where the 3rd row is, mainly due to the seat bolsters I think. But this is noticeable only if you are looking for it.

On the squeaks, perhaps you can bring it back to the dealer. It is part of their job to address these issues for a brand new car. I heard a story one time about someone who eventually discovered that there were missing welds on some parts of the frame, which explained their squeaks. Car had to be replaced by the dealer due to safety issues. IIRC it might have been an RDX.

Good luck and let us know how it works out.

 

Just having completed a round trip from Dallas to Texas, our 2012 handled extremely well. No drifting or loose feeling from the steering system.

The third row has been folded down ever since we purchased it, and it is completely flat.

Unfortunately, we also had the second row folded down for this trip with extra luggage, and it had a very noticeable incline and was no where near flat. I had even taken the headrests off to make sure nothing hit the front seats. Even with the weight of the extra cargo on the second row folded seats, they were still inclined quite a bit.

 

i have an 09. steering feels like my TL's steering, a touch heavy giving it that feeling of being engaged to the road and nothing that feels like the newer ESP systems in the other models.

third row...mine sits flat as far as i can tell. the 2nd row when folded will be slightly inclined.

i would have the dealer take a look at it...ride IN the car with them when they test drive your car so you can point out the noise. otherwise you might get the "unable to duplicate" comment.

squeaks and creaks...i have a few ticks here and there usually only when there is a lot of bass in the music with the volume turned up. any other time...no rattles or squeaks.

 

My '08 Tech steers very nice as far as I can tell and is very nicely weighted. 3rd row seat lays very flat, but 2nd row is inclined...that always irritated me since I occasionally set a dog kennel in the back for our two Aussies and the seat incline greatly reduces the clearance between the top of the cage and the roof. I mean, how hard would it have been for the interior designers to make it store flat?

 

Exactly: the 3rd row seats are perfectly flat whereas the 2nd row seats are on a slight incline. I don't recall if the bench seat in the 2nd row flips forward. It would be nice if it did but I doubt it does. Regardless, the 3rd row should be perfectly flat, period. Maybe the OP meant 2nd row...

 

I hear you as I too travel with my dog, a Samoyed, in the back of our MDX. The dog always used to slide toward the rear of the vehicle but I have since rigged an attachment to the bottom of his cage so that it remains level. He now just jumps in and out via the door to the cage. It works pretty well. I use the invisible paint guard to help prevent damage to the bumper.

 

The steering still uses the torque-sensing, power-assist rack-and-pinion steering, and along with the SH-AWD, ABS, EBD, and VSA (plus a good set of tires) the 2013 MDX ranks among the more sporty vehicles in its segment from what I recall (either MT or C&D). The steering is definitely weighted due to the afore-mentioned rack-and-pinion-steering but the power-assist isn't so overbearing you feel disconnected from the road. It isn't like my 944 Turbo or my old E46 BMW but it is also not designed to be as such. What we should be thankful for is that Acura hasn't (yet) adopted an electric power-assist steering system also know as EPS.

As a quick and dirty low-down on the difference in handling:

ABS, VSA, EBD = Added Safety

EPS = Add MPG's

Why? Because the electric steering does not use a hydraulic pump which robs the engine of power and thus engine efficiency. The thought is wonderful for soccer mom's but for people who like to "feel" the road...not good. There are rumors that even the next-gen BMW M3 will have electric steering.

 

^^all the new acura's have EPS. 2GTSX (?), 4GTL, 2GRDX, ILX...i see the new 3GMDX and the redesign of the the TLX, and the RLX all having EPS.

 

Thank you for the correction as I didn't know they made the switch over to it.

 

When brand new and with very stiff new seats, the MDX 3rd row can sometimes have a little more of an angle to it. The 3rd row seatbelts still being fully attached can cause a bit of this too. The more you use them, the more they loosen and will lay flat easier.

The creaking is absolutely abnormal. I've been around MDX's for 2 years now, and especially the 2007-2013 generation, never one with a rattle or squeak except from a dash ashtray one time.

 

Thankfully, the creaking seem to have stopped.
The third row is simoly not flat and not because of the seat belts. I hardly will ever use the third row so i dont think they will "loosen".

 

i just bought a 2012 advance/entertainment pkg. My third row seats do not lay flat either, strange design, but not a real issue to me so far. I do not have any squeaks, only thing i wish is that it was quieter in the cabin on highways, seems a bit excessive for wind noise. Other than has been excellent to drive.