tffm24

How do you find the brakes? After doing over 1100 miles I still find them a little soft and have to push them once softly and then release and press again to get a firm brake application.
Anyone else feel the same?

gtrek79

I have exactly the same problem. I've put 2100 miles on mine and just can't get used to the excess brake pedal travel. When I push the brake pedal, it goes down past the level of the gas pedal. If I release the brake and immediately press it again, it stops about 1/2 inch above the gas pedal and feels more firm. Is this normal for the brake pedal to go below the level of the gas pedal?

Edward'TLS

If you have excessive brake travel, you may have air trapped inside the brake lines.

Have a dealership look at it, and purge the system if necessary.

RL06tech

Sounds right to me

tffm24

Hey gtrek79 we seem to have the exact same problem! I also have about 2200 miles on the MDX but the brakes are still soft. I too noticed that the first instance at braking the brake pedal goes below the gas pedal level and when pressed again it is normal braking!
Took it to the dealer since I also had a safety recall and told them about the brakes. They checked the brakes and said they were normal and the same in all 2014 MDXs.
Well the only thing I can say after 27 years of driving various cars is that the brakes are much better in other cars than the MDX.

gtrek79

Yeah, I took mine to the dealer and they happened to have a brand new one in the service area so I asked if I could check the brakes. Sure enough, it was exactly like mine so I guess it is normal. I measured my travel last night and it is 1 1/2" on first push and 7/8" after you pump the pedal once. Very disappointing, especially since this comes from the list of features, "To satisfy the enthusiast driver, the brake pedal feel is firm with short brake pedal travel". Ha, yeah right...

Litt3

I just got a 2014 MDX Navi. Anyhow I thought the brakes were quite firm, but nice. that was my wife's impression as well.

Youngheart

We have a 2014 MDX Tech with the same issue with 1,700 miles on it. Took it to the dealer and they all checked out normal. However, I had a 2014 MDX Advanced and the brakes on it were just as you would expect on a new car - at the top of the pedal. The car has to be taken back to have a new navigation system installed and I plan to ask again and also make note in my follow up survey.

tffm24

I now have over 3500 miles on the 2014 MDX Tech. The break-in period should be over by now but the brakes still suck. Real soft. Have to really press the brakes all the way down for the car to stop!
The MPG also is nowhere compared to what Acura is advertising.

Youngheart

We took the car back and they thoroughly tested the brakes, which are stopping the MDX- just extensive pedal travel in our opinion and they said all checks out just fine. I took the car home and adjusted the brake rod myself - turning the rod less than one revolution and the pedal is now at the top where one would expect a new car to be. You need to be careful to not go too far so that the brakes will release when you leave up on the pedal. It is so refreshing to have a new car that FEELS like a new car. I must not be very good at describing the problem to the service center. It took me about 5 minutes to make this very minor adjustment.

YZ450

Could you please post a picture of the rod or post the part number? I'm having the issue with mine and will like to fix it the same way you did. Thanks!

Youngheart

YZ450, I would take a picture, but all of this is under the dash and with my tri-focals, i can only feel my way around. The rod is attached to the top of the brake pedal arm and locked with a 12mm locknut. The nut is on the firewall side of the brake arm. You need to loosen the locknut and then turn the rod with a plyers less than one revolution clockwise and then retighten the locknut. Do not go too tight or the brakes will apply without any pressure. Test you car on a flat surfavce with the engine running and after you have applied the brakes several times by placing the car in neutral and making sure that you can push the car forward and backwards fairly easily.

YZ450

Thank you for the info.... no need for pictures, I looked a part online diagram and was able to do it. Night and day difference, now I feel comfortable braking. Thank you again!

SuperHandler2014

I'm experiencing the same issue. Does this procedure lower and/or tighten the brake pedal? Not sure what is meant by "the pedal is now at the top where one would expect a new car to be".

gtrek79

It reduces the amount of travel before the brakes engage. Works great!

tffm24

I don't think I can do it myself. Will the dealership do the same fix if I take it to them? Last time I went to the dealership with the problem they said the brakes are the same for all the MDXs and that they are fine!

SuperHandler2014

Thanks gtrek79. I'll have to give this a try...scared as I'm not of a car person..esp messing with brake components. Hopefully its a quick adjustment as you guys say.

RL06tech

I would not recommend any DIY to do this. Given the complexity of brakes airbags, collision mitigation systems etc, this is a VERY VERY dumb thing to do. Many of the computerized systems that control the brakes are based on speed of application and brake travel. Modifying your brake system in anyway that is not OEM, IS NOT RECOMMENDED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. The brake system of a modern car is nothing like working on a pre ABS/CMBS/VSA car.

tman

Just purchased my 15 MDX and wife got 15 RDX. RDX brakes were definitely grabby. MDX were not, you have press harder. I think its the brake pad material that is making braking "soft."

Edward'TLS

^^^^^

The MDX is a much heavier vehicle than the RDX : 4300 lbs vs. 3800 lbs.

tman

I definitely think its brake pad material that is different. When washing both vehicles, the RDX has much more black brake dust on the front wheels then my MDX. Hardly any brake dust on my front wheels.

gtrek79

I took my MDX in for the seat belt recall and got a loner 2014 MDX Base model and the brakes on it were ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! I told the service writer to check the brakes on mine because this loner was like a different car altogether. They wouldn't compare mine to the loner because the loner is a base package and mine has the tech pkg. They couldn't tell me how the brake system was different between the two but they would only compare mine to another tech pkg. They compared it to 2 other Techs they had in for service. One had better pedal feed than mine according to the tech but since it had 5000 miles less than mine, they found one with 10k like mine and said it was the same so they considered mine normal. Unbelievable!!! Like 5000 miles vs 10,000 miles could possibly make a difference. I now 100%know that there is something wrong with mine but they won't even try to bleed the brakes. I'm pissed!

Edward'TLS

Gtrek79, which MDX model trim do you have ?

gtrek79

It's a 2 wheel drive Tech package.


Update. I bled the brakes myself with an air compressor powered vacuum bleeder after I did a couple of hard stops in the rain to activate the ABS system. Now the pedal is nice and firm. I then made another pedal height adjustment to match the loaner MDX I had and now, after over a year of ownership, I have very good brakes .

BadVibe08

2015 shawd MDX...brakes feel really soft, and take a lot of pedal travel to engage..also seems like I have to push them hard. Any consensus on this? One person described adjusting the brake rod, and then another said not to touch it?

Edward'TLS

^^^^^

How about let the dealership take care of it ? It's all covered under warranty if there is any real problem.