My MDX pulls to the right

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Old Jan 13, 2021 | 08:11 PM
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My MDX pulls to the right

I am really not understanding this issue that I have with my MDX. First I got this steering wheel shimmy that seems like it isn't leaving at all, and now my MDX pulls to the right. What is going on with my MDX? Local immediate Acura dealer saying nothing is wrong with my MDX, when there's bunch of clear signs that something is not right with the vehicle.
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Old Jan 13, 2021 | 10:41 PM
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What year and what wheels/tires? We have a new 2020 MDX tech. Leased it in September 2020. It has pulled to the right since the day we took delivery. It also pulls to the right when we accelerate from a stoplight. The dealer aligned it and said it was slightly off but 4 months and 4,000 miles later and it’s still pulling. It isn’t a hard pull, more like a drift.
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Old Jan 14, 2021 | 07:29 AM
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2017 MDX and OEM Tech package rims with Goodyear Assurance Maxlife.
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Old Jan 14, 2021 | 08:46 AM
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Swap the front and rear tires and see if it solves the problem
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Old Jan 14, 2021 | 09:23 AM
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We have the stock continental tires with the tech package. I forgot to mention that in addition to aligning it they also flipped the front tires left to right. It seemed to lessen the problem but it’s still there. We have not swapped front to back yet.
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Old Jan 14, 2021 | 09:57 AM
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Regardless if I even do the tire rotation left to right, and right to left, front to back and back to front, I will still experience the same issues that I have been experiencing for the past 3 months now. My Honda SA told me to bring in the MDX and they can check if my alignment is off for free. If my alignment is not off, then I can check that box off on the list for what is not causing these two issues. I do believe the wheel repair guys did rotate the tires in the front to back and back to front order.
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Old Jan 14, 2021 | 10:10 AM
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You mentioned this issue has been going on for 3 months? What changed three months ago? New tires maybe? I have also seen tire bangers use an impact gun to put the tires back on. Doing that can warp the rotors.
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Old Jan 14, 2021 | 10:10 AM
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The last couple times you did an alignment, did they provide you with an alignment sheet?
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Old Jan 14, 2021 | 10:16 AM
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Originally Posted by Donn0128
You mentioned this issue has been going on for 3 months? What changed three months ago? New tires maybe? I have also seen tire bangers use an impact gun to put the tires back on. Doing that can warp the rotors.
Half Shaft axle (passenger side), 3 sets of tires, brake fluid flush, ATF D&F, Multiple Tire balancing, TSB 20-015, rim repair and refinish, new tail gate, half destroyed rear bumper, tire rotation on the fronts (left to right and right to left order), tire rotation right side only.

Originally Posted by thoiboi
The last couple times you did an alignment, did they provide you with an alignment sheet?
I only did 1 alignment so far, and that was on September 26th 2020. Honda didn't provide an alignment sheet at all.

Last edited by datechboss101; Jan 14, 2021 at 10:19 AM.
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Old Jan 14, 2021 | 10:24 AM
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You need to go to an independent tire shop that does alignments. And ALWAYS ask for an alignment sheet that shows the before and after.
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Old Jan 14, 2021 | 10:36 AM
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Originally Posted by thoiboi
You need to go to an independent tire shop that does alignments. And ALWAYS ask for an alignment sheet that shows the before and after.
Just checked in with the tire guy, and PapiFlyy (if you guys know him or heard of him) just got the alignment rack delivered to the shop and they are getting it finished installing (in two to three weeks).
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Old Jan 14, 2021 | 01:21 PM
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I just came back home from Honda and got the alignment report as well. Report says my alignment is perfect on all sides.

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Old Jan 14, 2021 | 01:54 PM
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I honestly believe it has something to do with road crowning and susceptibility of tires to follow grooves and/or slight pitch in the road.
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Old Jan 14, 2021 | 02:09 PM
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we need more granular levels of detail like so:



I'd recommend you stop going to the honda dealer for alignments if they can't provide this level of detail. Hell i even stopped going to Discount Tire because their definition of "aligned' was within the green. I want my alignment dead on so I go to a shop that has a very particular tech who will spend the time to get it dialed in exactly.
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Old Jan 14, 2021 | 04:41 PM
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I have to wait to get a detailed alignment because the indie shop I use they just got the alignment rack and they need to finish it, which takes 2-3 weeks from what the owner told me.
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Old Jan 17, 2021 | 08:27 PM
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I might need to add another observation made... We heard a loud drone coming from the front passenger side. I am pretty sure its the wheel bearing going bad, due to it happening under acceleration and happens after each revolution of the wheel. The steering wheel shimmy came back on the main road after going MIA from Thursday to Saturday, and it was violent as hell. The pulling to one side regardless of the type of road I am on, might be the sign or symptom of a bigger problem. I am going to document this in the morning.

My younger brother identified quickly that the wheel bearing is going bad, since the noise comes at low speeds but eventually cuts out at highway speeds.
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Old Jan 19, 2021 | 09:47 AM
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My MDX threw the A13 code on my Birthday, so I took the MDX to my Discount Tires store. They did the balancing and rotation and found out that the tire which was originally on the front passenger side needed more weights than the other three tires. That said tire is on the rear passenger side. Its still shimmying and still pulls to the right. I got the case escalated to the higher ups at Acura and should be expecting a call from a case manager soon.
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Old Jan 26, 2021 | 03:58 PM
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@thoiboi
Here is the detailed alignment sheet. I had to go to a Pep Boys. Its still shimmying like a MF and I literally have to argue with Fountain Acura to fix this damn thing.

I am 100% sure that its the bearing that Fountain Acura replaced that is causing this issue. I contacted a drivetrain shop and they are booked till end of next month.


Last edited by datechboss101; Jan 26, 2021 at 04:09 PM.
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Old Jan 28, 2021 | 03:45 PM
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You seem to have multiple threads of suspension issues... I looked back into your history and you also had a rear end collision that you didn't mention it.. Also very odd that your caster is out of whack for such a new car. Did they do ANY suspension work as part of that collision repair? I'd recommend divulging all information in all of your threads so we don't have to play and guess at the symptoms without knowing the full history of the car.
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Old Jan 28, 2021 | 04:28 PM
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Originally Posted by thoiboi
You seem to have multiple threads of suspension issues... I looked back into your history and you also had a rear end collision that you didn't mention it.. Also very odd that your caster is out of whack for such a new car. Did they do ANY suspension work as part of that collision repair? I'd recommend divulging all information in all of your threads so we don't have to play and guess at the symptoms without knowing the full history of the car.
Was wondering how long this thread would go on before someone would call into question some of the content. I didn't put the dots together like you did thoiboi, but I do thank you!
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Old Jan 28, 2021 | 04:33 PM
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Originally Posted by moose66
Was wondering how long this thread would go on before someone would call into question some of the content. I didn't put the dots together like you did thoiboi, but I do thank you!
This isn't the first, nor will it be the last time.. I've seen this happen MULTIPLE times while being on this board over the years. I don't think it's intentionally leaving out information, but it's frustrating when these multiple threads come up and I, trying to be a helpful contributor, end up having to play PI to make sense of it all..
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Old Jan 28, 2021 | 06:02 PM
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Originally Posted by thoiboi
You seem to have multiple threads of suspension issues... I looked back into your history and you also had a rear end collision that you didn't mention it.. Also very odd that your caster is out of whack for such a new car. Did they do ANY suspension work as part of that collision repair? I'd recommend divulging all information in all of your threads so we don't have to play and guess at the symptoms without knowing the full history of the car.
I am attaching the paperwork that I was given from the first repair. The second repair was only a price quote, but according to the body shop its not suspension related at all. Heck, I am going to upload the receipt for the original half shaft bearing being replaced. Also, I did stop by a Honda specialist shop in East Orlando, and he told me that he is going to have his buddy check the alignment of the entire vehicle to see if it needs to be realigned again. One thing for sure, everybody hates this local Orlando Acura dealership (they built themselves a bad reputation). For the rear end collision, I had my Honda dealer do a multi-point to see if there's anything damaged, and they said its in perfect condition. This issue is eating my sanity and OCD. Also, I had this shimmying issue way before the two accidents.

Fountain Acura service receipt of Half Shaft Bearing replacement
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nA2...ew?usp=sharing --- Progressive Claim repair bill
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qMh...ew?usp=sharing --- December 8th Accident repair quote
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Old Jan 28, 2021 | 06:21 PM
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Originally Posted by thoiboi
This isn't the first, nor will it be the last time.. I've seen this happen MULTIPLE times while being on this board over the years. I don't think it's intentionally leaving out information, but it's frustrating when these multiple threads come up and I, trying to be a helpful contributor, end up having to play PI to make sense of it all..
My mistake on my part for creating a shit ton of threads and not interconnecting them. I honestly thought that each issue I find from my MDX gets a dedicated thread so it would not contaminate the direction that I am looking towards (not sure if that made any sense).
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Old Jan 28, 2021 | 06:47 PM
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Originally Posted by datechboss101
My mistake on my part for creating a shit ton of threads and not interconnecting them. I honestly thought that each issue I find from my MDX gets a dedicated thread so it would not contaminate the direction that I am looking towards (not sure if that made any sense).
Like i said, I don't think it was intentional, but when there's a common thread that can be the root cause of it all, I'd recommend including it in the future. Take it as a lesson learned


Have you tried taking it to another body shop for a second opinion? Let them know that there was a rear end collision in the past and perhaps they can check it.. What if the frame is warped?
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Old Jan 28, 2021 | 08:07 PM
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Originally Posted by thoiboi
Like i said, I don't think it was intentional, but when there's a common thread that can be the root cause of it all, I'd recommend including it in the future. Take it as a lesson learned


Have you tried taking it to another body shop for a second opinion? Let them know that there was a rear end collision in the past and perhaps they can check it.. What if the frame is warped?
I am actually planning on taking to a body shop that is going to replace my rear bumper and possibly paint correct, which I am in the process of saving up money for that. I was supposed to get a body shop quote down in Miami the afternoon after the accident occurred, but I didn't. The bumper is still damaged (killing my OCD, but I don't got the money right now for that and not risking my insurance premiums to increase more). I need to contact my guy to see if he has any plugs in the body shop realm. I learned my lesson of going to an insurance accredited body shop (did a sub-par job on the parents vehicle, had to go back to get that redone).

I did remember something but not sure how relevant it is.. While coming home from Miami, I hit an object that might have scraped my subframe (it made a loud noise) and it was an unavoidable instance, since there were vehicles on the lane next to me. That possibly might be the cause of making the MDX pull right. But then, I have the local Honda specialist shop taking me next week to his alignment buddy (was like in the biz for 40+ years) and he is going translate everything to me and to his buddy (he speaks Spanish, and I don't understand a bit of Spanish at all).

I am hopeful this can be resolved within the next month.
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Old Feb 2, 2021 | 09:43 AM
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Update: I disconnected the battery for 2 hours or so (needed to take care of the dash camera wiring w/ interfering the A-pillar airbags), and it happen to make the vehicle worse? Although it was super windy, it kept on moving to the right. I also got a message yesterday instead of Sunday that my Lane Departure Warning system may not operate properly on the infotainment screen; error message didn't show up on the MID or on the AcuraLink app, so I ignored that message, but it was the ONLY error message that popped up on the screen. Not sure if I need to get that checked out.

Looks like I still got more digging to do to figure out what the hell is causing the vehicle to pull to the right and the steering wheel to shimmy.

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Old Feb 6, 2021 | 05:33 PM
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This new SA that I had to use at Honda since my go to SA was sick (maybe dude got rona?). First thing this dude said my Alignment FAILED. And then forced me to do an Alignment job AGAIN.

I told him I need a detailed copy of the alignment, and when I saw it, the rear is out of limits. Its showing the right rear tire that Discount Tire noted as being bumpy. The camber is at -1.4 degrees (out of specification range) and the rear cross camber is at 0.8 degrees, also out of specification range, according to the Hunter alignment system.
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Old Apr 4, 2021 | 04:03 PM
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Advice/help needed: Alignment issue on 4mo old 2020 MDX Tech

I've had my 2020 Tech for 4 months (less than 2K miles) and I've had to go to the dealership 3x already (waiting to schedule 4th visit) for alignment issues. I have to turn my steering wheel to the left to go straight. This is not my first Acura. I'm being told that this is an "easy" fix and not a safety issue. If this is an "easy" fix, why does it keep getting misaligned? And for the safety issue - no comment on my end...[img]data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7[/img] Has anyone else experienced this or have any suggestions on what I can do?
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Old Apr 7, 2021 | 07:42 PM
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Originally Posted by MK2020AcuraMDXTech
I've had my 2020 Tech for 4 months (less than 2K miles) and I've had to go to the dealership 3x already (waiting to schedule 4th visit) for alignment issues. I have to turn my steering wheel to the left to go straight. This is not my first Acura. I'm being told that this is an "easy" fix and not a safety issue. If this is an "easy" fix, why does it keep getting misaligned? And for the safety issue - no comment on my end...[img]data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7[/img] Has anyone else experienced this or have any suggestions on what I can do?
How many degrees to you have to turn the wheel to the left to go straight? We have a 6 month old 2020 MDX that we bought new in September and it has been pulling to the right since day one. The dealer re-aligned it and said it was slightly out of spec but nothing crazy. Yet it still pulls right on most roads. Dealer says it’s due to crowning of the road and I get the concept but I’ve been driving for 35 years and have had many cars over that time and never experienced anything like this.
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Old Apr 7, 2021 | 08:00 PM
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Originally Posted by e-man22
How many degrees to you have to turn the wheel to the left to go straight? We have a 6 month old 2020 MDX that we bought new in September and it has been pulling to the right since day one. The dealer re-aligned it and said it was slightly out of spec but nothing crazy. Yet it still pulls right on most roads. Dealer says it’s due to crowning of the road and I get the concept but I’ve been driving for 35 years and have had many cars over that time and never experienced anything like this.
Hi @e-man22 Your situation seems to be very similar to mine. Below are 2 of 3 diagnostic reports I received from my dealership. I'm still waiting for the dealership to provide me with the 3rd report, and provide me with a schedule of when the Acura Rep from HQ will be making their visit so I can go for a test-drive with them. I've contacted Acura USA customer service about the lack of customer service I've received from my dealership and have a case manager assigned, but still no progress. I've also had numerous cars and never experienced this issue before.. it's extremely frustrating since this is sucking up so much time and energy. This is definitely a safety issue in the eyes of auto insurance companies - not only for us but for other drivers on the road with us. Have you considered looking into the Lemon Law for your state? I think if this continues, I will need to find a Lemon Law attorney...

Left: 1st Diagnostic Report Right: 2nd Diagnostic Report [3rd Diagnostic Report - still waiting on dealership to provide; it'll be 2 weeks this Friday]
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