getakey

I know there have been RLX owners reporting dead battery after leaving car at airport for 7+ days
About to leave my MDX for 7 days
Has anyone had an issue?

jbawden

I bought one of the microstart lithuim battery packs to keep in the car. My second gen MDX left me dead at the airport after a 10 day trip, now I don't worry about it.

thoiboi

You've got a parasitic draw somewhere.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

I have not let the car sit for longer than 2 days so I can't say. I hope there isn't a problem. I say you should back into the parking spot just in case you need to jump start it at the airport.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

I just realized that I need to correct my last statement. We went on three week + vacations this summer and both cars sat for 7 days plus and there was no problem with either. My RLX Sport Hybrid had a battery issue while sitting in my garage and I had to replace it, but the car was not sitting at all. It was just a worn out battery plain and simple.

moose66

No issues with my ride (speaking from the RLX side of the group). The car sits frequently in my garage for 7 day periods. Up to this point it starts right up on demand.

jbawden

There was a known issue on the early second gen, sold that back in 2013. Haven't had any issues with the '17 but I don't think it's sat for more than 24hrs since we had it. Batteries are unpredictable and their life expectancies are shorter than ever now, so the Micro Start is self-sufficient preparation for the inevitable.

JADS

I have a 2015 MDX purchased new the end of 2014. I have had it sitting in my garage for a 30 day period on two occasions while we were traveling overseas. When we come back there is enough juice in the battery to turn on the dashboard electronics but not enough to start the car. A couple hours on the battery charger is enough to get it to start. I thought about putting it on the charger while I am gone on just a trickle charge but I hesitate to do that when I am gone for a whole month with no one around..Apparently there is enough current draw of electronics to drain the battery over that amount of time. The Acura service advisor didn't seem to think there was a cause for concern. For the battery to drain that much in only a week sounds like there is a problem and Acura should address it..
It would be nice if Acura provided a switch to flip when the car will sit for a long time to disable some of the electronics and not drain the battery. I also had a 2004 Nissan Murano sitting for a month at the same time and it started. Apparently not as much electronics to drain the battery.

flyboy

I have left my 2017 Sport Hybrid for 10 days and no issues.

Bluepill

I don't know if this has been addressed before in the forums. As part of the crazy rush to get better EPA numbers, Acura, as well as most other manufactures, have made engineering choices that create user problems. The well-known problems like VCM vibration, shifting programs that favor MPG rather than driveability, the whacko 9 speed ZF etc. are part of this insanity. The charging system on my '14 MDX leaves the battery constantly undercharged. It like to stay at 12.2 volts while cruising, sometimes going up to 12.6 at times. A battery needs a minimum of about 13.2 volts to start charging, and 14.0 to 14.4 to reach fully charged in a reasonable time. The only time I see those voltages is running the engine in neutral or park.

After having my original battery fail after 3 years, I now use an external charger at least once a week to bring the battery to full charge while parked. If you use a power plug voltmeter on your MDX, I expect that you will get the same results.

Bluepill

I don't know if this has been addressed before in the forums. As part of the crazy rush to get better EPA numbers, Acura, as well as most other manufactures, have made engineering choices that create user problems. The well-known problems like VCM vibration, shifting programs that favor MPG rather than driveability, the whacko 9 speed ZF etc. are part of this insanity. The charging system on my '14 MDX leaves the battery constantly undercharged. It likes to stay at 12.2 volts while cruising, sometimes going up to 12.6 at times. A battery needs a minimum of about 13.2 volts to start charging, and 14.0 to 14.4 to reach fully charged in a reasonable time. The only time I see those voltages is running the engine in neutral or park.

After having my original battery fail after 3 years, I now use an external charger at least once a week to bring the battery to full charge while parked. If you use a power plug voltmeter on your MDX, I expect that you will get the same results.

Bluepill

I don't know if this has been addressed before in the forums. As part of the crazy rush to get better EPA numbers, Acura, as well as most other manufactures, have made engineering choices that create user problems. The well-known problems like VCM vibration, shifting programs that favor MPG rather than driveability, the whacko 9 speed ZF etc. are part of this insanity. The charging system on my '14 MDX leaves the battery constantly undercharged. It likes to stay at 12.2 volts while cruising, sometimes going up to 12.6 at times. A battery needs a minimum of about 13.2 volts to start charging, and 14.0 to 14.4 to reach fully charged in a reasonable time. The only time I see those voltages is running the engine in neutral or park.

If you park your car for a few weeks and the battery starts out with only a 65-75 percent charge, you will have much less time before the charge level is too low to start the car. I am fully convince that Acura is aware of this problem, and it is the reason that the later models are being equipped with AGM batteries that tolerate this condition better.

After having my original battery fail after 3 years, I now use an external charger at least once a week to bring the battery to full charge while parked. If you use a power plug voltmeter on your MDX, I expect that you will get the same results.

Bluepill

Then there is this Dealership's publication:

Precision Acura Of Princeton | New Acura dealership in Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

Think they are getting a bunch of complaints?

getakey

back after 7 days and no issue

JADS

I have a 2014 MDX with the original battery. Had it sitting in an outdoor parking lot over new years in Minnesota, temps were 4 or 5 during the day and -12 to -18 at night. After being gone for 6 days it started up just fine, turned over the first time! I have had it in my garage for a month without using it and had to charge up the battery before it would start but for just a week everything worked fine, even in bitterly cold weather. I was pleasantly surprised.

victorber

I previously had a 2014 RLX Advance an experienced the same problem when car left unattended for more than 14 days. Taking it to the dealer and questing why the failure of the battery, the answer was because of the many electronic components which draw upon the vehicle battery to maintain D/H/M currency.
They also mentioned that the recharge rate may not take the charge to full state
They strongly suggested the Battery Tender and since then I never had a reoccurrence..

I currently am waiting a 2018 Acura MDX Advance, which I should pickup on Monday, Then I can change the Icon...