I started the car as usual, and in a minute I noticed the radio didn't come on. Looked at the lower (audio) screen on the center stack and it was blank!

I tried cycling the on/off switch for the radio and nothing happened. As I drove along, the radio came on briefly, then went off again. The whole time, the audio screen was blank.

When I got a chance, I stopped and turned off the ignition, then restarted the car. The screen came on normally.

Anyone else seen this happen?

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we live in the world of REBOOTING......

 

Yes, I had it happened just as you stated and resolved it the same as you.
The OAT when mine occurred was +-95Deg.
Only happened that once...

 

Sounds like some relay switch didn't get enough voltage to close some circuit. Only after you drove the car it did. Get a multimeter early in the morning and check battery to see how many volts are in there. But it could be a voltage regulator going bad or the related relay may be toasted etc etc etc... Even if the engine malfunction light is not on, the system may have logged error codes. So get obd reader and check that one too. But your best bet is go to the dealer. If they are competent they'll search recent service bulletins that may have logged the issue before.

 

Thanks, Tonyware. I assumed it was just one of those situations where the start-up sequence got crossed up and a reboot fixed it. But if I have any other oddities Ill take it in and get it checked.

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The software in this vehicle is buggy, unresponsive, slow and unpredictable. This is completely unacceptable in this day and age on any car let alone on one in this price range. Similar things have happened to me and the only thing two different Acura Dealers could do to fix it was disconnect the battery. I think the days of Acura providing cutting edge technology that just works and at an excellent price point is waning.

 

For those of you with this issue, do you already have the latest audio-navigation unit software update, as listed in TSBs 13-008 and 14-014?

The TSBs show how to verify the software version that is installed.

 

I guess I'm a little more charitable.

When you consider the sheer amount of computerized technology baked into these cars - and run off a paltry 12v of power - I think it's pretty amazing things work as well as they do.

The simple act of hitting the Start button initiates a whole long series of electrical processes that spool up in a certain sequence. If one of them stumbles for a nanosecond, or the voltage fluctuates, the sequence can go wonky and certain things might not work right. How many times have you had that happen with your desktop computer at home or at work?

In most cases a simple reboot fixes things, and that's what happened in my case. I'm not ready to give up on Acura for that.

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I have driven vehicles from multiple manufacturers with touch screen Navis, Bluetooth etc. and I haven't had the software/hardware issues I've experienced on my RLX. Granted I have not spent as much time in them for things to surface. You can now get most of this same technology in a 20K car that works better, has higher screen resolution etc. The infotainment system in this car is definitely not cutting edge software or hardware.

 

I have experienced the same thing numerous times. Just as an example, we owned 4 TLs prior to the rlx. Never a hiccup of any kind-audio system or otherwise. They all had a similar ELS system. Audi, BMW, jag, volvo, Maserati, corvette, never a problem of this nature. Do not accept this as inevitable, along with the need for rebooting. It is a defect that acura needs to correct, plain and simple.

 

I suppose I could point out the widely-publicized problems Ford has had with their MyTouch system, or GM with their MyLink, but I guess I won't ... :wink:

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When Alex Dykes did his review of the RLX, he mentioned that the infotainment system in the RLX was the only 2014 system that he had not been able to crash.

For whatever that's worth.

 

At the risk of reopening a dead thread, but in the interest of complete disclosure, I had another odd thing happen yesterday.

Started the car, and noticed the radio wasn't on. The lower screen showed the outlines for the soft buttons to select presets, but there was no text inside them where the station ID shows up.

In addition, the nav screen wouldn't display. Odd.

So I turned the car off and restarted, and it still didn't work. So I turned off and restarted a second time. Finally, after 3 starts, the radio and nav suddenly came to life as if nothing had happened.

Been working fine ever since.

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The Consumer Report reliability survey was released yesterday. All over the news and on Youtube. Acura has been downgraded from above average to average. Comment was that it was because of so many complaints about the new RLX and MDX infotainment systems. Only one brief problem for me so far.

 

Yes Acura has slipped to 25th on initial quality.

2014 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS) | J.D. Power

 

The difficulty is separating real problems like Mike described from general frustration due to lack of proper training. There isn't enough volume in the RLX to move the needle but the MDX is another story. On the plus side, the similar TLX is an improvement in subtle ways. However, it still requires some time for customers to get adjusted to it and requires that sales consultants spend the time to teach when needed. It goes without saying that sales consultants need to understand the system as well and I'd say 50% of our staff doesn't.

 

Consumer Reports just tells you what their subscribers have said in their surveys whether or not it is reasonable that a complaint is a "problem" or not.

I know that when I first bought my 4G TL, I felt lost for a while. Then with the dual screen RLX, I felt lost again.

It didn't last long, but if I'd filled out a survey before I'd got used to the infotainment system, they'd have been in big trouble.

Some reviewers don't help much because they get in the car and want to do laps and timed acceleration results and complain about anything and everything that stands in the way of that, or anything that they have to learn if they can't just get in the car and run away like it's a 1969 Super Bee.

I think that Acura will spring back in a year or two.

 

George is right. Just like the J D Power Initial Quality Surveys, you typically hear most from the complainers, or people who had a perceived problem. It's kind of like the internet.

I view all surveys with a jaundiced eye, and the ones on cars more than others. Well, maybe political surveys more, but ...

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I also put very little stock in the Initial Quality Surveys. People can bitch about anything and it is considered a "problem". "The interior of the car clashes with the color of my dog", can be a "problem". "I like to drive with my knees while drinking coffee and putting on makeup and I found it awkward" can be a "problem".

Colin is 100% correct that more complicated electronics require extensive training by sales staff to ensure that customers are comfortable with the systems and anything less will lead to a "problem". "I was driving home from the dealership and I couldn't figure out how to change the station on the radio" is not a problem with the car, but with the driver and the sales person.

The price of the RLX also raises expectations amongst it's buyers to the point where any small momentary glitch becomes a big "problem".

 

All true.

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The difficulty is not only teaching a new owner, but also training the sales staff. Having a technology focused sales staff is still hard. As I survey our staff (from memory), of ~10, only 5 have a working PC or Mac outside of work. I'd guess that two of them only have it because of their kids. Trying to get everyone on the same page is difficult.

It seems that Acura is working on things, there was a note on our network this morning.

I've always felt that the RLX and MDX systems were the same, but there must be enough differences that the update does not apply to RLX. Hopefully they have something in the works. Updates like that must require a LOT of testing between the vendor (Alpine/Panasonic) and Acura to insure everything works properly.

 

Yep, just look at Ford with Sync and Cadillac with CUE, and BMW a ways back with iDrive. Although iDrive has evolved into a pretty good system. I like it in my wife's X5.

I got into a disagreement on the BMW forums when I claimed that Acura improved on the concept of the multi-function controller knob with the second gen RL. I Still stand by that assertion. The iDrive in our X5 is very similar to the second gen RL with the redundant buttons.