Hi:
I have a 2012 TL. Over the last couple of years I've experienced occasional hard starts. It's not tied to any particular weather conditions.

Also, occasionally I need to press the start button 2 or 3 times. The 1st time I press it nothing happens.

Finally, the check emission light came on about 6 months ago. I thought it might be the gas cap so I bought a new one. I also noticed the air flow to the engine was severely restricted since there was a large buildup of leaves on the cowl vent. I removed all the leaves. The mechanic reset the emissions warning.

The occasional issues I described above still occur. Worst of all, the emissions warning came back on about a month ago. After a week it went off. A few days ago it came back on.

I'll take it back to the mechanic but when he reset the warning he said he didn't know what caused it to come on. He said it could be many things. He's very honest and didn't want to charge me for work that doesn't fix the problem(s).

Should the cowl cover be removed and underneath be cleaned? The car is parked outside under trees.

I'm guessing the issue with the starting of the car isn't related to the emissions warning?

Any input would be appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

 

I'm curious about the answers to your start button question. I have the same issue with my wife 2019 MDX. I wonder if it could have something to do with the fob battery, or perhaps a stuck brake switch. I haven't figured it out. A scanner returned no codes for IMMO or anything else.

I'd run a full scan including BCM, IMMO and all auxiliary computers and see what comes back. Keep us posted.