I AM WRITING WITH RESPECT TO A DEFECT IN A 2010 ACURA MDX (VEHICLE ID #: [XXX]) THAT I PREVIOUSLY LEASED. ON AUGUST 27, 2012, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING SAID VEHICLE ON THE MERRITT PARKWAY IN CT. THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND ENGINE OF THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION AND MY WIFE LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR AND COULD NOT BRING THE CAR TO A STOP AND EVENTUALLY THE CAR ROLLED TO A STOP. MY WIFE WAS TERRIFIED BY THE INCIDENT AND CALLED 9-1-1. AFTER WAITING A WHILE, THE CAR WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED AND WE BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER WHERE WE HAD LEASED THE AUTOMOBILE. THE DEALER RAN A SERIES OF TESTS BUT COULD NOT IDENTIFY A REASON FOR WHAT HAPPENED, AND DROVE THE CAR FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, BUT TOLD US THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. WE WERE, OF COURSE, NO LONGER COMFORTABLE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND IMMEDIATELY TERMINATED THE LEASE. I SUBSEQUENTLY HAD A SERIES OF COMMUNICATIONS WITH ACURA CLIENT RELATIONS AT 1919 TORRANCE BLVD. M/S 500-2N7E, TORRANCE, CA 90501-2746 (800-382-2238) DURING WHICH I ULTIMATELY LEARNED THAT THERE WERE ADDITIONAL TESTS THAT ACURA COULD HAVE PERFORMED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. I INQUIRED AS TO WHAT THOSE TESTS WERE, WHETHER THOSE TESTS WERE PERFORMED ON THE CAR AND, IF SO, WHAT THE TEST RESULTS SHOWED, AND IF THE CAR WAS ULTIMATELY REPAIRED. HOWEVER, I DID NOT RECEIVE ANY RESPONSE FROM ACURA. ACCORDINGLY, I AM WRITING TO ADVISE THE NHTSA OF THE ABOVE, AND TO SEEK THE ASSISTANCE OF THE NHTSA IN OBTAINING ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE ASKED ACURA. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).*TR
2008
SUSPENSION
IN JANUARY 2013 MY ADS LIGHT IN MY MDX WENT ON. WE RESEARCHED AND FOUND THAT ACURA HAD SENT A SERVICE REQUEST TO CERTAIN VIN NUMBERS FOR THIS VERY PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM IS IN THE DESIGN OF THE ADS SYSTEM FOR THE MDX'S WAS POOR AND IT ALLOWED SALT AND MOISTURE INTO THE SENSOR CONTROL FOR THE STRUT THUS CAUSING CORROSION IN THE SENSOR AND STRUT. EVENTUALLY THE STRUT FAILS. WHEN WE CALLED ACURA AND I SPOKE WITH FRANK SWARTWOT IN ACURA CUSTOMER SERVICE IN CALIFORNIA, HE TOLD US THAT OUR VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE SERVICE REQUEST. WE EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT WE LIVE IN SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH AND WE GET A LOT OF SNOW AND SALT IS USED ON THE ROADS WHEN THERE IS A SNOW STORM. (WE DID HOST THE 2002 OLYMPIC GAMES AFTER ALL.) WE ALSO TOLD HIM THAT THE ADS FAILURE LIGHT CAME ON IN JANUARY 2013 IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORST SNOW STORM OF THE YEAR. THIS SOUNDED LIKE THE PERFECT COMBINATION TO CAUSE THESE PROBLEMS. ACURA TOLD US THEY WOULD NOT COVER US AND BASICALLY TOLD US THEY COULD COVER IT IF WE WERE VALUED CUSTOMERS. SINCE WE HAD PURCHASED THE MDX USED AND DID NOT GO TO JODY WILKINSON FOR OUR REPAIRS, THEY WOULD NOT COVER IT. WE ENDED UP REPLACING THE RIGHT FRONT STRUT AND THE SENSOR AND WHEN THE MECHANIC LOOKED AT THE SENSOR AND THE STRUT, IT WAS FULLY RUSTED AND CORRODED.. WE FULLY EXPECT THE OTHER SENSOR AND STRUT TO FAIL WITHIN THE YEAR AS THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS ACCORDING TO THE ACURA MECHANIC. THE COST TO REPLACE EACH STRUT THROUGH THE ACURA DEALERSHIP IS $1250. ACURA HAS SINCE REPLACED THE OLD SENSOR AND STRUTS USED ON THEIR CARS WITH A NEW DESIGN. WE FEEL THAT IF ACURA HAD AT LEAST WARNED US THAT THIS COULD BE AN ISSUE, WE COULD HAVE REPLACED THE SENSOR (A $200 FIX) AND SAVED THE STRUT. THE LETTER NUMBER ON YOUR SITE IS CSC-10038347-3254 AND THE URL LINK IS HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/ACMS/CS/JAXRS/DOWNLOAD/DOC/UCM429164/CSC-10038347-3254.PDF. *TR