NHTSA Complaint #10607595 — 2007 ACURA MDX

CAME OUT TO OUR 2007 MDX IN THE MORNING AND FOUND THAT THE BATTERY WAS COMPLETELY DEAD FOR THIRD TIME IN A WEEK. CHARGED BATTERY AGAIN AND DROVE THE CAR TO DEALERSHIP. PROBLEM DIAGNOSED AS AN OPEN CIRCUIT IN THE HANDS FREE UNIT EVEN WHEN IGNITION IS OFF. REPLACED THE HANDS FREE UNIT. APPROXIMATELY 60 DAYS LATER, SAME PROBLEM AGAIN, AND NEW HANDS FREE UNIT AGAIN THE PROBLEM. THE UNIT IS LOCATED IN THE CONSOLE BETWEEN FRONT SEATS WAS VERY HOT AND COULD HAVE CAUSED A FIRE. DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME THAT THEY HAD SEEN THIS PROBLEM A LOT, BUT THAT THERE IS NO RECALL AND ACURA HAS NO ANSWERS FOR THEM. HAD TO REPLACE BATTERY AFTER 2ND UNIT FAILED, NOW WORKING ON 3RD HANDS FREE UNIT IN LESS THAN ONE YEAR. AFTER 2ND INCIDENT I CONTACTED ACURA AND REPORTED THE PROBLEM AND THEY STATED THAT THEY WERE UNAWARE OF ANY PROBLEMS WITH THESE HANDS FREE UNITS. APPARENTLY, ACURA DOES NOT YET HAVE THE ABILITY TO ACCESS THE INTERNET AS A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF OTHER 2007 MDX OWNERS HAVE VOICED THE SAME CONCERN IN THE ACURA OWNERS FORUM AFTER EXPERIENCING FAILURES OF THEIR HANDS FREE UNITS. OBVIOUSLY, THE HANDS FREE UNIT MANUFACTURED BY JOHNSON CONTROLS HAS A DESIGN DEFECT WHICH IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM AND CREATING A FIRE RISK IN THE PASSENGER CABIN EVEN WHEN IGNITION IS OFF. DEFECT COULD ALSO CAUSE HOUSE FIRE IF CAR IS PARKED IN AN ATTACHED GARAGE DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE CIRCUIT IS OPEN EVEN WHEN THE IGNITION IS OFF AND GETS VERY HOT TO THE TOUCH. THIS PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED BY N.H.T.S.A., AS IT IS A SIGNIFICANT FIRE SAFETY RISK. I ENCOURAGE ALL PARTIES WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR PROBLEM TO FILE A COMPLAINT HERE SO THAT THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM CAN BE BETTER DETERMINED AND ACURA WILL BE FORCED TO TAKE THIS PROBLEM SERIOUSLY. *TR