Acura MDX Complaints (2018)

170 consumer complaints on file.

#11570970February 9, 2024
POWER TRAIN
The transmission of my 2018 has a slip or hesitation where it stalls when going in gear. This has put me and my family in danger. Acura is aware of the issue but claims there is no remedy. I have taken the car to service multiple times and nothing has been done. Last time it stalled while going up hill and I had my children in the car which is extremely dangerous. I had the same issues with my 2016 MDX which had the same issue. The transmission was replaced 3 times on the vehicle. Acura needs to open up a recall on these transmissions.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11570908February 8, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
On February 7 at 2:30 I came home, and my car was unable to turn off. I’ll try several times to turn off the car by pressing the on and off button. While driving back to work, the car change gear from being in Drive, and it went into neutral while I was driving. I was able to pull over and I was able to turn off the car by pressing the button. The entire dashboard lights came on with all the different symbols . I was able to exit the carr. I told my car to a local repair shop. This was a very frightening experience, especially when I was driving, and the car went into neutral it could’ve been worse.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11567810January 25, 2024
BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
back-up camera is useless at night posing a hazard to anyone behind the vehicle. Honda knows how to fix the problem as witnessed by my 2018 Odyssey which is excellent. The problem has spanned over many years of the MDX before 2016 and after 2019. Having a working backup camera is paramount for any SUV because of the limited visability. Acura Service could not remove the problem
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11567036January 22, 2024
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2018 Acura MDX. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11564965January 11, 2024
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2018 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11564659January 10, 2024
SEAT BELTS
On September 30th I got in my car and my drivers seatbelt would not pull out. It was completely stuck. There was no accident or incident, it just fully stopped working and would not pull out to buckle. It was taken apart my a family mechanic and he confirmed a new part of was needed. We then took it to the dealership and they confirmed a new part was needed. This makes my cart illegal to use. A seatbelt is the most basic, fundamental piece of safety equipment needed. My car is not safe to drive. Driving it puts myself at risk everyday day. This could easily result in death. The dealer told us that the part is indefinitely backordered with no ETA. They said they had two other orders for a drivers seatbelt that they were waiting on that they haven't gotten, one of them placed in July. This is 3 people at one dealership that cannot get a drivers seatbelt. I escalated this to Honda/Acura. It took over 20 emails and calls and 10+ social media posts for someone to call me back. I was told I would be moved to a critical back order part and skip the line. It would make me 9th in line, meaning there are many more than that waiting on the part given you don't get moved to a critical back order part unless you continue to call, email and blast them. I was told it could take a year for me to get a new seatbelt as they are having production issues (yet they are making new cars with seatbelts without a problem). They are not prioritizing getting this most basic fault feature replaced and based on the amount of people at one dealer waiting for this part and the "hundreds" as she told me also waiting for this part this should be prioritized and it should be recalled. They are also not offering anytype of safe loaner car for those with the issue to drive even though that are to blame for the production issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11564499January 9, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Fire under the hood of my 2018 MDX - caused by weak battery and overloaded starter. My car was parked in the garage right under my daughter’s bedroom. I pressed the "Start" button on the car and the dashboard started to flash on and off quickly and I heard clicking sounds and other swooshing noises. The car did NOT start but it seemed to keep trying over and over again. I pressed the start/off button repeatedly but the car did not shut off. My wife came out and asked what I was doing and she smelled and saw smoke coming from under my hood. She ran into the house and called 911. I popped the hood and got out of the car. At this point, there was more smoke and a VERY strong burning electrical odor. The car continued to try to start and the only thing I could think of was to disconnect the battery. Just as I disconnected the battery, The fire department showed up and the smoke started to slowly subside since the car was no longer trying to start. I called AAA and had the car towed to the local Acura dealership that I just had it serviced at. Upon their evaluation, it was determined that the battery was not completely dead, but not strong enough to engage the starter. Therefore, the car continued to try to start and overloaded the starter, burning it out. I strongly feel that this is a catastrophic failure for Acura and completely unacceptable for a vehicle with all kinds of safeguards. It should not have caught on fire from a weak battery in the garage/under my daughter’s bedroom – The whole car and house could have burned down. After several weeks of discussions with the dealership and Acura customer care, it was determined they would split the cost of ~ $2000 for repairs. I felt I had no choice but to pay it and get my car back with a new starter and battery. I asked the dealership to give me the starter - I do have it - I also noticed the replacement starter is a new model - Thank you [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11564390January 9, 2024
POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
First it was start knocking under the hood and the car suddenly stop on the freeway at 80 miles an hour. The car lost all the power. We were lucky we didn't get hit by other cars on the freeway.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11564185January 8, 2024
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Sometimes when we step on the gas petal, the car does not move, and when we press harder on the gas petal, the car suddenly takes off very fast. We have almost been hit by other cars many times because the car does not move when we press the gas petal.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563976January 6, 2024
ENGINE
This acura has always hesitated when pressing the gas. I told my technician two years ago and he claimed to do some type of electronic update. To find out the cause was really the engine/engine shaft is unacceptable. I want my money back on the purchase of a new lemon immediately. What do I need to do?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563751January 5, 2024
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2018 Acura MDX received an Auto Engine Software update a couple months ago. I took it in "Acura of Johnston" in Iowa due to a recall notice I received that indicated engine could stall when trying to accelerate or may not restart. After the the software update I was told this should fix the problem and they would only replace the mechanical parts if the software failed; Starter Motor Assembly along with the Power Relay Assembly. I left the dealership and later that day the message "Auto Engine Idle Stop System Problem" flashed periodically. I called the dealership and spoke to the Service Department. He explained that wasnt a problem, as it is probably due to outside temperature and the update now has 13 different variables and should be okay. (I didn't buy it) he told me to contact them if it continued. In the past 2 weeks starting towards the end of December 2023 the "Auto Engine Idle Stop System Problem" message flashes several times during driving with a chine. I called the dealership and they tried to explain away it was due to temperature. I pushed back and reminded him what he told me previously. He then put me on hold and came back and said to bring the car in. I did contact Acura customer care and explained what happened and told them I read the original technician guide that stated if the software didn't take they would need to replace the parts. I asked this is covered correct? The representative said no because my care has a "Rebuild Title" and it would be at your cost. I reminded them that their recall stated this as a Safety Issue. She stated they were only extending the warranty to non "Rebuild Title Owners". I again asked, "Despite this being a safety recall by your own company"? She said yes and parts to fix would be my expense. My VIN is [XXX] and has other recalls outstanding and when I asked about those I wasn't re-assured those would be covered INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11562464December 28, 2023
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The engien keep stalling, prolem accelerating jurky transmisión and this is the only car I have to go work I take the highway everyday I am cosern that something can happend to me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11561494December 22, 2023
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While preparing to enter the expressway my 2018 MDX stalled and various dashboard lights came on. My family and I drifted into the median while nearly being hit by passing car. It took about 10 minutes before the MDX became operational again. I took it to a local mechanic when we arrived at our destination. They couldn't locate any issues or "bad codes." Since that incident my fuel mileage and shifting has begun to deteriorate. Entering traffic and trying to pass cars has become difficult while driving. I have called Acura and a local dealership in Charlotte, NC. Both failed to provide next steps that didn't involve spending money to fix an issue that based on feedback on various sites and NTSB site is a common issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11559907December 13, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Passenger rear, right inner tail light is not working. Was under recall but Acura is not replacing it. Obviously water has entered it and shorted it out. They said the recall was completed on it but why is the taillight not working. In report made by the dealer it says it is shorted after hooking it up to a voltmeter. Why are they not replacing it. It reduces visibility to the rear of the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11558803December 6, 2023
ENGINE
Honda refuses to inspect my vehicle to determine if it is safe to drive. They say they will not inspect vehicles untill they have the repair parts available. That puts me at risk for driving a defective vehicle and having an accident that could cause property damage and/or death for me and other people. As I do not have the technical expertise to inspect the vehicle myself, I have no choice but to park it until Honda decides to act. I belive that this is unreasonable and constitutes a failure to act timely. They should at least be willing to do the inspection now to determine if the vehicle is safe or not and then do any necessary repairs once the parts are available. They will need to inspect the vehicle eventually anyway, so I am not asking them to do anything extra.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11558274December 4, 2023
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2018 Acura MDX. The contact was notified by a relative of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11558084December 2, 2023
SEATS
Seat Base rivets are damaged and confirmed by dealer upon inspection. There IS a recall on this problem for 2018 Acura MDX but my 2018 Acura MDX vin doesn't show to be part of the recall even though the problem with the seat base rivets failing due to improper installation, are the same problem confirmed by the dealer. I was told it was safe to drive by dealer. However the seat constantly clicks out of place when braking and accelerating
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11525838June 7, 2023
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
This car has repeatedly had issues with delaying to take off when I touch the gas pedal. Once the pedal is depressed there is a long delay before the car actually moves. Two days ago as I was driving at around 35mph all warning lights came on and the car started jerking as it was trying to slow down or stall. I was able to get back to my home luckily I was only up the street and was able to drive under 30mph and had to pull off the road several times because it kept jerking almost as if someone was repeatedly slamming on the brakes. I had a mechanic hook a reader up and was able to determine it was the high pressure fuel pump. Acura claims my car has no open recalls but I believe although it may not be currently it obviously should be part of the recall involving the same exact issue. The warranty expired 3k miles ago ironically, but given this issue has happened to other cars of the same make and model and given the recall for this same part on other cars like mine just with a different vin I believe it should be covered as it is a major safety concern. The car jerked very hard and luckily I did not have my kids with me and luckily no one was too close to me when my car starting stopping in such an forceful way. If I was on a Highway I would have probably been involved in an accident as the car was attempting to go into limp mode due to the failure of the fuel pump and was aggressively shifting down when I was only going 35mph I can only imagine what could happened if i was traveling double that speed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11525491June 5, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The car attempts to start on its own, light come on and at times the alarm goes off. The car does not open at times and requires manual override to oepn.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11523349May 22, 2023
SEATS
My 2018 Acura MDX seat comes out of place while driving. I am concerned it may completely disengage from the base and prevent me from stopping or accelerating. It has become increasingly worse since I brought this problem to the dealer. There IS a recall on 2018 Acura MDX for the Seat Base failure due to rivets becoming damaged after manufacture installation. My 2018's VIN number however is not part of this recall even though the problem with the rivets becoming damaged causing my seat to slip out of place and move while driving. This was confirmed by the dealer through a diagnostic test I paid to confirm it. My drivers seat is unstable and "slips" out of place while accelerating and braking and this happens constantly while driving. I complained about this to the dealer AND called Honda America. The dealer confirmed that the seat base rivets are in fact damaged causing the seat to move while accelerating or braking. I asked why my car is not part of the known recall with Honda America even though the problem is the same safety issue that Honda recalled other 2018 Acura MDX'S. They just told me I can check back to see a recall may be issued. It will cost me over 2000.00 to repair. This is a safety issue Honda America should stand behind because clearly this 2018 Acura MDX slipped by the inspection and the seat is failing.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

← Back to Acura MDX