Acura MDX Complaints (2025)

115 consumer complaints on file.

#11773609October 26, 2026
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving and coming to a stop, the engine shuts down and will not restart. Error "To continue to drive, depress brake pedal and push Switch". After 10 minutes of trying to start the car it finally started.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11773792October 26, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2025 Acura MDX. The contact stated upon coming to a complete stop at an intersection downhill, the engine turned off while the instrument panel and infotainment center remained operable. The contact was unsure if the engine Auto START/STOP system was engaged during the failure. The message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact attempted to shift to park(P), to turn off and restart the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to respond. The message "Transmission Error-Take to Acura Dealer" was displayed. The contact's husband arrived on the scene to assist, but the Police advised the contact that an emergency tow was required due to the potential crash. The Police requested emergency towing services, and the vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Action Number: EA25004 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The selling dealer, Acura of Memphis (2611 Ridgeway Rd, Memphis, TN 38119) and the manufacturer were contacted by email. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11773863October 26, 2026
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The auto-stop feature engaged after I stopped at a traffic light. When attempting to begin moving again the vehicle, it would not move upon pressing the gas peddle like it typically does. Vehicle gave alerts stating “system issue shift to park” but I could not shift out of Drive. Police had to be called as cars were flying by and I had two kids in the back. Very scary situation. Eventually while waiting for a tow I googled the issue and saw recommendation to turn off the car, open and close the door. At this point the alert said “transmission issue engage emergency brake” which I did and was then able to start the car and move it. I took the car to the dealer the next day and dealer said it was a starter issue and replaced the starter under warranty. They acknowledged this is a known issue caused by the starter not reengaging after the car stops with auto start stop feature engaged. There is no way to turn off this feature without manually pressing a button each time you start the car. It never happened before and I have had this vehicle since May 2025, and has never happened again since, although I now immediately turn off the feature everytime I remember to. It is an extremely dangerous situation to be in and leaves the driver not knowing how to move the car. Shutting the car off alone did not fix the issue, but opening and closing the door and waiting 30 seconds managed to get the car to start again. Luckily the police responded quickly and blocked traffic before someone hit me. I believe something like this should be worthy of a recall as it can leave people in a very dangerous situation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11772712October 21, 2026
ENGINE
On three separate occasions, 2/27/26, 9/9/26, and 9/23/26 the Idle stop/start feature was inoperable and caused the vehicle to shut down. Upon attempting to turn the vehicle back on, vehicle would not immediately start back up. Inoperable and a major safety concern since this happened at a red light that was turning green. This poses a great concern due to traffic approaching the light while green not noticing the vehicle is stopped, as the entire vehicle shuts off when this happens. There is no way to get the vehicle moving again, so if there is traffic approaching, there is no way to avoid it or get out of the way. This was inspected by the dealership on 2/27/26 and dealer replaced the starter. Then this happened again on 9/9/26 and 9/23/26 - dealer replaced starter again.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11771386October 15, 2026
ENGINE
I have had a problem with the "Auto Idle Stop" in my 2025 Acura MDX. While at a stop light 2 different times and at a stop sign 1 time the car engine shut off as it should. Upon letting off the brake and pressing the gas the car would not go. It stayed in Park and I could not get it to go. The engine would not turn back on. I received a warning light that said "depress brake and push start". Upon doing this the car still would not start. I had to open the door, shut door, push brake and then start the car. Dealer confirmed that this has been an issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11771218October 14, 2026
ENGINE
My 2025 Acura MDX A-Spec Advance (VIN [XXX]) twice failed to restart after the Auto Idle Stop system shut the engine off — on XXX (~2:00 PM CDT) and again on October 10, 2026 (2:20 PM CDT). The vehicle was immobilized and would not restart. Sterling Acura of Austin ([XXX]) diagnosed a failed starter on XXX: bench testing showed 9.7 amp draw with voltage drop below 7.3V. The dealer replaced the starter motor (part 31200-5MR-A03) under warranty, test drove 10+ miles, cleared codes, and verified the repair. A no-restart after auto idle stop leaves the vehicle without motive power in traffic, which is a safety hazard. This matches the subject of NHTSA Engineering Analysis EA25004 (No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages, 2016–2025 MDX). 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
#11770899October 13, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Faulty and auto-stop/start system glitch where the engine fails to turn back on. This issue frequently occurs while driving in traffic or at a stop light. This issue happens daily become extremely dangerous as car unexpected turns off and fails to turn back on a busy road. There is no option to turn off the auto-stop/start system to avoid the glitch.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11769975October 8, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On two occasions my vehicle stalled out when the idle stop feature failed to restart the engine in traffic. I could not restart my vehicle initially and it took several attempts to restart. Because I was at a stop in an intersection waiting to turn this could have resulted in a serious accident. There was no warning light or other indication of an issue prior to, during, or after the first incident. This was subsequently reproduced and documented with the dealer. They indicated they are seeing issues with many other vehicle of the same model and year but indicated they couldn't say much more. The dealer said they would replace the starter but did not definitively say it would solve the issue. Because they did not have the part in stock thet advised me to continue driving in the meantime with the idle stop feature disabled; however, operators must remember to do this manually at each drive.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11767472September 28, 2026
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The Auto Idle Stop has activated normally at traffic lights, but on two occasions the engine shut off and then failed to automatically restart when I released the brake. A yellow warning light with an exclamation mark also appeared on the dashboard. The most recent incident happened yesterday, 09/25/2026. There have also been several other times when the engine did restart, but it took noticeably more effort or longer than normal to restart from Auto Idle Stop.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11767195September 26, 2026
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
My 2025 Acura MDX completely stalled in active roadway traffic and failed to restart. The failure occurred during a routine stop in traffic, tied to the Auto Idle-Stop / restart sequence: when releasing the brake pedal to accelerate, the engine did not restart, leaving the vehicle completely dead and stranded in the travel lane, creating a severe risk of a rear-end collision. I brought the vehicle to an authorized Acura dealership for repair. The dealership diagnosed the issue and replaced the starter motor under warranty. However, shortly after picking up the vehicle, the exact same failure occurred again in traffic. The vehicle was brought back in, and the 12V battery and charging system were tested and deemed functional, but the vehicle continues to stall and fail to restart. Replacing the starter and testing the battery has not resolved this recurring defect, which leaves the vehicle intermittently immobilized in active traffic lanes.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11765668September 20, 2026
ENGINE
Car engine went into idle mode while the Idle Stop was engaged while stopped on an expressway off ramp. Car engine did not turn back on and entire car shut down. It took about 1 minute to re-start the car and engine. Safety was compromised because car shut off in an unsafe location. No accidents or injuries occurred. This happened about a year ago and car battery and starter were replaced by the Acura Dealer November 2025. There were no warning lights or messages prior to this problem appearing. Prior to this event, car had been slow to turn over for about 1 week. I previously submitted a complaint to NHTSA in Fall 2025, case #11694662, when this happened the first time.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11764819September 16, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The engine shut off at a red light via Auto-Stop and failed to restart, leaving the vehicle stranded in active rush hour traffic until a manual restart of the engine was performed. This issue has occurred multiple times now.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11764853September 16, 2026
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I own a 2025 Acura MDX A-Spec purchased in XXX from John Eagle Acura in [XXX]. The vehicle has less than 10,000 miles. Component/system: The Auto Idle Stop/start system has malfunctioned. During the past week, the engine unexpectedly shut off while stopped at red lights and stop signs approximately 4–5 times. When it was supposed to restart, the vehicle sometimes failed to restart normally and required multiple attempts. The vehicle and components are available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: These incidents occurred at intersections while I was stopped in traffic. When the engine failed to restart, I was unable to immediately proceed while vehicles were behind me, creating a potential collision and traffic hazard. I regularly have my two young children in the vehicle, making this especially concerning. Dealer inspection: I brought the vehicle to John Eagle Acura after experiencing the problem. The service advisor indicated that this is a known issue, and the vehicle was serviced for the concern. The failure occurred repeatedly in real-world driving, but I do not know whether the dealer was able to reproduce it during inspection. Manufacturer/other inspection: The vehicle was inspected by an authorized Acura dealership. It has not been inspected by police or insurance representatives. Warnings/symptoms: I received no prior notification or warning from Acura regarding this issue. The first incidents occurred during the week before my dealership visit. The engine shut off while stopped and then did not restart normally. I did not observe a warning lamp or message specifically indicating that the vehicle would fail to restart. After experiencing the problem, I learned that NHTSA has an ongoing investigation, EA25-004, involving Auto Idle Stop failures on Honda and Acura vehicles, including 2023–2025 Acura MDX models. I am submitting this complaint so these repeated incidents can be documented as part of NHTSA's review. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 5
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11764541September 15, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Auto Start/Stop At stop light car wouldn’t start after engaging Auto Start/Stop, had to turn on hazards, turn car off and restart with cars bearing down on me Monday 9/14, before entering traffic I stopped and Auto Start/Stop engaged but car wouldn’t start Got a jump and brought to dealership and they replaced starter motor
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11763829September 12, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Auto start-stop system stalled my car at a red light few times. Also I can clearly tell starting/cranking it is lagging as well.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11763842September 12, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Battery keeps dying. Faulty starter leaving car stranded.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11763280September 10, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES
20 minutes after parking my car, it would not start. Several different codes came up on the gauges - BRAKE issue; hill issue;stabilization issue - multiple icons and warnings. I ended up having to be jumped off.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11763310September 10, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Car at a stop light, went into idle stop, and then shut off with an error message that to continue to drive, depress brake pedal and push switch. Car then needs to be restarted. This has happened 3 times in less than a week, so it is becoming concerning as a safety issue. The issue seems to be related to the starter and idle stop feature.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11762996September 9, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Occassionally when the "auto stop start" feature is on and I am stopped at traffic light, the engine does not restart when I release the brake and hit the gas pedal. I took my car into my local dealer and they replaced battery but I was also advised that I might not want to use the "auto stop start" feature because it is a real drain on battery. Even with the new battery, I have experienced failure of the car to restart after being stopped in traffic while the "auto stop start" is engaged. When in traffic and you expect the car to restart and it doesn't, it causes momentary panic and is very unsafe. I have been turning the "auto stop start" feature off every time I start the car to avoid this unsafe situation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11762658September 8, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Auto Stop/Start fails to restart intermittently causing dangerous situations stuck at lights unable to move. Sometimes it restarts again after pressing the brake and ignition right away. Sometimes it takes a minute to restart. Either way it happens unexpectantly leading to being frozen until you figure out what is going on.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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