Acura MDX Complaints

3,381 consumer complaints on file.

#11714278January 29, 2026
POWER TRAIN
While driving a 2022 Acura MDX Advance AWD in snowy conditions, I noticed reduced traction and abnormal drivability. Dealer inspection confirmed a catastrophic failure: the front differential and transmission splines were stripped, causing the vehicle to operate in front-wheel drive only. The dealer verified the failure and documented it as a defect on the repair order. The vehicle was maintained exclusively at the dealership since new, and failure occurred at approximately 76,000 miles, outside the original powertrain warranty. There were no warning lights prior to the failure, but loss of AWD in snowy conditions created a significant safety risk.This is a safety-relevant defect affecting traction and stability in adverse conditions.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11714216January 29, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The battery drains quickly. Have replaced the battery twice since 2022. something in the car is draining the battery and making it fail. infotainment screen sometimes stays grey and doesn't go black when car is off. many 2022 mdx owners are having similar battery drain issues requiring frequent battery replacements. please push Acura for a recall and fix.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713845January 28, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Two issues: 1. The paint on my rooftop in front of the sunroof began peeling off three months ago. I’ve read and MANY owners of the same model within a two year timeframe have had the exact same issue and we realized it’s a manufacturer’s problem. The manufacturer however, is saying it’s out of warranty and that’s absurd because now we all have to pay $2000+ to have our entire roof repainted. I have read that some people have had it repainted and it’s peeling again. That is a major problem. Acura needs to remedy this quickly before they lose customers. And I really love my Acura and I would love to buy another one in the future, but I’m counting on this one lasting a very long time! Won’t last that long, however, if the paint peels off continuously. I’ve included below in the attachments the preliminary repair cost of this that I had quoted when I first discovered the issue in October. 2. My battery kept draining two years ago, even though I got a new battery – – twice within the same month – – and the dealership in Birmingham, King Acura, was very thorough and very kind and generous, and the only thing that they could figure out after I had read numerous reviews from consumers online and suggested it to them was that the Bluetooth was draining my battery. They told me I could replace it for $3500 or have them disconnect it permanently. I chose to have them disconnected permanently because I didn’t want to pay $3500 for a Bluetooth system that was working but caused a random side effect that affected my whole car. Can you please help me with these issues as I am a big fan of Acura and I would like to see Honda make good on this. Thank you.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713331January 26, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
factory paint chipping off at multiple locations at rear of car
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713484January 26, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, SUSPENSION, ENGINE
I had a recall done by local Acura dealer, Miami Doral Acura, where they replaced parts that connected the engine to the car, they are like rods. I recently took the car to a mechanic because I needed to change the timing belt components and he advised me that one of the rods that were replaced failed. This means that the engine was attached by only one rod, the other rod was cut, not connected. I called Acura today reporting the issue with the recall, they gave me a case number 16125924, advising me that some one would get back to me. The same mechanic also advised me that the high pressure fuel pump was not working properly and that my car could stall while driving it and he advised that it would be dangerous to drive it without replacing it. The part he quoted me was around $700. I looked for recalls for this car with this fuel pump issue and found that Acura only recalled some VIN numbers and my car is not one of the VIN numbers recalled. I believe Acura has not recalled all cars involved with the pressure pump. I find it hard to believe that they are not aware of this issue affecting more of the 2018 MDX model. The recall with the rods failed just a year after they replaced them. I had the rod recall done in 1/25. I cannot drive the car until I have the mechanic replace the high pressure fuel pump and fix the problem with the engine rod recall. Acura needs to be heal accountable and compensate owners that are dealing with the same issue I am.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713411January 26, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Transfercase fluid eaking observed at 38000 +- miles, this could lead to a binded transfercase thus damage transmission permanently
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11712944January 23, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
As I was driving under the freeway stopped preparing to make a u-turn my car put itself in neutral and I could not change gears. I had to turn the car on and off for it to get itself back into drive. Another time I was stopped at a light and it did the same thing. Some time went one and it happened again but this time I was reversing to park and again put itself into neural. This is a safety hazard as it happens at different times when I’m driving when other vehicles are around. I do the maintenance at the dealership and they never say anything about my complaints or the car needing to be updated. Please let me know what I need to do?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11712781January 22, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
The following issues occur on a 2020 Acura MDX with low 50k miles, maintenance was done regular whenever a maintenance schedule appear. For the past few years after purchasing the vehicle we started getting a non-start engine with the key fobs and automatic side mirrors did not open or close when parked. Brand new batteries were replace for the key fob and later the Car Battery and the issue occurs intermittently, this was brought to the attention of the dealership and each time (documented) that they were not able to reproduce when they turned off the vehicle, this was mid 2024 06-13-2024 and sporadically continues till this year 2026. The dealership did not test or trace the electrical system as they were told to reproduce the issue first as it will happen at that moment. A new recent event 2025 has also occur and was brought to the dealerships attention, a warning message indicating - Electric Parking Brake Problem follow by a Emissions System Problem will appear. This was also "reset" by the dealership and indicated it was safe to drive but event reoccurs every few months. A 2nd opinion to another mechanic indicated it can be the emergency brake system to be faulty and driving the vehicle when the message appears may cause an immediate stop, advised us to have the dealership reach out to the manufacture. No word from either for the past year. Any open recall for my VIN was done once we were notified and a New Car Battery replaced and new batteries in key fobs - issue continues. Please assist Thank you
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11712611January 22, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
We had the recall repair done on the start/stop feature on our MDX and it seemed to work initially. But recently the feature has caused the vehicle to stall at intersections again as it did before. It’s happened at least 3 times in the last six months with the most recent occurrence being on 1/20/2026. These occurrences happen despite the fact that we try to remember to turn off the feature when we start our trip. Each occurrence has stalled the vehicle at a traffic light in rush hour traffic. It’s very frightening and we are lucky that it hasn’t caused an accident or gotten us shot! We live in Texas (funny but not).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11712458January 21, 2026
WHEELS
Factory wheels on Acura MDX cracking at low mileage under normal driving conditions. Structural failure concern.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11712575January 21, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE
Hello, I am writing to report that my 2017 vehicle is experiencing the same issue that was subject to a recall on the 2016 models. Despite the recall being associated with the 2016 year, my 2017 vehicle is showing identical symptoms and concerns. This raises serious questions about safety, reliability, and whether this issue extends beyond the originally recalled model year. I would like this concern formally documented and request a review of my vehicle to determine whether it qualifies for repair, inspection, or coverage related to the prior recall. Please advise on the next steps and whether this issue has been reported or addressed for 2017 models. Vehicle details: Year: 2017 I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and look forward to your response. Sincerely, [XXX] If I get killed me or my [XXX] son, you all will be responsible. You made these faulty vehicles. [XXX] I'm have to get a lawyer involved if issues are not addressed. 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
#11712561January 21, 2026
POWER TRAIN
My Acura service department notified me at my last oil change that they discovered (accidentally) my transmission / transfer case is damaged and is not transferring power to the rear wheels, rendering the vehicle as 2 wheel drive only. This requires a total replacement costing $16,000 +/-. My research indicates this is likely caused by a faulty splined shaft inside the transmission-transfer case assembly used in the early 2022 MDX vehicles.The dashboard info system for SH-AWD indicates that the car IS in All Wheel Drive and there are no messages indicating a problem with the All Wheel Drive. This has not been a problem during non-snow or other slippery conditions, but recent storms have made this a major safety problem for me. The fact that the car sensing system does not detect this problem could cause serious driving danger for unsuspecting drivers. This also prevents Acura/Honda from acting on this issue publicly as owners of this vehicle have no way of knowing the problem exists until it is too late.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11712429January 21, 2026
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The transmission of this model car is very poorly programmed a low speeds. it is constantly jerking in and out of gears making it difficult to moderate speed. There is also a substantial delay between hitting the pedal and accelerating the vehicle. The issues with the transmission paired with the very delayed accelleration leads to very ineffective control of the vehicles speed, leading to what I believe is dangerous driving scenarios. Turning through inersections, braking at a light, accellerating out of the way of traffic, are all made much more difficult/unpredictible due to how unpredictible and inconsitent the transmission behaves. It feels impossible to 'learn' how it behaves. Here is a forumn of other users confirming similar issues: https://www.mdxers.org/threads/jerky-transmission.181658/ I believe this should be addressed via software update or recall as it i'm sure will lead to accidents/injuries.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11712057January 20, 2026
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The taillights on this vehicle are defective. I have already had one taillight replaced and now the other side needs to be replaced. These taillights are $300 each for parts only.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11711926January 19, 2026
ENGINE
We have a 2016 Acura MDX. The connecting rod bearing caused the engine to be damaged, resulting in a knocking noise, and decreased engine output. This resulted in the engine needing to be replaced. The reason for the engine failures was the exact issue in NHTSA Recall 23V-751. While our vehicle is the same year, make and model of the recall, we are being told that because our manufactured date falls a few months outside of this recall, Honda will not pay for the repairs. We therefore had to pay for the repairs out of pocket in the amount of $6,170.59. We are asking the NHTSA to expand the recall as this failure obviously occurred outside the previously issued recall window.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11711735January 18, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY
My car exterior paint has poor quality. It has been for years. It clear coat peeling and bubbling due to poor factory adhesion between paint layers, Fading & Chalking. This happens for so many years ago but I don’t know this happened because the manufacturers problem until recently a friend told me this
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11711352January 16, 2026
ENGINE
Our 2017 Acura MDX has developed a crank rod bearing knock. Fox Acura in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has advised that our vehicle’s VIN is not included in service bulletin 23 036 concerning connecting rod bearing failure, despite evidence that similar failures have occurred in Acura 3.5 liter engines outside the bulletin’s listed VIN range. I intend to submit a safety complaint to the NTSB regarding this issue. Fox Acura has recommended a full engine replacement. I respectfully request that Acura expand the scope of the service bulletin to include our vehicle and provide coverage for the recommended repair.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11711358January 16, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Car started to accelerate randomly and 2 seperate occasions while driving, Car started to decelerate / Brake randomly while driving
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11711475January 16, 2026
ENGINE
On December 4th I noticed a rattling sound when I was driving. It worsened when my car would rev above 2RPMs and before shifting. It also would make a terrible grinding sound when I started the car. I had about 1/4 of a tank of gas and thought that maybe that was part of the issue. After filling up, the sound was not as loud, but was still present when I started the car and upon accelerating. I took my car to my Acura dealership on December 5th. Within an hour of having the car they called to tell me that the engine needed to be replaced due to a connecting rod failure. They told me that the car is no longer safe to drive and that the repairs would be required in order to continue to use the vehicle safely. There was no warning sign. My only other concern is that the downshifters of this vehicle have never worked properly. I have mentioned this to the dealership multiple times and even drove the vehicle with their representative to recreate the issue. The car would accelerate and lurch forward upon utilizing the downshift feature. This would also cause the vehicle to over-rev which I am concerned was problematic to the connecting rod failure. Additionally, the vehicle has always made a grinding noise upon starting the engine, but the dealership assured me this was normal. Acura is unwilling to cover the full cost of replacement even though this vehicle has been maintained per the manufacturer's recommendations. There are approximately 90,000 miles on this vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11711570January 16, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Since 2020 the transmission does not shift properly from second to third gear. The power drops and the car shutters and makes noise like gear teeth are missing. This does not happen every time though. Sometimes multiple days will pass before the problem arises again. There have been a couple of times where I barely avoided a wreck because of the drop in power and underperformance of the transmission.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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