Acura MDX Complaints

319 consumer complaints on file.

#11746418June 25, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Noticed fluid was leaking from bottom of car. Took to dealership and they found the transmission output shaft was twisted leading to destruction of transmission seals leading to fluid leak. They recommend full replacement of the transmission and transfer case. It appears NHTSA is already investing this known problem for the 2022 mdx where the transfer case fails and the vehicle loses its AWD function and becomes a FWD car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11746086June 23, 2026
POWER TRAIN
My 2022 Acura AWD MDX with 95795 miles lost the power to the rear wheels. The spline between the transmission and the transfer case stripped. The transmission and transfer case had to be replaced for $14,442.37. I had Assurant for extended warranty, and they reluctantly paid most of the repair. The shop said this was the first non-turbo (sport) model they have heard of breaking. I believe there are several complaints filed about this issue. I'm retired and travel a fair amount in the mountains.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11746076June 23, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES
Brakes are too soft . Hard to bring the car to a halt without crashing unless you are at very long distance . Brakes engage at a very low level . Dealer says everything is OK and can't do anything about it . Car is dangerous to drive.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11745883June 23, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
MY VEHICLE 2022 ACURA TYPE S HAS A TRANSMISSION SYSTEM PROBLEM, BLIND SPOT INFO PROBLEM, AND A ALL WHEEL DRIVE PROBLEM THAT ONLY MY FRONT WHEE;S MAY BE POWERED. IT LOOKS LIKE THE TRANSFER CASE MAYBE FAILING. MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 25,000 MILES ON IT AND IS ABOUT TO BE OUT OF WARRANTY
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11745473June 21, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE
Randomly when auto/start stop feature engages and shuts down the engine when I let go off the brake the engine doesn't restart and a system problem message show up on the dash. Have to shut down the car and restart for the engine to start running again.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11745438June 21, 2026
POWER TRAIN
I accelerated from a complete stop and heard a loud bang from the transmission at 10 mph. No warning lights came on, but car now only operating in front wheel drive mode instead of AWD. Front wheels will spin under hard accelerating confirming loss of power to rear wheels. Local mechanic confirmed issue by putting vehicle on lift and showing rear drive shaft spins freely. This is a know issues for this vehicle and NHTSA has open investigation into splines connecting transmission to transfer case sheering off under load. Investigation Number 11712885.. This should result in a recall for Acura at no cost to customer.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11745398June 20, 2026
POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driveshaft spinning freely no power transfer , vehicle is currently all-wheel-drive condition indicate severe connections between transmission and transfer case . both components are damaged vehicle need replacement of transmission and transfer case . Serviced at McGrath Acura Morton mGrove, Illinois. 06/19/26
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11744800June 17, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The transfer case on my 2024 Acura MDX Type S failed with under 30,000 miles. I believe there's a public investigation from the NHTSA, I wanted to ensure my case was reported.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11743943June 13, 2026
STEERING
My power steering has went out while I was driving at least 4 times in the past year. I contacted the dealer each time they say they've never heard of this happening. I took it in they couldn't replicate the issue so no fix although the codes were stored. All the warning lights came on braking, steering, lane departure, lane keeping, parking etc. It happened again today each time by 1 year old was in the car. They say if it happens while the dealership is open bring it. But it's always happened after hours. I was able to stop car each time turn off then back on and its fine. I even replaced the battery last year thinking that would fix the issue and it didn't. I'm not sure what else to do but I don't feel safe driving the car with my baby in it anymore. I deleted the pictures by mistake but I found where a rdx had the same issue I'll attach the codes that came up.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11743255June 10, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Design flow at the CORROSION BUILT UPAT SENSOR CONNECTOR. Water gets in and corrodes connector. Causing over $8000 in repairs for the following: COMPLETE FLOOR WIRE HARNESS EXTENDING TO STROKE SENSORS- CORROSION BUILT UPAT SENSOR CONNECTOR CAUSING FAULT IN FLOOR HARNESS.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742717June 8, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY
MDX back sunroof drains cracked causing the car to flood. The water came into the back hatch and also damaged the amp to the speaker system. All of the Carpet had to be pulled out of the car. This car is only four years old. Luckily, I caught it because my whole back hatch was full of water, but this could’ve caused mold and serious health problems. I have found 100’s of reviews on many different online portals stating this is a common problem with a 22 to 25 MDX. I just bought this car a year and a half ago used and I have to now put another $5500 into it. I did buy the extended warranty, but they are saying this is not included in that. From what I’m seeing on Acura MDX group pages this is an extremely common problem that’s costing people a lot of money. There is no way apart should be breaking this easily in a car that’s four years old, especially a luxury car such as the MDX advance.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742459June 6, 2026
POWER TRAIN
I was driving down the highway and a passerby notified me that my car was smoking. There were no indicators on the car notifying me of any issue. We pulled over and saw the car was leaking oil heavily. When taken to the dealership, they notified us that there was a leak in the transfer/transmission case and the whole transfer case would need to be replaced. The car is well maintained and had been recently serviced and no issues came up. It's very scary that there were no indicators of issues on the dashboard and my family and I could have been endangered while driving on our family vacation. Acura knows of this transfer case issue and has had to replace many of them in recent MDXs. This is a safety issue that needs to be investigated immediately.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742450June 6, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The component system that has failed is the Front Diff/Transmission area. Driveshaft spinning freely in park with rotations to rear wheel. I was driving home and heard a noise that sounded like something broke. Immediately pulled over and had Vehicle towed. I had my kids and husband in the vehicle with me. I'm glad we weren't driving on the highway. The vehicle was brought to Friendly Acura in Middletown, NY. They were able to diagnose the problem. I had an aftermarket warranty (Endurance Warranty Co.) awesome refused to pay for my vehicle starting it was a "pre-existing" condition. When I tried to explain to them this was not the case, they still wouldn't approve my claim after my vehicle was at Acura for 5 weeks and having 2 of their inspectors come out. Due to the amount of the repair (approximately $15,000), I am unable to pay for this repair. I had Acura out my vehicle back together and the vehicle is currently sitting in my drive way. There were no warning lights at any time prior, during or after failure of components.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11741596June 2, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The Auto Start/Stop system shuts down the engine and periodically the engine fails to restart. The car needs to be put into Park and then the electronics seem to re-boot before the car will restart the engine. This has now happened many times in city traffic, interstate highways and in areas of questionable safety (high crime zones). The dealer and Acura has refused to repair since they have not been able to duplicate the issue. They wanted me to lend my new $60,000 car to their service technician to drive back and forth from home/work to see if they can duplicate the issue. The dealer has tested the battery, however it passes. They refuse to do anything with the starter or other components of the system whether it be replace or inspect them. As the car ages (now approx. 1.5 years) it seems to occur increasingly often. I am concerned that the Auto Star/Stop system is doing irreparable damage to the engine & transmission. Additionally, sometimes the engine gets cut off and then tries to re-start and after several churns the engine restarts and the car lurches forward as the car is in gear "drive' when the car re-starts. The catalyst for making the car re-start is to release the brake... and that causes an immediate lurch forward when the engine does re-start. Does not seem to be a good thing for the transmission. The Auto/Start/Stop engine feature can not be permanently disabled.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740022May 26, 2026
POWER TRAIN
My wife has felt for quite some time that the traction on our 2022 Acura MDX is lacking. She first attributed it to tires, but after replacing them in November of 2024 she said that the issue was still present. She mentioned it to the Service Advisor at Bloomington Acura but we don't recall the exact timing of that and don't have a record of it. In February of 2026, while driving in snowy conditions we arrived at a vacation property. In driving up the driveway, the MDX got stuck. We got out of the car to try to push it and noticed that the rear wheels weren't rotating (I would expect them to on an AWD vehicle when the front wheels spin). We were able to put wood pieces under the front tires and get the vehicle up the driveway. We reported it to the dealer, who told us that if there were no warning lights there was no issue. We asked if they could test it because AWD wasn't working. We didn't get far but asked during a recent oil change if they could test the AWD. We had to push for that but they did test. They indicated that the rear drive rotated freely, indicating that "splines" between the transmission and transfer case had failed and it would cost $14,000 to repair (our MDX is now beyond the mileage threshold of the power train warranty. I then researched and learned that this issue is under NHTSA investigation DP26001. Customers don't have a reasonable way to know that AWD isn't working; we have brought it up previously with no way of "proving" that it isn't working (no warning lights). We believe that Acura should extend the power train warranty and repair our vehicle. The dealer let us know that they have another customer with the same issue right now. I don't believe that dealers file reports to NHTSA and imagine this issue is bigger than the number of complaints filed. AWD isn't needed by many, but it affects our safety in snowy conditions.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739605May 22, 2026
POWER TRAIN
My 2022 MDX purchased new in 2021 experienced an unexpected loss of AWD functionality at 5 years old with 77000 miles when the splines of the transfer case sheared with the transmission. The failure reverted the car to FWD and became very easy to lose traction in anything but ideal road conditions. There were no signs of this failure. No warning lights, no indication on the AWD power distribution monitor, and no sounds or other indications. I rigorously followed all maintenance schedules and performed all regularly scheduled maintenance at the Acura dealership. There have been numerous times when I am attempting to accelerate from a stop while turning onto a busy road where the unexpected loss in traction resulted in me nearly causing an accident. I took in my vehicle for service on 5/22/26 and they confirmed the issue is the transfer case spline failure as noted by many other Acura SH-AWD vehicles with the active NHTSA investigation. I would like to add my complaint to that filing and highlight the insidious danger that comes with the failure when the vehicle suddenly does not perform as expected. Given that my vehicle was barely behind the powertrain warranty period when the failure occured, I am now expected to cover an enormous bill that covers the replacement of the transmission and transfer case.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739504May 22, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE
My Vehicle is having an issue with the idle stop feature. Multiple times when stopped at a red light or when idle the car stops and will not turn back on. I have to turn the car off completely open the door to simulate leaving the car, wait a minute then start the car again to be able to move.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739430May 22, 2026
POWER TRAIN
When about to make a left turn since oncoming traffic on to highway I hit the gas quickly after stopping and heard a loud bang. Drove till I got off the highway at a red light I hit the gas and noticed the front wheels was spinning and realized it wasn't a awd. Took it the dealer and they realzied the driveshaft was spinning by hand.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739107May 20, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
the car shuts off at a red light, fails to auto-restart, forces the car into Park, and requires a full manual reboot or jumpstart while stuck in moving traffic. It also struggles to turn on at times mimicking a drained battery. I am needing to deactivate the auto start/stop feature in order for the vehicle to properly function. Vehicle will not start when parked at times.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11738934May 20, 2026
POWER TRAIN
My car was purchased from Impex Auto Greensboro, Nc one owner with 71,000. The car fax never stated any major accidents or damage. March 2026 after having my car for 1.5 years I now need a new transmission that costs $15k. I filed a Goodwill claim with Acura since all warranty’s have expired and I did not purchase an extension. The claim was denied and I’m responsible for the repair of a 4 year old car’s transmission.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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