Acura MDX Complaints (2022)

182 consumer complaints on file.

#11774543October 29, 2026
POWER TRAIN
My 2022 Acura MDX lost motive power due to a transmission and transfer case failure at 64,306 miles. The transmission first became jumpy shifting from 1st to 2nd gear, then began whining and self-correcting. The jerking worsened in stop-and-go traffic until the vehicle became stuck in low gear and at times lost all gears completely. On the drive to the dealer, it nearly would not go into gear at all, and I did not think it was going to make it. The dealer (Crown Acura, [XXX], repair order #XXX) found the transmission fluid level low and the transfer case fluid dark, indicating the two fluids had been mixing. Diagnostic codes present were described by the dealer as transmission failure codes. After removing the transfer case, the dealer found brown sludge and worn connections between the transfer case and transmission, and noted the vehicle was not far from the relatively common failure of the transfer case. Both the transmission and the transfer case were replaced, and the transmission control module was reprogrammed with a new module. The vehicle was in the shop for approximately six weeks. The repair was covered under the certified pre-owned powertrain warranty at no cost to me. 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
#11773512October 25, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Vehicle had oil leak from transmission/transfer case area. Repair shop discovered splines worn where transmission driveshaft and transfer case meet. A common issue apparently. Caused vehicle to only work as a FWD instead of a FWD vehicle. Was advised transmission and transfer case need replaced a cost of 12-13k for a used pair.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11771330October 15, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Transmission Failed, Drive train spline is stripped, Safety basically vehicle would shake constanstly. It has been inspected by Acura of Berlin CT.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11771041October 14, 2026
POWER TRAIN
My 2022 Acura MDX has transmission issues that started at 99,000 miles. After inspection as to why the drive shaft is spinning freely - they pulled the transfer case off and noticed that the teeth are worn down to almost flat, which is cause ing the transmission not to send power to the real wheels. This is consistent with multiple documented transmission - PTU spline failures on 2022-2023 Acura MDXs (reference NHSTA Investigation DP26-001).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11771251October 14, 2026
POWER TRAIN
My less than 5 year old car had a leak coming from the center front of the car. Acura Service said the transfer case and transmission connection spindles were damaged and transmission seals are leaking. They recommended a replacement of both transmission and transfer case, at a cost of over $13,000, and that is after Acura Customer Service gave me a 10% discount on the repair.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11769238October 6, 2026
POWER TRAIN
SPLINES BETWEEN TRANSMISSION AND TRANSFER CASE STRIPPED. AWD DOES NOT WORK ANYMORE. NO CODES ON THE DASH.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11767029September 25, 2026
POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, WHEELS
I was driving and my AWD sistem made a shader sound and right after that the vehicle went on two wheel drive, the clang it made cause the vehicle to swerve in the highway which could have caused an accident. Yes the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The vehicle hasn’t been inspected by the dealer or anyone yet, but the SH-AWD light came on after the sound and the vehicle stayed on front wheel drive only. If this system fail the way it fail on my vehicle at a higher speed it could have caused a fatal accident!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11766774September 24, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The splints that control the SH-AWD have stripped out and I'm being told tge transmission and transfer case need to be replaced. I've had all the services done on-time with the dealership I purchased it from.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11766778September 24, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY
The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact noticed quite a bit of water leaking into the trunk of the vehicle. The contact stated she was able to find a smell of mildew. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a leak coming from the trunk was confirmed. The dealer diagnosed the failure to be caused by defective drain tubes on both sides of the trunk. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11766382September 23, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Engine compartment started emitting smoke and hot air coming out of the vents instead of cold air while driving. Smoke partially obstructed my view. I had to stop on the side and look where smoke is coming from. Smoke is coming from AC compressor inside the engine compartment. Vehicle is less than 5 years old and has 47129 miles on it. Defective AC compressor caused a safety issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11764689September 16, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Discovered leaking fluid on 9/12/2026. Scheduled service with local Acura dealer on 9/15/2026 and found that the leak is AFT from unserviceable seal between the transmission and transfer case. The recommended repair from dealer is to replace both transmission and transfer case for $15,000. This is a significant issue for a vehicle that had been well maintained.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11762849September 8, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Heard a loud clunk followed by several small clunks when accelerating. Dealer confirmed the transmission & PTU are damaged and the car is no longer AWD. This issue is becoming more widespread with Acura MDXs and is a very expensive repair. From dealer: “FOUND DRIVESHAFT CAN TURN IN PARK WITHOUT TURNING FRONT WHEELS. THIS INDICATED TRANSMISSION AND PTU SPLINES ARE DAMAGED”
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11762003September 3, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The car was being driven as normal and while at a stop light the car shut off and alerted the driver with a transmission error code. The car would not start for about 30 mins after the incident. When we took it to be looked at by the dealership we were told that it was related to code P07E4. The dealership reset the system and the code and returned the car back to me. They stated that if this happened again they would need to replace the transmission. My concern is that this happens again while driving at a higher speed or in an area where it is not safe such as a highway or major intersection or road. It's also concerning that a major component of a vehicle would need replacement at normal mileage which is currently at 111,400 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761535September 2, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Lost all wheel drive rear wheels not turning front wheel drive only. Out of warranty
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11760987August 31, 2026
POWER TRAIN
While driving home on a Sunday afternoon, out of nowhere, a very loud pop sound happened followed by grinding. We were so worried that my husband pulled over thinking we had done major damage to the car somehow. Visual inspection under the car yielded nothing leaving us puzzled. No warning lights came on before, during, or after. We had it taken to the Acura dealership in Fairfield, Ohio. The car was still within warranty at this time, and they found nothing nor could they replicate the sound. My husband explained that it sounded to be transmission related. They chalked it up to a loose tie rod end which they “tightened” to solve all of our problems. We left the dealership and took the car home experiencing no further problems. Fast forward to the winter of that same year we realized that no matter what mode we put the car in we didn’t have AWD. Still no warning lights. The following spring, approximately 20,000 miles after experiencing the first loud pop and grind, we started getting error messages on our user dashboard. “All wheel drive system problem. Only front wheels may be powered. See your dealer”. We immediately scheduled a service appointment with the same Acura dealership. Within minutes of having the car examined on the lift the Acura certified technician found the problem to be the AWD transfer case and additionally the transmission. Stating we would need to replace both. They came back with a quote of approximately $18,000 for a new transmission, transfer case, labor, and all associated materials, for which we declined. Currently seeking help for recall as we do not believe a transmission/ transfer case should fail so quickly under normal driving circumstances.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11760810August 30, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Factory seal allows water to seep into the internal coupling cavity. The water mixes with the factory grease, creating a rusty, muddy brown fluid that eventually washed out and leaks from the casing. Over time, this moisture causes the interfacing splines between the transmission and the transfer case to strip and shear off completely.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11760106August 27, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Car Transfer Case Goes Out And Takes The Transmission Out As Well And Makes The Car FWD FROM SHAWD
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11759193August 24, 2026
POWER TRAIN
At 75,000 miles I noticed that the vehicle was losing fluids on the bottom. The fluid color was a reddish color. I took it into Acura for a diagnosis and I was told that the seal between the drivetrain and transmission has worn and is causing all of the fluids to be leaked out of the car. They told me it would be $10,000 to replace the drivetrain and transmission because the a repair cannot be made.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11757168August 15, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Vehicle lost rear traction and leaking fluid from the transmission or front differential. Brought vehicle to dealer. They replaced transmission and transfer case.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11756386August 12, 2026
STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving at approximately 35 mph on a surface street with my wife and five-year-old son in the vehicle, the electric power steering system failed and steering assist was reduced. The instrument panel simultaneously displayed and cycled through multiple warnings including "Electric Power Steering System Problem — Steering Assist Reduced," "Brake System — Brake Hold System Problem," Vehicle Stability Assist, and Hill Start Assist. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms of any kind prior to this failure; the first indication was the failure itself while the vehicle was in motion. On the two engine starts following the incident, the same dashboard warnings reappeared, although power steering and vehicle operation seemed normal. On the two starts after that, the vehicle started with no warnings and no indication of any problem. So the steering effort increased during the initial failure and I was unable to rely on power assist while moving in traffic, which created a risk of loss of directional control and a crash for my occupants and other road users. On Aug 11,2026, the vehicle was taken to an authorized Acura dealer, which confirmed a stored diagnostic trouble code and diagnosed a failure of the VSA (Vehicle Stability Assist) modulator-control unit, recommending replacement. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or an insurance representative. No repairs have been performed to date and the vehicle and component remain available for inspection upon request. Mileage at the time of failure was 40,090. I have video of the instrument panel recorded during the event and it is available upon request. I have reviewed complaints filed with NHTSA describing what appears to be the same simultaneous multi-system failure on 2022 and 2023 Acura MDX vehicles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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