Owners have filed 2,861 complaints on the Acura MDX, covering 2001–2026. The system named most often is Power Train (804 reports). Worst years by volume: 2016, 2017, 2020; cleanest: 2026, 2013, 2023. 126 reports describe a crash, 44 a fire. On average the car was 5.9 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Acura MDX
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 2,861 MDX complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Power Train 804 Read
My vehicle stopped handling as it usually had and I at a significant decrease in traction and slid off the road and slammed into a road sign. No injuries but significant damage to the vehicle. It seemed as though the all-wheel drive was not working. No warning lamps and computer system indicated that all four wheels…
Starting having an issue over the last few weeks where the car will shut off as it should with the idle start/stop enhanced but when I release the brake, the car goes into neutral and doesn’t start… have had this happen 4 times already and was finally rear ended today due to this fault
The contact's wife owns a 2016 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while his wife was reversing out of the driveway with his grandchildren in the rear seats, she stopped the vehicle to check for incoming traffic but the vehicle switched gears to drive on its own and accelerated forward. The contact's wife depressed the…
Electrical System 356 Read
In San Diego on 11/15/2021, my daughter side swiped a parked vehicle in residential area driving about 30 miles. No airbags deployed. A minute later the car stopped and would not start and started to have smoke and flames come from under hood and through inside windshield and dash. My daughter was able to get out and…
1) I was struck by a vehicle that ran the stop sign at 50mph. After the impact my vehicle continued rolling forward and wouldn’t stop. I ended up a block away from the accident and my emergency brake, brake pedal and center console brake would not engage. My vehicle was stopped after a car pulled up infront of me for…
While braking into a parking spot, vehicle experienced sudden unintended acceleration. Brake did not engage, car rapidly surged forward over parking block, sidewalk and hitting building. Previously in day, car would not recognized key fob, would not unlock and would not start even though stepping on brake that would…
Engine 317 Read
The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while idling at a red light, a white-colored smoke began to emit from the front passenger tire wheel well. The contact was then alerted by a fellow motorist that the vehicle had caught fire. The contact exited the vehicle and called for assistance. The fire…
The contact owned a 2018 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in a garage there was a sudden odor of smoke. The contact stated upon discovering the smoke the contact noticed fumes and flames coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated the vehicle was unoccupied at the time of the…
The contact owned a 2016 acura mdx. While driving 40 mph on the highway, the contact smelled smoke when the heater was activated. The contact exited the highway, parked, and exited the vehicle. Smoke and flames engulfed the vehicle from underneath the front passenger side. The police arrived shortly and called the…
Air Bags 188 Read
Airbags: I was driving on interstate five when traffic had come to a slow stop. The vehicle far behind me not paying attention and hit me going at a very fast speed that forced my car into a box truck in front of me. My car was found to be a total loss. Zero airbags were deployed with either impact. The hood…
The contact's daughter owned a 2016 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 70 MPH on an interstate, another driver crashed into the rear passenger's side and the front passenger's side of the vehicle, causing the vehicle to spin clockwise. Several unknown warning lights were…
(1) My airbag's did not deploy when an another car drove into the front of my car causing extensive damage. It has been deemed a total loss by Liberty Mutual (claim #[XXX]) and will be towed in a day or two to their salvage yard from the auto body shop. (2) Based on what I was told by the claim adjuster, body shop and…
Engine And Engine Cooling 154 Read
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated while her nephew was driving at an undisclosed speed, he noticed smoke coming from the front and rear of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The contact’s…
The contact owns a 2018 Acura MDX. The contact stated that at an idle stop, he allowed another vehicle to complete a turn. As the contact depressed the accelerator pedal to make a left turn, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop which caused the vehicle to be rear ended by another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy…
The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer…
Steering 143 Read
On feb 9th 2024 as I was driving to work the steering wheel randomly locked forcing me across th eother lane and into a stone wall. Honda north america took control of the car, removed the parts and I still do not have the car back . They have offered no money and have not repaired the car. I feel they are aware of…
I was driving straight on a residential street at around 20-25 mph when all of a sudden I hear a loud snapping sound. I immediately lost all control of the vehicle and it jerked hard to the right hitting two parked vehicles. Upon inspection, it appears as though the rear control arm on the passenger side front wheel…
Defect shows as immediate loss of toe alignment in both front tires, lane keep assist computerized feature in unable to turn steering wheel right, and steering wheel position sensor is unable to remain fixed at zero. Steering wheel position sensor: forces the vehicle into oncoming traffic by automatically during front…
Service Brakes 84 Read
On [XXX], I was trying to park under the shade of a tree when the vehicle suddenly surged forward, ran through the back of a big concrete dumpster retaining wall, pushed the dumpster at least 3 to 4 feet forward. It all happened so fast, I was left puzzled about why the brake failed and caused the accident and…
The contact owned a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while her husband was reversing from the driveway, the transmission was being shifted from reverse (R) into Drive (D), the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop. The vehicle crashed into the neighbor's residence and landed in their…
The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 2 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes became stuck or jammed. Later, while driving at approximately 15 MPH, the contact again depressed the brake pedal; however, the brakes failed to respond, remained stuck, and failed…
Vehicle Speed Control 84 Read
On April 17 2026 while driving my 2022 Acura MDX at very low speed in a parking lot, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward without warning and surged into bushes before I could stop it. I did not mistake the gas for the brake pedal. This felt like a sudden unintended acceleration event. I was preparing to park in a…
The contact owned a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle experienced a sudden jolt. The contact immediately depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle erroneously accelerated to a high rate of speed. The contact depressed the brake pedal, shifted to neutral, and to the…
On august 21, 2018 I pulled into a parking stall, and realized I was not aligned properly. I clicked on reverse so that I could realign within my designated space, and the car lunged forward jumping the curb and hitting the building approximately 4-5 feet in front of me. Both driver side airbags deployed. $13,000…
MDX years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2025 | Air Bags,forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | — | |
| 2024 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 2023 | Electrical System | 2 | — | |
| 2022 | Air Bags | 6 | 2 | |
| 2020 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2019 | Air Bags | 3 | 3 | |
| 2018 | Back Over Prevention | 3 | 4 | |
| 2017 | Air Bags,structure,wheels | 7 | 3 | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 10 | 3 | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 4 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 7 | 3 | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | — | 2 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 4 | 3 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 6 | 3 | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 4 | 1 | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 2 | 2 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 8 | — | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 14 | 1 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 12 | 4 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 10 | 5 | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 10 | 1 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 6 | 1 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 1,085 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.6 |
| Worst single series | 22 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.9 years |
A model average of 2.6 hides a worst series at 22. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the MDX?
By complaint volume, 2016, 2017, 2020 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which MDX years are the cleanest?
2026, 2013, 2023 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Acura MDX have?
2,861 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2001–2026. Of those, 126 describe a crash and 44 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.