2017 Acura Mdx problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (55) · Engine (48) · Vehicle Speed Control (20)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Acura Mdx model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
96 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (8)
Suspension:rear 2026-06-04 · campaign 26V365000 · 965,561 vehicles
Defect: American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Honda Pilot, 2017-2023 Ridgeline, 2019-2023 Passport, and 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles that were sold in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. The rear subframe may corrode at the suspension mounting points,
Risk: Failure of rear suspension components, such as the rear control arm, can cause a loss of vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rear subframe and install a rear subframe reinforcement kit and, as necessary, repair or replace the rear subframe components, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed July 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in the fall of 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are AOU and AOT. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) in
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger 2026-05-21 · campaign 26V332000 · 98,892 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor ma
Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.
Interior Lighting 2025-04-17 · campaign 25V259000 · 152,800 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles. Moisture may enter the tailgate lid light assembly and wiring harness, which can cause the interior and exterior lights to fail, including the lid lights, position lights, license plate lights and taillights.
Risk: Vehicle lights that fail to illuminate can decrease visibility and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the wiring and install a fuse harness, replace the lid light, and repair the body dust sealer, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 30, 2025. Owners may contact Acura's customer service at 1-800-382-2238. Acura's number for this recall is FLI. Vehicles included in this recall that were previously repaired under NHTSA recall number 19V-256 will need to have the new remedy completed.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2023-12-18 · campaign 23V858000 · 2,490,460 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:hard Parts Internal/Mechanical 2023-11-13 · campaign 23V751000 · 248,999 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.
Risk: A damaged engine may run improperly or stall while driving, increasing the risk of a fire, crash, or injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 2016-2017 Acura MDX owner letters were mailed November 1, 2024. 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed in mid-December 2024. Honda began mailing owner notification letters as of March 18, 2024. 2015-2016 Acura owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-December 2024, 2018 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed the end of March/early Apr
Exterior Lighting 2019-03-28 · campaign 19V256000 · 322,897 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Acura MDX and 2017-2019 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid vehicles. Moisture may enter the tailgate lid lights, possibly causing a loss of the tailgate lid lights and the taillights.
Risk: Loss of the taillights reduces the vehicle's visibility, increasing the risk of crash.
Fix: Acura will notify owners, and dealers will modify the tailgate lid lights and install updated gaskets and a wiring sub-harness or will replace both tailgate lid lights. The repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began May 7, 2019. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is M49.
Fuel System, Other:delivery:fuel Pump 2019-01-29 · campaign 19V060000 · 437,032 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Acura MDX, 2015-2019 Acura TLX and 2015-2017 Honda Accord vehicles, equipped with a 3.5L V6 engine. Particulates in fuel may adhere to the internal components of the fuel pump, reducing its performance.
Risk: Reduced fuel pump performance can result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the fuel injection engine control unit (FI-ECU) software and, if necessary, replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began March 25, 2019. Owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's recall number for this recall is P3W. Honda's recall number for this recall is N3X.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper 2018-11-01 · campaign 18V777000 · 64,785 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Acura MDX, 2017-2018 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda HR-V and Honda Odyssey, and 2016 Honda HR-V vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating, causing gas pockets to form, reducing brake performance. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Risk: A reduction of braking performance increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Owners will be notified, and Honda or Acura dealers will bleed the brakes, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are C31 and L30.
Service bulletins (229)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-01-31 · ONL6AX01302026 · Other
owner notification letter - under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and the idle stop feature engaging, the vehicle may not automatically restart. acura is providing a product update with a new pgm-fi software update to fix this issue.
Visibility/Wiper 2025-09-04 · B25-003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - an uneven sealing surface allows moisture to enter the inner taillight(s), causing one or both of the inner taillights not to work.
Visibility/Wiper 2025-07-09 · B25-026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - an uneven sealing surface allows moisture to enter the inner taillight(s), causing one or both of the inner taillights not to work.
Visibility/Wiper 2025-07-09 · B25-003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - an uneven sealing surface allows moisture to enter the inner taillight(s), causing one or both of the inner taillights not to work.
Engine 2025-07-07 · B23-002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and engaging idle stop the vehicle may not restart automatically due to excessive cylinder pressure and/or low cranking torque. typically, the client can immediately restart the vehicle by selecting park and pressing the engine s
Exterior Lighting 2025-06-05 · ONL6L806042025 Form · Other
owner notification letter - an uneven sealing surface allows moisture to enter the inner taillight(s), causing one or both of the inner taillights not to work.
Showing the 6 most recent of 229 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-15 · Structure:body · 💥 crash“as i was driving in a stop and go traffic jam, the vehicle would not go forward although i was pressing on the gas pedal, the engine stall and when it finally reacted after pressing it for the second time it went too fast that i couldn’t stop in time to avoid rear ending the other vehicle, the emergency braking system did not function properly eith…”
2026-10-10 · Service Brakes“brake system, cruise control, lane keeping system get malfunction erratically (ever since 2022, and has been like this), and one of the two sets of brakes never wears off (more than 100 k mileage now (oct. 2026) , one set of brake pads still is still have sufficient life and does not seem to require replacement. additiionally, recently (august 20…”
2026-10-07 · Lane Departure: Lane Keep: Steering Assist · 60,000 mi“the contact owns a 2017 acura mdx. the contact stated that while driving, the adaptive cruise control (acc), brake, and lane keeping assist system (lkas) warning lights were intermittently illuminated. the contact associated the failure with the brake pads, which had not been replaced since the vehicle was purchased brand new; however, the dealer c…”
2026-10-05 · Lane Departure: Assist“the on board camera mounted on windshield above rear view mirror has failed and now none of the safety feature function (lane keep assist, adaptive cruise, etc).…”
2026-09-30 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“a lot of lights came on dash, multiple failures of systems listed. had vehicle scanned, found code u3000-49, forward facing camera issues. code is hard fault, will not clear. when inspecting camera, found it to be extremely hot(couldn't hold it without getting blistered)…”
2026-09-14 · Structure:body“the paint on my roof at the sunroof is peeling in the same exact manner the the already existing warranty extension: white diamond pearl paint in service bulletin 19-029 or models 2014-2016, i am aware that this acura mdx is a 2017 02/17 to be exact and from the same mfg of alabama that these issues are reported. if you look at the example picture…”
2026-09-13 · Fuel/Propulsion System“when making a slow turn or rolling stop, the vehicle hesitates on light throttle and then experiences a sudden, jerky surge when the pedal is pressed further. this is very unsafe and scary for people around at school crossing and highway crossings …”
2026-09-01 · Exterior Lighting“moisture accumulating within the driver side headlight is limiting illumination and safe night driving. photos compare driver side to passenger side. …”
2026-08-24 · Power Train“on my 2017 acura mdx sh-awd with approximately 112,000 miles, the engine experienced a sudden catastrophic failure while i was traveling at highway speed. the vehicle abruptly lost power, the accelerator became unresponsive, smoke came from the vehicle hood and exhaust area, and multiple warning lights illuminated. the failure occurred with no adva…”
2026-08-20 · Suspension“i am filing an official complaint against american honda motor co., inc. and the local dealership regarding their handling of a mandatory safety recall on my 2017 acura mdx (vin: [xxx] / manufacturer case # xxx). the manufacturer and dealership are failing to provide a $0-cost remedy for this safety recall by attempting to impose conditional out-of…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.