Table 1 shows one common power train related problems of the 2023 Acura MDX.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Power Train problems |
2023 Acura Mdx sport looses awd randomly and vehicle becomes only fwd. This has happened many times now and I have taken it to the dealership but they claim they can’t recreate it and would not do anything further unless I change rear end fluid. . I paid for the service but still have the problem. This is getting dangerous as it is unexpected and alters the expected performance of the vehicle in critical turning situations which has led to two close calls of a broad side accident when turning and loosing awd. There appears to be many more reports of this exact issue, I’m officially adding my name to the list.
While driving my 2023 Acura Mdx at approximately 40 mph in rainy conditions, the vehicle experienced a sudden catastrophic failure without any prior warning lights or dashboard messages. The vehicle abruptly decelerated and felt as though the drivetrain or wheels were binding / locking. The vehicle lost the ability to accelerate normally and became effectively inoperable in traffic. After stopping, the vehicle resisted rolling freely even when shifted into neutral and required towing to the dealership. The dealership has since informed me that the front transfer case / transfer box experienced a catastrophic internal failure. Root cause and failure sequence are still being diagnosed by the dealer. The sudden nature of the failure, lack of warning indicators, and apparent driveline lockup behavior created a significant safety hazard and increased risk of crash, particularly given the wet road conditions and speed at the time of the incident. There were several near misses with other cars putting me and my family at significant risk. The vehicle is currently at the dealership pending full diagnosis and repair.
There was a loud noise from under the car, and the car suddenly started to experience wheel spin. It's awd and should not be spinning the tires. Suddenly losing awd is dangerous when you expect the car to perform like an awd car. Dealership said the transmission spline is stripped and needs replaced under warranty. Car has currently been at the dealership for 50 days. There is no known eta on replacement parts. No warnings on anything, the car's power distribution meter still shows power going to the rear wheels even though it is not. I believe there is already an active investigation into this issue.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? transfer case and yes, it is attached the vehicle. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? at this time there is a leak and the power is being redistributed which could lead to loss of power at any times. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yea both. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? manufacturer. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no. During a routine transmission service this was noticed that there was a leak, they did not fill the fluid in the vehicle up to monitor fluid levels.
Transfercase fluid eaking observed at 38000 +- miles, this could lead to a binded transfercase thus damage transmission permanently.
While making a left turn into a parking lot my car exhibited a loud bang noise. It felt as if the car had been hit from the rear. While applying the gas the car jerked and popped in the rear. I had the car towed to a dealership where I was informed the transfer case had " destroyed itself". The gears broke apart internally. I was also informed that the transmission power take off was destroyed. The car only has 87000 miles on it and has been serviced at recommended intervals. The dealership quoted 19000. 00 dollars to repair. The car was out of Acura"s powertrain warranty. I had a third party warranty that I used to repair the car. I was 5 hours away from home when this occurred. I was without a car for 4 weeks. I believe that this is a manufacture problem and is dangerous. There were no warning lights before or after the event. The car has been repaired. I have a video of the dealerships diagnosis of the transfer case and transmission failure.
Transfer case became defective and fluids started mixing in with it and in the result of all of that I needed a new transmission as well.
I hear a high-pitched whistle when I the speed reaches around 57-63mph. I've taken it to the dealer a couple of times, and they said it's normal. I am really disappointed that Acura didn't fix it. . .
The automatic transmission on the vehicle failed without warning. Vehicle was driven on the highway without issues; exited highway to a city street, stopped at a stop light, and turned onto another street. Upon turn onto another street, transmission did not upshift as it should; it was noticed the engine was revving high, but transmission did not shift. Tried to manually shift, with no luck. There were no warning lights or messages present at any time. Vehicle was stopped in a safe area and turned off, restarted, and tried again. Transmission still would not shift correctly; when it tried to shift, it would clunk, and it sounded like something dragging under the vehicle. Drove vehicle home and parked it. Later when transmission was shifted into gear, it did not move, and made a terrible clunking noise, then a squealing sound. Called dealer and had vehicle towed in for inspection. After inspection, manufacturer replaced failed transmission under warranty. Per dealer rep, transmission failed, and registered two internal codes, one for incorrect gear ratio, and other for torque converter issue. While the codes registered internal, unfortunately there were no warnings issued to driver. Safety was put at risk because if the failure happened while on the highway three miles earlier, there was no warning to driver who was driving in heavy traffic, and they may have been involved in an accident. The only reason the driver was aware of the issue was because they could hear the engine revving high, and they pulled over to inspect. A less experienced driver may not notice the same issues. Additionally, it's concerning that transmission codes were stored internally but did not trip any transmission issues or loss of power warning; this could prevent drivers from noticing issues prior to failure. Lastly, the vehicle health report we received from Acura on 12/31 (and states as of 12/12, day after failure), stated there are no transmission issues present.