Electrical System Problems of Acura MDX - part 1

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.

See all problems of the 2022 Acura MDX 🔎.

Auto idle restart failed three times in traffic at red light. Have to shift to park and push start button. Nothing happens for several seconds, then engine starts.

See all problems of the 2025 Acura MDX 🔎.

The contact owns a 2025 Acura Mdx. The contact stated that while at a complete stop at a traffic light, the vehicle unexpectedly shut off and failed to restart. After approximately 15 minutes, the vehicle restarted, and the contact drove into a parking lot before driving to the residence. No warning lights illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure the following day, and a service appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.

I am writing to formally report a serious and recurring safety defect with my 2025 Acura Mdx a-spec (VIN 5j8ye1h06sl022053) involving the auto idle stop system. The engine repeatedly fails to restart after the auto idle stop feature shuts it off. When my wife releases the brake pedal (for example, at a traffic light), the vehicle either stalls completely or experiences a major delay before restarting sometimes lasting more than 20 seconds, leaving the my wife unable to accelerate. This creates an immediate and unacceptable safety hazard, particularly in intersections or heavy traffic. I previously brought the vehicle to Acura of langley regarding this exact issue. Despite that visit, the problem has continued. Most recently, on today, while my wife was driving with my kids, the vehicle again entered auto idle stop at a traffic light. When the light turned green, the engine completely shut off and would not restart for more than 20 seconds. This left her stranded in traffic and unable to move the vehicle, creating a clear risk of collision. This is not an isolated complaint. The national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) has opened engineering analysis ea25004 into precisely this condition “no restart after auto start/stop engages” affecting, among other models, 2016–2025 Acura Mdx vehicles. American Honda has also issued dealer communications specifically seeking 2023–2025 Mdx vehicles with client complaints of no auto re-start after auto idle stop for inspection prior to any repair attempts. Class-action investigations and prior litigation involving related idle stop failures further underscore the known nature and seriousness of this defect.

Transmission failed and light appeared. Speed reduced from 30 to 15. Acura stated they had to reset computer system and claimed when they started the car no lights shown and was able to reverse car. I was unable to reverse car, struggled and tugged feeling in the car. This is the 2nd time and they always repeat same solution no lights appeared and to reset system.

See all problems of the 2018 Acura MDX 🔎.

Auto start-stop system stalled car at a light, could not turn car off after multiple tries following instructions on dash, but ultimately finally turned off, and then struggled to turn back on, all while on a busy road during rush hour.

I was stopped at a red stop light waiting to turn left when my 2025 Acura Mdx engine auto-stopped per the auto-stop feature. When the light turned green, I removed my foot from the brake and pressed the gas. The engine did not auto-start and displayed a message on the dash telling me to depress the brake and press the ignition button to continue driving. I did this several times, each time the dash would go black for a few seconds then come back up with the same message. Eventually, after getting the car to completely turn off, waiting 30 seconds, and restarting it, I was able to get the engine to start. While all of this was happening, I was passed unsafely by several angry drivers who were behind me, including one who tried to cut around me after I was able to get the car restarted, nearly clipping the front-right corner of my vehicle. I have an appointment with the dealer to have the issue investigated, but the appointment is not for another week. There was no indication of trouble prior to the first time this occurred. We have had this issue at least three times in the past week.

I just got back home from walmart, went in my house to get a few things and head to my camper. I had to get one last thing ,so I started to drive over town I noticed a plastic burning smell ,I thought someone was burning trash, so I keep going ,the smell got worse,so I stopped and was going to check what it was and smoke started coming out of the vents,so I turned around drove car home,as I was pulling into my drive ,I noticed the wiring harness fell from behind glove box ,on fire on the floor. We got car in driveway and got out,tried to extinguish the fire but couldn't, so grab everything out of the car,and the car became totally engulfed in flames,the car was totally gone from this electrical short.

See all problems of the 2016 Acura MDX 🔎.

Various warning lights appear randomly for collision system, lane departure system and brake system and the radio power glitches on/off while driving on highway. I tested the battery and it's good. At one point I was just about to enter a car wash and the radio power glitched off and then a transmission warning appeared and the car shifted to n and I couldn't shift to drive. I pushed the p button and the dash just showed a blinking p with the transmission warning. With a whole line of cars behind me for the car wash I was in a panic of course. I turned the car off for about a minute and restarted and was able to get it back to normal but had this issue happened while driving then it would've been dangerous.

See all problems of the 2017 Acura MDX 🔎.

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.

2025 Acura Mdx will turn off with the auto on/off feature at red light but has had issue several times with turning back on. The car turns completely off and have to push start button to turn back on. On one occasion the same issue happened but would not immediately start with the push start again.

Car shifted on its own from drive to park right after warning lights stating electrical parking system then emissions the transmission came on while in stop and go traffic. Car had just come back from Acura mechanic 4 hours earlier as these warning lights had come when starting car. Immediately had car towed to dealership.

See all problems of the 2019 Acura MDX 🔎.

Under normal driving conditions warning lights for "electric parking brake" and "emissions system problem" came on the dashboard and the 'brake' light began flashing. No change in performance. Auto parts store diagnostic indicated evap valve as the possible problem code, along with two other unrelated codes - none connected to brakes or emissions. The 12-volt battery tested strong. Drove another 100 miles with lights still on, but the 'brake' light would turn off after about 5 mins of highway driving/no braking. The next day the warning lights continued. After normal city driving I shut the car off, waited 30 seconds, pushed the start button twice (accessory mode) and held the brake pedal down while pulling up on the brake release button for 10 seconds. Started the car without any error messages.

While driving, the vehicle experienced a sudden internal mechanical and electronic transmission failure. Without warning, the vehicle shifted itself directly into park while navigating the busy intersection of [xxx] and [xxx]. This caused a complete loss of propulsion and left the vehicle entirely immobilized in the middle of a high-speed junction. The vehicle could not be moved, creating an immediate, severe highway safety hazard that required an emergency 911 police response to manage traffic and protect the vehicle from being rear-ended. The dealership scan tool later pulled diagnostic code p0730 (incorrect gear ratio) along with multiple clutch performance failures (p07a4, p07a2, p07a8). Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My cruise control, automatic lane changing indicator light indicator, brake indicator light, high beam light indicator lights all keep coming off and on. Researching it on youtube states that it’s the camera on my windshield getting too hot and it’s a known issue. It’s $1800 to fix but others have stated they get fixed and it doesn’t resolve the problem. Asking for your help.

See all problems of the 2020 Acura MDX 🔎.

Description of incident: while stopped at a red light at a busy intersection near a shopping district, the vehicle's auto idle stop (ais) system engaged and shut off the engine. When I attempted to restart by pressing the brake pedal — as instructed — the vehicle failed to restart. The dashboard displayed an error message reading "idle stop function: press brake to restart. " my foot was on the brake pedal at the time; pressing it did not restart the engine. I then manually shut off the vehicle using the engine start/stop button and attempted to restart it. The vehicle would not start. I remained stranded at the intersection for approximately 10 minutes. I had to call the cops for a patrol car because other cars were piling up behind me and I had my 6 month old son in the vehicle. Safety impact: during this time, I was unable to move the vehicle from a live traffic intersection. This created an immediate safety hazard to myself, my family, and other drivers.

Car engine turns off at a red light, by turn off I mean completely turned off, not just silent. And takes a couple of attempts to restart the car before the engine turns on again. This has happened over 5 or 6 times over the last 3 months, however yesterday (may 9, 2026) it happened twice within the hour. Luckily, I have not been involved in an accident because of this, but I'm concerned that it's easy to imagine a scenario where someone will be rear-ended. Please issue a safety recall for Acura to fix this issue.

While driving on the interstate over 2 hours from home the car put itself into neutral and almost caused us to get into a collision. While accelerating after a construction zone, the lights on the dash of the vehicle lit up with transmission, emissions, electronic parking brake, and more codes. The car shifted itself into neutral while running between 65-70 mph on the interstate. Multiple vehicles were accelerating after the 55 mph work zone area was over, and we had to swerve between cars to get to the shoulder of the road because the vehicle lost all acceleration capabilities. We have taken the vehicle to the dealer for past recalls and software updates and mentioned this issue happening before and were told that the vehicle showed no codes concerning the electronic parking brake issue. Upon further investigation, there are multiple reports and forums of this particular vehicle having the same issue. Its a miracle we didn't get involved in a massive collision with semi trucks and other vehicles amongst us when the vehicle lost all ability to accelerate. This could cause a huge problem if it were to happen again in a more populated area or at increased speeds. We were stuck on the side of the road for 4 hours waiting on a flatbed to tow it because it locks up the awd system with the electronic parking brake and doesn't allow the wheels to move. This is the second time we've had it towed for this same issue only to be told that it's not a problem. I'm willing to bet that the company knows exactly what the issue is but won't issue a recall because they don't classify it as a safety recall until people start losing their lives or cost the company stockholders money. This problem has the ability to cause major harm or death to people with this vehicle if it were to shift itself into neutral or lock up the electronic parking brake while in a heavy populated area. I hope they issue a safety recall and hold the company accountable before people lose their life.

Last year, my 2025 Acura Mdx was repaired under warranty for a known starter issue that is affecting all 2025+ Mdx models. The issue is that the vehicle will stall or fail to start on random occasions leaving drivers stranded or stopped in traffic unable to move their vehicle. Honda and Acura are well aware of the fact that this is an issue, yet they continue to produce these vehicles with the same parts. This repair took several attempts and the dealership refused to even diagnose the issue for several months causing me to have to record each instance on my phone for proof. Once they eventually replaced the starter, the issue went away for approximately 10 months. Today, however, I was temporarily left stranded at a gas pump as my vehicle would not start. Honda and Acura dealerships are replacing these parts with the exact same part number, so the no-start condition comes back in about a year or less. It is incredibly dangerous to have a vehicle that you cannot move as anticipated, or if you’re in an area that you cannot leave or get away from potential danger because your vehicle won’t start. This is a less-than two-year-old vehicle that has now left me stranded on several occasions including in the middle of traffic on a motorway. I know for a fact that several other owners of the Acura Mdx are having the exact same issue and ask that you please launch an investigation into this as Honda is well aware of it and still refuses to address the blatant safety risk it poses to its customers.

While stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle had auto shut off normally. However when I released the brake and pushed the gas it unexpectedly stalled and shut off without warning. When attempting to restart the vehicle, it would not start again. There were no prior warning indicators or messages suggesting an imminent issue. This created a hazardous situation as the vehicle was disabled in an active traffic lane. After several attempts, the vehicle either restarted after having set the emergency brake. The failure appears to be sudden and without driver input, raising concerns about reliability and safety in traffic conditions.

Vehicle is equipped with start stop system and we have had multiple instances where we come to a stop , and the car will not restart. In the latest instance, we pulled up to stoplight, the start stops system engaged shutting off the engine then wouldn't restart. Car also wouldn't turn completely off, so I had to hit the flashers at the busy intersection, try to get the car into park, then shut completely down, then restart the car. It also struggled to restart as if the battery was dying. In this instance most dash lights come on, but it appears to be an engine, electrical, and software issue. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealer multiple times, and in once instance they said the issue was caused by a bad battery, mind you the car is slightly over a year old. This latest time, they claimed that the battery was good and no issues were found. This issue continues to put me and my family at risk by leaving us disabled in the middle of traffic especially when it has happened near exiting the freeway,.

I am reporting a severe safety defect regarding the sudden, unprovoked failure of the Acurawatch driver-assist camera system (affecting lkas, adas, and the collision mitigation braking system), which directly and unexpectedly alters the vehicle’s powertrain and driving dynamics without driver input. While driving, the front windshield monocular camera module experienced an internal electronic failure, immediately lighting up multiple critical safety warning indicators on the dashboard and permanently disabling all forward collision prevention and lane-keep capabilities. I urge NHTSA to open a safety defect investigation into 2016–2019 Acura Mdx models regarding camera system degradation and its hazardous, cascading impact on transmission shift timing and vehicle deceleration behavior.

Engine stalls when at intersection and the engine cuts off at idle and fails to start back up when you remove your foot from the break. Can have keep lane assist enable. Klas mode narrow, you have to fight the wheel to maintain control of the vehicle, formal mode is a 50/50 chance it works, wide you can sift right off the road for 5-10 secs before to realize your off the road. Steer wheel control button intermittently fail and stop being able to control the midi instrument panel and infotainment system. I believe there is a systematic electrical issue in the car. They attempted to fix this by replacing a starter which hasn’t because the engine stalled at an intersection again and on cold start this morning 5/4 at the same intersection as this is by my girlfriends apartment.

We have had multiple incidents when the car is at a stop light with the idle stop not active, the vehicle engine will just die. The light turns green and the vehicle is not running, it will take multiple times pushing the start button for it to start back up. This has resulted in multiple almost rear end incidents due to other drivers assuming we would go when light turned green. More recently this weekend on a trip from columbus OH to st. Louis mo; stopped to get gas east of indianapolis, after pumping gas the vehicle would not restart. It took multiple tries to get it to restart; this happened again the following day at a stop during the day at a shopping center, we ran in to get subs for lunch, came back out, would not start, I have a video of the sound and flashing lights but I can't upload a video here.

Emissions system failure warning power shifting / power shifting see dealer all wheel drive (awd) power may be reduced - see dealer.

Our infotainment system stopped working and when we took it one of Acura’s authorized dealers they told us that back half of the car is flooded and that has shot down all the electronics including the infotainment system. They also gave me a bill of $10k usd to fix the leak and replaced damaged electronics. Their argument is that the car was parked outside and that caused this issue. This has never come up in any of our previous maintenance visits where Acura certified dealerships always check our car and tell us that everything is okay.

See all problems of the 2024 Acura MDX 🔎.

Stopped for a red light at a busy intersection with the auto start/stop feature turned on. After releasing the brake pedal to begin driving after the light turned green, the vehicle attempted to start the engine, but struggled and in doing so, the vehicle stalled out. After two or three attempts of placing the foot onto the brake and pressing the start ignition button, the vehicle finally started and we were able to drive away.

—the floor harness has failed due to poor design & location of the harness as it creates a trap for moisture. —yes, this component is available for inspection upon request. —the safety of myself was in moderate jeopardy due to the air struts malfunctioning. —yes, the problem has been reproduced by a dealer. —to my knowledge, the vehicle or component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representative or others. —yes, there were warning lamps & error messages appearing on the daahboard. These error messages & warning lamps would appear anywhere from 15-30 minutes after vehicle was in motion.

My car has stalled while driving on the highway multiple times now. The first time it happened, it lost power, stopped accelerating, and cycled through multiple warning lights, causing a significant safety risk. I pulled over and it restarted within minutes. I took it to a repair shop and they could not find a problem with it, even with the codes provided. Nothing pointed to a solution. It happened two other times while I was driving my child on a highway where it lost acceleration and then kicked back in. Again, this post, a significant safety risk as always in a fast lane on a highway with my child cars behind me had to hit their brakes to avoid me after this incident. Other times it doesn’t lose power, yet it cycles through warning lights randomly. I took it to the dealer instead of a local shop. They texted me about items that should be fixed per an inspection, including struts and a battery replacement. Complete with a large bill just for diagnostics. Yet, nothing was found having to do with the main problem at hand. Losing power while driving. . My battery is less than six months old. I had it tested and it is fine. My VIN is not listed in the recall, but, all of the symptoms match the other recalls of the same year make and model.

The contact owns a 2025 Acura Mdx. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle bucked for approximately 3-seconds before the vehicle stalled. The hazards were activated, the vehicle was turned off, and the contact waited before restarting the vehicle. While restarting the vehicle, several warning lights quickly flashed, and the vehicle failed to exceed 4 mph while driving to the nearest parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact became aware of NHTSA campaign number: 25v031000 (fuel system, gasoline, electrical system); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000. The VIN was not available.

Car stalls at idle. Auto idle does not allow engine to restart from stop. Creating dangerous situations when on highway traffic, traveling around town and more. 2025 Mdx, 21,000 miles Nov 2025 at 14,500 miles reported issue after experiencing intermittently for a few months. Filters replaced, software updated Dec 2025 issue still occurring battery replaced March 2026 issue still occurring starter being replaced technician at dealership did not seem confident that replacing the starter will remedy this issue.

I am filing a complaint regarding my 2022 Acura Mdx type s with approximately 70,700 miles. The vehicle developed a suspension system warning, and upon inspection by an Acura dealership, I was informed that the suspension stroke sensor and floor wiring harness are corroded and require replacement. I was quoted approximately $12,000 for the repair. This failure is extremely concerning because the vehicle is only a few years old and this type of corrosion affecting a major wiring harness should not occur under normal operating conditions. The affected components are part of the suspension system, which directly impacts vehicle handling and safety. Due to the failure, the suspension system may not function properly, potentially affecting ride height, stability, and overall control of the vehicle. This raises safety concerns, especially at highway speeds or during emergency maneuvers. There was no prior warning of water intrusion or external damage that would reasonably explain this level of corrosion. This appears to be a premature failure of a critical electrical component. Acura has only offered minimal goodwill assistance, leaving the majority of this extremely costly repair as the responsibility of the owner. I am concerned that this may be a broader issue affecting other vehicles and that it could pose a safety risk if not addressed. I am requesting that this issue be investigated. Thank you.

The auto idle stop feature will kick in at red lights, shutting the engine down. However, every approximate 1 out of 10 times the engine and electrical system fully shut down when I try to start the car moving again. The car can then not be restarted for close to a minute. This results in not being able to move when the light turns green and is dangerous is heavy traffic areas.

There are times when my car comes to a stop shuts off ( auto off) then will not turn back on. This has happened numerous times. The dealers states that this a battery problem.

The main issue is engine knocking and ticking also winding noise. There has been an issue with electrical with rear passengers getting burnt due to heat coming out of rear when rear system is off.