Power Train Problems of Acura MDX - part 1

While driving at highway speed, the vehicle suddenly lost the ability to accelerate. Immediately prior to this, the vehicle was making an abnormal engine noise, which continued until the failure. "drive" light turned off and the "neutral" turned on its own. I tried to get it to shift back to "drive" and it wouldn't. I pulled off to the side of the highway. The engine stalled and the vehicle would not restart. The vehicle was towed from the highway and we were told to have it towed to Acura dealer in the morning. This incident occurred while recall 23v-751 (engine connecting rod bearing defect) was open and incomplete.

See all problems of the 2019 Acura MDX 🔎.

Transfercase fluid eaking observed at 38000 +- miles, this could lead to a binded transfercase thus damage transmission permanently.

See all problems of the 2023 Acura MDX 🔎.

There were several instances where my vehicle either accelerated or decelerated while I was driving. I first noticed the issue about a week after I purchased the car in may 2022. I took it back to Acura of brookfield, and they said they couldn’t replicate the issue. I also took my car to Acura of brookfield in September 2023 for the same jerking issue. They charged me for an update, but the issue did not change. I continued noticing the problem over the years, but it happened more frequently in 2025. In may 2025, I was driving down a hill in brookfield, wisconsin, when my car jerked aggressively and then accelerated on its own. Throughout the rest of the year, it would either accelerate or decelerate while I was on the highway. On January 20, while I was on my way to the gym, my car jerked and decelerated while I was on the highway. I was able to pick up speed again and continue driving to the gym. When I came back out, my car started, but it would not shift out of park. I had the car towed to Acura of brookfield, and they said something about the hydraulics inside the transmission being bad, and that they had to replace the entire transmission.

See all problems of the 2017 Acura MDX 🔎.

My Acura service department notified me at my last oil change that they discovered (accidentally) my transmission / transfer case is damaged and is not transferring power to the rear wheels, rendering the vehicle as 2 wheel drive only. This requires a total replacement costing $16,000 +/-. My research indicates this is likely caused by a faulty splined shaft inside the transmission-transfer case assembly used in the early 2022 Mdx vehicles. The dashboard info system for sh-awd indicates that the car is in all wheel drive and there are no messages indicating a problem with the all wheel drive. This has not been a problem during non-snow or other slippery conditions, but recent storms have made this a major safety problem for me. The fact that the car sensing system does not detect this problem could cause serious driving danger for unsuspecting drivers. This also prevents Acura/Honda from acting on this issue publicly as owners of this vehicle have no way of knowing the problem exists until it is too late.

See all problems of the 2022 Acura MDX 🔎.

While driving in snow and in light rain noticed the Mdx pulling and slipping. I realized that only the front tires were trying to drive the vehicle which was causing the car to pull sideways and slip all over the road. I made an appointment with the Acura dealership and they found the transmission splines stripped out that drive the rear wheels. There was no warning lamps or indication that anything was broke other than very hard to drive in any kind of snow or rain. Talking with the dealer and looking online this seems to be happening to other Mdx s also. My car was fixed under the manufacturer warranty and the transmission and transfer case were replaced.

The vehicle is experiencing a catastrophic mechanical failure of the transfer case/transmission splines, resulting in a 'loss of motive power. ' on two occasions while merging into high-speed highway traffic, the engine revved to high rpms, but the vehicle failed to accelerate for approximately 5 seconds (mechanical neutral drop). These incidents resulted in near-collisions. The vehicle also exhibits violent torque steer and unpredictable handling. The issue was initially reported to an authorized dealer at 70,320 miles but was misdiagnosed as 'no codes were present. ' subsequent inspection by a second dealer confirmed a mechanical failure of the drive splines. This is a purely mechanical failure that does not trigger dashboard warning lights or diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs), leaving the driver unaware of the impending drivetrain failure until power is lost. First signs of a problem: late August 2025 first loss of motive power incident: early October 2025 second loss of motive power incident: [xxx] initial dealer report: October 28, 2025 (metrowest Acura) confirmation video from Acura of boston: [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

This has happened twice while on a drive, cruising along on a highway and go to pass a car in another lane, transmission down shifts and then lose all power, transmission repair light comes on as well as emission controls, vehicle is still running but no power to the wheels, trying to get back across three sometimes four lanes to get to the shoulder due to the loss of power, this happened once back in the summer and again today about 96k and now 110k, there are a lot of forums talking about it as well.

See all problems of the 2016 Acura MDX 🔎.

I want to say that the engine or transmission is faulty. Sometimes while at a complete stop, the car will not advance and tries to stall or lose power. It takes about 2 or 3 seconds to finally go after I push the accelerator pedal almost 3/4 throttle. No it has not been reproduced at the dealer. I took it may of 2024 for the engine recall repair. They said that the repairs should fix the problem but it has maybe even worsened. No warning lamps appear when the problems happen.

See all problems of the 2018 Acura MDX 🔎.

The transfer case is blown, with metal debris collected in it. This has caused the all wheel drive to not work because the transfer case is not sending any power to the rear wheels. The car dashboard doesn't register that that transfer case isn't working, so it it thinks the all wheel drive is working, when it isn't. A bad transfer case can cause the car to lose control or traction when it needs to use the all wheel drive system or completely stop while on a highway because it can lead to damage to other parts of the power train. This has been confirmed by an independent service center. There are no warning lights telling me the transfer case is blown or that there are any issues with the power train. The only sympton I noticed was a high pitched sound when driving. These symptoms first appeared about 3 weeks ago.

The transmission and transaxle malfunctioned. Evidence was a leak from the transaxle. The dealer confirmed that the vehicle was operating in 2wd mode even though it did not detect any issues from its onboard sensors, and the car thought it was still sending power to all 4 wheels. There were no warning lights that the vehicle was no longer driving in 4wd mode, so the driving dynamics would've been unexpected in conditions that 4wd would normally help, like rain and snow. Unexpectedly experienced tire spin in the rain, for example. The dealer confirmed that both the transmission and transaxle need to be replaced, under the powertrain warranty. The spline between the transaxle and transmission were worn, causing the transaxle to not spin the rear wheels.

The contact owns a 2017 Acura Mdx. The contact stated that while driving at 50 mph, the transmission system error message displayed. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road and turned off, and attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to respond. A local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the transmission sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall and suggested that the failure be reported to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was 92,000.

When car is started, attempting to slowly accelerate in reverse or forward you will experience a loss of drive power, transmission does nothing. Then all of a sudden transmission responds and you lurch forward or reverse. Very unsafe situation. Other cars not sure if your moving or stationary.

When the vehicle decelerates—either from high speed or while already moving slowly—it frequently jerks just before coming to a complete stop. This issue is especially noticeable at very low speeds or during final braking, where the vehicle may lurch forward by a few inches unless the brakes are applied firmly. Despite multiple visits to the dealership, including transmission resets and software updates, the problem persists. The dealer has not provided a resolution or adequate follow-up. This behavior poses a serious safety risk, particularly in high-traffic areas where precise stopping is critical.

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.

The Acura Mdx, which had always been serviced at an Acura dealership, had 121,007 miles on it when the transmission completely failed without prior warning. I was driving with the d cruise control on at around 70 mph when I took the car off cruise by touching the brake to take the exit ramp onto I-10. I suddenly lost power, the engine still runnning, the car was on the exit ramp, which was uphill and exiting from i75 south. I had to coast to a stop and stopped between in a trouble area between the exit ramp and the fast lane on i10 east, which the wrecker driver said left the car exposed in a “kill zone. ” after stopping, the car would start but all four wheels were locked and the wrecker drivers could not roll the car into a safer location to retrieve the car. They nevertheless pulled the car onto the wrecker while in what they described as a “kill zone,” and I also thought the spot I had to stop was extremely dangerous. The dealership, key Acura in gainesville, florida, advised the transmission needed to be replaced at a cost of $7,200. After that I sold the car to an online site at a price that was basically for junk.

This submission supplements my existing NHTSA complaint regarding recall 17-010 and the 9-speed automatic transmission atf warmer defect. My vehicle received recall / product update 17-010 service on March 10, 2017, at which time the transmission was replaced. The final redesigned atf warmer did not exist at that time. The atf warmer installed with the replacement transmission was an earlier design. The vehicle returned for a second recall 17-010 service visit on December 9, 2017. The service record from that visit explicitly states that the atf warmer was not replaced, noting that it had been replaced during the prior visit. As a result, the recall was initiated but not completed with the final redesigned atf warmer. Acura later issued TSB b17-026, extending warranty coverage to 10 years from original in-service date with unlimited mileage, because damage from atf/coolant contamination may occur years after initial exposure, even if fluids later appear normal. In 2025, the vehicle developed transmission noise. An independent transmission specialist advised that the vehicle exhibits bearing failure, with the extent of damage unknown until teardown. Bearing failure is a known delayed consequence of atf/coolant contamination associated with the atf warmer defect. The vehicle was delivered to an authorized Acura dealership for evaluation under the warranty extension. However, the dealership has refused to perform the warranty inspection unless payment is made, and has stated that the vehicle is outside the warranty period, despite the warranty extension remaining in effect through January 2026. This supplement is submitted to document that: •recall 17-010 was started but not completed with the final redesigned atf warmer; •the final corrective part was never installed on this vehicle; and •corrective action and inspection related to this incomplete recall and warranty extension are currently being denied.

Upon normal highway driving a couple of months ago, began to notice shifting that was not smooth and rpm "surges" on hills despite constant throttle. Upon taking car to dealer, inspection revealed an internal spline failure between transmission and transfer case. Lead mechanic explained it was not the first he had seen of this model and that it was clearly internal and caused by a manufacturing and/or assembly defect. I caught the problem early enough to not have a complete car failure; however, left untreated, it would lead to a transmission failure. The remedy was a full transmission and transfer case replacement, with repair costs exceeding $13,000. Given car had 84,000 miles, it was not covered by 70,000 power train warranty from Acura. Pictures of parts below.

Check engine light continues to come on after repair, lack of power and transmission skip at times. Reverse light dark, unable to see at all.

See all problems of the 2011 Acura MDX 🔎.

I was driving at about 65mph on the NJ turnpike at 7:45pm on 8/28/25 when suddenly the accelerator pedal was non-responsive over a period of about 3-5 seconds. The rpms dropped (engine did not stall) and the vehicle speed began to diminish. No warning lights showed and the dashboard remained lit as usual. The road was wet from a recent downpour. This was a very scary moment as my vehicle was surrounded by trucks. I further depressed the accelerator pedal and was able to regain control of the vehicle. This is the one and only time this happened with this vehicle as far as I am aware. I have scheduled to bring it to Acura service next week regarding this issue. A google search has revealed several class action lawsuits regarding this issue.

When the vehicle stops and the idle auto-start/ stop engages, the vehicle will automatically go into neutral and cannot be restarted until the vehicle is turned off then back on. This has happened at both stop lights and on the highway and almost caused a very serious rear end accident.

See all problems of the 2020 Acura MDX 🔎.

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.

The transfer case spline stripped preventing power to be sent to the rear wheels.

I recently took my vehicle in for service due to a noise coming from the oil pan area. Upon further inspection from my mechanic is appears that my vehicle had metal shavings in the oil pan and seems to be related to the connecting rod bearing issue that a recall was issued for. Unfortunately my vehicle was not part of the recall for this issue and perhaps should be included in potential expanded recall. I was told by my mechanic that I would need to either buy a used motor or new motor however my concern with a used motor is that I could potentially have the same issue again and be dealing with engine failure.

When cruising or coming off a stop, my car is incapable of accelerating promptly if I am trying to get out of the way or even merge into oncoming traffic on a highway. There is a severe acceleration delay perhaps with the throttle body. I have seen online complaints but the dealership said there has to be an actual recall number to correct this. My car has been in several times to fix this. A computer reset did not work. My car is one year old.

See all problems of the 2024 Acura MDX 🔎.

The auto start/stop system failed to restart at a stop light. This was an issue on the older Mdx and tlx vehicles with the 3. 5l v6 which resulted in a large recall. The recall has not been extended to cover the 2025 Mdx and the dealership is refusing to fix the issue or acknowledge it despite having a video to prove it occurred. Acura is knowingly selling these vehicles with a dangerous safety defect that will occur at random. Please consider investigating this matter further as I am concerned for my safety and the safety of my passengers.

See all problems of the 2025 Acura MDX 🔎.

The car has been experiencing roughness and shaking in reverse 50% of the time. Some times it shakes and jerks much more than other times, but either way it seems to be a common problem when searching forums and there doesn't seem to be any solution besides replacing the transmission. The dealership has recommended a full transmission replacement which costs more than the value of the car. There are no lights that come up, but the jerkiness in reverse seems dangerous and there's a chance that if it jerks at the wrong time it can cause an accident.

My vehicle started a couple of months ago making a noise like the transmission was having trouble shifting smoothly. I do not drive this vehicle that often so I thought it was maybe my ears. When researching I found out there to TSB's on Acura Mdx's b20-015 & b19-004 to from 2016 to 2019. My wife does not feel safe driving this vehicle. Can you help ASAP. Thank you so much.

My 2019 Acura Mdx which was owned for less than two years, broke down due to a transmission failure. The vehicle had an open recall (one of many recent) delayed by Acura for months, which research shows can cause engine and transmission damage. Acura of reno denied the recall link and misattributed the failure to “incorrect fluid,” despite admitting the fluid was correct to myself and other businesses. I believe this breakdown was directly related to the open recall and request an investigation into Acura’s handling of these failures. There have been many legal cases against Acura regarding this matter previously.

Car stalled in traffic and would not restart, and couldn’t figure out how to put in neutral. We had good samaritans that wanted to push it out of the way, but no one could figure out how to put the car in neutral. Even the police and tow truck driver couldn’t figure out how to put it in neutral. I found out after research that to put it neutral when it will not start requires a special tool that has to be installed by opening the hood. Acura doesn’t even include this special tool. It costs extra. So if you’re are in traffic and your car stalls there is no way to push it out of the way. This is incredibly dangerous in a traffic situation.

Acura headquarters USA 1919 torrence boulevard torrence, California 90501 mr. [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] email: [xxx] dear sir or madam, I am writing your company to the attention of whomever oversees the product development and design of the 2022 Acura Mdx and to warn them that certain system features and design flaws of this make and model vehicle will undoubtedly lead to the death of someone in the near future as was nearly the case with myself and spouse very recently. On Sunday [xxx], my spouse and I attended church services that morning. Fortunately, after services our Acura Mdx did start as usual, and we began our journey home. Upom arriving home, we backed our car into our garage and during that process thankfully I had the wits to unlock the passenger and driver side door mechanisms. Once we enteredthe garage and at thta point, our car went absolutely dead. Our car stayed dead for the next 5 1/2 hours. Had I not unlocked those doors, we would have been trapped inside for that duration of time, only to be found dead fron suffocation and asphysxiation from being in a car with all the windows rolled up, no power to the vehicle and no way to get out, while beingdeprived of oxygen. At that point, your manufactured vehicle became a death trap for us. We're the fortunate ones who lived through the experience and to be able to tell the story. Others may not be so lucky to tell theirs and there will be others. We wanted the manufacturer to understand the full implications of our letter and to stress in the strongest terms possible that this is a very serious matter that will eventually cost lives, as it nearly cost us ours. The vehicle in question is VIN# [xxx] and was last serviced at vandergriff Acura in arlington, texas on 6/13/2025 information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The transmission and motor has failed. Car has 133000 miles. Transmission recently rebuilt. Car continues to malfunction according to the recall but is not listed.

We were at a stop sign. I went to hit the gas and then a warning flash on the screen that there is a problem with the rear axle of the all wheel drive and that it was switching to front drive only. During that 5-10 seconds we went through the intersection on creep mode, 2-5 mph max. I felt helpless. My wife has had it happen to her 2 times. My first experience was tonight and it could have been bad if there was a car on the road we were crossing.

While travelling at highway speeds, I removed my foot from the accelerator to adjust speed for a lane change. When changing lanes and acceleration was then needed, there was no response from the engine for ~5 seconds. I depressed the accelerator several times with no response, which nearly caused an accident during the lane change. The engine did not stall. Eventually, the engine responded to the accelerator input. This has occurred multiple times under similar circumstances.

The 2011 Acura Mdx has a problem with the pistons in the engine which causes excessive oil consumption. This was subject of the matter of a class action suit described on the website entitled Acura oil consumption settlement. This defect should be subject to recall and american Honda should be required to repair or replace this pistons.

Driving on highway car suddenly lost power check engine light came on. Was able to coast off to an exit on the highway. Car eventually unable to move. The car was towed to the dealer. The transmission and power take off unit was replaced.