Power Train Problems of Acura MDX - part 2

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.

See all problems of the 2022 Acura MDX 🔎.

While driving my 2017 Acura Mdx sh-awd, I began hearing a tapping or knocking noise coming from the engine. The noise gets noticeably louder and faster as engine rpm increases during acceleration. There were no warning lights, check-engine light, messages, or any other symptoms on the dashboard before the noise started or afterward. I took the vehicle to an authorized Acura dealership for inspection. The dealer diagnosed significant wear on the connecting rod bearings in the 3. 5l v6 engine and stated that a full engine replacement for $11,000+ is required due to connecting rod bearing wear. The engine is still installed in the vehicle and is available for further inspection upon request. The dealership has fully inspected and documented the issue. Because of the known risk of connecting rod bearing failure leading to sudden engine seizure, loss of power while driving, stalling, or fire, this puts the safety of myself and other road users at serious risk of a crash or breakdown. The symptoms and diagnosis exactly match the type of engine failures covered under safety recall 23v-751 as well as the ongoing NHTSA investigation pe25008 for similar 2016–2020 Acura Mdx vehicles that are outside the original recall population.

See all problems of the 2017 Acura MDX 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2019 Acura MDX 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2023 Acura MDX 🔎.

Experienced loss of all wheel drive with no notification, warning lights, etc. Vehicle is only in front wheel drive. Issue caused the vehicle to perform very poorly in inclement weather and myself, wife and children became stuck in the snow. The problem has been confirmed with Acura dealership. Currently it is in the shop awaiting further info.

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.

See all problems of the 2018 Acura MDX 🔎.

Connecting rods came apart, needed a new engine. But outside of the recall.

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.

See all problems of the 2016 Acura MDX 🔎.

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.

So my car had a torque converter recall at some point I was not notified of it to get it fixed. As such I drove it across the us and ended up making the transmission slip so bad that it would not go into gear anymore. Since this I have taken it a dealership where the recall was performed after the fat and now they want me to buy a new transmission.

See all problems of the 2010 Acura MDX 🔎.

The contact owns a 2020 Acura Mdx. The contact stated while driving in comfort mode approximately 40 mph and attempting to accelerate to change lanes, the vehicle stalled for several minutes before accelerating. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle hesitated to start intermittently, and the failure was more frequent over time. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the battery had failed. The battery was replaced, and the vehicle was remedied under the NHTSA campaign number: 25v031000 (fuel system, gasoline, electrical system). The failure reoccurred. The vehicle was returned to the dealer, and the contact stated that the vehicle was shaking abnormally while accelerating; however, the dealer had not diagnosed the vehicle a second time. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 48,193.

Our engine started making a loud knocking noise that was clearly not good. We had a friend who is a mechanic come put it on the computer and he diagnosed that the rocker arm took out some valves or lifters. He looked up the car and found a recall for our make and model (2017 Mdx with the 3. 5l engine) that matches our exact issue. But the VIN does not appear in the search so our car is not covered by the recall despite it clearly being caused by the defect. I understand that there is an investigation into this that the NHTSA opened and Honda has been pushing for extensions. I was encouraged to add our car to this list to help you all see that the problem is much larger than originally thought. We are in a very tough spot and do not have the $5-10k to replace the engine. If the recall is not expanded soon, our only hope is that we get a goodwill repair. We have requested this, but are waiting to hear back from the dealer. Thank you for looking into this. I’m sure we are not the only people in a tough financial spot being affected by this. We appreciate your efforts to protect consumers!.

Vehicle started having issues just a couple of years after purchase (acquired brand new as a lease which I later purchased when the lease was up), in the beginning it was mostly at low speeds, but it would occasionally happen at higher speeds as well. You could feel it having hesitation when shifting gears. Took it to the dealer at around the 30k miles due for service (may of 2019). Had the transmission fluid replaced, dealer noted some "debris" was found. The problem quickly showed up again soon after this service, so the vehicle was brought back to the dealer for further checkup a couple of times, the result was always the same, no problem found, and the vehicle was ok to drive. I have lived with this problem ever since and on occasion it got even worse at higher speeds (around 65mph) when the gears seemed to go to neutral for a few seconds and then re-engage again on its own. Knowing that the car had always acted funny and the fact that the dealer never found any issues, I thought it must be more of the same. Finally, a couple of weeks ago (March 25 of 2025) the transmission gave up completely while my wife was driving the car, luckily it was not in a highway, she had enough time to pull to the side of the road but once the car stopped, it would not get into gear again. I have called the dealer for assistance, but they tell me the car is not under warranty anymore and there is no recall pending for this VIN, they could take it in, but the repairs would not be covered by them. This has prompted me to look into the issue further and found out that Acura issued a service bulleting number 17-026 back in 2018 which describes the same symptoms as what I describe above, they extended the warranty to 10 years but when I called them they say that it does not apply to my VIN because of a different manufacturing location (despite the fact that the symptoms are the same). Came to find out that other owners have had the same issue over the years.

Engine noise on Monday sounded like thumping - didn't drive car on Tuesday and stated up today sounded like chewing metal in engine bay. 2020 Mdx advanced. Drove to dealership and they confirmed needs small block and is only 2k miles outside of powertrain warranty. Honda claims this isn't under their recall, but dealership is saying all signs point to the same bearing failure. 10k costs for the small block, but could lead to entire engine required.

At only 44,318 miles, my 2019 Acura Mdx began showing clear transmission problems in the lower gears — including delayed acceleration, gear slipping, and jerky movement when starting or turning at low speed. These symptoms posed an immediate safety risk, especially when merging into traffic or making turns across oncoming vehicles. I first brought the car to oakland Acura, which incorrectly diagnosed it as a transfer case issue. Their misdiagnosis delayed the repair process and added unnecessary cost and time. I then had the vehicle evaluated at Acura concord, where it was correctly diagnosed as transmission failure in the lower gears. An independent, certified mechanic also confirmed the same diagnosis. Despite multiple confirmations of premature transmission failure — and a full maintenance history — american Honda offered only a $900 discount on a $9,600 repair, citing the vehicle being just outside the time warranty (but with low mileage well under 50k). I believe this is a manufacturer defect, not a wear-and-tear issue. Safety concern: this transmission failure is not just inconvenient — it is dangerous. The vehicle hesitates when accelerating from stops or low speeds, which can lead to accidents at intersections, highway merges, or left turns. The misdiagnosis further delayed identifying and addressing this issue. I am filing this complaint to urge NHTSA to investigate whether this is part of a broader pattern with Acura Mdx transmissions, and to help prevent similar risks for other drivers and families.

Start n stop button not working right shuts off and hard to start.

Vehicle stalls when accelerating from a stop. Has done this since first purchased. Acura charged me for transmission software but did not resolve issue. Vehicle hesitates and stalls when accelerating from a stop. My wife refuses to ever drive vehicle as we have had many close calls with accidents.

Front driver wheel has started to spin when power applied from a stop or from a slow roll. Tires are in great condition, further research indicates that this is a typical issue between the transfer case and differential. Splines get stripped and the car essentially becomes 2 wheel drive. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My transfer case went out at an unknown mileage with no indication on my dash that there was a failure. It converted the vehicle to front wheel drive while indicating it was still having the back wheel spinning on the all-wheel drive indicator on the dash. During a recent snowstorm, there were multiple instances when I pulled out from an intersection thinking I had good traction I'm pulled out and then my wheels started spinning almost causing an accident. I thought that was weird so I brought it to my local Acura dealer and explained what happened and they tested it and found that the transfer case splines were bad along with the splines that attached to the transmission. They replaced both the transmission and transfer case under warranty. No police or insurance representatives were involved as there were no accidents.

While driving, Mdx loose power especially on freeway speed. Engine start jerking.

My vehicle has 80,000 miles. It has a popping sound when accelerating from stop. Dealership found metal chunks in the transmission and transfer case. Luckily I brought the problem to them before catastrophic failure while driving. Both are needing complete replacements.

Starting hearing issues late 24 of Mdx and tlx losing all-wheel-drive due to splines stripping between the transmission and transfer case. Had car thoroughly inspected and fluid samples taken in December of 24. In February on 25 with a frame rattling bang as I was pulling out onto a street, rear wheel drive went out at 64k. No warning lights and no indicators, dash showed all 4 tires pulling. Dealership verified system was stripped as rear tires were not turning. Also discovered connection between the two units failed allowing water to get in and wash all grease out around the spines. New transmission is two parts number newer than original and transfer case is one parts number newer than original. Also noted transmission and transfer case take less fluids than original. Car feels a lot tighter and smoother on shifting with new units.