Steering Problems of Acura MDX - part 1

The power steering failed while driving, and multiple warning lights came on. This happened in the middle of a busy city street and came very close to causing an accident. When the car was restarted the power steering came back on line but failed again the next day. My wife and I decided it was unsafe to drive and had it towed to the dealer. The dealer told us that the "wire harness" failed and the clockspring/reel assembly had to be replaced. The total cost was $3,888. 91. There were no warning lamps, messages or symptoms prior to the failure. This is definitely a safety issue. The dealer had no explanation of why a component like this should have failed. I contacted Honda and was told that there is no recall on this part and I should make a report to the NHTSA. This was a scary and distressing event. Please look into it and get Honda/Acura to issue a recall.

See all problems of the 2020 Acura MDX 🔎.

I was driving to work yesterday morning- busiest time of day on probably the busiest road in our area. My car started freaking out randomly. It popped up numerous errors. The steering wheel locked up. The brakes weren’t working well. I had a car behind me. Thankfully they were paying attention because they were very close to rear ending me. But they dodged me. I finally jerked the wheel and got it pulled over to the side of the road until someone could come get me and take me to work. There could have been a different outcome. After being hit head on in February of this year, this incident was not good for my ptsd!!!! my anxiety has been through the roof since this incident with a car that I bought six months ago! as soon as I can trade this car off and get something else, I will be. We still don’t know what it’s wrong with it. We are going to have it towed somewhere on Monday. This was a major safety risk for me and for the others on the road!!! if my kids had been in the car, I would’ve been even more upset over the situation.

See all problems of the 2022 Acura MDX 🔎.

Loss of power steering and braking assist reduced. My spouse was driving our 2023 Mdx approximately 45mph when she ran over a recessed manhole cover which created a bump. The Mdx lossed power steering and brake performance reduced. The vehicle was very difficult to turn at that point. The car began to cycle through errors that would not clear until the car's engine could be stopped and restarted: hill start assist problem, trailer stability assist problem, adaptive cruise control problem, lane keeping assist problem, collision mitigation braking system problem, road departure mitigation system problem, low speed braking system problem, electrical power steering system problem steering assist is not available do not drive, awd system problem front wheels may only be powered, brake system problem brake performance may be reduced. All these errors said see your dealer. We took the vehicle in to our local Acura dealer's service department 2 times over the course of 3 days. Both times diagnostics were ran and the car was deemed without problem. The Mdx's alignment was ok as well, so the impact of the road hazard was not severe.

See all problems of the 2023 Acura MDX 🔎.

While driving with my small children in the vehicle, my 2022 Acura Mdx suddenly displayed multiple simultaneous system failures without warning and the steering wheel locked and the car slowed and the brakes didn't work well: •brake system problem – warning that braking performance may be reduced •electric power steering problem – “do not drive” warning •vehicle stability assist problem •hill start assist problem •all wheel drive system problem - •adaptive cruise control problem •collision mitigation braking system problem •lane keeping assist system problem •trailer stability assist system problem •brake hold system problem •vehicle stability assist problem •electric power steering system problem •low speed braking control problem •road departure mitigation system problem these failures created a serious risk to my life as well as my children's lives by simultaneously disabling braking, steering assist, stability control, and awd traction. If this had occurred at highway speeds or in a location without space to maneuver, it could have caused a severe crash and even death. The vehicle was towed to the dealer immediately. The tow truck driver stated that he had transported another 2022 Acura Mdx with identical failures earlier the same day, suggesting this may be a widespread defect. The dealer found no recalls and attributed the issue to a steering angle sensor malfunction. Given the severity and the risk of injury or death, I am reporting this to NHTSA. Request: NHTSA investigation into whether this is part of a broader safety defect affecting 2022 Acura Mdx models, and whether a recall or manufacturer corrective action is warranted.

On [xxx] I headed out for an event. I had been driving for 8 minutes when I lost the ability to steer, the brake, tsa, and steering system warning lights flashed on the dashboard and I immediately turned onto a side street. One message stated to contact dealership immediately, do not drive. The car was towed to mungenast st louis Acura. It was scheduled for service on Monday, June 23, already, so this was perfect. It was determined the battery failed. My concern is that prior to this event the vehicle's warning system gave no indication the battery needed attention, was low in power, or anything else related to the battery. I was on a busy street however, this event could have been very much different had I decided to take the highway to my event. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Incident happened on 2-Jun-2025 while driving home from work at around 45-50 mph, all of a sudden, every warning light on the dashboard illuminated, displaying various messages such as “brake system failure - see your dealer,” “power steering failure - see your dealer,” “road departure mitigation system problem - see your dealer,” “lane keeping assist system problem - see your dealer,” and “collision mitigation braking system problem - see your dealer,” among others. The power steering became extremely difficult to turn, almost as if it had locked up, while the brakes were also stiff but seemed to function. The steering wheel completely locked, and I was fortunate enough to maneuver the car to the side of the road by forcing it. After turning the car off and on about three times, everything finally returned to normal on the third attempt. I immediately contacted the Acura dealership to report the issue and scheduled an appointment, feeling apprehensive about driving on the highway, fearing the problem might recur. After dropping off the vehicle, the Acura dealership diagnosed the issue, as a “power steering rack/gearbox malfunction. Luckily it was covered under the extended warranty. Q. 1) the components that failed or malfunctioned include the brake system, power steering system, road departure mitigation system, lane keeping assist system, and collision mitigation braking system. These components should be available for inspection upon request at the dealership where I reported the issue. Q. 2) my safety and the safety of others were significantly at risk due to the sudden failure of multiple critical systems. The power steering became extremely difficult to operate, and the steering wheel locked up, making it challenging to control the vehicle. This could have resulted in an accident. Q. 3) yes, the problem was confirmed by the Acura dealership after I reported the issue and dropped off the vehicle for inspection. They diagnosed the malfunction.

The vehicle frequently experiences problems while idling at red lights or stop signs. Specifically, the engine suddenly shuts off after displaying a message that "idle mode is unavailable. " this has occurred multiple times, and on five separate occasions, the vehicle became completely immobile, requiring towing to the nearest mechanic. Initially, I had the flywheel and starter motor replaced, which cost me approximately $5,000. However, just three months later, the same issue reappeared. Most recently, while driving home from work, the idle mode failed again at a stop sign, and the engine stopped running. I contacted Acura/Honda regarding this issue, but they informed me that it is not their responsibility. At this point, I am unsure how to proceed or where to seek a reliable fix, and I am concerned about the safety implications of this recurring failure.

See all problems of the 2016 Acura MDX 🔎.

When starting the vehicle, the steering column extends to the operating position. When it extends, there is a grinding vibration coming up from the base on the floor. This is a very troubling sound as the entire dashboard vibrates.

I stopped at a red light and when I went to pull of the car cut off. I had to restart the car to pull off. This is the second time that this has happened.

The electric power steering system indicator light came on and the car would not start-- the indicator went off and the car then started--2 weeks later the same issue occurred when I went to start the car this time all indicator lights came on and then the electric power steering system indicator light came on and the car would not start-- after 5 minutes the car started--brought the car in to dealer and they said nothing wrong the indicator light is off--they replaced the battery but the battery was changed only 15 months ago---I googled the issue and it appears many people are having the same issue with no dealer recourse provided for this issue in which the driver can lose steering to the car--.

Loud clunking noise when steering, possibly the rack and pinion. Control arms and struts have been replaced.

See all problems of the 2019 Acura MDX 🔎.

The eps system failed while driving on a major highway. I was in the passing (left) lane, and had to manually steer the vehicle. I had to have the vehicle towed to the dealership. The service department has had the vehicle for almost 2 weeks. They said that when they ran the diagnostic, there was a code. They cleared the code, and drove the vehicle. They were unable to duplicate the incident. The service advisor said it may have been a “glitch. ” that’s an extremely dangerous “glitch. ” I have read that many other people have had the same issue with the same vehicle. This may have fatal consequences. If I had not been strong enough to steer the vehicle, I may have experienced a relatively high-speed collision.

See all problems of the 2014 Acura MDX 🔎.

The car is un safe to drive, the rpm fluctuations, gos up and down at low speed, doesn’t potential problems with the torque converter clutch, is juddering and unstable rpms, noticeable during acceleration or deceleration.

I am [xxx] and I have owned Honda/Acura since I was 16 yrs old. My last vehicle was a Honda odyssey minivan with 423k when I donated it, running well to a family that fostered kids! I bought a new 2016 Acura Mdx and now it is 8 years old and has 180k on it. I get the oil changed and other normal service maintenance done only at Honda or Acura dealerships. I have never had a car accident and I take care of the maintenance early. All of a sudden, on Friday, [xxx], I had just started driving ( ~20 minutes in the car) and every light started flashing and the car sounded funny and it was hard to drive. I immediately got off the highway and found a repair place (red's auto repair) right off the exit. They had me shut off the car. Then they checked the oil, which was showing 70%, and I had just had it changed less than 1000 miles earlier, and it had plenty of oil. They told me I could not drive the car! they said "something is wrong with the engine". Currently, lafontaine Acura has my car. I have a loaner from them. They said it "spun a bearing" in the engine. Apparently there is a recall for this same problem for my year, make and model, but "currently" my VIN number is not included? and, it is the exact same problem bearing from the recall! this is crazy! my car has been well taken care of and I would expect it to get at least 350k miles at least before any issues. If the same problem was recalled for other cars, why not mine? it is un-drivable now. I think that Honda has changed their manufacturing because in 43 years of driving hondas they always are reliable and work well for years and years. My 5 adult kids drive hondas as well! never a problem. I think I got a vehicle with a defect that should not be, especially when the car has always been maintained so well, with the service records to show that. Please help get this included in the recall for safety! what is my next step to ensure that my car is included? thank you very much information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act.

Third time with the same issue. Steering wheel vibrates loudly when retracting. Car has already had the steering column replaced once and issue is still there. Car has less than 16k miles and driven locally only.

Driving to work, about to merge onto the highway when my car beeped at me and several warning messages appeared on my dashboard: "road departure mitigation system problem. See your dealer. ; low speed braking control problem. See your dealer. ; electric power steering system problem. Steering assist not available. Do not drive. ; collision mitigation braking system problem. See your dealer. " simultaneously, the steering wheel became extremely hard to turn and the car would barely move, even when applying pressure to the gas pedal. I was, very slowly, able to turn my car off of the main road, onto a side street, and eventually into a parking lot. In the parking lot, I turned the car on and off several times but the warning messages returned and the steering wheel was almost impossible to move. I then opened Acura link and requested a roadside assistance for a tow. After approximately 20 minutes the tow truck showed up. I got out of the car and let the tow truck drive look. The warning messages on the dashboard were gone and the steering wheel was fine. Tow truck driver followed me to my Acura dealership. They have had the car since. Dealership said it was the "steering angle sensor". They are replacing with new. Never had issues before.

See all problems of the 2024 Acura MDX 🔎.

While driving, the power steering in my car failed. I was unable to turn the steering wheel beyond 0. 5” or so. Luckily, I was driving only 25mph on an empty road, so I was able to take my time and pull over. But had I been on the highway, this would have been a fatal crash for my wife, 2 year old, one 5 month old, who were in the car. When the power steering failed, I had 10+ failure messages flash on the screen (full list available on request), along with multiple error lights. The car is with rallye Acura in roslyn, NY, who has been unable to replicate the failure. They have stated the car is fine to drive. However, we are very shaken and afraid to get in the car until the root cause is identified, and a solution is offered.

While driving the vehicle and while it was in motion, I received a wave of faults. The power steering, lane departure, brake system, brake hold system, vehicle stability assist, hill start assist, trailer stability, and adaptive cruise control all failed. Consequently, the steering wheel locked completely while the car was in motion. I couldn’t steer at all, and the car was in motion! I informed american Honda and the dealer, who informed me that “they had never heard of such a problem”, and that they were “unable to duplicate the issue” when the tow truck brought it into the shop.

Upon engine start noticed vibration buzz noise and steering wheel locked, very difficult to steer. Turned off the ignition and waited 20 min, steering wheel was back to normal. Upon driving in the road for approximately 5-10 min, the wheel locked up with notification alert of "electrical power steering failure" it was very difficult to maneuver the steering wheel and manage to pull into a parking lot. Turned the ignition off and waited again another 5min and upon restart, wheel was back to normal. As we were on our way home, the same alert came with steering wheel locked and difficult to turn. We managed to get home with difficulty turning. Car was towed to Acura plesanton and was reported no recalls for this issue.

Driving when all electronic lights flashed. Rakes steering driver assist lift and towing. Said see dealer reset after I waited at gas station for 30 min power steering worked but was hard to control car.

While driving on a major highway, several warning lights, including the brake warning, appeared on the dashboard. Simultaneously, the vehicle lost power steering, making it extremely difficult to steer and creating a hazardous situation for the driver and others on the road. The driver managed to pull over and turn off the vehicle. Upon restarting, the warning lights were gone, and the steering returned to normal. The car was taken to a local Acura dealership, but they couldn’t find any error codes or replicate the issue. After a week of driving without any problems, the car was brought back to the dealership. This time, a district Acura technician recommended replacing the steering rack. The dealership informed us that Acura would disassemble the old steering rack to investigate the issue further and determine if it was the cause. Acura will decide on a recall if enough vehicles are affected.

The contact owns a 2023 Acura Mdx. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and turning the steering wheel, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions; however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the failure worsened, and the vehicle remained with the dealer for three weeks for an extensive diagnostic test. The contact stated that after three weeks the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Two recalls outstanding from November 2023. Parts not available to fix the problems until April 2025.

The contact owns a 2014 Acura Mdx. The contact stated that while driving at 15 mph, the steering wheel jerked to the left. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.

Steering issue: car pulls to the right. After the dealership attempted three-repairs in same issue. The dealership re-aligned my car, but still present pulling issue, nothing changed. After the final repair from the dealership, checked tires and alignment at the american tire. The issue confirmed in caster and camber, so re-alignment needed which only Acura could adjust it. The dealership kept saying its cause of road crowning, uneven tires and blamed to the customer had minor rear end accident. Only 24,000miles, no tire wear, also confirmed from american tires. The car is not normal pulling to the right.

All safety system alerts appeared while driving on the highway saying there were failures with all of the safety systems. Electronic steering suddenly stopped working and vehicle slowed down forcibly until its stop in the middle of the highway. I had to call roadside assistance to get the car towed to the dealership. All error messages came on, the vehicle electric power steering,vsa , hill start assist,trailer stability assist problem, collision mitigation & vehicle kept stopping itself while driving, road departure. Lane keeping assist all error messages came on.

On Feb 9th 2024 as I was driving to work the steering wheel randomly locked forcing me across th eother lane and into a stone wall. Honda north America took control of the car, removed the parts and I still do not have the car back . They have offered no money and have not repaired the car. I feel they are aware of the problem and used this incident to try to cover the problem up and make it go away. I fear for the family of 4 traveling and heading into a dump truck. . This was a very scary event and I see no reason a steering wheel should lock and prevent the car from maintaining control.

Sunday 2/42004 the car just shut off on me brakes stop working could turn could stop.

See all problems of the 2004 Acura MDX 🔎.

I have attached all my service records from Honda/Acura and the dealership motorworld which is located in wilkes barre, PA I had my first issue with the car in January 2024 with sensors malfunctioning. They we replaced a few times, repeated issue I had other issues that didn't replicate themself or show as an error code when I brought the car in. Issue accelerating or inability to accelerate on the highway in a middle lane w/ a tractor trailer on each side. One trying to merge into my lane. Noisy brakes, low breaks etc fast forward to March 2025, my number one complaint about these sensor issues is they would malfunction on me one day when I was driving. And I was always assured by the dealership it was good, the car was good, I was good. Acura felt the same. Well in April my steering malfunctioned while driving, the steering wheel locked as I was breaking for a red light, and I drifted off the road. Turns out my steering rack needed to replaced. It was fixed on 4/4 then on [xxx] with my children in the car, it did the same thing. Now they tell me it is the eps, electric power steering. This car spends more time on [xxx] and one day this is going to happen on the interstate and there will be fatalities. I have been screaming at Acura and the motorworld for months. Acura will not respond to emails (which I have kept) and every time I call the case manager assigned to me is not available. The few times months ago I did speak to someone they tell me the same things the automated email I get once in while that say my case is under review. All dates of occurrence and repair are in the service records I attached. They still have my car today, 5/8/25 so I do not have those to attach. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I've recently been in touch with an Acura dealership about my vehicle's wireless charger not working. So shortly after purchase I made my complaint that the wireless charger pad is not charging my phone. They've replaced the pad but still not charging my samsung ultra 22+ unless the car is parked and sitting still. They've asked me to allow time for researching the issue and taken all the make model details from my phone. Well sadly a few other things recently became noticeable to me as well and I will be following up with the dealership to address them as well as I'm not satisfied with my truck and the many issues I'm experiencing. 1) jerked when coming to a stop to reverse into my driveway 2) a loud thud noise could be heard inside my truck although I had the radio on when switching from park to drive or drive to park. 3) car stopped kind of midway when reversing jerking me in the process leaving me wondering why or what was going on. 4) engine would rev to 7000rpm even though I was going less than 45 mins per hour. . . . Just baffling honestly.

The contact owns a 2014 Acura Mdx. The contact stated that when she started the vehicle she heard an unusual loud noise and the steering column was inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.

The contact owns a 2019 Acura Mdx. The contact stated that occasionally while accelerating, at a stop, or while driving, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. While driving at approximately 50 mph, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated to 80 mph. Additionally, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes activated independently. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon returning the vehicle, the warning lights were flashing or beeping without a light. The steering wheel was loose. The steering wheel also turned a third of the way, but the wheels failed to respond. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 23v751000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

When driving to town with family, drove over train tracks and all warning lights on dash came on and power steering was lost. I was going about 30 mpg and barely able to steer the vehicle to shoulder of road in a populated neighborhood. My wife and kids were really scared and I was glad this didn't happen in a much busier area. The warning lights were: adaptive cruise control, parking brake, lane keep assist, all wheel drive, electric power steering, collision mitigation, trailer stability assist, and low speed breaking. Reading multiple reports online (mdxers. Org, reddit. Com etc. ), others have reported the same failure and issues with their 2022/2023 Mdx, likely being caused by a faulty wheel speed sensor. If my wife was diving I would fear she would be unable to steer the vehicle to safety. I have not taken to the dealer yet.

I bought the car in March 2023 and took the car for maintenance of 5k at Acura dealership at north orlando and after that the car came never the same. The car is making so much noise skewing and clicking noise every time you turn the streering wheel. The dealership said the noise is from nuts and bolt and they did change it and noise became more loud 2nd time they said it is the front break and they did change it and the noise still the same and more of clicking noise with every tire turns . I do have a video but I could not upload it. Then for 3rd time and car been sitting at dealership for a month now they said this noise is normal and happens with all Acura Mdx models. The loaner I have is an Mdx that never makes any noise . The car was running perfectly fine before the maintenance. Now noise and steering wheel ?? very loose and does not feel the same as before and you can hear 2 different noises in car one with breaks on and one with car or park and just turing the steering wheels. So unbelievable that the damaged my car and I barely have mileage on it and changing all of those parts and when they came to a point that they can’t solve the issue they are saying it is a normal noise. Is it in car manual ? why you changed all those parts to start with if that car and noise were normal? too many questions and hidden parts for the dealership and Acura manufacture they just know half of the story and only listen to dealerships. I don’t feel safe driving the car with all of those issues and having two kids with me all the time.

There are two outstanding recalls on my vehicle and my local Acura is in not able to repair them until January despite the safety compromise listed under each recall increasing risk for collision or fire.

See all problems of the 2018 Acura MDX 🔎.