Acura MDX Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data

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.

The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally rough grinding sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, but the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle operated normally for a while. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer determined that there was a failure within the transfer case, causing the vehicle to be operable only in Front Wheel Drive. Additionally, there was debris inside the transmission. The vehicle was repaired out of pocket. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact stated that drops of fluid were discovered on the floor of the garage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for diagnosis, and the contact was informed that transmission fluid was leaking due to a failure of the Power Take Off (PTO) unit and transmission spline, causing the transmission to overheat and leak fluid. The contact was informed that the transmission and PTO unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 97,000.

The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while the vehicle was receiving a routine oil change, the rear wheels failed to rotate. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission and transfer case needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the drive shaft was moving freely while in park. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,984.

Took car in for oil change and service tech saw that there was transmission fluid leaking. They then found that the splines were sheared off going into the transfer case and transmission. We received new transmission and transfer case. So far everything is working. We did not get any warning that there was an issue until we took it to the dealership. Putting in the case as this seems to be a common issue on type s models.

Vehicle exhibited a fluid leak at the rear of the engine near the transmission/transfer case junction. An independent shop is currently evaluating; suspected power take-off unit failure. This matches the failure pattern described in NHTSA Defect Petition DP26001 covering 2022-2023 Acura MDX and 2021-2023 Acura TLX for interfacing spline failure between the transmission and the rear-wheel-drive power take-off unit. Separately, while pulling out into traffic, the vehicle hesitated and failed to accelerate as commanded, chugging briefly before delivering power. This nearly resulted in a collision. No warning lamps or messages appeared at any time. Whether this drivability event and the fluid leak share a cause is UNKNOWN, but I am reporting both given the open defect petition on this component. Vehicle at approximately 75,000 miles, outside powertrain warranty by roughly 5,000 miles. Manufacturer declined assistance when contacted. Component is available for inspection upon request. Sudden loss of all-wheel drive without warning is a safety concern in Michigan winter driving conditions Repair has been quoted at approximately $3,600 for the transfer unit alone, plus labor, with no manufacturer assistance offered.

The Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system unexpectedly deactivates during cold weather conditions, creating a sudden loss of traction and compromising vehicle stability control on winter roads."

The splines to the transmission and front transfer case are worn and stripped and that is causing a bad transmission fluid leak. The fix for this unfortunately is to replace the Transmission and the Transfer case assy. I am not getting any support from Acura, as this is a known problem according to the dealer. Acura is not cooperating and the cost to repair is $14,000. I noticed a transmission fluid leak, so I took the vehicle into the Acura dealership. No check engine light came on, no notification that there was a catastrophic failure occurring to my car. I've been reading that this is happening to several other Acura vehicles as well.

Began to notice a knocking noise from lower engine compartment in late May 2026. No warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms. Dealer (Zimbrick Acura, Middleton WI) confirmed on 06/30/26 that noise was coming from transmission assembly. Dealer identified that the transmission was leaking fluid from the output shaft seal, and upon disassembly identified that the interfacing splines between the transmission and the rear wheel drive power take off unit (PTU) were failing. Dealer ultimately replaced transmission and PTU. This is the same issue as described in a previous petition (no. 11712885) but was identified prior to complete loss of all-wheel drive.

Humming noise from drivetrain. Took vehicle to Acura dealer and was diagnosed as: Loss of all wheel drive due to interfacing spline failure between transmission and transfer case resulting in only front wheel drive. Found open investigation NHTSA with other vehicles experiencing the same failure. DP26001

The car made a clunk sound while driving and wouldn't accelerate. After coming to a stop and trying to take off, the car still had difficulty accelerating. After turning the car off and back on everything appeared fine. The loss of acceleration was unexpected and there were no warning lights or indication of an issue. The lack of ability to accelerate along with the clunk sound caused unnecessary safety risks by not allowing the car to maneuver out of danger and disrupting the flow of traffic unexpectedly. The car then began leaking oil. The Acura dealership noted that the oil was transmission and power transfer unit oil and the car no longer has all wheel drive but only front wheel drive. The loss of all wheel drive without any indication or warning is a serious safety issue because it affects all aspects of drivability (handling, acceleration, traction). They said over time the splines of the power transfer unit input shaft rust and then sheer off which causes metal to damage the transmission seal and power transfer unit seal. The service manager said this was a known issue due to bad engineering and there is no way to prevent it. The vehicle is unchanged since the incident and can be inspected.

The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, there was an abnormal vibration coming from the front passenger’s side of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The abnormal vibration persisted, and there was a grinding sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the power transfer case spline had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall, and the vehicle was not under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

Transfer case splines completely sheared off. No warning lights, nothing. Car is operating in in a 2 wheel drive configuration. Now need new Transmission, new transfer case, new differential. Can provide dealer videos detailing situation if requested.

The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving at various speeds exceeding 30 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended upon depression of the accelerator pedal; however, the RPMs increased. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. No further information was available. The failure mileage was 60,000.