2016 Acura MDX Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other MDX years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 26 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 7 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 376 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Acura MDX. That is the most of any MDX model year in the database (26 years). The most reported problem area is engine (162 complaints, 43%), typically at around 60,000 miles. Complaints mention 10 crashes, 5 fires, 5 injuries. There are 7 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
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- 376owner complaints
- 7safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 10complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2016 Acura MDX problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine problems | 162 | 43% | 60,000 | “rod bearing” (27%) | $7,300 |
| Power Train problems | 112 | 30% | 31,002 | “blind spot” (8%) | — |
| Unknown or Other | 40 | 11% | 10,556 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 37 | 10% | 20,500 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 28 | 7% | 44,750 | — | — |
| Structure | 21 | 6% | 22,500 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 19 | 5% | 24,368 | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 14 | 4% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 13 | 3% | 33,350 | — | — |
| Steering | 12 | 3% | 31,602 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 11 | 3% | 120,109 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 10 | 3% | 108,000 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 9 | 2% | 72,500 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 8 | 2% | 14,879 | — | — |
| Suspension | 8 | 2% | 18,984 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 7 | 2% | 20,057 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 1% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 4 | 1% | 10,000 | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 2 | 1% | 2,763 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 2 | 1% | 120,109 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 1% | 169,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 1% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 0% | 20,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2016 Acura MDX recalls (7)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Suspension:rear; structure:frame and members
Problem: American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Honda Pilot, 2017-2023 Ridgeline, 2019-2023 Passport, and 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles that were sold in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. The rear subframe may corrode at the suspension mounting points, which can result in rear suspension component failure.
Risk: Failure of rear suspension components, such as the rear control arm, can cause a loss of vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rear subframe and install a rear subframe reinforcement kit and, as necessary, repair or replace the rear subframe components, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed July 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in the fall of 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are AOU and AOT. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning June 10, 2026.
Interior lighting; exterior lighting
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles. Moisture may enter the tailgate lid light assembly and wiring harness, which can cause the interior and exterior lights to fail, including the lid lights, position lights, license plate lights and taillights.
Risk: Vehicle lights that fail to illuminate can decrease visibility and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the wiring and install a fuse harness, replace the lid light, and repair the body dust sealer, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 30, 2025. Owners may contact Acura's customer service at 1-800-382-2238. Acura's number for this recall is FLI. Vehicles included in this recall that were previously repaired under NHTSA recall number 19V-256 will need to have the new remedy completed.
Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Engine and engine cooling:engine:hard parts internal/mechanical
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.
Risk: A damaged engine may run improperly or stall while driving, increasing the risk of a fire, crash, or injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 2016-2017 Acura MDX owner letters were mailed November 1, 2024. 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed in mid-December 2024. Honda began mailing owner notification letters as of March 18, 2024. 2015-2016 Acura owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-December 2024, 2018 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed the end of March/early April 2024, 2019 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-May 2024, 2020 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-June 2024, and 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed January 27, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XG1 and GG0.
Exterior lighting; exterior lighting:tail lights
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Acura MDX and 2017-2019 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid vehicles. Moisture may enter the tailgate lid lights, possibly causing a loss of the tailgate lid lights and the taillights.
Risk: Loss of the taillights reduces the vehicle's visibility, increasing the risk of crash.
Fix: Acura will notify owners, and dealers will modify the tailgate lid lights and install updated gaskets and a wiring sub-harness or will replace both tailgate lid lights. The repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began May 7, 2019. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is M49.
Fuel system, other:delivery:fuel pump
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Acura MDX, 2015-2019 Acura TLX and 2015-2017 Honda Accord vehicles, equipped with a 3.5L V6 engine. Particulates in fuel may adhere to the internal components of the fuel pump, reducing its performance.
Risk: Reduced fuel pump performance can result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the fuel injection engine control unit (FI-ECU) software and, if necessary, replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began March 25, 2019. Owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's recall number for this recall is P3W. Honda's recall number for this recall is N3X.
Fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2015 Acura MDX 2WD and MDX 4WD vehicles, 2016 Acura MDX 4WD vehicles, 2015-2016 Honda Odyssey vehicles, and 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD and 4WD vehicles. The affected vehicles have fuel tanks that were manufactured with insufficient welds which may separate and allow fuel to leak out.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tanks, free of charge. Owners may contact Honda/Acura customer service at 1-888-234-2138. The recall began on July 29, 2016. Honda's numbers for this recall are KA9 (Honda vehicles) and KB0 (Acura vehicles).
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Engine failure (PE25008) — opened Aug 20, 2025, still open.
- No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages (EA25004) — opened Mar 26, 2025, still open.
- Engine failure (RQ24013) — opened Nov 8, 2024, closed Aug 20, 2025.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Water leakage into the right tailgate lid light assembly caused it to malfunction. In the photo you can see water pooled in the right lower corner. There is a recall for this specific issue for the year/make/model of my vehicle (NHTSA ID 25V259000). However my VIN is not included. I took my vehicle…
Driving home from a trip June 2019 on the highway at 60mph with 3 children and my husband, my 2016 Acura MDX experienced complete engine failure - alarms started to sound and I experienced a loss of acceleration, lights in the dash included Engine Problem, Transmission Problem, Emission System…
My 2016 Acura MDX (VIN [XXX]) is covered by Acura safety campaign 4170A8. The campaign covers rear subframe corrosion at the suspension mounting points that can cause the rear wheels to become misaligned or inadequately retained, affecting handling, stability, and braking. On XXX, I brought the…
Heard a knocking noise in the engine, had it serviced at an independent mechanic (towed as to not create more damage and the knocking noise was louder). Mechanic told me that the rod bearing/engine had failed and would need to be replaced. $7000-$10000 for replacement. He also indicated that this…
The contact owns a 2016 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and failed to accelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure posed a potential…
Other Acura MDX years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 MDX | 9 | 1 |
| 2025 MDX | 111 | 3 |
| 2024 MDX | 41 | 2 |
| 2023 MDX | 42 | 2 |
| 2022 MDX | 157 | 2 |
| 2021 MDX | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 MDX | 223 | 8 |
| 2019 MDX | 190 | 9 |
| 2018 MDX | 169 | 10 |
| 2017 MDX | 260 | 8 |
| 2016 | 376 | 7 |
| 2015 MDX | 71 | 8 |
| 2014 MDX | 172 | 8 |
| 2013 MDX | 30 | 1 |
| 2012 MDX | 76 | 1 |
| 2011 MDX | 70 | 0 |
| 2010 MDX | 45 | 1 |
| 2009 MDX | 52 | 0 |
| 2008 MDX | 49 | 0 |
| 2007 MDX | 99 | 0 |
| 2006 MDX | 87 | 9 |
| 2005 MDX | 180 | 11 |
| 2004 MDX | 171 | 8 |
| 2003 MDX | 206 | 11 |
| 2002 MDX | 205 | 4 |
| 2001 MDX | 224 | 4 |
See all Acura MDX problems by year, every Acura model, or the Acura VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2016 Acura MDX?
Owners most often report engine, power train, unknown or other problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 162 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Acura MDX?
Yes, 7 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2016 Acura MDX a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other MDX model years, the 2016 has far more complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.