Acura MDX Engine Problems
Owners have filed 664 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the Acura MDX across 25 model years. The 2016 model year has the most (162). The words owners use most often: “rod bearing” (13% of reports).
- 664engine complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 8mention a crash
- 8mention an injury
- 3related recalls
- $5,650typical repair cost reported by owners
- 41%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Rod bearing: mentioned in 84 of 664 complaints (13%)
- Idle stop: mentioned in 62 of 664 complaints (9%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine repair on the Acura MDX at $5,650, and half of them between $3,900 and $8,350.
Based on 14 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2014–2026), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 207 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 664 complaints, 8 mention a crash, 21 a fire, 8 an injury.
Acura MDX engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 MDX | 2 | 22% | — |
| 2025 MDX | 66 | 61% | 14,000 |
| 2024 MDX | 6 | 15% | — |
| 2023 MDX | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2022 MDX | 9 | 6% | 26,000 |
| 2020 MDX | 84 | 38% | 51,150 |
| 2019 MDX | 48 | 25% | 18,197 |
| 2018 MDX | 35 | 21% | 44,000 |
| 2017 MDX | 78 | 30% | 63,500 |
| 2016 MDX | 162 | 43% | 60,000 |
| 2015 MDX | 7 | 10% | 40,000 |
| 2014 MDX | 26 | 15% | 12,250 |
| 2013 MDX | 9 | 30% | 14,593 |
| 2012 MDX | 23 | 30% | 87,500 |
| 2011 MDX | 28 | 40% | 91,107 |
| 2010 MDX | 11 | 24% | 89,000 |
| 2009 MDX | 8 | 15% | 74,000 |
| 2008 MDX | 3 | 6% | 133,000 |
| 2007 MDX | 11 | 11% | 104,000 |
| 2006 MDX | 9 | 10% | 101,000 |
| 2005 MDX | 7 | 4% | 123,000 |
| 2004 MDX | 13 | 8% | 143,000 |
| 2003 MDX | 10 | 5% | 187,453 |
| 2002 MDX | 5 | 2% | 180,000 |
| 2001 MDX | 3 | 1% | 131,500 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (3)
Engine and engine cooling:engine:hard parts internal/mechanical
Model years: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
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.
Engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline:belts and associated pulleys
Model years: 2018, 2019
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Acura MDX and Honda Pilot vehicles and 2019 Acura RLX, RLX Sport Hybrid, TLX and Honda Odyssey and Ridgeline vehicles. The timing belt teeth may separate from the belt.
Risk: Teeth separation from the timing belt may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle and replace any affected timing belt free of charge. Vehicles receiving a replacement timing belt will also have the engine inspected and any damaged components will be replaced for free. The recall began June 7, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is L4M. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is Z4L.
Engine and engine cooling:engine
Model years: 2002
Problem: On certain minivans, sedans, coupes, and sport utility vehicles equipped with v6 engines, a timing belt tensioner pulley on the water pump is misaligned and could cause the timing belt to contact a bolt on the cylinder head. Eventually the belt could be damaged and fail.
Risk: If the timing belt breaks, the engine will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the water pump and if it is one of the defective pumps, the water pump and timing belt will be replaced. Owner notification began august 30, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact honda at 1-800-999-1009 or acura at 1-800-382-2238.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
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…
Car is not staying on during traffic. Afraid to go in highway now.
On two occasions my vehicle stalled out when the idle stop feature failed to restart the engine in traffic. I could not restart my vehicle initially and it took several attempts to restart. Because I was at a stop in an intersection waiting to turn this could have resulted in a serious accident…
Dec. 16, 2025, took Acura into the dealership because Check Engine light kept coming on. They did a full inspection and said I needed to have the purge valve replaced and that it was nearing time to have other services: transmission service, front transfer case, rear differential, brake fluid…
On October 1, 2026 at approximately 5:45am, while driving my 2026 Acura MDX, I stopped at a red traffic light on a busy street. The vehicle's Auto Idle Stop system shut the engine off as designed. When the light turned green and I attempted to proceed, the engine failed to restart. The vehicle…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Acura MDXs have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 664 owner complaints about engine for the Acura MDX. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Acura MDX engine?
Yes: 3 safety recalls list engine. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
How much does it cost to fix engine problems on the Acura MDX?
Owners report a typical cost of $5,650 (half paid between $3,900 and $8,350), from 14 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine problems on the Acura MDX?
The most frequent phrase is “rod bearing”, in 84 of 664 complaints, followed by “idle stop” (62).
Other Acura MDX problems
See all Acura MDX problems.