2008 Acura MDX
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 49 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 20th highest complaint count among 24 MDX model years with reports.
Of the 2008 reports, 2 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 1 person was injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Equipment, mechanical, carrier/rackFeb 5, 2008
HONDA IS RECALLING 2,032 HITCH STYLE BIKE RACKS SOLD AS AFTERMARKET FOR USE ON MY 2003-2007 AND SOME MY 2008 HONDA PILOT, RIDGELINE, AND ACURA MDX VEHICLES. A PINCH BOLT EXISTS BETWEEN THE BIKE ARM BRACKET AND THE UPRIGHT ASSEMBLY OF THE "HITCH" STYLE BICYCLE RACK.
WHEN MOVING THE BIKE ARM BRACKET TO ITS DOWN POSITION, THIS PINCH BOLT HAS THE POTENTIAL OF CAUSING SEVERE LACERATION OR AMPUTATION TO THE USER'S FINGERTIPS OR HAND.
OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT THULE AT 800-THULE91 (800-848-5391) TO OBTAIN A FREE REPAIR KIT ALONG WITH REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS OR OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
Campaign 08E013000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: electrical system
8 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, May 14, 2023
The clock in the 2008 Acura MDX stopped working over 18 months ago. This occurred after an Acura Day-light-Savings time update. In order to check the time now you have to take your eyes off the road. There are thousands of Acura vehicles with this problem. ACURA REFUSES TO HELP. They state there is no solution to the problem. They caused the problem!
Electrical system, Service brakes, May 28, 2019
THIS VEHICLE IS HAVING ELECTRICAL ISSUE IN WHICH IS AFFECT VARIOUS PARTS, INCLUDING THE DECELERATION OF THE VEHICLE. THERE ARE TIMES IN WHICH THE BRAKE IS PRESSED AND INSTEAD OF THE VEHICLE DOES NOT RESPOND TO START TO SLOW DOWN. THE BRAKES ON THE TRUCK HAVE REPLACED ALONG WITH TIRES AND YET THE PROBLEM DOES CONTINUES. THIS A DAILY THING THAT HAPPENS IT IS MORE NOTICIBLE WHEN THE VEHICLE REACHED ABOVE 65 AND ABOVE MILES. I HAVE ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THIS.
Electrical system, Jan 9, 2019
MY 2008 MDX'S BATTERY WOULD DRAIN OUT OFTEN AND HAD TO REPLACE 2-3 NEW BATTERIES DURING THAT TIME FRAME AND NUMEROUS JUMP START. RECENTLY, I JUST CHANGED BATTERY AND HAD TO JUMP START AGAIN WITHIN A MONTH. I REALLY GOT FRUSTRATED AND TOOK THE CAR TO CAR DEALER AND HE SAID IT'S AN HFL ISSUE WHICH DRAINS YOUR BATTERY OUT, SO I HAVE TO PAY $200 TO DISCONNECT THE SYSTEM OR PAY $4000 TO PUT A NEW HFL SYSTEM. THEIR IS ALSO A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT REGARDING THIS ISSUE AND ANOTHER CUSTOMER AT THE DEALERSHIP HAD THE SAME ISSUE ON HIS 2008 TL. WHY DOESN'T ACURA RECALL AND FIX THE ISSUE??? THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW. I EVEN EMAILED ACURA WITH A COMPLAINT AND NO RESPONSE FROM THEM YET. ..! THIS IS RIDICULOUS AND WOULD NEVER BUY ACURA OR HONDA CARS AGAIN..!
Electrical system, Engine, Jun 2, 2018
ON SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2018, I WAS DRIVING NORTH ON INTERSTATE 95 AND MY CONSOLE LIGHTS STARTED BLINKING AND THE CAR JUST TURNED OFF. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO COAST OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND WATCHED AS THE CONSOLE LIGHTS BLINKED--VSA, BRAKE, INFORMATION LIGHT NAVIGATION SYSTEM SCREEN TURNED ON AND OFF REPEATEDLY, AND SPEEDOMETER AND RMP GAUGES WENT CRAZY. I SAT ON THE SHOULDER AND THE CONSOLE LIGHTS AND NAVIGATION SYSTEM LIGHTS CONTINUED TO BLINK ON AND OFF, AND THEN I SAW THAT THE SYSTEM RESET AS IF THE BATTERY HAD BEEN DISCONNECTED. THE SCREEN TO ENTER THE CODE TO RESET YOUR RADIO SYSTEM APPEARED. THEN IT ALL STOPPED AND WENT BLANK. I PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE TO EXIT THE INTERSTATE AND IT CONTINUED ON UNTIL I REACHED MY EXIT. HOWEVER, DURING THE DRIVE MY CONSOLE LIGHTS CONTINUED TO BLINK ON AND OFF AND THE CAR DROVE SLOWLY AND THERE WAS A DRAGGING SOUND AS IF THE ENGINE WAS OVERWORKING. I HAD TO MANUALLY UNLOCK THE DOOR, AND MY WINDOWS WOULD NOT GO UP TO CLOSE.
Electrical system, Sep 4, 2017
BATTERY WAS REPLACED IN FEBRUARY 2017 (ABOUT 7 MONTHS AGO). TODAY, EVERYTHING ELECTRICAL JUST DIED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THANK GOD MY CHILDREN WERE NOT IN THE CAR & THAT I WAS 1 MINUTE FROM HOME. THE INTERNAL LIGHTS FLICKERED AND THEN ALL LIGHTS, THE RADIO, AND ANY OTHER ELECTRICAL PORTION WENT DEAD. THE CAR WAS STILL RUNNING, BUT SENSING SOMETHING WAS WRONG, I IMMEDIATELY CALLED MY HUSBAND AND TOLD HIM TO MEET ME. AFTER I STOPPED THE CAR, IT WENT DEAD AND NEVER TURNED ON. WE HAVE TRIED NUMEROUS APPROACHES TO FIX AND HAVING FOUND THE SOLUTION YET. PER RESEARCH, MANY OTHERS HAVE HAD SIMILAR DANGEROUS ISSUES. SEE HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/ACURA/MDX/2007/ELECTRICAL/ELECTRICAL_SYSTEM.SHTML. MY ABSOLUTE FEAR IS THAT MY CAR WILL STOP COMPLETELY WHILE ON ON A FAST ROAD, WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR, AND AT NIGHT. WHILE WE DON'T YET KNOW IF IT'S AN HFL ISSUE (IT'S NOT A BATTERY ISSUE AS WE JUST HAD IT CHECKED LESS THAN AN HOUR AGO), I'M VERY FEARFUL. IF IT IS A HFL ISSUE, ACURA SHOULD HAVE ADDRESSED THIS A LONG TIME AGO.
Electrical system, Feb 6, 2017
THE HANDS FREE LINK CONSTANTLY DRAINS THE BATTERY, EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS NOT IN USE. I HAVE REPLACED 3 BATTERIES. THIS ISSUE LEAVES YOU STRANDED AND THE REPAIR COST BY DEALERS ARE RIDICULOUS WHEN THIS IS A WIDE SPREAD ISSUE. MY LOCAL DEALER EXPLAINED THE ONLY WAY TO FIX THE ISSUE WAS TO REMOVE THE HFL MODULE. WHY INSTALL SOMETHING ON A VEHICLE IF IT'S NOT CAPABLE OF PERFORMING THE FUNCTION IT IS MEANT TO. ALSO THE CD CHANGER CONSTANTLY GET STUCK AND WILL NOT WORK. DUE TO THIS ISSUE I GET AN ERROR MESSAGE OR A BUSY MESSAGE WHEN TRYING TO REMOVE A CD. THIS ISSUE HAS OCCURRED IN MY ACURA MULTIPLE TIMES AND I HAVE GOTTEN IT OUT HOWEVER THIS TIME WHEN THE BATTERY WAS DRAINED DUE TO THE HFL MODULE THE CD GOT STUCK DUE TO THE BATTERY ISSUE AND WILL NOT COME OUT AT ALL NOW. SO MY CD PLAYER IS NON-FUNCTIONING AT THIS POINT. SO ONE ISSUE HAS LEAD TO THE OTHER.
Electrical system, Structure, Engine, Jun 12, 2015
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 ACURA MDX. WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE HOOD WAS VIBRATING. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, BUT THE VEHICLE HESITATED BEFORE ACCELERATING. THE VEHICLE STABILITY ASSIST, TCS, ABS AND VTM MAY NOT OPERATE WAS DISPLAYED ACROSS THE MESSAGE BOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT MECHANICS, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE HOOD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 133,000.
Electrical system, Jan 29, 2015
*****ACURA MDX 2008 BATTERY IS DRAINING AND CAR WILL NOT START DUE TO HFL UNIT.******** ***CONSUMERS SHOULD KNOW SO THEY CAN ADDRESS THIS ISSUE PREVENT BEING STRANDED SOMEWHERE WITH A DEAD BATTERY*** THIS HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE 1) FEBRUARY 2013, VEHICLE @ 35,000 MILES- BATTERY REPLACED AT ACURA 2) OCTOBER 2014, VEHICLE @ 48,000 MILES- TOLD BY ACURA BATTERY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AGAIN 3) JANUARY 2015, VEHICLE @ 49,000 MILES- I FOUND ONLINE FORUM WHERE ACURA MDX OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AND THE CONCLUSION IS A DEFECTIVE HFL (HANDS FREE LINK) UNIT DRAINING THE BATTERY WHILE THE VEHICLE IS OFF. 4) JANUARY 2015, VEHICLE @ 49,000 MILES - I TELL ACURA SERVICE ADVISOR AT INTAKE ABOUT ONLINE DISCUSSIONS AND THAT I BELIEVE THE HFL UNIT IS DRAINING MY BATTERY. THE SERVICE ADVISOR AGREES THE ISSUE IS DEFINITELY THE HFL UNIT AND THE HFL UNIT WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED OR UNPLUGGED BUT HE WILL HAVE THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSE TO CONFIRM . I HAD ACURA REPLACE THE HFL UNIT AND THE BATTERY HAS NOT DIED SINCE EVEN AFTER NOT DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR THREE STRAIGHT DAYS. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN FOR ME AS I BELIEVE DRIVING HANDS-FREE IS SAFER THAN DRIVING WITH A PHONE IN ONE'S HAND. IT IS ALSO ILLEGAL TO DRIVE AND TALK ON A HAND-HELD PHONE IN THE STATE IN WHICH I LIVE SO UNPLUGGING THE HFL UNIT IS NOT AN OPTION FOR ME. I BELIEVE ACURA IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE AND ALL THE MANY ONLINE FORUMS WHERE CONSUMERS WITH DIFFERENT ACURA MODELS, MAKES AND YEARS ARE DISCUSSING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE HFL AND GIVING THEIR FEEDBACK ABOUT THEIR CONTACT WITH ACURA. INSTEAD OF DOING A THOROUGH DIAGNOSTIC CHECK I WAS TOLD TWICE I NEEDED A NEW BATTERY. IT WAS MY THIRD VISIT ALONG WITH THE INFORMATION I FOUND ONLINE THAT I GOT ACURA'S ATTENTION HOWEVER BY THEN THE HFL WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR