2017 Acura MDX
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 255 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 2nd highest complaint count among 24 MDX model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 7 involved a crash and 4 involved a fire. 4 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Structure, frame and membersJun 4, 2026
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.
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.
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.
Campaign 26V365000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, sensor, occupant classification, front passengerMay 21, 2026
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.
Campaign 26V332000 on NHTSA.gov
Exterior lightingApr 17, 2025
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.
Vehicle lights that fail to illuminate can decrease visibility and increase the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 25V259000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpDec 18, 2023
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.
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 23V858000 on NHTSA.gov
Engine and engine cooling, engine, hard parts internal/mechanicalNov 13, 2023
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.
A damaged engine may run improperly or stall while driving, increasing the risk of a fire, crash, or injury.
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.
Campaign 23V751000 on NHTSA.gov
Exterior lighting, tail lightsMar 28, 2019
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.
Loss of the taillights reduces the vehicle's visibility, increasing the risk of crash.
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.
Campaign 19V256000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, other, delivery, fuel pumpJan 29, 2019
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.
Reduced fuel pump performance can result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of crash.
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.
Campaign 19V060000 on NHTSA.gov
Service brakes, hydraulic, foundation components, disc, caliperNov 1, 2018
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Acura MDX, 2017-2018 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda HR-V and Honda Odyssey, and 2016 Honda HR-V vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating, causing gas pockets to form, reducing brake performance. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
A reduction of braking performance increases the risk of a crash.
Owners will be notified, and Honda or Acura dealers will bleed the brakes, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are C31 and L30.
Campaign 18V777000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
255 reports, newest first.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Back over prevention, Jun 1, 2024
On highway and switching lanes. All of a sudden ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE AND ALL DRIVER ASSIST LIGHTS CAME ON. Pull over light came on as well. HIT ON LEFT REAR SYMBOL CAME ON. Was never hit just a close car on driver left rear side when switching lanes. Made it home and vehicle wouldn’t switch back into drive mode. Acura didn’t do its due process and assumed a new transmission was needed. Replaced and a month later ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE sign starts flashing again. Now dealership is saying I need a new catalytic converter. Refused as I believe Acura has been incorrect about the diagnostic. They also stated my vehicle was in a collision and it wasn’t. They refused to check electrical issues and update software as these things are not in my control. It is my belief the car had a faulty collision warning which is causing other issues as well as Acura refusing to probably assist and diagnose without me continuing to be falsely diagnosed
Engine and engine cooling, Apr 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 9, 2024
I have a 2017 Acura MDX that had around 98k while I was driving down the highway at 65 mph all lights came on the dash and lost acceleration would not go over 45 MPH on a very busy highway. Had to have the vehicle towed per dealership- towed to Jay Wolfe Acura, Overland Park, KS. They said engine needed to be replaced due to the miss fire of rod knocking. There was no other option for replacing the rods had to replace the engine. In addition they replaced with an used engine that is a 2016 not even the same year. Dealer made us aware of the recall for this issue but advised us the Vin# is not under the recall so we had to pay out of pocket. I have tried to work with Honda and the dealership for reimbursement since there have been numerous vehicles with this exact issue but the Vin#'s not under the recall but with no help at all. I have provided documentation and explained the issues and the repairs. I have documentation but was not able to add it to the document listing below
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Mar 15, 2024
The sensor under the hood malfunctions causing the car alarm system to go off and battery to get drained. Multiple batteries were changed because initially the thinking was that the battery needed to be replaced. Car alarm would go off in the middle of the night (with a new battery) when parked in the garage. All the electrical systems and lights would start turning off and on as if the car is possessed. Manufacturer is aware of the problem. Many others are complaining on the internet. There are variety of hacks including rigging the sensor that are suggested. Dealer said the entire control unit had to be replaced for $1122. Repair was made. They said when they run out of parts (control unit) they also disconnect the sensor. So you have cars on the highways that are no longer appropriately indicating when the hood is down (shut correctly or whether it is a false alarm. I called the manufacturer they didn't take responsibility (Case 14470102) with Acura/Honda.
Engine, Feb 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 20 MPH uphill, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact observed a clanking noise emanating from the engine compartment and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was not able to be restarted. Additionally, the contact observed condensation underneath the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 112,000. The contact stated the reason for the engine seizing was due to broken connecting rods #2 & #5. The mechanic stated the only other reason the engine would seize is due to not having any oil at all in the vehicle, but there was oil present in the vehicle so it couldn't be that and that it was the connecting rods bearings breaking that caused it.
Engine and engine cooling, Feb 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the engine made an abnormal knocking sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the connecting rod bearing was knocking, and the dealer recommended replacing the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 133,000.
Seats, Feb 7, 2024
The driver’s seat is loose. It became loose over time. It moves forward and back by about 1/4” during starts and stops. It gets worse each month. There is a recall for the same thing the next model year.
Engine, Jan 29, 2024
Internal damage at the connecting rod bearing causing engine failure. I have a video from the dealership explaining everything. It is too large to upload to this submission worksheet. There is an active recall on for this exact problem on other years of the MDX and TLX but my VIN is not included in the recall.
Electrical system, Jan 28, 2024
Backup camera stopped working.
Engine, Jan 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and was jerking. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to a local mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic retrieved DTC code: P0369 (Reduced Engine Power). The mechanic replaced the camshaft and the sensors. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Jan 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the connecting rod bearing, resulting in damage to the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 110,000.
Electrical system, Service brakes, Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 15, 2024
While driving the car started to loose momentum and began stuttering until finally stopping abruptly and applying the electronic braking system. All warning alarms were illuminated on the dash. I was not even able to pull over completely off the road either putting me and my family in danger from not being off the road. Acura dealership service center informed me it was a bad high pressure fuel pump located on the engine block itself. There are recalls for this exact part neginnibg from 2018 on the acura MDX model. My model is a 2017 making me wonder if the recall should include earlier year models of acura mdx.
Power train, Electrical system, Jan 9, 2024
Ive brought my MDX to the dealership service department 6 times for this issue, my car has been with the service department this last time since Nov 28th consecutively. In September I brought it in because my car would shift to park when the auto start/stop engaged, I would have to hit the brakes, shift back in to drive before I could take off. I was told there were 2 recalls that we remedied at that time. I brought my car back in a couple weeks later because the issue was persisting, I also started to get transmission and blind spot monitoring system alerts in those 2 weeks. I was told by the service department that the recall update wasn't "completed" when I brought it the previous time. The shift to park still was not fixed. At the 3rd time to the service department they replaced my starter. After this was done the issues with the car got worse, the car would give me transmission alerts, emission system alerts, power brake, blind spot, etc. & the "D" for drive on the dash would blink. Park would also blink. On the 4th trip they replaced my shifter assembly. After this the issues with the car further worsened and I would get all of the previously mentioned alerts, then my car would shift to neutral and another alert would pop up saying "pull over and park when safe to do so". Thankfully I was never on the interstate when this happened. I have to coast until I can pull off the road. After turning the car off then back on I was still not able to shift in to gear. I had the car towed to Acura, this (5th trip) time they replaced my transmission computer module. The car did the same thing the day after I picked it up. I had it towed back to them again, this latest trip they replaced my powertrain computer module, it did not fix the issue. My MDX has been at the dealership since Nov 28th because they do not know what to attempt to fix next. Im not being given any recourse. There are class-action lawsuits regarding this issue on the internet, so it is not unique to me
Power train, Electrical system, Jan 9, 2024
I was driving on the interstate yesterday ([XXX]) and the transmission suddenly downshifted gears and also went to neutral. I managed to pull to the shoulder, but the sudden loss of power could easily have been life threatening at a more crowded time of day or in poor weather. The car was towed to McDaniel Acura in Columbia, SC (I was out of town) and problem confirmed. I also called my regular mechanic (a Honda specialist) and he said this was a known problem and referenced Acura service bulletin [XXX] which says to reload new software. Codes were: Transmission code P0716 Parking Brake System U0401-68 Parking brake warning light on Blind spot warning light on Why hasn't there been a recall on this??? It's a known problem and I could easily have been killed and hurt others. If not a recall, at least at least do something to alert owners so they can get it fixed proactively if they want, as opposed to breaking down on the side of an interstate for hours. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Exterior lighting, Jan 5, 2024
NHTSA Recal #19V-256 So according to Acura, this vehicle had the tail lights replaced in 2019 but the tail lights broke again in 2023. How do we know if Acura just replaced with same OEM tail lights but didn't fix the problematic tail lights. These lights are not a simple bulb replacement, it is costly in $600/Ea range to replace whole assembly.
Steering, Electrical system, Structure, Dec 25, 2023
i bought new car in 2017 November and around over 2500k miles I heard engine chirping sound and if you're surrounded by wall you can hear it louder. took it to dealership several time but they said it's normal and show me another car to prove to me. Which it did had same sound. Then yrs go by I hear loud clunking sound underneath the car every time I reversed and when switching gear to reverse. also about 1-2 yr owning it I heard clunking sound on steering wheel so when mechanic looked at dealership they said it could have been air bag wires so they secured it and shouldn't have any more problem. on 3rd yr I went back to dealership because I know something is wrong with steering wheel clunking sound when turning low speed to right and felt much tighter to turn. they said one of suspension is problem so they replaced but 2wks later happen again. I was in rush for them to resolve before my 4yr warranty ends but they keep playing around saying initially by experience mechanic when we did test drive he heard the sound and thinks it's steering rack or pinion. so I was relived after yr of back n forth they figured out and tells me to wait for next step. but after 1hr waiting at lobby they told me after lifting car up can't manipulate the sound again so can't fix. I wanted to speak to that mechanic again and the way he looked at me and said sorry I don't know what's wrong with it seem like his been told by higher up to lie bc that day they had corporate person visit and that person refused my claim. I asked to fix steering rack or both and they said we can't bc its costing them money and what if that's not the case. I took it to local mechanic and whenever my vehicle is lifted its hard to find the sound but when on ground you can hear. Then recently I brought up that clunk sound to different mechanic during oil change they found out that my body frame was loose so he tighten the bolts. He said it's rare to have frame loose. after that no more clunking when reversing.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Dec 21, 2023
When stopping for traffic or at a light and accelerating for take off the car has a delay. It does nothing. It’s a 2sec delay that will be deadly to someone.
Power train, Nov 27, 2023
In October I noticed my engine knocking. It has always made a ticking sound so how long it might have knocked before we noticed I don’t know however in October it was clearly noticeable. The first thing I did was check my oil level and it was full. Over the several days it became more noticeable and one morning while driving my check engine light came on and the vehicle lost most(maybe 80%) of it’s power although it did continue running and I managed to make it home and immediately scheduled an appointment with Pecheles Honda to have it looked at. When I started the car the next morning the engine light was off and I drove it to the Honda dealership where I was told I would need a new engine. We regularly had the oil changed using synthetic oil and it never burned one drop of oil so I didn’t have any idea how or why it could have happened because it is very common for issues like this to occur due to low engine oil. Last week I learned of a recall on multiple Honda and Acura vehicles the same year and model as mine due to faulty rod bearings with symptoms exactly like I experienced only to find out that mine is not included in the recall. Right now it is sitting in my yard because I don’t have $10,000 to get the motor replaced. The Honda service manager and their best mechanic were at a loss at how the motor could have went so pre maturely. Something faulty had to have been put in that motor because I took great care of that car and never drove it hard. Before this car we had a 2003 Honda Pilot we owned for nearly 15 years with 300,000 miles on it that never had one issue the whole time we had it and this issue should not happen to 6 year old Acura’s. I wanted to document this issue and hope anyone else going through the same misfortune with these vehicles does the same.
Engine, Nov 27, 2023
All lights lit up on dashboard with no previous sounds, knocking, or issues. Upon getting the vehicle towed, the dealership said that the CAM Shaft and sensor needs to be replaced. Which is approximately a 4K dollar repair. Upon further inspection. The dealership showed me a copy of a 2018 notice where this was a known issue with a specific code of C0369 where it states that there should be no repairs but only replacment of the complete unit and that the machining of this part is know to have substandard machining spec issues which will cause the shaft to erode. This vehicle only has 67,589 miles on it. (which is out of warranty by 6800 miles.) All of the information that I have investigated states that the only way a CAM shaft goes bad is insufficient lubrication, improper break-in, reusing old/worn components, mechanical interferences, and inferior hardware/hardware not torqued to spec. I beleive this issue needs to be further investigated especially since there is also the new recall which states the crank shaft rod bearing was also failing due to the original machining was out of spec. In addidtion, if this was a known issue withthe CAM Shaft since 2018, why was I not notified and why is this not a recall? The dealership currently has 3 other cars in its service area with the same known issue. Of note, this vehicle was running fine when it was parked and upon starting the car and going approximately 5 mile per hour, all warning lights lit up and said to place the car in park. No other prior warnings or issues to speak of other than stalling when stopped at a red light.
Power train, Nov 24, 2023
In October the car had 46,000 miles and suddenly the car stopped because there was a transmission problem and we went to the dealer, they said it was an update the software problem, this is considered is not safe for me and my family because the car suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. What if I was going 60 mph on the highway and they car suddenly stopped and caused an accident, and someone was hurt. I don't think it is an update problem. This morning I went to the dealer to talk about it, and they refused to do anything, and we are just reporting and if in the future it happens again then what are we supposed to do if we're on the middle of the highway.
Tires, Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX equipped with Les Schwab Tires, Tire Line: Back Country Touring, Tire Size: 245/50/R20, DOT Number: UP76 DRW. The contact stated that while making a left turn, the front passenger’s side tire rolled over a plastic lane divider. The contact then heard air being released from the tire and immediately pulled over into a parking lot. The contact discovered side wall separation on the front passenger’s side tire and pulled into gas station to replace the tire with the spare. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 21T002000 (Tires) which the contact linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the tire size was not included in the recall. The tire was not replaced. The vehicle and tire failure mileages were not provided.
Engine, Oct 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds the vehicle lost power. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch and gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 17, 2023
Great hesitation, in acceleration, clicking of gears and drive and while putting in reverse also clicking of the years when accelerating
Other or unspecified, Aug 24, 2023
Paint peeling on roof , there is an existing issue regarding mdx pearl white paint peeling but only covered 2014 to 2016. My 2017 pearl white mdx also has the same issue, and a lot more people complaining as well online. I contacted acura and they said that my vin number is not part of the issue . Which is BS. My car has only 31,000 miles eventhough its almost 7 yrs old , it is well kept , garaged suv .
Power train, Aug 12, 2023
When pulling into traffic the car wants to hesitate almost like stalling when going from 1st to 2nd gear 1st thing in the morning. Almost causing a crash it does it every morning after the car is driving the car for a while it no longer does it. There are no check engine lights on