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.
Power train, Jul 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated while at a stop light, the vehicle would not shift out of park. The contact attempted shifting into another gear however, the vehicle would not shift out of park. The vehicle was towed to the dealer however, because the vehicle would not shift out of park, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 60,000. The VIN was not available.
Electrical system, Service brakes, Lane departure, Jul 21, 2023
Driving in rain and multiple systems failed at once without any reason. Car indicates brake systems, lane assistance, power steering, collision mitigation, stability control, etc all indicate problems. No reason for it to all go out at once.
Engine, Jun 11, 2023
While driving at freeway speed, fourth lane from the right, the vehicle became unresponsive to the gas pedal input and started to glide. I managed to get the vehicle to a narrow shoulder on the right before coming to a complete stop. I had one of my grand child in the car seat as a passenger at this time and I was very concerned about stalling in traffic and getting rear ended.
Power train, Jun 5, 2023
While in a residential area we were accelerating from a slow speed as we were leaving one corner and preparing to enter a second corner. We were in comfort dynamic mode at the time. The car then suddenly lurched forward followed by the drive-train immediately entering into neutral - losing all forward power. We were able to coast across the end of a residential driveway. We then turned the car off, and waited about 15 minutes before restarting the car. At that point everything worked normally with no indication of a continuation of the problem. Although the transmission went into neutral during the incident the shift clearly remained in the drive position. We were very careful about checking to see if we had somehow been at fault - bit this was definitely not driver’s error. We were fortunate on two fronts. Firstly, had an adult or child been in the crosswalk we were approaching at the time it could have ended badly. Secondly, we were at slow speed in modest traffic and had enough momentum to safely coast out of traffic. However, the incident was unsettling and we remain highly cautious about driving the car now. Later that evening we drove the car for about 30 minutes attempting to recreate the incident or see if we noticed anything odd at all about the transmission, shift, or electronics. We did this on a secluded road, using each of the car’s dynamic modes, at varying speeds, and changing acceleration. However, we were not able to recreate the incident. We did not notice anything odd about the car and no warning lights came on. There were also no warning lights leading up to or during the incident. The vehicle is available for inspection if requested. To be fair, we have not yet contacted the dealership. However given the seriousness of this issue and potential danger we felt it was important to report it right away.
Power train, Jun 5, 2023
While in a residential area we were accelerating from a slow speed as we were leaving one corner and preparing to enter a second corner. The car then suddenly lurched forward followed by the drivetrain immediately entered into neutral - losing all forward power. We were able to coast across the end of a residential driveway. (The owner wasn’t thrilled about that at first but understood after an explanation.) We then turned the car off, ans waited about 15 minutes before restarting the car. At that point everything worked normally with no indication of a continuation of the problem. The car was in the comfort dynamic mode at the time. Although the transmission went into neutral during the incident the shift clearly remained in the drive position. We were very careful about checking to see if we had somehow been at fault - bit this was definitely not driver’s error. We were fortunate on two fronts. Firstly, had an adult or child been in the crosswalk we were approaching at the time it could have ended badly. Secondly, we were at slow speed in modest traffic and had enough momentum to safely coast out of traffic. However, the incident was unsettling and we remain highly cautious about driving the car now. Later that evening we drove the car for about 30 minutes attempting to recreate the incident or see if we noticed anything odd at all about the transmission, shift, or electronics. We did this on a secluded road, using each of the car’s dynamic modes, at varying speeds, and changing acceleration. However, we were not able to recreate the incident. We did not notice anything odd about the car and no warning lights came on. There were also no warning lights leading up to or during the incident. The vehicle is available for inspection if requested. To be fair, we have not yet contacted the dealership. However given the seriousness of this issue and potential danger we felt it was important to report it right away.
Power train, Engine, May 13, 2023
On Friday May 5th, 2023 myson was driving our 2017 Acura MDX in heavy rush hour traffic on Interstate 355 near Homer Glen when suddenly and without warning the transmission failed and caused sudden deacceleration. He drove the car which was going 7 mph and engine revving and starting to clatter to get off the freeway. The check engine light came on. He called and informed me while on the exit ramp. I instructed him to pull into the Gas N Wash filling station at 15930 W 159th and shut the engine off, I left home immediately and upon arrival I looked under the hood for oil leakage or low level and belts broken. When I started the motor a knocking sound caused me to turn it off. This could have caused an accident due to heavy traffic at 70 MPH posted speed limit. The car has been towed to local mechanic shop for diagnosis. My online research indicates a Class Action Suit and countless complaints of similar unsafe operation and transmission failure. We purchased this Vehicle new in 2017 from Rizza Acura, Orland Park, IL and have had regular maintenance performed since purchase date.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Fuel/propulsion system, May 4, 2023
at highway speeds, the transmission unexpectedly shifts to neutral with no warning. The only indication is unexpected decrease in speed and accompanying engine rev. My typical driver response is to take foot off accelerator, then put back on again. Engine overrevs then shifts in to gear. I'd estimate it's out of gear for ~ 5 seconds, but hard to say in the heat of the driving moment. This happens 1-2X most highway trips, but not occur at lower speeds (it does not shift very smoothly in lower gears at times, but it's not currently a safety issue). I've taken it to my local dealer (Hendrick Acura, Durham, NC) and contacted Acura Customer Care, and am trying to get a diagnostic scheduled (it's been a process). The behavior started to worsen over the past several months (e.g. the slip to neutral has lengthened in time) but shorter slips have been occurring for a longer time period.
Seat belts, Apr 25, 2023
Copied below is my email to the Piazza Acura dealership. They will not provide a loaner. ________________________ My name is [XXX] and I purchased a new 2017 Acura MDX with AWD and the tech package from your dealership on 27 August 2016. In early April of 2022, the front passenger seat belt of my MDX stopped working. I was asked to come into your dealership to confirm that it was not working, and I did so on 12 April 2022. At that time a new seat belt was ordered, and I was told it would take about a month at most. For your reference, the part number, order reference number, and date of order are included below. · Part number: 04814-TZ5-A00ZA · Order reference number: U3990412 · Date ordered: 12 April 2022 It is now past the one-year anniversary of this safety warranty problem being brought to your dealership’s attention, and the theoretical delivery date keeps getting pushed out. Just today, I called the Parts Department and was told there is a new shipping date of 04 June 2023. Frankly, I don’t believe it and feel like I’m just being strung along. I ask you [XXX], what would you think if you were in my situation? This MDX is my only car, and I have had limited use of it to carry passengers for over a year due to the effective loss of the front passenger seat. Because this is a safety issue, my hands are further tied in that I cannot trade or sell my MDX. It is very strange that this seat belt stopped working, and I have to wonder if it was a design or manufacturing defect. Nevertheless, I have been the only one dealing with the consequences, and I have had to do so for over a year. I am unwilling to continue to do so, and now propose that Piazza Acura treat this like any other extended warranty repair situation and provide me with a comparable late-model MDX loaner free of charge until such time as Piazza Acura and the Honda Corporation can provide me with and install a new, manufacturer-supplied front passenger seat belt. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Other or unspecified, Apr 25, 2023
Purchased used vehicle in 9/2021 and since then we have had 5 incidents with the Idle Stop feature. It seems to shut down the engine and it takes 5 min to restart. The last time it happened was on a busy highway and there was traffic. I stopped because of traffic and when I tried to press gas it completely shut off. The previous times it happened at lights or intersection. After the third time, I made it a point to turn off the idle stop but if you forget you run the risk of the shut down which could cause major accident. I should not have to make sure to turn it off every time. I do have EG Assurance coverage and will be taking it in. My fear is that the idle stop issue does not happen every time and they may say they don’t see any issues. I am hoping something can be done as I have taken it in to Acura dealership and they can’t find anything wrong. Thankfully I do see that there are complaints about this and it’s not that we were “doing something wrong”
Power train, Apr 12, 2023
On a 2,000 mile family road trip the car shifted to neutral two times at highway speeds. Fortunately, I didn't lose my power steering or power brakes. The car remained on but I had no power. Then the car jerked, the rpm's dropped to 1,000 and then jumped around a little and the car took off again.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 13, 2023
I was on the feeder road of a major freeway in Houston Texas at a stop the brake fully applied. The auto engine idle stop was enabled. When I removed my foot from the brake the engine did not restart. The lights, radio remained on but I was unable to drive my car or change the gear shift. Being on a freeway feeder was a dangerous place to be stalled and had to wait in major traffic for a tow truck to come as the vehicle could not be started or turned off. Completely inoperable. The check engine light was on and oil light. I was towed to a nearby maintenance shop where a p2638 code was listed. After the car was towed the car would restart. Prior to the incident there have been other occasions where the vehicle struggles to restart the engine from the auto idle. However there were no warning lights. Additionally I scheduled service with the dealership the next day and they show an auto idle recall as an item for repair. There is no recall listed on Nhtsa. Additionally I see a class action lawsuit was filed earlier this week for a potential ongoing, long term issue related to this product.
Seat belts, Nov 13, 2022
On Tuesday, November 8, 2022 I had my 20 month year old grandson in a rear facing car seat and he wrapped the middle seat seat belt around is neck and was choking and coughing. I was on my way to pick up my other grandson at school about 4 miles from my home and when I arrived at the school I opened the back door on the driver side where he was sitting and to my surprise and fear he had the seatbelt wrapped around his neck. I tried to remove it seatbelt when he was in the carseat and it was too tight there was no give. I yelled for help and a lady in her car helped me. The only resolution was to cut the middle seat belt. He had to be taken to emergency because he had red marks around his neck.
Power train, Forward collision avoidance, Lane departure, Nov 4, 2022
I had the transmission system failure error came on the dash and the car wouldn’t drive to D or reverse then blind spot and adaptive cruise control error propped up
Power train, Electrical system, Parking brake, Sep 29, 2022
My 2017 Acura MDX has many issues with both the transmission and electrical. It has an issue shifting between gears, makes a loud sound like metal on wash board, then loses power for 3-5 seconds. I went to put the car in drive and it would not go in drive recently. I've now had to replace the transmission at 79,006 miles. The electrical system lights up when driving telling me my electronic parking brake has been engaged and also that there is emission system issues. My daughter was terrified and crying since i had a loss of power at the same time my dash lit up and I had to get across 5 lanes of traffic to the shoulder of road. The towing company had to remove battery cable to get my electric parking break to release. This is a dangerous and scary automobile
Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 21, 2022
Fuel pump (High - pressure & low- pressure) failed which has caused significantly reduced acceleration and caused the engine to stall in mid operation of the vehicle. I (Driver) was the only person in the vehicle and there was no crash. I would say there is high risk of a crash and it is a serious safety hazard. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.This vehicle component was checked by an independent service center and got it repaired. Fuel pump & high pressure pump was ordered and replaced on the vehicle. I paid $1977.59 as the total cost for parts and labor plus tax.
Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 2, 2022
The car several times now has stopped in traffic and died after the idle stop was initiated while stopped in traffic. It will not start up for at least 30 seconds to a minute. We were almost rear-ended because we were stuck in the middle of the road. I was told that Canada has issued a recall because of this issue
Power train, Aug 29, 2022
Traveling on I-49 north at approximately 80 mph without any sign of a problem when suddenly the car began breaking, shifted into neutral, hazards flashing, and every light on my dash lit up (Emission system Failure, Braking Failure, and Transmission Failure). At first I thought it had something to do with the cruise control, so I tried turning that off, which did not help, so I pulled over to the shoulder safely. This really could have been dangerous had there been more traffic because the car could not accelerate. Once on the shoulder I engaged the parking break as the car would not shift into park or any other gear. I turned off the car while I called state police and roadside assistance. After a while I was able to turn the car on and move it to reverse because I was about 30 yards past an entrance ramp that I could go to off the interstate. All lights were still lit up on the dash. It sounded rough. This was a very dangerous situation and Acrua needs to address this. It is currently awaiting evaluation at Acura of Lafayette.
Engine, Lane departure, Aug 29, 2022
Driving down the freeway cruising around 70 miles per hour when the multiple sensors tripped and car started to slow down to 50 mph. Took the exit and when I came to a stop the car was moving very slow. Had to go over an overpass and it barely made it over. Close to home so drove the car slowly. The car at times would stop moving and took a little time for it to pick up and started moving slowly again. The sensors that showed were the electric parking brake problem, emissions system problem, transmission system problem, blind spot info system problem. Had I not been close to home or no exit near, my car would have kept slowing down on the freeway. Family car and I also had my kids with me.
Back over prevention, Forward collision avoidance, Aug 24, 2022
My car routinely sends a warning alert that there is an approaching object. It happens more frequently, when the temperature is hot, and it happens mostly when I am stopped at a traffic light. Occasionally, the alerts continue as I'm moving, which is really distracting, but even sitting at a traffic light is distracting and creating a safety issue. I listed yesterday's date, but this happens nearly every day that I drive this vehicle.
Engine, Aug 24, 2022
The auto engine disable function causes the car to stall unexpectedly. The car engine stops, and the car changes from Drive into Neutral. The only way to re-engage the engine is to place into Park and restart the car. Sometimes, it requires more than one attempt. Fortunately, this has only happened while the car has been stopped, but it has happened at several busy intersections, holding up traffic and creating a safety risk for me and others. Reading online, this is a known issue with suggestions to report this to NHTSA to include in the overall tracking. Hoping for a fix before someone crashes into my stalled car. I listed the last known date, but this happens with frequency (about 1x/week).
Service brakes, Jul 18, 2022
When applying brakes, irrespective of speed at which I am traveling, I experience a distinct vibration/judder in the front brakes when applying the brakes on my 2017 Acura MDX.
Power train, Jul 18, 2022
Complete Transmission failure at 77,000 miles. Vehicle lost power at highway speeds causing a dangerous situation and stranded our family 650 miles from home. Had vehicle towed to the nearest acura dealership where I was told the transmission was terminal and needed to be replaced. Three weeks later the dealership has failed to find a transmission and nothing has happened. Acura extended a good faith discount on the repairs 4k down from 9k because it failed just out of warranty.
Engine, May 29, 2022
The vehicle stalls and loses all power when coming out of auto idle stop. This is a default feature that shuts the engine off when the vehicle stops to create fuel efficiency. But it is creating a terrible safety issue of having vehicles unexpectedly stopped on the roadway. The feature cannot be permanently turned off. Common issue on MDX forums without any real solution from dealership mechanics.
Other or unspecified, Apr 5, 2022
Sunroof exploded while driving for no reason!
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Apr 4, 2022
I was driving on the highway at normal highway speeds of 70MPH when the car lost the ability to accelerate, and I was forced to make an emergency stop on the side of the interstate. With the heavy traffic on the interstate, this scenario could have been catastrophic as there is currently construction and no place to pull over for emergencies. The vehicle was towed to Hubler Acura in Greenwood IN where they performed a diagnostic test and no known issues were found on their diagnostic computer. However, the issue is not happening on a computer at the dealer, the issue occurred on the interstate while traveling 70mph. I have read several message boards where the users have posted similar experiences about losing power when accelerating in their 2017 MDX. The dealerships seem to offer a transmission fluid change or a computer reset as a solution. I have previously had the same acceleration issue and had these two items already completed within the past 90 days and neither issue resolved the problem, which further led to the most recent interstate incident. From my online research, Honda is either unwilling or unable to diagnose this common transmission problem and they need to be held accountable for their inaction. This issue needs to be addressed before it creates a scenario with fatalities.