2019 Acura MDX
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 188 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 7th highest complaint count among 24 MDX model years with reports.
Of the 2019 reports, 4 involved a crash and 3 involved a fire. 3 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
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpMar 25, 2021
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 CR-V vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 18, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-314.
Campaign 21V215000 on NHTSA.gov
Engine and engine cooling, engine, gasoline, belts and associated pulleysApr 12, 2019
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.
Teeth separation from the timing belt may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of crash.
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.
Campaign 19V298000 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
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: electrical system
41 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Lane departure, Sep 17, 2026
the camera system located above the rear view mirror failed and caused a warning light for the lkas system. adaptive cruise control, lane keeping did not work because of it. the unit had to be replaced. this seems to be a fairly common issue with this mdx version, based on forums
Electrical system, Sep 15, 2026
Alarm randomly goes off dash lights up on its own and kills the battery Was told it’s the keyless module
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jul 22, 2026
Car shifted on its own from drive to park right after warning lights stating Electrical Parking System then Emissions the Transmission came on while in stop and go traffic. Car had just come back from Acura mechanic 4 hours earlier as these warning lights had come when starting car. Immediately had car towed to dealership.
Power train, Electrical system, Jun 24, 2026
While driving, the vehicle experienced a sudden internal mechanical and electronic transmission failure. Without warning, the vehicle shifted itself directly into Park while navigating the busy intersection of [XXX] and [XXX]. This caused a complete loss of propulsion and left the vehicle entirely immobilized in the middle of a high-speed junction. The vehicle could not be moved, creating an immediate, severe highway safety hazard that required an emergency 911 police response to manage traffic and protect the vehicle from being rear-ended. The dealership scan tool later pulled diagnostic code P0730 (Incorrect Gear Ratio) along with multiple clutch performance failures (P07A4, P07A2, P07A8). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Electrical system, Service brakes, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 15, 2026
Under normal driving conditions warning lights for "electric parking brake" and "emissions system problem" came on the dashboard and the 'brake' light began flashing. No change in performance. Auto parts store diagnostic indicated EVAP valve as the possible problem code, along with two other unrelated codes - none connected to brakes or emissions. The 12-volt battery tested strong. Drove another 100 miles with lights still on, but the 'brake' light would turn off after about 5 mins of highway driving/no braking. The next day the warning lights continued. After normal city driving I shut the car off, waited 30 seconds, pushed the start button twice (accessory mode) and held the brake pedal down while pulling up on the brake release button for 10 seconds. Started the car without any error messages.
Electrical system, Engine, Apr 2, 2026
My car has stalled while driving on the highway multiple times now. The first time it happened, it lost power, stopped accelerating, and cycled through multiple warning lights, causing a significant safety risk. I pulled over and it restarted within minutes. I took it to a repair shop and they could not find a problem with it, even with the codes provided. Nothing pointed to a solution. It happened two other times while I was driving my child on a highway where it lost acceleration and then kicked back in. Again, this post, a significant safety risk as always in a fast lane on a highway with my child cars behind me had to hit their brakes to avoid me after this incident. Other times it doesn’t lose power, yet it cycles through warning lights randomly. I took it to the dealer instead of a local shop. They texted me about items that should be fixed per an inspection, including struts and a battery replacement. Complete with a large bill just for diagnostics. Yet, nothing was found having to do with the main problem at hand. Losing power while driving. . My battery is less than six months old. I had it tested and it is fine. My vin is not listed in the recall, but, all of the symptoms match the other recalls of the same year make and model.
Electrical system, Engine, Dec 2, 2025
Since the purchase of my Acura MDX 2019, the following problems have been reported to the dealership and to Honda Manufacturing Inc. without any resolution. The dealer shop has replaced recall parts, but the problems persist and have not gone away. The vehicle stalls and stops working while driving. The engine makes knocking/rattling noises upon becoming disabled while driving.The engine would randomly not start when turning it on. When car becomes disabled the dashboard lights up warning lights displaying messages intermittently of the following problems: Anti-Lock Brake System Problem (ABS), Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Hill Start Assist, Trailer Stability Assist, Collision Mitigation System, Road Departure Mitigation System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assist, Brake System, Brake Hold System, Electric Parking Brake, SH-AWD, Keyless Start System and Power Steering System (EPS) Problems, while displaying ACC and LWKS codes. Additionally, the vehicle runs improperly and shuts down completely making the window, doors, etc, inoperable while passengers are inside locking me in and my entire family for long periods of time. A few times has left me either myself or with my children and dog inside. The only place where I take my car for services is where I purchased it (Chevy Chase Acura). The issues noted are the same reported by the recalls I have received, and I have not taken it somewhere else because of that reason. Nobody can fix them as the problems are manufacturing issues that even Acura/Honda cannot repair. This safety defect can kill or seriously injure me, my passengers, and other drivers on the road. As noted in one of the many recalls the fuel pump defect can cause the vehicle to stop in the highway and could prevent an engine from starting or cause a vehicle to stall while being driven, it potentially increases the risk of a fire, crash, or injury. My car continues to have these issues and nobody is helping me. Please help!
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Nov 19, 2025
Turned on my car last night and many lights appeared including emissions system problem, electronic brake problem and SH-AWD malfunctioning. All the lights came on at once. According to forums, this is happening with many Acura RDX, MDX models and manufacturer does not have a clear way to repair or resolve the issue. My car has had all the routine maintenance and is scheduled for the 2 recalls to be repaired next week.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Jul 7, 2025
Vehicle is getting errors for Emssions controls, parking brake, and sh-awd system faults all at the same time. Car will still function normally and codes will go off and come back intermittently. Also while reading the codes it will get a U3006-16 code for low voltage on the ecm. Confirmed battery is good under load test and alternator is charging at 14.2 volts.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Feb 7, 2025
My 2019 Acura MDX with 100K miles stalled on the road with several alerts on the dashboard and went into Parking mode with no further movement. Had several alerts stating Transmission failure, Blind Spot monitoring failure, Auto break system failure and vehicle stalled on the road. Had similar issues previously where the steering jammed and vehicle was stalled on the signal, took it to Acura dealer and they had to fix some circuit / reset the circuit board. Was ok for few months and last week the car stalled with Parking sign on. Towed the car to the Dealer service center, they diagnosed and identified there is a failure with transmission. They quoted around 10000 dollars for replace new and 7000 for used transmission. This is huge money, hence called Acura customer care for any review/support but they claimed this issue is not in their current recalls or claims, so cannot support. had to pay out of the pocket. Per google there seemed to be a lawsuit with Transmission failures with Acura 2019 mdx vehicle. Acura customer relations is asking to get into the law suit group and Acura as such cannot help the customers with these problems. Had Lexus for several years with no issues and very upset/annoyed with these type of repairs within 100K / 5year old.
Electrical system, Jan 18, 2025
Electric Parking Brake Problem and Emission System Problem lights came on spontaneously
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 23, 2024
I was driving down the highway today at 70 mph and all the lights illuminated on my MDX. It began to struggle to keep speed and eventually shut down once I was on the service road. I was extremely scared and nervous that I was going to be involved in an accident or the car was going to blow up as it started bouncing up and down while I was still on the highway.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Apr 28, 2024
After driving for an extended timeframe (approximately 3 hours, trip was traveling between Des Moines, Iowa and Kansas City, Missouri) at Highway/interstate speeds, upon slowing down from those speeds, the vehicle goes into limp mode and check engine light begins blinking. After pulling over and turning car off and on again, normal behavior resumes. This has happened both as I arrived in the Kansas City area, and upon my return home to the Des Moines area. Depending on circumstances for when vehicle enters limp mode, there’s a significant risk of causing an accident. Dealer was unable to pull any codes and therefore is unwilling/unable to address the issue.
Electrical system, Apr 10, 2024
Infotainment system randomly becomes unresponsive and the screens will go black. The dealership stated that my phone was causing the issue. This is not true as the issue has happened when my phone is not in the car, phone is in the car/connected via bluetooth, in the car/connected via apple carplay (wired connection). This could be dangerous during the summer as these screens control the temperature controls and some of the safety systems.
Engine and engine cooling, Power train, Electrical system, Jan 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated while attempting to make a left turn from a complete stop, the vehicle shut off inadvertently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown software update was performed under an unknown recall. Additionally, the contact stated that upon pressing the park(P) button to park the vehicle, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the vehicle responded after several attempts. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was jerking upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and related the failure to the recall; however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Jan 6, 2024
I was yielding to make a left hand turn , in the middle of the intersection, and my car turned off and wouldn’t turn back on. In addition the car occasionally jerks as I’m driving almost like if it changes gear. Sometimes I can’t get the car in park position I have to press the button multiple times. The recall going on right now can cause a fire crash or injury and they cannot replace the parts until April 2024 and I don’t feel safe driving my car.
Electrical system, Engine, Nov 14, 2023
During normal driving transmission will shift to Neutral, locks the system, and engine does not start when automatic idle stop had been engaged at stoplight or stop sign. Instead of restarting the engine, the feature causes the transmission and electrical system to lockup taking quite a bit of time to convince the car to restart.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Nov 14, 2023
The back inner tail light on my car is not working, which is the following recall, however, according to acura, my vin does not apply and does not show a recall. I believe this is an error since I am having the exact issue and my vin should be included in this recall. NHTSA RECALL NUMBER:19V-256 MFR CAMPAIGN ID:M49 CAMPAIGN DESCRIPTION:2014-19 MDX Tailgate Inner Taillight Safety Recall RECALL DATE:03/28/2019 RECALL STATUS:17 Character VIN Required
Electrical system, Engine, Sep 3, 2023
UNKNOWN Over the course of a couple weeks, engine has intermittently stalled while driving, forcing me to turn off the car in the middle of the road. Progressively, other electronics have also intermittent failed including power steering and infotainment system. All dashboard warning lights are on and do not resolve by turning car on/off. Generally, car is driveable until the random intermittent stall, which is obviously dangerous. 2 weeks ago, car had gone through state inspection and 30k mile maintenance without issue. Service station checked battery and alternator and no issues.
Power train, Electrical system, Jul 16, 2023, crash
Starting having an issue over the last few weeks where the car will shut off as it should with the idle start/stop enhanced but when I release the brake, the car goes into neutral and doesn’t start… have had this happen 4 times already and was finally rear ended today due to this fault.
Electrical system, Engine, Jun 22, 2023
The Car shut down in engine idle and would not restart. It was unresponsive and took 5 minutes for the start button to function. This occurred in the middle of a busy intersection. 2 weeks ago Acura performed an update to the software that was supposed to resolve the engine restart issue, but clearly it has not.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Feb 23, 2023
Vehicle was stopped at a traffic light (transmission in Drive) and the automatic idle shutoff engaged, turning off the engine. When the traffic light turned green, the brake was released and we found that the transmission had shifted to neutral and would not shift back into Drive. We had to restart the car. Being stalled at a green light is a serious safety hazard as approaching vehicles would not anticipate my vehicle being stalled.
Electrical system, Feb 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated that upon locking the doors with the key fob, the vehicle would remain unlocked. Due to the failure, the contact believed that someone entered the vehicle and changed certain setting from the original setting. The contact was informed by the dealer that the setting change should not have shown on the multi-information display (MID) screen. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,400.
Electrical system, Nov 13, 2022
While in traffic the auto start sometimes fails to engage and the car stalls. Battery lights come on and the car goes into neutral on its own. I have to sit there and wait about 5 minutes in traffic before it restarts. Battery checked out fine. It has happened 3 times now. This is dangerous, and can/will cause a collision.
Electrical system, Nov 4, 2022
When stopped at a light or in traffic the vehicle engages the auto idle feature. (turns off the engine to save gas). Upon releasing the brake, the car should re-start, instead the car does not start. The car jumps out of the drive gear into neutral on the transmission. The electrical system goes crazy and does not allow you to either turn off the car's electrical system or re-restart the car using the car's on/off button. This has happened to me at least 5-10 times over the last year. Each time the car becomes immobile in the middle of the road or highway for up to 2 minutes, until the electrical system resets and allows you to turn off all the power and re-start the car. It's a very scary and dangerous situation, when my vehicle is stranded in the middle of a highway or a road for up to 2 minutes, as traffic tries to avoid crashing into my vehicle. Searching online, I was able to see that this same condition has affected many MDX owners but Honda does not seem to have recall or fix for this issue.