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
188 reports, newest first.
Tires, Sep 28, 2023
Continental Crosscontact LX Sport 265/45R20 104H Tires have about 33,275 miles on them (rotated regularly) and one of the tires has a huge bump in the tread. The belt has separated from the sidewall. From what I've read, there are recalls on this tire, but not for this particular date that these tires were made. With it being on the front, it makes the steering wheel shake and I'm scared to drive it anywhere except to the tire store.
Power train, Engine, Sep 27, 2023
While making a very normal commute, my 2019 Acura MDX began running very roughly, slowing rather abruptly. The check engine light began flashing, and several warning messages were displayed on the message center of the vehicle display unit. The vehicle would not accelerate, and would not attain a reasonable speed while in traffic. With the hazard lights on, I was able to move to the side of the road, but it was very difficult as I was unable to exceed 15-20 mph. The vehicle was taken to the dealership for repair. The dealer investigated and found the timing belt had "jumped time" causing the engine management system to set multiple misfire codes, and was described as the cause of the failure. I am aware certain 2018-2019 Acura MDX models were recalled for timing belt issues, but this particular vehicle was determined to be outside of the group of vehicles involved in the current recall. My MDX had 52,600 miles at the time of the incident. It has not had any modifications or repairs to the engine prior to this incident. Acura recommends replacing the timing best at 100,000 miles.
Other or unspecified, Sep 5, 2023
I took the car in for a recall , 2 months ago and the car is still cutting off in traffic and at stop lights. This auto shut off , activates on its in and this dangerous.
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.
Other or unspecified, Jun 18, 2023
This vehicle comes with Idle engine feature. when the brake pedal is pressed, the engine turns off (supposedly to save gas). The car should proceed when the gas pedal is pressed. So at any time, in any location, after the car is stopped at a stop sign or red light, the car does not always turn back on. I just sit in the vehicle, unable to proceed. I then have to restart the car in order to drive forward again. This is extremely unsafe, as I could be stalled in an unsafe location. this vehicle had a recall due to this faulty issue, and the sensor was replaced by the Acura dealer, however the problem remains. I feel unsafe driving this vehicle. Apparently many Acura owners have the same problem. This problem could result in death. It is extremely unsafe to have a car stall.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidance, May 10, 2023
My car was purchased with 12,000 miles and supposedly worn tires. Because of that, I went to the dealership to get new tires and an alignment since the car was always pulling to the right. My car has been at the dealership four times for the same problem, and they still haven't fixed it. My car continues to constantly pull to the right, and when I use the cruise control, it stays above the other cars to the right, causing it to suddenly pull to the left, deactivating the speed control and losing control. The dealership's recommendation is to stop using the speed control."
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 15, 2023
I pulled up to a stop light at a busy intersection/highway exit and, after depressing the brake, the vehicle abruptly turned off and shifted to neutral. The brake became very difficult to depress and the parking brake enabled on its own. The entire dashboard lit up and the car would not shift or respond to any input. The vehicle would not turn off, turn back on, or shift for approximately 15 minutes. After this, I tried to turn the car off and it finally did, I started it again and was able to pull off the roadway. We just recently (within the past 2 weeks) had a recall done to update the auto-stop system. This occurred 1x prior to the recall and now this has happened again. My young children were in the car both times and this put us all in danger.
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.
Engine, Dec 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated that on numerous occasions while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the engine revved however, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode for 10 seconds and then operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. No warning lights were illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure; however, the contact never received a reply. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
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.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 5, 2022
During Idle stop at red light car stops and goes into neutral and engine stalls. 2019 MDX won't move unless completely restart the car in the middle of busy intersection. High risk for accident and injury. There is few recall mention in Acura site for 2019 MDX, but when input vin number its claims no recall to this vehicle . Need urgent help.
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.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Electrical system, Oct 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated that he recurringly experienced failures with the instrument panel brightness being dimmed and then not displaying properly as needed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the instrument panel operated as designed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken twice to a local dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated, and the vehicle was not repaired. On another occasion while driving and using the GPS, the displayed failed operate as needed. After turning off and restarting the vehicle, the instrument panel operated as needed. The vehicle was then taken back to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was however, repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V215000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). After the repair, the contact stated that the vehicle fuel tank was at half full however, the fuel gauge indicated that the tank was empty. The contact stated that the instrument panel then became inoperable. The failure persisted and the contact would turn off and restart the vehicle for the instrument panel to operate as needed; however, the speedometer would remain inoperable. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact sought legal advice and his attorney advised him to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Sep 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while stationary at a traffic light, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the battery warning light was illuminated temporarily. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving to her destination. The contact stated the had occurred four times. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
Other or unspecified, Sep 27, 2022
In stop and go traffic on a highway, the car went to auto idle mode, then shifted to neutral by itself instead of restarting to drive. This was a safety issue in that I was on a major 4 lane highway with my kids and could've been hit from behind. The only thing I could do was completely turn off and restart the car. There were no warning lights. It has not been inspected by the dealer yet. There have been similar reports of this occurring: https://www.mdxers.org/threads/2019-mdx-auto-stop-feature-causes-car-to-stall-or-shift-to-neutral.175759/
Electrical system, Sep 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated while at a stop light and attempting to make a left turn, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that a warning message to "Park and Restart” the vehicle was displayed. The contact shifted the vehicle into park(P) and attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle would not start immediately. The contact stated that after several attempts the vehicle restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the brake assist feature had drained the battery. The contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 32,000.
Electrical system, Sep 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V215000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle and driving several miles, the fuel gauge fluctuated to empty. The contact stated that the fuel gauge would indicate the incorrect amount of the fuel in t fuel tank. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there was no recall on the VIN, and transferred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.
Engine, Aug 27, 2022
The auto stop feature is enabled by default when the car is started. When stopped at a traffic light or in a traffic jam, the auto stop turns off the engine and is supposed to restart when the drivers foot is off the brake. The engine unexpectedly will not restart, and the car must be put in park, turned off, and restarted. This is dangerous in heavy traffic. The dealer replaced the battery as an attempted repair. The problem reoccurred. The dealer then updated the software, which also did not solve the problem. The dealer advised that Honda is aware of the problem and currently has no solution. I was advised to manually turn off the auto stop feature until a solution can be found.
Electrical system, Aug 21, 2022
When the idle stop comes on it shifts the car to neutral and I must shut off the car to get it to start again. This happens while on the highway and is unsafe.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 19, 2022
On a few occasions, while at a stop light the auto idle engaged. When I lifted my foot from the brake pedal, which should restart the engine, the car Shifts automatically into neutral and cannot restart the engine. The dash shows a message saying that I must now shift to park. I have to then turn the car off, while in traffic, and then restart. This happens while in traffic, causing everyone behind me to wait or drive around. I have taken this to Acura of Stamford twice already, and they cannot recreate it. I have pictures of the car when it was in neutral. Other people have reported this occurring on a 2019 mdx as well.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jul 19, 2022
I was driving my car with my infant daughter in the backseat. We were stopped at a red light in the middle of a busy intersection. The car was in idle mode. When I went to turn left the car shifted into neutral. I could not go into drive. I had to turn the car off and turn it back on again to get it to move out of the intersection. We almost got rear ended. When my husband brought the car in the shop they ran diagnostic testing and said nothing was wrong. Only that the problem may be caused by a low battery. They replaced the battery and let my husband drive home. I want to know why there was no low battery warning light? Also why do I have to almost have a collision to find out the battery doesn’t work?
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 11, 2022
I have had problems with the car stalling or shifting to neutral from drive after the auto stop feature is engaged. This typically happens when the engine tries to restart after having shutoff at the stop. It is difficult to replicate the problem and the dealer can't seem to replicated the problem but it has happened to me many times, particularly in hot weather or after long drives. Typically it happens after a long drive or a lot of around town driving (maybe when the engine is hot?). The dealer does not believe it is related to the fuel pump replacement but that is when it seemed to have started happening but this is entirely speculation. Very frustrating as I have been to the dealer 3 times with the problem and they cannot "replicate" it. They supposedly also replaced the battery and updated the software in the car but that has not solved it. I am growing concerned because it is very dangerous, particularly when stopped at a busy intersection. The last stall happened and it took a minute or so to get the car running again at a busy and large intersection. I am also worried about the happening when on an incline. It doesn't happen all of the time, sometimes there is just a hesitation but the car starts and lurches forward. I have a 2019 with about 35K miles on it and have used primarily for long distance trips and not much around town driving. I have attached the dealer work orders for the three visits but stopped bringing the car in because it has been a waste of time as they are unable to find the issue. Also, I have reported the issue twice to American Honda and they have sent me back to the dealer with no results. This is a dangerous situation and I noticed that there is a related recall for the Acura TLX model with the same engine. This problem is ongoing and has happened to me twice in the past 2 days if I forget to disable the auto shutoff feature. Thanks.