10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
4,819 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2018 Acura MDX:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

Get free help with your lemon!
close ad
problem #16

Feb 072024

MDX

  • miles
On February 7 at 2:30 I came home, and my car was unable to turn off. I-??ll try several times to turn off the car by pressing the on and off button. While driving back to work, the car change gear from being in Drive, and it went into neutral while I was driving. I was able to pull over and I was able to turn off the car by pressing the button. The entire dashboard lights came on with all the different symbols. I was able to exit the carr. I told my car to a local repair shop. This was a very frightening experience, especially when I was driving, and the car went into neutral it could-??ve been worse.

- Naples, FL, USA

problem #15

Aug 212023

MDX

  • miles
Fire under the hood of my 2018 MDX - caused by weak battery and overloaded starter. My car was parked in the garage right under my daughter-??s bedroom. I pressed the "Start" button on the car and the dashboard started to flash on and off quickly and I heard clicking sounds and other swooshing noises. The car did NOT start but it seemed to keep trying over and over again. I pressed the start/off button repeatedly but the car did not shut off. My wife came out and asked what I was doing and she smelled and saw smoke coming from under my hood. She ran into the house and called 911. I popped the hood and got out of the car. At this point, there was more smoke and a VERY strong burning electrical odor. The car continued to try to start and the only thing I could think of was to disconnect the battery. Just as I disconnected the battery, The fire department showed up and the smoke started to slowly subside since the car was no longer trying to start. I called AAA and had the car towed to the local Acura dealership that I just had it serviced at. Upon their evaluation, it was determined that the battery was not completely dead, but not strong enough to engage the starter. Therefore, the car continued to try to start and overloaded the starter, burning it out. I strongly feel that this is a catastrophic failure for Acura and completely unacceptable for a vehicle with all kinds of safeguards. It should not have caught on fire from a weak battery in the garage/under my daughter-??s bedroom -?" The whole car and house could have burned down. After several weeks of discussions with the dealership and Acura customer care, it was determined they would split the cost of ~ $2000 for repairs. I felt I had no choice but to pay it and get my car back with a new starter and battery. I asked the dealership to give me the starter - I do have it - I also noticed the replacement starter is a new model - Thank you [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Lititz, PA, USA

problem #14

Jan 012024

MDX

  • miles
First it was start knocking under the hood and the car suddenly stop on the freeway at 80 miles an hour. The car lost all the power. We were lucky we didn't get hit by other cars on the freeway.

- Twin Falls, ID, USA

problem #13

Nov 212023

MDX

  • miles
While preparing to enter the expressway my 2018 MDX stalled and various dashboard lights came on. My family and I drifted into the median while nearly being hit by passing car. It took about 10 minutes before the MDX became operational again. I took it to a local mechanic when we arrived at our destination. They couldn't locate any issues or "bad codes." Since that incident my fuel mileage and shifting has begun to deteriorate. Entering traffic and trying to pass cars has become difficult while driving. I have called Acura and a local dealership in Charlotte, NC. Both failed to provide next steps that didn't involve spending money to fix an issue that based on feedback on various sites and NTSB site is a common issue.

- Matthews, NC, USA

problem #12

Nov 222023

MDX

  • miles
Passenger rear, right inner tail light is not working. Was under recall but Acura is not replacing it. Obviously water has entered it and shorted it out. They said the recall was completed on it but why is the taillight not working. In report made by the dealer it says it is shorted after hooking it up to a voltmeter. Why are they not replacing it. It reduces visibility to the rear of the car.

- Lake St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #11

May 062023

MDX

  • miles
The car attempts to start on its own, light come on and at times the alarm goes off. The car does not open at times and requires manual override to oepn.

- Fairfield, CA, USA

problem #10

Mar 082023

MDX

  • miles
Keyless Access/TPMS Control Unit is failing. Vehicle randomly behaves where all dash lights blink on and off, head lights turn on, car alarm intermittently alarms, and motorized steering wheel moves. It is unknown if there is any malfunction to ADAS or other systems due to this random behavior. Vehicle cannot be parked with the battery connected as all of these events intermittently happen and drains the battery. The behavior is so startling and a concern to drive that it is unknown if it will completely fail and shutdown while driving. For example, the Keyless Control Unit could potentially fail to recognize the key while driving and then the vehicle would shutdown as if being stolen. Vehicle has been inspected by the dealer, confirmed malfunction and noted occurence with other customers vehicles of same make and model. Diagnostic report by dealer states the failing component.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

problem #9

Oct 062022

MDX

  • miles
The car was bought in November, 2018, and is still under warranty. In the morning of October 3, 2022, The car would not start. The voltage of the battery was measured to be about 11.5 V. A new battery was bought and put in by myself on October 4, 2022, since I did not realize that the battery was still under warranty. Everything looked normal on October 5, 2022. But in the morning of October 6, 2022, the headlights were found to be on even though nobody was around the car parked in the garage. Sometimes the alarm would go off. This happens randomly but frequently ever since. An appointment was made with the dealer, and the car was checked out on October 10, 2022. The dealer determined that the Keyless Module Unit was faulty, but the part was on back order. The service advisor assured me that it should be safe to drive the car. Ever since, the car has been trying to start itself frequently and randomly. It would turn on the headlights, move the driver seat, go through the engine turnover cycle, etc. Sometimes it also moved the window shield wipers, or sounded the alarm even though the car was not locked. Being afraid of driving the car, I started to ask for a loaner or rental car from the the dealer on October 12, 2022, and have been talking to both Acura warranty department and the dealership since. Today (October 24, 2022) the car would not start, and had been towed to the dealership. Now it has been more than a week, I still cannot get a rental car from Acura, even though the service director from the dealership also had a concern about the safety of driving the car or leaving the car unattended.

- Glenwood, MD, USA

problem #8

Feb 012022

MDX

  • miles
Brake light is not working properly, I was pulled over with a warning

- Syracuse , NY, USA

problem #7

Nov 152021

MDX

  • miles
In San Diego on 11/15/2021, my daughter side swiped a parked vehicle in residential area driving about 30 miles. No airbags deployed. A minute later the car stopped and would not start and started to have smoke and flames come from under hood and through inside windshield and dash. My daughter was able to get out and take her 3 year old son out of his carseat and run for their lives as the car completely became engulfed in flames.Thank God they made it out alive. Police and Fire department showed up. Car was a total loss, everything was burnt. One day the Acura MDX fires will take someone's life. Called Hoehn Acura in Carlsbad Ca and sent service manager Skip about 12 pictures of the completely burnt vehicle. He never returned my calls after leaving several messages. Also left message with general manager and no return call. They don-??t care. They only appear interested when you are buying the vehicle. I did file a claim with Acura corporate office and still no word from them either. I have read many cases about the MDX going up in flames for no reason, even in the driveway or drive in your neighborhood. Not sure why they have not recalled this or tried to solve the issue. I am asking for someone to look into this as this is not an isolated incident before lives are lost. Once I get police report I will also send you pictures as well. Thank you.

- Soledad, CA, USA

problem #6

Jan 272021

MDX

  • 45,000 miles
Multiple times I have been traveling on the highway and my car would suddenly decrease in speed and stall out. I would go from 75mph to 45mph very quickly. It would then suddenly accelerate again and go back to normal. This is extremely dangerous and could lead to a deadly accident.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #5

Jan 042019

MDX

  • 5,600 miles
Nine different electrical failures in twenty seven weeks on a new 2018 Acura MDX technology package. That's one failure every three weeks. Six problems have occurred one time, three problems are still intermittent, the most concerning is the heated seat feature. The circuit closes without activation. Occasionally when the vehicle is started, the led indicator lights are on. Several times it has affected the drivers seat, once the passenger seat, and once both seats. Once the vehicle was put in reverse, the rear camera activated and continued to work as I drove forward to my destination. Once I walked passed the vehicle with the wireless remote in my pocket and the vehicle unlocked itself without touching the door. Another time both side mirrors tilted down regardless of where the mirror switch was on the driver door. Several times the radio would not activate when the on/off button was pressed. Several problems with the hands free link system. I pressed the talk button it says no device found. Press talk button, give phone command it says no device paired.. press talk button, give phone command, display shows call history. Press talk button and give phone command, then call B%##%,voice continually says pardon. Turn back wiper on and back off, wiper continued to work for about two minutes. I parked the vehicle with the electric parking brake on, when I started vehicle later, message in display read, trouble with electric parking brake take to dealership. Service department says no code found.

- Chapin, SC, USA

problem #4

Dec 122018

MDX

  • 12,000 miles
Takata recall: Correction for complaint #11164408. Rear view camera remains in the reverse position when I shift from reverse to drive. Consequently, I am driving with a view of the road behind me. This has happen three times. I reported this to Acura of peora, AZ. They kept my car for a day but didn't resolve the problem. I was told they were contacting Acura headquarters and would get back to me because they couldn't replace a $3000 system without approval from Acura headquarters.

- Buckeye, AZ, USA

problem #3

Dec 122018

MDX

  • 12,000 miles
Takata recall: Review camera remains on when I shift from reverse to drive. Consequently, I am driving looking at the road behind me on the screen.

- Buckeye, AZ, USA

problem #2

Sep 132018

MDX

  • 2,500 miles
After switching to drive from reverse the nav display would not switch back from the back up camera while driving ahead, when a car would be anywhere near mine on the road, still in drive, whether idle at a stop light or in motion on the street, the back up sensors that respond to passing cars did not beep. I tried pressing the back button, nav button, settings button & turning the car on/off all failing to fix the problem. The camera remained on even while in park once I arrived home.

- Foster City, CA, USA

problem #1

Jan 011965

MDX 6-cyl Diesel

  • miles
[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'

- Tangier, CA, USA