What breaks most · 1991 to 2003 model years
Acura Acura problems by year
Owners have filed 91 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Acura Acura across model years 1991 to 2003. Three years stand out: 2002 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 1999 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2001 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 1995, 1992 and 1991.
- Years to check closely: 2002, 1999, 2001
- Fewest complaints: 1995, 1992, 1991
- Complaints on file
- 911991 to 2003, all trims
- Worst year
- 200217 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 131 fires · 12 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 42kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 0Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (1) | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Equipment and infotainment (1) | |
| 8 | 1 | 0 | Suspension (2) | |
| 10 | 2 | 0 | Air bags (4) | |
| 6 | 3 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (2) | |
| 14 | 2 | 0 | Unknown or other (3) | |
| 11 | 1 | 0 | Steering (2) | |
| 13 | 1 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (3) | |
| 17 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (10) | |
| 6 | 2 | 0 | Air bags (2) |
What fails on the 2002 Acura Acura
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 59% |
10 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 24% |
4 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 6% |
1 | 0 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Tires | 6% |
1 | 0 | — |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 6% |
1 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seats | 6% |
1 | 0 | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 6% |
1 | 0 | — |
| Equipment and infotainment | 6% |
1 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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The 2001 acura mdx stalls at high speeds and then kicks back in gear. It's kind of dangerous to me. It seems to be alot of transmission problems and acura denies any problem with this model.
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The transmission began to skip gears very early on at about 5000 miles. Even though the car was repaired by the dealership it still lacks power at times and does not always have passing power. I feel that the strain on the transmission also placed a huge strain on the engine and has caused problems with it. *ak
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2001 acura mdx transmission failure, needs another transmission, 1st transmission replaced at 63k, needed a 2nd transmission at 125k, now a 3rd transmission at 175k.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Acura Acura years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2002, 1999, 2001 carry the most filings on the Acura Acura. The 2002 alone has 17 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Acura Acura problem?
On the 2002 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 10 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Acura Acura problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Acura Acura complaints that include mileage is about 42,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.