What breaks most · 2001 to 2026 model years
Acura MDX problems by year
Owners have filed 3,239 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Acura MDX across model years 2001 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2016 for engine complaints, 2017 for engine complaints and 2001 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2013, 2023 and 2024.
- Years to check closely: 2016, 2017, 2001
- Fewest complaints: 2013, 2023, 2024
- Complaints on file
- 32392001 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2016367 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 14451 fires · 130 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 76kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 129Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 224 | 9 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (131) | |
| 204 | 11 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (124) | |
| 206 | 11 | 13 | Powertrain and transmission (104) | |
| 171 | 13 | 10 | Powertrain and transmission (77) | |
| 180 | 15 | 13 | Powertrain and transmission (87) | |
| 87 | 10 | 11 | Powertrain and transmission (38) | |
| 99 | 2 | 1 | Electrical system (51) | |
| 49 | 2 | 1 | Electrical system (8) | |
| 52 | 4 | 0 | Electrical system (18) | |
| 45 | 6 | 1 | Engine (11) | |
| 70 | 4 | 0 | Engine (28) | |
| 76 | 4 | 1 | Engine (23) | |
| 29 | 0 | 1 | Engine (9) | |
| 170 | 10 | 9 | Steering (38) | |
| 70 | 5 | 8 | Electrical system (15) | |
| 367 | 10 | 7 | Engine (157) | |
| 253 | 7 | 8 | Engine (78) | |
| 164 | 3 | 10 | Engine (35) | |
| 185 | 4 | 9 | Engine (46) | |
| 215 | 3 | 8 | Engine (79) | |
| 147 | 6 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (61) | |
| 38 | 2 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (10) | |
| 38 | 1 | 2 | Electrical system (10) | |
| 94 | 2 | 3 | Engine (60) | |
| 6 | 0 | 1 | Unknown or other (2) |
What fails on the 2016 Acura MDX
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 43% |
157 | 2 | Shop engine parts for the 2016 Acura MDX |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 30% |
111 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 11% |
39 | 0 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 10% |
37 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2016 Acura MDX |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 7% |
27 | 1 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2016 Acura MDX |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 5% |
20 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2016 Acura MDX |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 5% |
19 | 2 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2016 Acura MDX |
| Lane departure systemCamera sensors | 4% |
14 | 0 | Shop lane departure system parts for the 2016 Acura MDX |
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.
-
The engine in the car caught fire and subsequently destroyed the vehicle. The car was parking in a shopping center parking lot at the time.
-
The main issue is engine knocking and ticking also winding noise. There has been an issue with electrical with rear passengers getting burnt due to heat coming out of rear when rear system is off.
-
I was Driving down the HighWay at 70 MPH and the Vehicle is “Jerking†like I am Breaking then proceeded to fail to Accelerate and keep up with my RPMS.
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 MDX years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2016, 2017, 2001 carry the most filings on the Acura MDX. The 2016 alone has 367 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Acura MDX problem?
On the 2016 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 157 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Acura MDX problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Acura MDX complaints that include mileage is about 76,000 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.