2022 Acura MDX problems, complaints & recalls

Typical Rising

NHTSA has received 177 owner complaints about the 2022 Acura MDX, or 37.0 per year on the road — a typical number of complaints (complaint index 0.92, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 92 model-year 2022 vehicles we track, it ranks #61 of 92 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Acura models its rate is 39% higher; against other Luxury SUVs it is 161% higher.

Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count

Complaints filed between 2021-06-03 and 2026-10-06. Median delay from incident to filing: 14 days.

177Complaints

37.0Complaints per year on the road

0.92Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles

3Recalls

4.5%Share involving a crash or fire

95Last 12 months

Analysis

The following model year (2023) drew 12.4 per year, fewer than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2022 model collected 42 complaints, 43% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.

The most common problem area is Transmission / powertrain (46.3% of complaints), followed by Electrical (8.5%) and Brakes (7.9%). Transmission / powertrain complaints are 4.0 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 8 reports (4.5%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 5 injuries and 0 deaths.

Half of the reported incidents happened within 43 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was years three to five (65% of incidents). In the last 12 months 95 new complaints were filed, versus 28 in the 12 months before — up 239%.

NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls for this model year. 2 NHTSA investigations cover this model year; the most recent is “All wheel drive allegation” (defect petition, opened 2026-03-06, closed 2026-08-04).

Complaint index

vs. all tracked vehicles0.92
vs. other Acura models1.39
vs. other 2022 models0.94
vs. other Luxury SUVs2.61
Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (42)0.57
#61 of 92 · 2022Rankings ›

1.00 means the same rate as the comparison group. 2.00 means twice as many complaints per year on the road.

Other model years

201819.3 per year0.48
201925.4 per year0.63
202033.6 per year0.83
202237.0 per year0.92
202312.4 per year0.31
202415.4 per year0.38
202561.0 per year1.51
20269.0 per year0.22

Acura MDX problems, complaints & recalls by model year ›

What owners complain about

Transmission / powertrain82 · 46.3% · 3.96×
Electrical15 · 8.5% · 0.54×
Brakes14 · 7.9% · 1.31×
Unspecified or other14 · 7.9% · 0.88×
Driver-assist systems11 · 6.2% · 1.08×
Steering10 · 5.6% · 0.87×
Body & structure10 · 5.6% · 0.62×
Engine9 · 5.1% · 0.23×

vs. all vehicles: 1.00 = All-vehicle average

Problem areas: Engine · Transmission / powertrain · Electrical · Driver-assist systems · Unspecified or other · Fuel system · Brakes · Body & structure

When complaints were filed

Crashes reported: 7
Fires reported: 2
Injuries: 5
Deaths: 0

Vehicle age at incident

<1 yr12.4%
1–2 yrs12.4%
2–3 yrs10.2%
3–5 yrs65.0%
5+ yrsnot reached yet

Median age at incident: 43 months

What owners report

On April 17 2026 while driving my 2022 Acura MDX at very low speed in a parking lot, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward without warning and surged into bushes before I could stop it. I did not mistake the gas for the brake pedal.

Driver-assist systems · 2026-04-23 · ODI 11733361 · Crash
My vehicle stopped handling as it usually had and I at a significant decrease in traction and slid off the road and slammed into a road sign. No injuries but significant damage to the vehicle. It seemed as though the all-wheel drive was not working.

Transmission / powertrain · 2026-03-27 · ODI 11727533 · Crash
Splines between transmission and transfer case stripped. Awd does not work anymore. No codes on the dash.

Transmission / powertrain · 2026-10-06 · ODI 11769238
The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact noticed quite a bit of water leaking into the trunk of the vehicle. The contact stated she was able to find a smell of mildew. The manufacturer was notified of the failure.

Body & structure · 2026-09-24 · ODI 11766778
Engine compartment started emitting smoke and hot air coming out of the vents instead of cold air while driving. Smoke partially obstructed my view. I had to stop on the side and look where smoke is coming from.

Unspecified or other · 2026-09-23 · ODI 11766382

Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.

Segment peers · 2022 · Luxury SUVs

Models	Complaints	Complaints per year on the road	Complaint index
2022 Audi Q7	20	4.2	0.1
2022 Lexus NX	32	6.7	0.17
2022 Lexus RX	39	8.1	0.2
2022 Audi Q5	46	9.6	0.24
2022 Mercedes-Benz GLC	64	13.4	0.33
2022 Mercedes-Benz GLE	70	14.6	0.36
2022 BMW X5	73	15.2	0.38
2022 BMW X3	83	17.3	0.43
2022 Acura MDX	177	37.0	0.92

Safety recalls (3)

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER Campaign 26V332000 · 2026-05-21

Summary: 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.

Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: 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.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM Campaign 25V031000 · 2025-01-23

Summary: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2022-2025 Acura MDX Type-S, 2023-2025 Honda Pilot, and 2021-2025 Acura TLX Type-S vehicles. A software error in the fuel injection electronic control unit (FI-ECU) may cause an engine stall or a loss of power.

Risk: An engine stall or loss of power can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the FI-ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 17, 2025. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are EL1 and AL0.

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER Campaign 24V064000 · 2024-02-01

Summary: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.

Risk: An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.

How to check whether your car has an open recall ›

Investigations

All wheel drive allegation Closed

DP26001 · defect petition · POWER TRAIN:TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE) · Opened 2026-03-06 · Closed 2026-08-04 · Model years: 2022, 2023

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has completed its review of a Petition dated January 9, 2026, requesting an investigation into the loss of the optional all-wheel drive capability in model year (MY) 2021-2023 Acura TLX and MY 2022-2023 Acura MDX vehicles. The Petition alleges failures in the interfacing splines between the front wheel drive transaxle and the rear wheel drive power take of…
No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages Open

EA25004 · engineering analysis · ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE · Opened 2025-03-26 · Model years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

On June 3, 2022, the Oﬃce of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several ﬁeld reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traﬃc light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject …