2023 Acura MDX problems, complaints & recalls

Far fewer Rising

NHTSA has received 47 owner complaints about the 2023 Acura MDX, or 12.4 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.31, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 92 model-year 2023 vehicles we track, it ranks #30 of 92 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Acura models its rate is 53% lower; against other Luxury SUVs it is 13% lower.

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 2022-11-09 and 2026-10-12. Median delay from incident to filing: 17 days.

47Complaints

12.4Complaints per year on the road

0.31Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles

3Recalls

4.3%Share involving a crash or fire

24Last 12 months

Analysis

The previous model year (2022) drew 37.0 complaints per year, more than this one. The following model year (2024) drew 15.4 per year, more than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2023 model collected 10 complaints, 88% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.

The most common problem area is Transmission / powertrain (34.0% of complaints), followed by Electrical (17.0%) and Brakes (12.8%). Transmission / powertrain complaints are 2.9 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 2 reports (4.3%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 2 injuries and 0 deaths.

Half of the reported incidents happened within 32 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was the third year (38% of incidents). In the last 12 months 24 new complaints were filed, versus 14 in the 12 months before — up 71%.

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 vehicles0.31
vs. other Acura models0.47
vs. other 2023 models0.29
vs. other Luxury SUVs0.87
Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (10)0.12
#30 of 92 · 2023Rankings ›

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 / powertrain16 · 34.0% · 2.91×
Electrical8 · 17.0% · 1.08×
Brakes6 · 12.8% · 2.12×
Driver-assist systems3 · 6.4% · 1.12×
Body & structure3 · 6.4% · 0.7×
Unspecified or other3 · 6.4% · 0.71×
Other3 · 6.4% · 3.47×
Wheels, tires & suspension2 · 4.3% · 1.72×

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: 2
Fires reported: 0
Injuries: 2
Deaths: 0

Vehicle age at incident

<1 yr14.9%
1–2 yrs12.8%
2–3 yrs38.3%
3–5 yrs34.0%
5+ yrsnot reached yet

Median age at incident: 32 months

What owners report

1) I was struck by a vehicle that ran the stop sign at 50mph. After the impact my vehicle continued rolling forward and wouldn’t stop. I ended up a block away from the accident and my emergency brake, brake pedal and center console brake would not engage.

Electrical · 2026-02-19 · ODI 11718987 · Crash
I was maneuvering to park my car in a parking lot. Driving down the traffic lane of the parking lot, I slowed, braked and turned left 90 degrees into the parking space with my foot still on the brake.

Unspecified or other · 2023-08-25 · ODI 11540685 · Crash
My vehicle developed a leak at the seal between the transfer case and transmission. I was informed that, due to the original design, this seal cannot be replaced independently.

Transmission / powertrain · 2026-10-12 · ODI 11770530
My 2023 Acura MDX has developed a windshield washer system failure affecting both the front and rear washers. The system is clogged and is no longer able to spray washer fluid properly.

Body & structure · 2026-10-03 · ODI 11768723
These are OE tires on my 2023 Acura MDX. At 22,000 miles a rotating thumping sound was heard and also felt in the steering wheel. The tires were inspected by my Acura dealer on three separate service calls to diagnose.

Wheels, tires & suspension · 2026-10-03 · ODI 11768746

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

Segment peers · 2023 · Luxury SUVs

Models	Complaints	Complaints per year on the road	Complaint index
2023 BMW X3	15	4.0	0.1
2023 Audi Q7	16	4.2	0.1
2023 Lexus NX	18	4.8	0.12
2023 BMW X5	33	8.7	0.22
2023 Mercedes-Benz GLE	33	8.7	0.22
2023 Acura MDX	47	12.4	0.31
2023 Audi Q5	50	13.2	0.33
2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC	65	17.2	0.43
2023 Lexus RX	67	17.7	0.44

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.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES Campaign 25V391000 · 2025-06-12

Summary: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Acura TLX, 2023-2025 Acura MDX, and 2023-2025 Honda Pilot vehicles. The brake pedal pivot pin was not secured properly, which can cause the pedal to shift out of position. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment" and 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."

Risk: A brake pedal that shifts out of position can prevent the driver from applying the brakes as intended, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the brake pedal assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 29, 2025. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are FLX and XLY.

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.

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 …