2022 Acura MDX Complaints

POWER TRAIN — Filed 06/01/2026

Transmission Failed, Drive train spline is stripped, Safety basically vehicle would shake constanstly. It has been inspected by Acura of Berlin CT.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 09/03/2026

My 2022 Acura MDX has transmission issues that started at 99,000 miles. After inspection as to why the drive shaft is spinning freely - they pulled the transfer case off and noticed that the teeth are worn down to almost flat, which is cause ing the transmission not to send power to the real wheels. This is consistent with multiple documented transmission - PTU spline failures on 2022-2023 Acura MDXs (reference NHSTA Investigation DP26-001).

POWER TRAIN — Filed 10/12/2026

My less than 5 year old car had a leak coming from the center front of the car. Acura Service said the transfer case and transmission connection spindles were damaged and transmission seals are leaking. They recommended a replacement of both transmission and transfer case, at a cost of over $13,000, and that is after Acura Customer Service gave me a 10% discount on the repair.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 09/18/2026

SPLINES BETWEEN TRANSMISSION AND TRANSFER CASE STRIPPED. AWD DOES NOT WORK ANYMORE. NO CODES ON THE DASH.

POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,WHEELS — Filed 09/25/2026

I was driving and my AWD sistem made a shader sound and right after that the vehicle went on two wheel drive, the clang it made cause the vehicle to swerve in the highway which could have caused an accident. Yes the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The vehicle hasn’t been inspected by the dealer or anyone yet, but the SH-AWD light came on after the sound and the vehicle stayed on front wheel drive only. If this system fail the way it fail on my vehicle at a higher speed it could have caused a fatal accident!

POWER TRAIN — Filed 09/24/2026

The splints that control the SH-AWD have stripped out and I'm being told tge transmission and transfer case need to be replaced. I've had all the services done on-time with the dealership I purchased it from.

STRUCTURE — Filed 09/24/2026

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. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a leak coming from the trunk was confirmed. The dealer diagnosed the failure to be caused by defective drain tubes on both sides of the trunk. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 09/17/2026

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. Smoke is coming from AC compressor inside the engine compartment. Vehicle is less than 5 years old and has 47129 miles on it. Defective AC compressor caused a safety issue.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 09/15/2026

Discovered leaking fluid on 9/12/2026. Scheduled service with local Acura dealer on 9/15/2026 and found that the leak is AFT from unserviceable seal between the transmission and transfer case. The recommended repair from dealer is to replace both transmission and transfer case for $15,000. This is a significant issue for a vehicle that had been well maintained.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 09/04/2026

Heard a loud clunk followed by several small clunks when accelerating. Dealer confirmed the transmission & PTU are damaged and the car is no longer AWD. This issue is becoming more widespread with Acura MDXs and is a very expensive repair. From dealer: “FOUND DRIVESHAFT CAN TURN IN PARK WITHOUT TURNING FRONT WHEELS. THIS INDICATED TRANSMISSION AND PTU SPLINES ARE DAMAGED”

POWER TRAIN — Filed 08/23/2026

The car was being driven as normal and while at a stop light the car shut off and alerted the driver with a transmission error code. The car would not start for about 30 mins after the incident. When we took it to be looked at by the dealership we were told that it was related to code P07E4. The dealership reset the system and the code and returned the car back to me. They stated that if this happened again they would need to replace the transmission. My concern is that this happens again while driving at a higher speed or in an area where it is not safe such as a highway or major intersection or road. It's also concerning that a major component of a vehicle would need replacement at normal mileage which is currently at 111,400 miles.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 07/15/2026

Lost all wheel drive rear wheels not turning front wheel drive only. Out of warranty

POWER TRAIN — Filed 05/05/2024

While driving home on a Sunday afternoon, out of nowhere, a very loud pop sound happened followed by grinding. We were so worried that my husband pulled over thinking we had done major damage to the car somehow. Visual inspection under the car yielded nothing leaving us puzzled. No warning lights came on before, during, or after. We had it taken to the Acura dealership in Fairfield, Ohio. The car was still within warranty at this time, and they found nothing nor could they replicate the sound. My husband explained that it sounded to be transmission related. They chalked it up to a loose tie rod end which they “tightened” to solve all of our problems. We left the dealership and took the car home experiencing no further problems. Fast forward to the winter of that same year we realized that no matter what mode we put the car in we didn’t have AWD. Still no warning lights. The following spring, approximately 20,000 miles after experiencing the first loud pop and grind, we started getting error messages on our user dashboard. “All wheel drive system problem. Only front wheels may be powered. See your dealer”. We immediately scheduled a service appointment with the same Acura dealership. Within minutes of having the car examined on the lift the Acura certified technician found the problem to be the AWD transfer case and additionally the transmission. Stating we would need to replace both. They came back with a quote of approximately $18,000 for a new transmission, transfer case, labor, and all associated materials, for which we declined. Currently seeking help for recall as we do not believe a transmission/ transfer case should fail so quickly under normal driving circumstances.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 08/30/2026

Factory seal allows water to seep into the internal coupling cavity. The water mixes with the factory grease, creating a rusty, muddy brown fluid that eventually washed out and leaks from the casing. Over time, this moisture causes the interfacing splines between the transmission and the transfer case to strip and shear off completely.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 08/26/2026

Car Transfer Case Goes Out And Takes The Transmission Out As Well And Makes The Car FWD FROM SHAWD

POWER TRAIN — Filed 08/24/2026

At 75,000 miles I noticed that the vehicle was losing fluids on the bottom. The fluid color was a reddish color. I took it into Acura for a diagnosis and I was told that the seal between the drivetrain and transmission has worn and is causing all of the fluids to be leaked out of the car. They told me it would be $10,000 to replace the drivetrain and transmission because the a repair cannot be made.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 07/22/2026

Vehicle lost rear traction and leaking fluid from the transmission or front differential. Brought vehicle to dealer. They replaced transmission and transfer case.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 04/17/2026

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. This felt like a sudden unintended acceleration event. I was preparing to park in a stall and the vehicle lunged forward unexpectedly. I applied the brake, but the braking did not immediately stop the forward surge. Earlier, I experienced another unusual event in which the vehicle abruptly auto-braked, jerked, and made a warning sound while I was slowing for a red light. I noticed the car felt as if it was surging a bit on residential streets and was about to mention it during the next service. This incident has caused me to lose confidence in the safety of the vehicle. I contacted Niello Acura who has been very cooperative. I was told the issue would need to be duplicated or that they could only inspect it if a code had been stored once the car is repaired. The car is currently being repaired with close to 7,000 in front end damage. I am reporting this because a sudden unintended acceleration presents a serious safety risk and could easily have caused a more severe crash or injury. I did research on this issue and have found various reports of unintended accelerations in the Acura MDX forums from various years but was unable to find any recalls or outcomes with these reports My concern is this will be dismissed as "operator error" or a phantom incident that cannot be reproduced.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 03/16/2026

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. No warning lamps and computer system indicated that all four wheels were getting power. Took it to dealer and they confirmed that the all-wheel drive system has failed. Splines in the transfer case stripped and transmission needs to be replaced

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,AIR BAGS — Filed 12/08/2025

The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 2 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes became stuck or jammed. Later, while driving at approximately 15 MPH, the contact again depressed the brake pedal; however, the brakes failed to respond, remained stuck, and failed to stop the vehicle in an intersection, causing the contact to steer to the right and resulting in a crash with a government dump truck. The driver’s child informed the contact’s husband that the brakes were not working. No warning lights were illuminated at the time of the failure. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number 25V391000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The driver's iPhone detected the crash and automatically contacted the emergency contact and the state police. The driver sustained injuries to the knee, head, neck, and back and was transported to the hospital for medical assistance. There was no airbag deployment, fire, or police report filed; however, a police officer and the state police were present at the scene and moved the vehicle before photos could be taken. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot and later to an auto body shop. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed there were no recalls applicable to the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 10/17/2024

Airbags: I was driving on interstate five when traffic had come to a slow stop. The vehicle far behind me not paying attention and hit me going at a very fast speed that forced my car into a box truck in front of me. My car was found to be a total loss. Zero airbags were deployed with either impact. The hood completely crunched and dash broke open inside vehicle.

STEERING — Filed 02/09/2024

ON FEB 9TH 2024 AS I WAS DRIVING TO WORK THE STEERING WHEEL RANDOMLY LOCKED FORCING ME ACROSS TH EOTHER LANE AND INTO A STONE WALL. HONDA NORTH AMERICA TOOK CONTROL OF THE CAR, REMOVED THE PARTS AND I STILL DO NOT HAVE THE CAR BACK . THEY HAVE OFFERED NO MONEY AND HAVE NOT REPAIRED THE CAR. I FEEL THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND USED THIS INCIDENT TO TRY TO COVER THE PROBLEM UP AND MAKE IT GO AWAY. I FEAR FOR THE FAMILY OF 4 TRAVELING AND HEADING INTO A DUMP TRUCK.. THIS WAS A VERY SCARY EVENT AND I SEE NO REASON A STEERING WHEEL SHOULD LOCK AND PREVENT THE CAR FROM MAINTAINING CONTROL

ENGINE — Filed 05/27/2023

The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while idling at a red light, a white-colored smoke began to emit from the front passenger tire wheel well. The contact was then alerted by a fellow motorist that the vehicle had caught fire. The contact exited the vehicle and called for assistance. The fire department arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire. A police nor a fire report was filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed from the scene to the dealer where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be either repaired or destroyed. The failure mileage was 26,000.

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 04/01/2023

The contact owned a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while her husband was reversing from the driveway, the transmission was being shifted from reverse (R) into Drive (D), the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop. The vehicle crashed into the neighbor's residence and landed in their yard. The contact's husband was injured and received medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and was deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 17,956.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 02/18/2022

Sunroof spontaneously exploded outward while driving children to school. Loud boom like an explosion, no rain or inclement weather. Received a splinter from small shards of glass after Acura dealership vacuumed. They quoted me $1100 and $1400 for repair of this defect, and was unable to determine when glass would arrive. Did not give loaner or anything, and car is less than 30 days old.