2025 Acura MDX Complaints

STEERING,SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE — Filed 10/15/2025

The vehicle developed repeated front‑end structural and steering problems shortly after purchase. During normal driving, it produced loud popping, creaking, and clunking noises when turning, entering driveways, or driving over small inclines. Steering felt inconsistent and the front suspension felt unstable. These symptoms created a serious risk of loss of control. A dealer confirmed the problem multiple times and replaced several major components, including the left front strut, the left front lower control arm, and the front shock absorber fork. The most serious finding was cracked welds in the front subframe, requiring the entire subframe to be replaced. A cracked subframe weld is a structural failure that can affect steering stability and crashworthiness. The issues were reproduced and documented by the dealer on multiple visits. The manufacturer’s engineering team was involved due to the severity and difficulty of diagnosis. Despite repeated repairs and extended time out of service, the same steering and suspension symptoms continued, and the vehicle was returned multiple times with ongoing issues. There were no warning lights or messages before the failures. The defects occurred during low‑speed maneuvering and normal driving conditions. The vehicle did not perform like a safe, structurally sound new vehicle, and the repeated structural and steering failures pose a safety risk to occupants and others on the road.

ENGINE — Filed 07/17/2026

Four times in 18 months, with the most recent happening last month and today, I was at a stoplight and turned my manual idle off. The light changed and the car would not move despite me stepping on the gas. It told me to restart the car which I did but the first attempt didn’t work to restart. After a few minutes I tried restarting again and it struggled but did. I was very worried as there was a car behind me who thought we were moving with the green light and fortunately he moved to the other lane to avoid a collision as it took me a minute to figure out the car had stopped before putting in my hazards.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 07/01/2026

The vehicle will turn off when it comes to a stop without being put in park. This has happened on busy city roads, highways in traffic and residential areas at stop signs. The vehicle will also periodically not turn on, with multiple indicators lighting up on the dashboard. This has been reported to the dealership, who states if there are no active error codes or indicators at the time of service there is nothing they can do. I have opened a case with Acura client relations more than 3 weeks ago and have escalated multiple times with no response. This has created numerous safety problems, also with children in the vehicle. This vehicle is not safe to operate and the manufacturer refuses to respond to my intervention requests although it is under warranty.

ENGINE — Filed 07/12/2026

I had driven 1.5 hours of highway driving. Exited highway and at the first stop light the car stalled on a busy four lane road. I have had the recall software update. Took a minute or 2 to get the car restarted

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 07/06/2026

Auto start-stop system stalled car at a light, could not turn car off after multiple tries following instructions on dash, but ultimately finally turned off, and then struggled to turn back on, all while on a busy road during rush hour.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — Filed 07/06/2026

I was stopped at a red stop light waiting to turn left when my 2025 Acura MDX engine auto-stopped per the auto-stop feature. When the light turned green, I removed my foot from the brake and pressed the gas. The engine did not auto-start and displayed a message on the dash telling me to depress the brake and press the ignition button to continue driving. I did this several times, each time the dash would go black for a few seconds then come back up with the same message. Eventually, after getting the car to completely turn off, waiting 30 seconds, and restarting it, I was able to get the engine to start. While all of this was happening, I was passed unsafely by several angry drivers who were behind me, including one who tried to cut around me after I was able to get the car restarted, nearly clipping the front-right corner of my vehicle. I have an appointment with the dealer to have the issue investigated, but the appointment is not for another week. There was no indication of trouble prior to the first time this occurred. We have had this issue at least three times in the past week.

ENGINE — Filed 06/09/2026

On June 9, 2026, my 2025 Acura MDX, with only 9,139 miles, stalled at a red traffic light after the Auto Idle Stop feature activated. The engine would not restart, leaving the vehicle disabled in an active traffic lane. I was unable to shift the vehicle out of Park and was stranded for approximately 5 to 10 minutes with my two young children in the back seat. The dashboard instructed me to fully depress the brake pedal and press the ENGINE START/STOP button to restart the vehicle, but repeatedly following those instructions did not restart the engine. There were no warning lights or other symptoms before the incident. I feared another vehicle would rear-end us because I could not move the vehicle out of the travel lane. After multiple attempts to turn the vehicle off and back on, it eventually restarted, allowing me to drive home. The vehicle was towed to the Acura dealership on June 10, 2026. The dealership inspected the vehicle, diagnosed a failed starter, and told me the failure was caused by the Auto Idle Stop feature. The starter was replaced, and I was instructed to disable the Auto Idle Stop feature every time I start the vehicle to help prevent the problem from happening again. The dealership has records of the repair, and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

ENGINE — Filed 09/15/2025

The contact owns a 2025 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while stopped at a red light, the vehicle suddenly lost automotive power. The message, "Transmission System Failure - Apply Parking Brake while Parked - See Dealer," was displayed. The gear shifter indicator warning light was occasionally illuminated. The contact stated that while attempting to use the Push-To-Start feature to start the vehicle, the engine hesitated while turning over. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and was diagnosed with starter failure. The vehicle was repaired under warranty. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 07/01/2025

Idle stop not functioning properly. Will get to a stop, and numerous times it will not start back up until you put it in park and restart it several times. Sometimes, it will not start on the 1st try from a cold start, or the starter will grind really slow. We have taken this to Acura several times, and they tell us it is a known problem, but just to turn the idle stop off each time.

POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE — Filed 06/28/2026

No restart after auto idle stop - Car fails to restart automatically after stop and releasing the brake pedal. This has happened on a number of occasions in the last few months.This can cause a dangerous condition that can can cause an accident if stopped in an intersection or a rear end collision as the driver behind assumes the vehicle will move but does not. Car has to be shut off to restart.