2022 Acura MDX transmission problems

POWER TRAIN

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”

NHTSA complaint #11762849 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

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.

NHTSA complaint #11762003 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

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

NHTSA complaint #11761535 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

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.

NHTSA complaint #11760987 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

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.

NHTSA complaint #11760810 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

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

NHTSA complaint #11760106 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

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.

NHTSA complaint #11759193 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

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

NHTSA complaint #11757168 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally rough grinding sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, but the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle operated normally for a while. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer determined that there was a failure within the transfer case, causing the vehicle to be operable only in Front Wheel Drive. Additionally, there was debris inside the transmission. The vehicle was repaired out of pocket. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA complaint #11756323 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact stated that drops of fluid were discovered on the floor of the garage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for diagnosis, and the contact was informed that transmission fluid was leaking due to a failure of the Power Take Off (PTO) unit and transmission spline, causing the transmission to overheat and leak fluid. The contact was informed that the transmission and PTO unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 97,000.

NHTSA complaint #11755172 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while the vehicle was receiving a routine oil change, the rear wheels failed to rotate. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission and transfer case needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the drive shaft was moving freely while in park. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,984.

NHTSA complaint #11753972 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Took car in for oil change and service tech saw that there was transmission fluid leaking. They then found that the splines were sheared off going into the transfer case and transmission. We received new transmission and transfer case. So far everything is working. We did not get any warning that there was an issue until we took it to the dealership. Putting in the case as this seems to be a common issue on type s models.

NHTSA complaint #11753342 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Vehicle exhibited a fluid leak at the rear of the engine near the transmission/transfer case junction. An independent shop is currently evaluating; suspected power take-off unit failure. This matches the failure pattern described in NHTSA Defect Petition DP26001 covering 2022-2023 Acura MDX and 2021-2023 Acura TLX for interfacing spline failure between the transmission and the rear-wheel-drive power take-off unit. Separately, while pulling out into traffic, the vehicle hesitated and failed to accelerate as commanded, chugging briefly before delivering power. This nearly resulted in a collision. No warning lamps or messages appeared at any time. Whether this drivability event and the fluid leak share a cause is UNKNOWN, but I am reporting both given the open defect petition on this component. Vehicle at approximately 75,000 miles, outside powertrain warranty by roughly 5,000 miles. Manufacturer declined assistance when contacted. Component is available for inspection upon request. Sudden loss of all-wheel drive without warning is a safety concern in Michigan winter driving conditions Repair has been quoted at approximately $3,600 for the transfer unit alone, plus labor, with no manufacturer assistance offered.

NHTSA complaint #11753157 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The splines to the transmission and front transfer case are worn and stripped and that is causing a bad transmission fluid leak. The fix for this unfortunately is to replace the Transmission and the Transfer case assy. I am not getting any support from Acura, as this is a known problem according to the dealer. Acura is not cooperating and the cost to repair is $14,000. I noticed a transmission fluid leak, so I took the vehicle into the Acura dealership. No check engine light came on, no notification that there was a catastrophic failure occurring to my car. I've been reading that this is happening to several other Acura vehicles as well.

NHTSA complaint #11752070 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Began to notice a knocking noise from lower engine compartment in late May 2026. No warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms. Dealer (Zimbrick Acura, Middleton WI) confirmed on 06/30/26 that noise was coming from transmission assembly. Dealer identified that the transmission was leaking fluid from the output shaft seal, and upon disassembly identified that the interfacing splines between the transmission and the rear wheel drive power take off unit (PTU) were failing. Dealer ultimately replaced transmission and PTU. This is the same issue as described in a previous petition (no. 11712885) but was identified prior to complete loss of all-wheel drive.

NHTSA complaint #11751559 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Humming noise from drivetrain. Took vehicle to Acura dealer and was diagnosed as: Loss of all wheel drive due to interfacing spline failure between transmission and transfer case resulting in only front wheel drive. Found open investigation NHTSA with other vehicles experiencing the same failure. DP26001

NHTSA complaint #11750945 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The car made a clunk sound while driving and wouldn't accelerate. After coming to a stop and trying to take off, the car still had difficulty accelerating. After turning the car off and back on everything appeared fine. The loss of acceleration was unexpected and there were no warning lights or indication of an issue. The lack of ability to accelerate along with the clunk sound caused unnecessary safety risks by not allowing the car to maneuver out of danger and disrupting the flow of traffic unexpectedly. The car then began leaking oil. The Acura dealership noted that the oil was transmission and power transfer unit oil and the car no longer has all wheel drive but only front wheel drive. The loss of all wheel drive without any indication or warning is a serious safety issue because it affects all aspects of drivability (handling, acceleration, traction). They said over time the splines of the power transfer unit input shaft rust and then sheer off which causes metal to damage the transmission seal and power transfer unit seal. The service manager said this was a known issue due to bad engineering and there is no way to prevent it. The vehicle is unchanged since the incident and can be inspected.

NHTSA complaint #11750192 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN:TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE)

The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, there was an abnormal vibration coming from the front passenger’s side of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The abnormal vibration persisted, and there was a grinding sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the power transfer case spline had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall, and the vehicle was not under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

NHTSA complaint #11750386 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Transfer case splines completely sheared off. No warning lights, nothing. Car is operating in in a 2 wheel drive configuration. Now need new Transmission, new transfer case, new differential. Can provide dealer videos detailing situation if requested.

NHTSA complaint #11748788 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving at various speeds exceeding 30 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended upon depression of the accelerator pedal; however, the RPMs increased. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. No further information was available. The failure mileage was 60,000.

NHTSA complaint #11748572 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

My transfer case and transmission splines stripped out as I was leaving a parking lot on a rainy day... i heard a bang... went to dealer, they confirmed drive shift to rear wheels not turning. Today July 3rd 2026, my MDX-2022 With 92k miles is at the Acura dealer... I fortunately have an Acura Precision warranty.... which will cover my repair...

NHTSA complaint #11748203 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Component or system failure: AWD - All wheel drive failure, dealership stated the transcase is leaking causing the failure. Safety: this has impacted the vehicles traction, especially on wet roads Reproduced: the dealer found the issue and reproduced it Inspected: yes, by the dealer Warning lamps or messages: None 2022 MDX Advance

NHTSA complaint #11747179 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Noticed fluid was leaking from bottom of car. Took to dealership and they found the transmission output shaft was twisted leading to destruction of transmission seals leading to fluid leak. They recommend full replacement of the transmission and transfer case. It appears NHTSA is already investing this known problem for the 2022 mdx where the transfer case fails and the vehicle loses its AWD function and becomes a FWD car.

NHTSA complaint #11746418 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

MY VEHICLE 2022 ACURA TYPE S HAS A TRANSMISSION SYSTEM PROBLEM, BLIND SPOT INFO PROBLEM, AND A ALL WHEEL DRIVE PROBLEM THAT ONLY MY FRONT WHEE;S MAY BE POWERED. IT LOOKS LIKE THE TRANSFER CASE MAYBE FAILING. MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 25,000 MILES ON IT AND IS ABOUT TO BE OUT OF WARRANTY

NHTSA complaint #11745883 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

My 2022 Acura AWD MDX with 95795 miles lost the power to the rear wheels. The spline between the transmission and the transfer case stripped. The transmission and transfer case had to be replaced for $14,442.37. I had Assurant for extended warranty, and they reluctantly paid most of the repair. The shop said this was the first non-turbo (sport) model they have heard of breaking. I believe there are several complaints filed about this issue. I'm retired and travel a fair amount in the mountains.

NHTSA complaint #11746086 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

I accelerated from a complete stop and heard a loud bang from the transmission at 10 mph. No warning lights came on, but car now only operating in front wheel drive mode instead of AWD. Front wheels will spin under hard accelerating confirming loss of power to rear wheels. Local mechanic confirmed issue by putting vehicle on lift and showing rear drive shaft spins freely. This is a know issues for this vehicle and NHTSA has open investigation into splines connecting transmission to transfer case sheering off under load. Investigation Number 11712885.. This should result in a recall for Acura at no cost to customer.

NHTSA complaint #11745438 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Driveshaft spinning freely no power transfer , vehicle is currently all-wheel-drive condition indicate severe connections between transmission and transfer case . both components are damaged vehicle need replacement of transmission and transfer case . Serviced at McGrath Acura Morton mGrove, Illinois. 06/19/26

NHTSA complaint #11745398 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The component system that has failed is the Front Diff/Transmission area. Driveshaft spinning freely in park with rotations to rear wheel. I was driving home and heard a noise that sounded like something broke. Immediately pulled over and had Vehicle towed. I had my kids and husband in the vehicle with me. I'm glad we weren't driving on the highway. The vehicle was brought to Friendly Acura in Middletown, NY. They were able to diagnose the problem. I had an aftermarket warranty (Endurance Warranty Co.) awesome refused to pay for my vehicle starting it was a "pre-existing" condition. When I tried to explain to them this was not the case, they still wouldn't approve my claim after my vehicle was at Acura for 5 weeks and having 2 of their inspectors come out. Due to the amount of the repair (approximately $15,000), I am unable to pay for this repair. I had Acura out my vehicle back together and the vehicle is currently sitting in my drive way. There were no warning lights at any time prior, during or after failure of components.

NHTSA complaint #11742450 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

I was driving down the highway and a passerby notified me that my car was smoking. There were no indicators on the car notifying me of any issue. We pulled over and saw the car was leaking oil heavily. When taken to the dealership, they notified us that there was a leak in the transfer/transmission case and the whole transfer case would need to be replaced. The car is well maintained and had been recently serviced and no issues came up. It's very scary that there were no indicators of issues on the dashboard and my family and I could have been endangered while driving on our family vacation. Acura knows of this transfer case issue and has had to replace many of them in recent MDXs. This is a safety issue that needs to be investigated immediately.

NHTSA complaint #11742459 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

My wife has felt for quite some time that the traction on our 2022 Acura MDX is lacking. She first attributed it to tires, but after replacing them in November of 2024 she said that the issue was still present. She mentioned it to the Service Advisor at Bloomington Acura but we don't recall the exact timing of that and don't have a record of it. In February of 2026, while driving in snowy conditions we arrived at a vacation property. In driving up the driveway, the MDX got stuck. We got out of the car to try to push it and noticed that the rear wheels weren't rotating (I would expect them to on an AWD vehicle when the front wheels spin). We were able to put wood pieces under the front tires and get the vehicle up the driveway. We reported it to the dealer, who told us that if there were no warning lights there was no issue. We asked if they could test it because AWD wasn't working. We didn't get far but asked during a recent oil change if they could test the AWD. We had to push for that but they did test. They indicated that the rear drive rotated freely, indicating that "splines" between the transmission and transfer case had failed and it would cost $14,000 to repair (our MDX is now beyond the mileage threshold of the power train warranty. I then researched and learned that this issue is under NHTSA investigation DP26001. Customers don't have a reasonable way to know that AWD isn't working; we have brought it up previously with no way of "proving" that it isn't working (no warning lights). We believe that Acura should extend the power train warranty and repair our vehicle. The dealer let us know that they have another customer with the same issue right now. I don't believe that dealers file reports to NHTSA and imagine this issue is bigger than the number of complaints filed. AWD isn't needed by many, but it affects our safety in snowy conditions.

NHTSA complaint #11740022 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.