206 of the
4,633 complaints filed about the Acura MDX
are about the braking system —
4% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2014.
Hello! I am writing to report an urgent and serious safety failure involving my 2025 Acura MDX A-Spec and to request immediate investigation and action. The vehicle’s driver-assist systems - specifically the lane departure warning and forward collision warning - failed to operate. In addition, both the steering wheel and the accelerator became stuck, causing my vehicle to collide head‑on with oncoming traffic. These failures placed my life and the lives of others in immediate danger. I previously opened a case with Acura Contact and Client Relations (Case #16550271). To investigate my vehicle failures that caused this major accident, the response I received was inadequate and deeply concerning. During my conversation with Acura representatives, I was told verbally without any willingness to provide this statement in writing that Acura “has nothing to do with inspecting their own car.” Instead, I was instructed to have my vehicle inspected by my insurance company, despite the fact that they are not certified to evaluate Acura safety systems and do not possess the diagnostic equipment required to assess failures of this nature. Given the severity of the malfunction and the resulting collision, I am requesting that Acura immediately arrange a proper inspection by qualified Acura technicians and provide a written explanation of how such critical safety and control systems could fail simultaneously.
NHTSA complaint #11757146 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I started the vehicle and steering wheel was frozen and EPS, Brake, and lane departure lights on the dash. I shut the car off and let it sit for five minutes. Restarted and the steering wheel came back to normal. but all light remained on. I drove the car about half a mile and the lights went off. When I got home, I shut the car off and started it again. The wheel was frozen again, and all the lights came back on. I shut the car off and re-started and steering came back on. I'm afraid this will happen again but while I'm driving. I looked up the issue but no recall but a lot of complaints with same problem. I cannot drive like this for it can be dangerous if I'm driving and lose control of the vehicle and hurt someone or myself. I took the car to a mechanic, but he said there is no current issues just stored codes. Today I had the same problem.
NHTSA complaint #11746141 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Brakes are too soft . Hard to bring the car to a halt without crashing unless you are at very long distance . Brakes engage at a very low level . Dealer says everything is OK and can't do anything about it . Car is dangerous to drive.
NHTSA complaint #11746076 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Under normal driving conditions warning lights for "electric parking brake" and "emissions system problem" came on the dashboard and the 'brake' light began flashing. No change in performance. Auto parts store diagnostic indicated EVAP valve as the possible problem code, along with two other unrelated codes - none connected to brakes or emissions. The 12-volt battery tested strong. Drove another 100 miles with lights still on, but the 'brake' light would turn off after about 5 mins of highway driving/no braking. The next day the warning lights continued. After normal city driving I shut the car off, waited 30 seconds, pushed the start button twice (accessory mode) and held the brake pedal down while pulling up on the brake release button for 10 seconds. Started the car without any error messages.
NHTSA complaint #11744197 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While sitting stopped at a red light, the brake pedal suddenly became soft and the vehicle began moving. As I rushed to depress the pedal further (all the way to the floorboard - which did not stop the car) the car rolled forward and collided with the car in front of us causing damage to both vehicles. If the other car had not been in front of us we would have rolled directly into heavy active cross traffic which would have caused significant harm to all inside. My daughter, niece, and 8 month old grand-niece were with me in the car.
NHTSA complaint #11740691 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Iam having numerous problems with the start stop function of my 2022 MDX. See attached letter and documentation for full details. I also attached the documentation from my dealership for the repair order history. There have been numerous of times that this problem occurred that I didn't bring it in for service. The dealership acknowledges that there is a problem, but they are unable to correct. They also have told me that they know of this problem with the Acura MDX, but there is still no recall.
NHTSA complaint #11734615 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Acura MDX. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 85,000. The contact stated that on the day of the purchase; after refueling the vehicle and then attempting to pull out of the gas station, the Emissions, check engine, and parking brake warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact took the vehicle to an auto repair shop, and had the vehicle scanned and then diagnosed, DTC: P0158 (Oxygen sensor Circuit High Voltage, DTC Severity 2 of 3, T0159 Oxygen sensor Circuit Slow Response (Bank2 and Sensor 2), and an Electric Parking Brake Failure were displayed. The scan indicated that the vehicle was subjected to odometer fraud. The contact reviewed the paperwork and received it at the time of sale and became aware that the mileage stickers, along with other indications that the documentations were false. The contact retrieved a Carfax Report and discovered that the actual mileage was 225,802. The contact reported the odometer fraud to the Police Department and was informed that the dealer was known for odometer fraud. The Police also informed the contact that there was a case and a warrant already issued.
NHTSA complaint #11730103 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Air suspension/vehicle height Brake systems were taken away (adaptive cruise, anti collision and lane mitigation) Yes confirmed by dealer Yes Yes warning lights
NHTSA complaint #11729385 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Asymmetrical wear on the front brakes. The outer pad wears out completely while the inner pad( with the brake wear sensor) shows almost no wear. The dealer (Park Place Acura, Plano Texas) brought this to my attention on November 3, 2025 saying only the front pads needed replacing but did not disclose the asymmetrical wear. I took the vehicle back to the Dealer January 15, 2026 for repair after discovering the asymmetrical pad wear and pointed that out to them. The brakes can completely wear to the backing plate on the outer pad while showing no wear issues with the brake sensor on the inner pad. This condition creates an unpredictable and uneven braking response that constitutes a safety defect, as the brake wear indicator system fails to alert the driver to actual brake wear on the outer pad. The brake wear sensor is designed assuming symmetrical pad wear. When wear is asymmetrical, the sensor fails to trigger a warning, leaving the driver unaware of a dangerous condition. The dealer has finally replaced the pads and rotors, symptoms of the problem but, has not addressed the underlying cause of the problem...the calipers. I have received the vehicle back from the dealer but did not sign a release and the issue remains open. The vehicle currently has approximately 29,400 miles. I have taken this issue to Acura corporate(Honda Motor Company) and they have it under review but keep delaying with no confirmed resolution. I sent a certified letter to American Honda Motor Company, Acura client relations on February 3, 2026 and they signed for it on February 11, 2026 and contacted me by email on March 11,2026. Acura took 28 days to respond to my certified letter and has provided no resolution timeline since.The vehicle was under the original manufacturers warranty at the time of this issue and notification.
NHTSA complaint #11728752 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle has a service bulletin issued by NHTSA and Honda/Acura of North America refuses to acknowledge it or fix the problem. for 4 years. Service Bulletin 24-025
NHTSA complaint #11725742 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hello, My 2018 Acura MDX has moisture and water inside the inner tailgate (trunk) tail light assembly, which caused the light to stop working. I understand there is a recall affecting some 2014–2020 Acura MDX vehicles related to moisture entering the tailgate light assembly, and my vehicle appears to have the same issue. Recall link: [XXX] Last week I visited the Acura dealership(Acura Columbus) in Dublin, OH for a fuel pump recall service. During that visit, the technician also noticed the water inside the inner tail light but quoted about $750 for the repair. Although my VIN does not show this recall, my vehicle is experiencing the same problem described. Could you please review and advise if this may qualify for recall coverage or goodwill assistance? Thank you. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11724508 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Unable to stop the car. Luckily no accident. Brake pedal was very hard to press and car didn't stop. Brake pedal became normal again in few seconds (5- 7 sec). Inspected car. nothing was stuck under brake pedal.
NHTSA complaint #11722412 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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. My vehicle was stopped after a car pulled up infront of me for me to rear end it to stop. Vehicle is a total loss and sitting in a tow yard. 2) I was in the vehicle with my 3 children under 7 years of age. Our safety was put at risk because If the accident would’ve happened on a main street I could’ve rolled into on coming traffic. 3) Not yet, they have declared the car a total loss and have no interest in inspecting for damage repair. 4) No 5) No failures were detected nor happening prior to accident.
NHTSA complaint #11718987 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11717083 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The following issues occur on a 2020 Acura MDX with low 50k miles, maintenance was done regular whenever a maintenance schedule appear. For the past few years after purchasing the vehicle we started getting a non-start engine with the key fobs and automatic side mirrors did not open or close when parked. Brand new batteries were replace for the key fob and later the Car Battery and the issue occurs intermittently, this was brought to the attention of the dealership and each time (documented) that they were not able to reproduce when they turned off the vehicle, this was mid 2024 06-13-2024 and sporadically continues till this year 2026. The dealership did not test or trace the electrical system as they were told to reproduce the issue first as it will happen at that moment. A new recent event 2025 has also occur and was brought to the dealerships attention, a warning message indicating - Electric Parking Brake Problem follow by a Emissions System Problem will appear. This was also "reset" by the dealership and indicated it was safe to drive but event reoccurs every few months. A 2nd opinion to another mechanic indicated it can be the emergency brake system to be faulty and driving the vehicle when the message appears may cause an immediate stop, advised us to have the dealership reach out to the manufacture. No word from either for the past year. Any open recall for my VIN was done once we were notified and a New Car Battery replaced and new batteries in key fobs - issue continues. Please assist Thank you
NHTSA complaint #11712781 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving in the far right lane on the Van Wyck Expressway when suddenly my steering wheel locked up on me along with the following error messages displayed on the odometer: 1. Collision mitigation braking system problem. See your dealer 2. Road Departure mitigation problem. See your Dealer 3. Low Speed braking control problem. See your Dealer. 4. Electric Power Steering problem. Steering assist not available. Do not drive. 5. All wheel drive system problem. Only front wheels may be powered. See your Dealer. 6. Brake system problem. Brake performance may be reduced. See your dealer. 7. Brake hold problem. Apply brake when stopped. See your dealer. 8. Vehicle stability assist system problem. Reduced traction and handling. See your dealer. 9. Hill start assist problem. Vehicle may roll upon brake release. See your dealer. Thankfully I was approaching an exit ramp and I was able to steer my MDX safely off the expressway. I parked my car on the service road, turned my hazards on and then turned the car off. When I restarted the car the error messages were gone and power steering worked as if nothing happened. Acura will be hearing from me I could’ve been in a serious accident.
NHTSA complaint #11711323 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was at a red light with the idle stop automatically triggered. When the light turned green, and I pressed the accelerate pedal, the car would not move. I looked and saw the car had shifted itself to N (neutral) when it should have stayed at D (drive). I pressed the "D" button to drive but it stayed in N. There was a green light around the N button indicating the selected button. I had to turn off the car, turn on the car two times before the car recognized I wanted to press the "D" button. The screen by the steering wheel had some sort of message but I don't recall what it said. The word "accessory" might have been part of the message. This is absolutely a safety risk for myself and others. I had cars behind me at the green light honking. I had to turn on the hazard lights and wave to them out the window. If the driver before me did not pay attention, they could have hit me. This is the second time this has happened.
NHTSA complaint #11711138 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
As I was turning right (slowly accelerating from a complete stop) into a shopping center parking lot, I was entering into the lane behind a vehicle that had just passed in front of me (and was headed in the same direction I was going to turn). My 2022 Acura MDX Low Speed Braking Control system engaged for no reason. The breaks slammed hard bringing the car to a hard, sudden stop, and I thought I had been rear-ended by the car behind me. I pressed the gas slowly again and was able to pull into a parking spot and checked my back bumper…PERFECTLY FINE! I googled the issues I experienced and found this is a common problem! This is a dangerous problem! Please hold Acura accountable to fix this issue! For now, I have to remember to turn this Low Speed Braking Control System OFF EVERY TIME I power on my MDX! I am now scared to drive my car!
NHTSA complaint #11702150 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.