500 of the
4,633 complaints filed about the Acura MDX
are about the electrical system —
11% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2007.
2025 Acura MDX – Auto Idle Stop Failure to Restart When my 2025 Acura MDX is stopped at a traffic light and the Auto Idle Stop system activates, the engine shuts off but on multiple occasions has failed to restart when traffic begins moving. The vehicle becomes immobilized in an active traffic lane. Vehicles behind me begin moving and honking while I am unable to move the vehicle. To regain operation, I have had to completely shut the vehicle off and restart it while stopped in traffic. I can prevent the occurrence by manually disabling Auto Idle Stop after starting the vehicle, but this requires me to remember to disable the system every time I drive. If I forget, I risk the vehicle shutting down and failing to restart at an intersection. This creates a serious safety concern for me and my passengers, including my child. I am concerned about being stranded in an intersection or other active traffic lane and potentially being struck by another vehicle. I believe the Auto Idle Stop system's failure to restart the engine presents an unreasonable safety risk and should be investigated.
NHTSA complaint #11758463 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2025 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while at a stop, the vehicle lost automotive power, and all electrical features turned off. The vehicle was restarted and the battery warning light illuminated. The contact continued to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that no cause for the failure was found. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle was idling roughly. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 17,400.
NHTSA complaint #11758335 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
After an auto idle stop at a major intersection, car failed to restart automatically and was left stranded unable to restart the car. Car would not shut off or turn back on when using the power button and with foot on brake but had power but it was in limp mode - transmission warnings flashed and the D "for drive" on the screen at the drivers location. I called tripleA however before they showed up I was able to put the parking brake on and turn the car off and on ad it reset. This is similar to the issue was happening with my 2017 Honda Pilot where it would stall and not restart after the auto idle stop engaged. Very dangerous and difficult to troubleshoot when in that situation, surprised that this is still happening in Honda manufactured cars - this is very dangerous and needs to be addressed and investigated.
NHTSA complaint #11757151 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated that on six occasions the vehicle stalled and failed to restart immediately. The contact stated that while the idle button was on, the failure occurred. The contact was concerned about being in a crash. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and two batteries were replaced, and a software update was performed. The dealer would be checking the software to be sure that it was operating as intended. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was opened. The manufacturer provided a refund for the battery. The failure mileage was approximately 48,300.
NHTSA complaint #11757014 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving at approximately 35 mph on a surface street with my wife and five-year-old son in the vehicle, the electric power steering system failed and steering assist was reduced. The instrument panel simultaneously displayed and cycled through multiple warnings including "Electric Power Steering System Problem — Steering Assist Reduced," "Brake System — Brake Hold System Problem," Vehicle Stability Assist, and Hill Start Assist. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms of any kind prior to this failure; the first indication was the failure itself while the vehicle was in motion. On the two engine starts following the incident, the same dashboard warnings reappeared, although power steering and vehicle operation seemed normal. On the two starts after that, the vehicle started with no warnings and no indication of any problem. So the steering effort increased during the initial failure and I was unable to rely on power assist while moving in traffic, which created a risk of loss of directional control and a crash for my occupants and other road users. On Aug 11,2026, the vehicle was taken to an authorized Acura dealer, which confirmed a stored diagnostic trouble code and diagnosed a failure of the VSA (Vehicle Stability Assist) modulator-control unit, recommending replacement. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or an insurance representative. No repairs have been performed to date and the vehicle and component remain available for inspection upon request. Mileage at the time of failure was 40,090. I have video of the instrument panel recorded during the event and it is available upon request. I have reviewed complaints filed with NHTSA describing what appears to be the same simultaneous multi-system failure on 2022 and 2023 Acura MDX vehicles.
NHTSA complaint #11756386 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2025 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped at a stoplight, the START/STOP system failed to operate as designed and the vehicle turned off unintendedly. The vehicle was restarted to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who replaced the starter and battery, and other unknown parts were also replaced. The failure reoccurred once while idling in stop-and-go traffic on the highway. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.
NHTSA complaint #11756420 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Auto Idle Restart failed three times in traffic at red light. Have to shift to Park and push Start button. Nothing happens for several seconds, then engine starts.
NHTSA complaint #11755686 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2025 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while at a complete stop at a traffic light, the vehicle unexpectedly shut off and failed to restart. After approximately 15 minutes, the vehicle restarted, and the contact drove into a parking lot before driving to the residence. No warning lights illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure the following day, and a service appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.
NHTSA complaint #11755315 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am writing to formally report a serious and recurring safety defect with my 2025 Acura MDX A-Spec (VIN [XXX]) involving the Auto Idle Stop system. The engine repeatedly fails to restart after the Auto Idle Stop feature shuts it off. When my wife releases the brake pedal (for example, at a traffic light), the vehicle either stalls completely or experiences a major delay before restarting sometimes lasting more than 20 seconds, leaving the my wife unable to accelerate. This creates an immediate and unacceptable safety hazard, particularly in intersections or heavy traffic. I previously brought the vehicle to Acura of Langley regarding this exact issue. Despite that visit, the problem has continued. Most recently, on today, while my wife was driving with my kids, the vehicle again entered Auto Idle Stop at a traffic light. When the light turned green, the engine completely shut off and would not restart for more than 20 seconds. This left her stranded in traffic and unable to move the vehicle, creating a clear risk of collision. This is not an isolated complaint. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened Engineering Analysis EA25004 into precisely this condition “No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages” affecting, among other models, 2016–2025 Acura MDX vehicles. American Honda has also issued dealer communications specifically seeking 2023–2025 MDX vehicles with client complaints of no auto re-start after Auto Idle Stop for inspection prior to any repair attempts. Class-action investigations and prior litigation involving related Idle Stop failures further underscore the known nature and seriousness of this defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11754100 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Car shifted on its own from drive to park right after warning lights stating Electrical Parking System then Emissions the Transmission came on while in stop and go traffic. Car had just come back from Acura mechanic 4 hours earlier as these warning lights had come when starting car. Immediately had car towed to dealership.
NHTSA complaint #11752240 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2009 Acura MDX. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was 117,500. At the time of the vehicle registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 140,223.
NHTSA complaint #11751832 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I just got back home from Walmart, went in my house to get a few things and head to my camper. I had to get one last thing ,so I started to drive over town I noticed a plastic burning smell ,I thought someone was burning trash, so I keep going ,the smell got worse,so I stopped and was going to check what it was and smoke started coming out of the vents,so I turned around drove car home,as I was pulling into my drive ,I noticed the wiring harness fell from behind glove box ,on fire on the floor. We got car in driveway and got out,tried to extinguish the fire but couldn't, so grab everything out of the car,and the car became totally engulfed in flames,the car was totally gone from this electrical short.
NHTSA complaint #11750455 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Transmission failed and light appeared. Speed reduced from 30 to 15. Acura stated they had to reset computer system and claimed when they started the car no lights shown and was able to reverse car. I was unable to reverse car, struggled and tugged feeling in the car. This is the 2nd time and they always repeat same solution no lights appeared and to reset system.
NHTSA complaint #11749662 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11749541 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11748754 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am reporting a severe safety defect regarding the sudden, unprovoked failure of the AcuraWatch driver-assist camera system (affecting LKAS, ADAS, and the Collision Mitigation Braking System), which directly and unexpectedly alters the vehicle’s powertrain and driving dynamics without driver input. While driving, the front windshield monocular camera module experienced an internal electronic failure, immediately lighting up multiple critical safety warning indicators on the dashboard and permanently disabling all forward collision prevention and lane-keep capabilities. I urge NHTSA to open a safety defect investigation into 2016–2019 Acura MDX models regarding camera system degradation and its hazardous, cascading impact on transmission shift timing and vehicle deceleration behavior.
NHTSA complaint #11748193 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The blind spot monitor becomes inoperable when you leave the car in an open area with sun and warm weather on the car. If you take the car and place it in a garage or during nighttime the monitors will come back on. This problem was brought to the dealer, Gettel Acura, [XXX] in XXX. They replaced a Chip and told me it was fixed. It has not been fixed and the inoperable monitor makes it dangerous, especially on the interstate highway. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11748188 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Various warning lights appear randomly for collision system, lane departure system and brake system and the radio power glitches on/off while driving on highway. I tested the battery and it's good. At one point I was just about to enter a car wash and the radio power glitched off and then a transmission warning appeared and the car shifted to N and I couldn't shift to Drive. I pushed the P button and the dash just showed a blinking P with the transmission warning. With a whole line of cars behind me for the car wash I was in a panic of course. I turned the car off for about a minute and restarted and was able to get it back to normal but had this issue happened while driving then It would've been dangerous.
NHTSA complaint #11747695 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2025 Acura MDX will turn off with the auto on/off feature at red light but has had issue several times with turning back on. The car turns completely off and have to push start button to turn back on. On one occasion the same issue happened but would not immediately start with the push start again.
NHTSA complaint #11746622 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving, the vehicle experienced a sudden internal mechanical and electronic transmission failure. Without warning, the vehicle shifted itself directly into Park while navigating the busy intersection of [XXX] and [XXX]. This caused a complete loss of propulsion and left the vehicle entirely immobilized in the middle of a high-speed junction. The vehicle could not be moved, creating an immediate, severe highway safety hazard that required an emergency 911 police response to manage traffic and protect the vehicle from being rear-ended. The dealership scan tool later pulled diagnostic code P0730 (Incorrect Gear Ratio) along with multiple clutch performance failures (P07A4, P07A2, P07A8). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11746202 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.