512 of the 4,699 complaints filed about the Acura MDX are about the electrical system — 100% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2007.
512
Complaints
100%
Share of all complaints
14
Crashes
25
Fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Auto start-stop system stalled my car at a red light few times. Also I can clearly tell starting/cranking it is lagging as well.
NHTSA complaint #11763829 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Battery keeps dying. Faulty starter leaving car stranded.
NHTSA complaint #11763842 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
20 minutes after parking my car, it would not start. Several different codes came up on the gauges - BRAKE issue; hill issue;stabilization issue - multiple icons and warnings. I ended up having to be jumped off.
NHTSA complaint #11763280 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Car at a stop light, went into idle stop, and then shut off with an error message that to continue to drive, depress brake pedal and push switch. Car then needs to be restarted. This has happened 3 times in less than a week, so it is becoming concerning as a safety issue. The issue seems to be related to the starter and idle stop feature.
NHTSA complaint #11763310 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Occassionally when the "auto stop start" feature is on and I am stopped at traffic light, the engine does not restart when I release the brake and hit the gas pedal. I took my car into my local dealer and they replaced battery but I was also advised that I might not want to use the "auto stop start" feature because it is a real drain on battery. Even with the new battery, I have experienced failure of the car to restart after being stopped in traffic while the "auto stop start" is engaged. When in traffic and you expect the car to restart and it doesn't, it causes momentary panic and is very unsafe. I have been turning the "auto stop start" feature off every time I start the car to avoid this unsafe situation.
NHTSA complaint #11762996 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Auto Stop/Start fails to restart intermittently causing dangerous situations stuck at lights unable to move. Sometimes it restarts again after pressing the brake and ignition right away. Sometimes it takes a minute to restart. Either way it happens unexpectantly leading to being frozen until you figure out what is going on.
NHTSA complaint #11762658 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2024 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH and driving over construction steel plates on the roadway, the brakes independently engaged while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact stated that the failure could have caused a rear-end crash while driving at faster speeds with other vehicles nearby and posed a risk to her 1-year-old child seated the car seat in the second-row rear seats. The BRAKE warning light was illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure by telephone. The failure mileage was approximately 21,642.
NHTSA complaint #11761883 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Moisture accumulating within the driver side headlight is limiting illumination and safe night driving. Photos compare driver side to passenger side.
NHTSA complaint #11761409 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
When at a red light the engine cuts off and does not restart when foot comes off the brake. Sometimes it takes several minutes to start. We were stuck in an intersection and almost were rear ended. Took it ti the dealership. had a new battery up in. By the time we got home, it did it again. Took it back to the dealership, they replaced the started. No problems for 4 months. Now it is doing the same thing again, along with the air conditioner not cooling. The first time we took it in for oil change we told them it was not cooling and were told there was nothing wrong with it. Took it back this weekend and found out there is a compressor issue. The compressors are not available for repair. Other minor issues are codes are randomly appearing on the gauges and the screen blacks out.
NHTSA complaint #11761234 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The auto shutoff and restart system has failed multiple times causing the car to shutoff in the middle of traffic. This has happened in traffic on the interstate, on surface streets and in the drive thru line. Safety was put at risk as had to restart car in middle of traffic multiple times; once car would not restart at stop light. This could have caused an accident as vehicle was at a full stop with cars coming up from behind in the road. Dealer has replaced starter and relay twice. In less than 2 years, I'm on my third starter. Dealer has inspected vehicle multiple times. No warning messages or other symptoms before occurring. When the engine would not restart at intersection, warning message of "transmission system problem, apply parking brake when parked. See your dealer" Could not restart engine.
NHTSA complaint #11760772 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My 2025 Acura MDX suffers from a severe safety defect regarding the Auto Idle Stop (auto start-stop) system. When the vehicle comes to a complete stop at intersections or traffic lights, the engine shuts off as intended. However, upon releasing the brake pedal to accelerate, the engine completely fails to auto-restart.Instead of restarting, the vehicle drops out of the auto-restart sequence entirely, shifts itself out of drive, and displays a critical safety message on the dashboard: "To start engine: Brake + Push".This completely strands the vehicle in live traffic, forcing me to manually shift into Park, press the foot brake, and push the engine start button while traffic accumulates behind me. This creates an immediate rear-end collision hazard.The dealership has already attempted to diagnose and repair this issue under warranty by replacing both the vehicle's battery. This hardware replacement did not fix the problem; the failure continues to occur unpredictably less than a week (and 25 miles) after replacement. The root cause appears to be a software, Powertrain Control Module (PCM), or sensor tracking defect where the vehicle fails to recognize it is in an automated restart sequence.I am filing this complaint to be officially included in the ongoing NHTSA Engineering Analysis EA25004 regarding Honda/Acura Auto Idle Stop failures, as the current hardware recall remedies are entirely ineffective for the 2025 model year.
NHTSA complaint #11759336 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Multiple errors Lane departure and advanced driver support, ACC LKAS, auto high beam, and braking system. Looking into this more i see lots of people with the same issue failing front facing camera and not a cheap fix. Is there any current investigations into this problem or a software upgrade? I clear the errors and they come back once car is turned off and back on. If no fix to the current system there should be a way to disable LKAS and ACC without spending $2000 to replace the system.
NHTSA complaint #11759085 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.