5.9

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
14,118 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2017 Acura MDX drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2017 Acura MDX Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #50

Oct 062023

MDX

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Ive brought my MDX to the dealership service department 6 times for this issue, my car has been with the service department this last time since Nov 28th consecutively. In September I brought it in because my car would shift to park when the auto start/stop engaged, I would have to hit the brakes, shift back in to drive before I could take off. I was told there were 2 recalls that we remedied at that time. I brought my car back in a couple weeks later because the issue was persisting, I also started to get transmission and blind spot monitoring system alerts in those 2 weeks. I was told by the service department that the recall update wasn't "completed" when I brought it the previous time. The shift to park still was not fixed. At the 3rd time to the service department they replaced my starter. After this was done the issues with the car got worse, the car would give me transmission alerts, emission system alerts, power brake, blind spot, etc. & the "D" for drive on the dash would blink. Park would also blink. On the 4th trip they replaced my shifter assembly. After this the issues with the car further worsened and I would get all of the previously mentioned alerts, then my car would shift to neutral and another alert would pop up saying "pull over and park when safe to do so". Thankfully I was never on the interstate when this happened. I have to coast until I can pull off the road. After turning the car off then back on I was still not able to shift in to gear. I had the car towed to Acura, this (5th trip) time they replaced my transmission computer module. The car did the same thing the day after I picked it up. I had it towed back to them again, this latest trip they replaced my powertrain computer module, it did not fix the issue. My MDX has been at the dealership since Nov 28th because they do not know what to attempt to fix next. Im not being given any recourse. There are class-action lawsuits regarding this issue on the internet, so it is not unique to

- New Orleans, LA, USA

problem #49

Jan 082024

MDX

  • miles
I was driving on the interstate yesterday ([XXX]) and the transmission suddenly downshifted gears and also went to neutral. I managed to pull to the shoulder, but the sudden loss of power could easily have been life threatening at a more crowded time of day or in poor weather. The car was towed to McDaniel Acura in Columbia, SC (I was out of town) and problem confirmed. I also called my regular mechanic (a Honda specialist) and he said this was a known problem and referenced Acura service bulletin [XXX] which says to reload new software. Codes were: Transmission code P0716 Parking Brake System U0401-68 Parking brake warning light on Blind spot warning light on Why hasn't there been a recall on this"?" It's a known problem and I could easily have been killed and hurt others. If not a recall, at least at least do something to alert owners so they can get it fixed proactively if they want, as opposed to breaking down on the side of an interstate for hours. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Greenville, SC, USA

problem #48

Dec 132023

MDX

  • miles
When stopping for traffic or at a light and accelerating for take off the car has a delay. It does nothing. It-??s a 2sec delay that will be deadly to someone.

- Westerly, RI, USA

problem #47

Oct 162023

MDX

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

In October I noticed my engine knocking. It has always made a ticking sound so how long it might have knocked before we noticed I don-??t know however in October it was clearly noticeable. The first thing I did was check my oil level and it was full. Over the several days it became more noticeable and one morning while driving my check engine light came on and the vehicle lost most(maybe 80%) of it-??s power although it did continue running and I managed to make it home and immediately scheduled an appointment with Pecheles Honda to have it looked at. When I started the car the next morning the engine light was off and I drove it to the Honda dealership where I was told I would need a new engine. We regularly had the oil changed using synthetic oil and it never burned one drop of oil so I didn-??t have any idea how or why it could have happened because it is very common for issues like this to occur due to low engine oil. Last week I learned of a recall on multiple Honda and Acura vehicles the same year and model as mine due to faulty rod bearings with symptoms exactly like I experienced only to find out that mine is not included in the recall. Right now it is sitting in my yard because I don-??t have $10,000 to get the motor replaced. The Honda service manager and their best mechanic were at a loss at how the motor could have went so pre maturely. Something faulty had to have been put in that motor because I took great care of that car and never drove it hard. Before this car we had a 2003 Honda Pilot we owned for nearly 15 years with 300,000 miles on it that never had one issue the whole time we had it and this issue should not happen to 6 year old Acura-??s. I wanted to document this issue and hope anyone else going through the same misfortune with these vehicles does the same.

- Havelock, NC, USA

problem #46

Oct 072023

MDX

  • miles
In October the car had 46,000 miles and suddenly the car stopped because there was a transmission problem and we went to the dealer, they said it was an update the software problem, this is considered is not safe for me and my family because the car suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. What if I was going 60 mph on the highway and they car suddenly stopped and caused an accident, and someone was hurt. I don't think it is an update problem. This morning I went to the dealer to talk about it, and they refused to do anything, and we are just reporting and if in the future it happens again then what are we supposed to do if we're on the middle of the highway.

- Kent, WA, USA

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problem #45

Aug 112023

MDX

  • miles
When pulling into traffic the car wants to hesitate almost like stalling when going from 1st to 2nd gear 1st thing in the morning. Almost causing a crash it does it every morning after the car is driving the car for a while it no longer does it. There are no check engine lights

- Taylors, SC, USA

problem #44

Jul 072023

MDX

  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated while at a stop light, the vehicle would not shift out of park. The contact attempted shifting into another gear however, the vehicle would not shift out of park. The vehicle was towed to the dealer however, because the vehicle would not shift out of park, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 60,000. The VIN was not available.

- Tualatin, OR, USA

problem #43

Jun 042023

MDX

  • miles
While in a residential area we were accelerating from a slow speed as we were leaving one corner and preparing to enter a second corner. We were in comfort dynamic mode at the time. The car then suddenly lurched forward followed by the drive-train immediately entering into neutral - losing all forward power. We were able to coast across the end of a residential driveway. We then turned the car off, and waited about 15 minutes before restarting the car. At that point everything worked normally with no indication of a continuation of the problem. Although the transmission went into neutral during the incident the shift clearly remained in the drive position. We were very careful about checking to see if we had somehow been at fault - bit this was definitely not driver-??s error. We were fortunate on two fronts. Firstly, had an adult or child been in the crosswalk we were approaching at the time it could have ended badly. Secondly, we were at slow speed in modest traffic and had enough momentum to safely coast out of traffic. However, the incident was unsettling and we remain highly cautious about driving the car now. Later that evening we drove the car for about 30 minutes attempting to recreate the incident or see if we noticed anything odd at all about the transmission, shift, or electronics. We did this on a secluded road, using each of the car-??s dynamic modes, at varying speeds, and changing acceleration. However, we were not able to recreate the incident. We did not notice anything odd about the car and no warning lights came on. There were also no warning lights leading up to or during the incident. The vehicle is available for inspection if requested. To be fair, we have not yet contacted the dealership. However given the seriousness of this issue and potential danger we felt it was important to report it right away.

- Winchester, MA, USA

problem #42

Jun 042023

MDX

  • miles
While in a residential area we were accelerating from a slow speed as we were leaving one corner and preparing to enter a second corner. The car then suddenly lurched forward followed by the drivetrain immediately entered into neutral - losing all forward power. We were able to coast across the end of a residential driveway. (The owner wasn-??t thrilled about that at first but understood after an explanation.) We then turned the car off, ans waited about 15 minutes before restarting the car. At that point everything worked normally with no indication of a continuation of the problem. The car was in the comfort dynamic mode at the time. Although the transmission went into neutral during the incident the shift clearly remained in the drive position. We were very careful about checking to see if we had somehow been at fault - bit this was definitely not driver-??s error. We were fortunate on two fronts. Firstly, had an adult or child been in the crosswalk we were approaching at the time it could have ended badly. Secondly, we were at slow speed in modest traffic and had enough momentum to safely coast out of traffic. However, the incident was unsettling and we remain highly cautious about driving the car now. Later that evening we drove the car for about 30 minutes attempting to recreate the incident or see if we noticed anything odd at all about the transmission, shift, or electronics. We did this on a secluded road, using each of the car-??s dynamic modes, at varying speeds, and changing acceleration. However, we were not able to recreate the incident. We did not notice anything odd about the car and no warning lights came on. There were also no warning lights leading up to or during the incident. The vehicle is available for inspection if requested. To be fair, we have not yet contacted the dealership. However given the seriousness of this issue and potential danger we felt it was important to report it right away.

- Winchester, MA, USA

problem #41

May 052023

MDX 6-cyl

  • miles
On Friday May 5th, 2023 myson was driving our 2017 Acura MDX in heavy rush hour traffic on Interstate 355 near Homer Glen when suddenly and without warning the transmission failed and caused sudden deacceleration. He drove the car which was going 7 mph and engine revving and starting to clatter to get off the freeway. The check engine light came on. He called and informed me while on the exit ramp. I instructed him to pull into the Gas N Wash filling station at 15930 W 159th and shut the engine off, I left home immediately and upon arrival I looked under the hood for oil leakage or low level and belts broken. When I started the motor a knocking sound caused me to turn it off. This could have caused an accident due to heavy traffic at 70 MPH posted speed limit. The car has been towed to local mechanic shop for diagnosis. My online research indicates a Class Action Suit and countless complaints of similar unsafe operation and transmission failure. We purchased this Vehicle new in 2017 from Rizza Acura, Orland Park, IL and have had regular maintenance performed since purchase date.

- Orland Park, IL, USA

problem #40

Apr 022023

MDX

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

at highway speeds, the transmission unexpectedly shifts to neutral with no warning. The only indication is unexpected decrease in speed and accompanying engine rev. My typical driver response is to take foot off accelerator, then put back on again. Engine overrevs then shifts in to gear. I'd estimate it's out of gear for ~ 5 seconds, but hard to say in the heat of the driving moment. This happens 1-2X most highway trips, but not occur at lower speeds (it does not shift very smoothly in lower gears at times, but it's not currently a safety issue). I've taken it to my local dealer (Hendrick Acura, Durham, NC) and contacted Acura Customer Care, and am trying to get a diagnostic scheduled (it's been a process). The behavior started to worsen over the past several months (e.g. the slip to neutral has lengthened in time) but shorter slips have been occurring for a longer time period.

- Chapel Hill, NC, USA

problem #39

Mar 242023

MDX

  • miles
On a 2,000 mile family road trip the car shifted to neutral two times at highway speeds. Fortunately, I didn't lose my power steering or power brakes. The car remained on but I had no power. Then the car jerked, the rpm's dropped to 1,000 and then jumped around a little and the car took off again.

- Paragould, AR, USA

problem #38

Jan 132023

MDX

  • miles
I was on the feeder road of a major freeway in Houston Texas at a stop the brake fully applied. The auto engine idle stop was enabled. When I removed my foot from the brake the engine did not restart. The lights, radio remained on but I was unable to drive my car or change the gear shift. Being on a freeway feeder was a dangerous place to be stalled and had to wait in major traffic for a tow truck to come as the vehicle could not be started or turned off. Completely inoperable. The check engine light was on and oil light. I was towed to a nearby maintenance shop where a p2638 code was listed. After the car was towed the car would restart. Prior to the incident there have been other occasions where the vehicle struggles to restart the engine from the auto idle. However there were no warning lights. Additionally I scheduled service with the dealership the next day and they show an auto idle recall as an item for repair. There is no recall listed on Nhtsa. Additionally I see a class action lawsuit was filed earlier this week for a potential ongoing, long term issue related to this product.

- Houston , TX, USA

problem #37

Jun 302022

MDX

  • miles
I had the transmission system failure error came on the dash and the car wouldn-??t drive to D or reverse then blind spot and adaptive cruise control error propped

- George, IA, USA

problem #36

Sep 222022

MDX

  • miles
My 2017 Acura MDX has many issues with both the transmission and electrical. It has an issue shifting between gears, makes a loud sound like metal on wash board, then loses power for 3-5 seconds. I went to put the car in drive and it would not go in drive recently. I've now had to replace the transmission at 79,006 miles. The electrical system lights up when driving telling me my electronic parking brake has been engaged and also that there is emission system issues. My daughter was terrified and crying since i had a loss of power at the same time my dash lit up and I had to get across 5 lanes of traffic to the shoulder of road. The towing company had to remove battery cable to get my electric parking break to release. This is a dangerous and scary automobile

- Huntsville, AL, USA

problem #35

Aug 272022

MDX

  • miles
Traveling on I-49 north at approximately 80 mph without any sign of a problem when suddenly the car began breaking, shifted into neutral, hazards flashing, and every light on my dash lit up (Emission system Failure, Braking Failure, and Transmission Failure). At first I thought it had something to do with the cruise control, so I tried turning that off, which did not help, so I pulled over to the shoulder safely. This really could have been dangerous had there been more traffic because the car could not accelerate. Once on the shoulder I engaged the parking break as the car would not shift into park or any other gear. I turned off the car while I called state police and roadside assistance. After a while I was able to turn the car on and move it to reverse because I was about 30 yards past an entrance ramp that I could go to off the interstate. All lights were still lit up on the dash. It sounded rough. This was a very dangerous situation and Acrua needs to address this. It is currently awaiting evaluation at Acura of Lafayette.

- Alexandria, LA, USA

problem #34

Jun 242022

MDX

  • miles
Complete Transmission failure at 77,000 miles. Vehicle lost power at highway speeds causing a dangerous situation and stranded our family 650 miles from home. Had vehicle towed to the nearest acura dealership where I was told the transmission was terminal and needed to be replaced. Three weeks later the dealership has failed to find a transmission and nothing has happened. Acura extended a good faith discount on the repairs 4k down from 9k because it failed just out of warranty.

- Westerville, OH, USA

problem #33

Apr 032022

MDX

  • miles
I was driving on the highway at normal highway speeds of 70MPH when the car lost the ability to accelerate, and I was forced to make an emergency stop on the side of the interstate. With the heavy traffic on the interstate, this scenario could have been catastrophic as there is currently construction and no place to pull over for emergencies. The vehicle was towed to Hubler Acura in Greenwood IN where they performed a diagnostic test and no known issues were found on their diagnostic computer. However, the issue is not happening on a computer at the dealer, the issue occurred on the interstate while traveling 70mph. I have read several message boards where the users have posted similar experiences about losing power when accelerating in their 2017 MDX. The dealerships seem to offer a transmission fluid change or a computer reset as a solution. I have previously had the same acceleration issue and had these two items already completed within the past 90 days and neither issue resolved the problem, which further led to the most recent interstate incident. From my online research, Honda is either unwilling or unable to diagnose this common transmission problem and they need to be held accountable for their inaction. This issue needs to be addressed before it creates a scenario with fatalities.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #32

Mar 202022

MDX

  • miles
On March 20, 2022, I was on the freeway going 65 miles per hour in the fast lane and my transmission warning light came on and the car went in to Neutral and lost all power on the gas pedal and the car would not move. I could not put it in Park or it would roll backwards so I put on my hazard lights and kept my foot on the brake. I was almost rear ended several times as it was 9:30pm and no lights on the freeway in the area I was at and no place to get out and find a safe spot as my car would have rolled backwards as it would not come out of Neutral and at that spot in the freeway there is only cement walls. I was able to get the Calif. Highway Patrol to get me a tow company that could tow my car after I called 911. AAA which I have said it would be 90 minutes. I would have been killed before that. The tow truck driver had to tow my car to the Hopkins Acura dealership in Fairfield, CA where I had just had it serviced the Thursday and Friday before on March 17 and 18 for the car's 100,000 maintenance work. The Hopkins Acura said they test drove it after the maintenance work which cost me $3500 but my speedometer showed they only put 1.5 miles on my car so they did not test drive it far. The dealership said they do not touch the transmission during the big maintenance but this car was driving fine and for this transmission to just stop and freeze is so dangerous. The dealership says they will fix the transmission as they spoke to two different companies they work with but they want me to pay $600 of the repair which I do not think is fair.

- Fairfield, CA, USA

problem #31

Sep 292021

MDX

  • miles
On multiple occasions (6 times within a week) the powertrain loses power. While traveling 60 mph in 4 lane Interstate traffic engine loses all power and accelerator ceases to respond. Passengers were at risk due to no power. Acura Dealer has not been able reproduce. Some dealers have affirmed that they've had customers with the issue but can't reproduce. The issue seems to occur more frequently after cruise control has been dis-engaged. I have spoken with another a 2018 Acura owner directly and they have experienced the same issue. It does seem the engine/powertrain resolves when the transmission is switched from "Normal" to "Sport" mode. The amount of time with loss of power seems to span about 5-10 seconds.

- Chapel Hill, NC, USA

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