2016 Acura MDX Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

Incident: October 24, 2026 · Filed: October 29, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power and the vehicle decelerated. During the failure, several warning lights illuminated and unknown messages were displayed. The vehicle was driven to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine rod bearings had failed and informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure and informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 210,000.

Incident: October 16, 2026 · Filed: October 20, 2026

There is a reaccuring safety defect issue where the engine completely shutts off and stalls without warning when the car comes to a stop. This can be at a stop sign, stop lights, or just stopping the car when in traffic, even on the highway. This is due to the IDS (Auto Idle Stop system). A couple exteme safetyhazards that have occured: The car has repeatedly shut down while we are in the middle of the highway during stop and go traffic leaving us stranded in in live lanes of traffic with the car just completely shutting down and glitching. It would take multiple attempts to turn the car on in order to get out of the situation. There have been close calls on rear-end collisions as a result of this. The issue also progressively worsens during super cold or super hot weather further reflecting the starter/software issues. During other occasions, the car completely failed to restart or delayed restarts that took 5+ hours long once the car "cooled down" from being parked in the sun. We have taken the car to an authrozied acura delarship on atleast two seperate occasion to address the racall issue. On top of these more severe situations, atleast once a week i will get stuck on a stop sign were the shuts down and then i am stuck for a few minutes trying to get it to turn on. However, the issue had ZERO improvement. The defect remains entirely unresolved and feels unsafe to operate. For the safety of my family and for your own massive legal and manufaturere liability due to the immenet threat of accidents, severe injury, or death, please resolve ASAP.

Incident: September 18, 2026 · Filed: October 15, 2026

Water leakage into the right tailgate lid light assembly caused it to malfunction. In the photo you can see water pooled in the right lower corner. There is a recall for this specific issue for the year/make/model of my vehicle (NHTSA ID 25V259000). However my VIN is not included. I took my vehicle to the dealership and they confirmed that moisture was entering the tailgate lid light assembly which caused the light to fail. There was a warranty extension issued in July 2025 that expired in November 2025 related to this issue that applied to my specific vehicle. However I was not having this safety issue at the time and did not receive notification so I was unaware of the warranty extension. [XXX] I am reporting this as a safety complaint because it is the exact issue for which a recall was issued, yet Acura did not include my vehicle based on its VIN. Therefore it is possible they did not include all vehicles for which this problem may occur. Because the failure of the taillight due to a defect is a safety issue increasing crash risk, this should have been included in the recall rather than just a 6 month warranty extension. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: June 28, 2019 · Filed: October 12, 2026

Driving home from a trip June 2019 on the highway at 60mph with 3 children and my husband, my 2016 Acura MDX experienced complete engine failure - alarms started to sound and I experienced a loss of acceleration, lights in the dash included Engine Problem, Transmission Problem, Emission System Problem, Critical Failure Detected Stop Driving When Safe etc. The vehicle shifted into neutral. I was able to pull off the road onto the shoulder. The engine was still running but would not shift into park. I contacted Acura TLC to have the vehicle towed but we were stranded on the side of a very busy highway in 90 degree heat with 3 kids waiting. Not only was it unsafe to be driving 60mph and lose engine power, I had to also negotiate three lanes of traffic to safely reach the shoulder. The dealership that serviced my vehicle stated it needed a "software update" - the vehicle was with them the week before this happened for regular maintenance and they failed to do the supposed software update. I complained about engine issue in this vehicle from the first time I took for service and nothing was ever done about my complaints. I have all my service records from Acura service indicating my complaints. In 2026 we took the vehicle back to Acura for diagnostics and were told the engine and transmission needed to be replaced due to a KNOWN issue by Honda Motor Corp with the transmission cooler system contamination. The repair estimate is $36,506.15.

Incident: August 19, 2026 · Filed: September 21, 2026

My 2016 Acura MDX (VIN [XXX]) is covered by Acura safety campaign 4170A8. The campaign covers rear subframe corrosion at the suspension mounting points that can cause the rear wheels to become misaligned or inadequately retained, affecting handling, stability, and braking. On XXX, I brought the vehicle to Sunnyside Acura, [XXX] (Repair Order XXX). The dealer did not perform the recall remedy and noted "cannot complete as rear toe arms are seized." They ordered replacement rear toe arms (52370-TZ5-A91 and 52375-TZ5-A91) that day. More than a month later, the recall repair has still not been completed: I filed a complaint with the dealership. They called me but did not follow through. On XXX, the dealer postponed the repair because no loaner vehicle was available. The repair was rescheduled for XXX. The dealer did not contact me. I contacted Acura Client Relations more than a week ago and have received no response. I am driving a vehicle with a known, open safety defect that Acura has acknowledged but has not repaired. I am asking NHTSA to help ensure Acura and its dealer complete the recall remedy promptly. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: September 4, 2026 · Filed: September 15, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and failed to accelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure posed a potential safety risk in daily traffic. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the road, and the vehicle was towed to a local dealer for diagnosis. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with engine bearing failure into the engine oil pan and cylinder #5 failure. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and NHTSA Action Number: PE25008 (Engine). The manufacturer was notified of the failure by telephone. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

Incident: September 12, 2026 · Filed: September 15, 2026

Heard a knocking noise in the engine, had it serviced at an independent mechanic (towed as to not create more damage and the knocking noise was louder). Mechanic told me that the rod bearing/engine had failed and would need to be replaced. $7000-$10000 for replacement. He also indicated that this was under recall for 2016-2020 cars. I checked my VIN and my car is not part of the recall but the car has 130000 miles and has been serviced regularly. I am requesting that it be part of the recall since this is a known/reported issue for this year/model. I called American Honda and they said because of the mileage and age, that it would not be part of the recall.

Incident: September 5, 2026 · Filed: September 8, 2026

Car Keyless Entry Module/ TPMS Module having problem and alarms keep going off at anytime. It also stops car while driving because of no fob detection. It also automatically tries to turn the car on/off even when it was parked.

Incident: September 11, 2025 · Filed: September 7, 2026

"My 2016 Acura MDX completely seized on the highway after a loud knocking sound, which perfectly matches the connecting rod bearing failure under Recall 23V-751. Even if my specific VIN isn't showing up as open on the website, I know the NHTSA has a major open investigation into 1.4 million of these V6 engines because hundreds of vehicles are failing exactly like mine outside the original recall scope. I need Acura to open a corporate goodwill case to inspect my engine and cover this repair."

Incident: September 3, 2026 · Filed: September 5, 2026

"Vehicle experienced a sudden flashing check engine light pulled over checked oil restarted car flashing check engine light went away then started flashing again a few miles down the road (Cylinder 3 misfire) accompanied by severe engine knocking. The engine locked up/seized while hot. car was stuck on the road and was unable to shift to neutral. After cooling down, the engine restarted but produces a heavy metallic scraping and loud squealing noise from internal friction. This matches the exact failure mechanism of connecting rod bearing failure under investigation PE25008, but Honda/Acura has excluded this VIN from active recalls. I was forced to pay $389 out-of-pocket for an emergency tow."