2019 Acura MDX problems, complaints & recalls

Updated from NHTSA data · How we count

Owners have filed 174 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Acura MDX, most often about engine. There are 9 recalls for this model year.

Complaints
174
Recalls
9
Crashes
4
Fires
3
Injuries
3
Median mileage
40,000 mi
at time of problem

Key facts

  • Engine is the most-reported problem area, named in 75 of 174 complaints (43%).
  • Fuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion (43) and electrical system (39) follow.
  • Half of the complaints that list mileage happened before 40,000 mi.
  • Owners reported 4 crashes, 3 fires and 3 injuries.
  • The 2019 Acura MDX has 9 recalls on file.
  • NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations covering this vehicle.
  • It ranks 4th of 21 Acura MDX model years by our severity-weighted complaint score (1st = worst).
  • That is 19% more complaints than the 2018 model year (146).

2019 Acura MDX problems by category

A complaint can mention more than one problem area, so categories add up to more than the total.

Most-reported components

Component (as filed with NHTSA)Complaints
Engine46
Electrical system36
Power train31
Engine and engine cooling30
Unknown or other25
Fuel system, gasoline22
Fuel/propulsion system21
Forward collision avoidance: adaptive cruise control13

When problems happen (mileage)

6Under 10k710k–30k1330k–60k1060k–100k1100k–150k150k+
Mileage at the time of the problem, for 2019 Acura MDX complaints that list mileage.

2019 Acura MDX recalls (9)

  • Recall 26V365000Jun 4, 2026880,514 vehicles
    STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS · SUSPENSION:REAR

    American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Honda Pilot, 2017-2023 Ridgeline, 2019-2023 Passport, and 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles that were sold in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. The rear subframe may corrode at the suspension mounting points, which can result in rear suspension component failure.

    Risk: Failure of rear suspension components, such as the rear control arm, can cause a loss of vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rear subframe and install a rear subframe reinforcement kit and, as necessary, repair or replace the rear subframe components, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed July 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in the fall of 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are AOU and AOT. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning June 10, 2026.

  • Recall 26V332000May 21, 202698,892 vehicles
    AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.

    Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.

  • Recall 25V259000Apr 17, 2025152,800 vehicles
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING · INTERIOR LIGHTING

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles. Moisture may enter the tailgate lid light assembly and wiring harness, which can cause the interior and exterior lights to fail, including the lid lights, position lights, license plate lights and taillights.

    Risk: Vehicle lights that fail to illuminate can decrease visibility and increase the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the wiring and install a fuse harness, replace the lid light, and repair the body dust sealer, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 30, 2025. Owners may contact Acura's customer service at 1-800-382-2238. Acura's number for this recall is FLI. Vehicles included in this recall that were previously repaired under NHTSA recall number 19V-256 will need to have the new remedy completed.

  • Recall 23V858000Dec 18, 20232,490,460 vehicles
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

    Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

  • Recall 23V751000Nov 13, 2023248,999 vehicles
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.

    Risk: A damaged engine may run improperly or stall while driving, increasing the risk of a fire, crash, or injury.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 2016-2017 Acura MDX owner letters were mailed November 1, 2024. 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed in mid-December 2024. Honda began mailing owner notification letters as of March 18, 2024. 2015-2016 Acura owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-December 2024, 2018 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed the end of March/early April 2024, 2019 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-May 2024, 2020 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-June 2024, and 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed January 27, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XG1 and GG0.

  • Recall 21V215000Mar 25, 2021624,552 vehicles
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 CR-V vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

    Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 18, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-314.

  • Recall 19V298000Apr 12, 201993,946 vehicles
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Acura MDX and Honda Pilot vehicles and 2019 Acura RLX, RLX Sport Hybrid, TLX and Honda Odyssey and Ridgeline vehicles. The timing belt teeth may separate from the belt.

    Risk: Teeth separation from the timing belt may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of crash.

    Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle and replace any affected timing belt free of charge. Vehicles receiving a replacement timing belt will also have the engine inspected and any damaged components will be replaced for free. The recall began June 7, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is L4M. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is Z4L.

  • Recall 19V256000Mar 28, 2019322,897 vehicles
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING · EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Acura MDX and 2017-2019 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid vehicles. Moisture may enter the tailgate lid lights, possibly causing a loss of the tailgate lid lights and the taillights.

    Risk: Loss of the taillights reduces the vehicle's visibility, increasing the risk of crash.

    Remedy: Acura will notify owners, and dealers will modify the tailgate lid lights and install updated gaskets and a wiring sub-harness or will replace both tailgate lid lights. The repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began May 7, 2019. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is M49.

  • Recall 18V777000Nov 1, 201864,785 vehicles
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Acura MDX, 2017-2018 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda HR-V and Honda Odyssey, and 2016 Honda HR-V vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating, causing gas pockets to form, reducing brake performance. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."

    Risk: A reduction of braking performance increases the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Owners will be notified, and Honda or Acura dealers will bleed the brakes, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are C31 and L30.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • PE25008Opened Aug 20, 2025Open

    Engine failure

    The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 414 reports of connecting rod bearing failures in the 3.5L V6 engine used in the following vehicles: Model Years (MY) 2018-2020 Acura TLX, MY2016-2020 Acura MDX, MY2016-2020 Honda Pilot, MY2018-2020 Honda Odyssey, and MY2017-2019 Honda Ridgeline.  The subject engine failures were analyzed as part of a Recall Query (RQ24013).  It was determined that these engine failures are outside the scope of Honda Recall 23V-751. Further, evidence gathered in conjunction with RQ24013 does not suggest this failure is caused by the same crankshaft manufac…

  • EA25004Opened Mar 26, 2025Open

    No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages

    On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5L engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. On January 6, 2023, Honda released service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. These service bulletins address the failure to r…

  • RQ24013Opened Nov 8, 2024Closed Aug 20, 2025

    Engine failure

    On November 8, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query RQ24013 to assess the scope of Honda recall 23V-751 after receiving complaints that alleged connecting rod bearing failures in vehicles that were not within the scope of recall 23V-751. In November 2023, Honda recalled 248,999 various Model Year (MY)2016–2020 Honda and Acura vehicles equipped with the 3.5L V6 engine. Honda recalled these vehicles due to a crankshaft manufacturing defect that caused premature connecting rod bearing wear and engine seizure. While the out-of-scope failures involved in these complai…

NHTSA 5-Star safety ratings

VersionOverallFrontalSideRollover
2019 Acura MDX SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆
2019 Acura MDX SUV FWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆

Recent 2019 Acura MDX complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

  1. Filed Oct 7, 2026NCEngine
    Dec. 16, 2025, took Acura into the dealership because Check Engine light kept coming on. They did a full inspection and said I needed to have the purge valve replaced and that it was nearing time to have other services: transmission service, front transfer case, rear differential, brake fluid, timing belt, spark plugs, fuel service. Took the diagnostic to my brother who is a mechanic and he started the work starting with the purge valve. He had already done spark plugs with…
    NHTSA complaint #11769561 · source
  2. Filed Sep 17, 2026PAEngineFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion
    issue occurring with automatic start/stop function. car stalls on occasion trying to restart, goes into neutral, even though battery is new and in good condition. hard to replicate and occurs randomly. car has to be turned off and on again. this is the 4th time this has happened over the course of 3 years. seems to be happening to others based on forums as well.
    NHTSA complaint #11764975 · source
  3. Filed Sep 17, 2026PADriver Assistance & Safety TechElectrical System
    the camera system located above the rear view mirror failed and caused a warning light for the lkas system. adaptive cruise control, lane keeping did not work because of it. the unit had to be replaced. this seems to be a fairly common issue with this mdx version, based on forums
    NHTSA complaint #11764964 · source
  4. Filed Aug 21, 202660,000 miUTFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion
    The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to drive to the residence after the failure. An independent mechanic was contacted and attributed the failure to the fuel pump. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); but the vehicle was repaired under the recall approximately 2…
    NHTSA complaint #11758558 · source
  5. Filed Aug 19, 202675,000 miAZSeats & Seat Belts
    The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the driver’s and passenger’s side front seats shifted unexpectedly. The contact stated that there was an abnormal popping sound coming from the center of the seat backrest, which was felt in the seat. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was notified of the issue and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The…
    NHTSA complaint #11757986 · source
  6. Filed Jul 22, 2026TXElectrical SystemOther / Unknown
    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 · source
  7. Filed Jun 26, 2026NYDriver Assistance & Safety Tech
    The subject 2019 Acura MDX model includes the tech package which adds several safety features that function through a windshield mounted camara/radar. The system has malfunctioned and none of the safety features are working. The dash displays the following messages: Collision Mitigation System Problem Adaptive Cruise Control Problem Lane Keeping Asist Problem Road Departure Mitigation System Problem automatic headlight system problem At the bottom of the dash, I see Brake…
    NHTSA complaint #11746803 · source
  8. Filed Jun 24, 2026TXElectrical SystemTransmission & Drivetrain
    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…
    NHTSA complaint #11746202 · source

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Other 2019 Acura models

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 10, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology