2018 Acura MDX Reliability Report

Worn connecting rod bearings that lead to engine failure are the main concern. Before the engine fails, owners report stalling while driving, hesitation when pulling away, and check engine lights. Some blame long recall delays for the damage. One owner reports a bottom-end rebuild at 40k miles and the same problem coming back at 80k. Dealers often refused to inspect cars until recall parts arrived. One report describes an engine compartment fire while the car was parked in a garage.

The throttle fails to respond for 1 to 3 seconds when pulling away from a stop, and then the car lunges forward. It happens intermittently, sometimes more often when the engine is cold. Owners find it most dangerous during left turns and merges. A few report the same loss of response at highway speeds. Dealers often find nothing wrong. Neither software updates nor the fuel pump recall repair has fixed it. Separate reports describe false automatic braking to a full stop and cruise control engaging from a crawl.

Most of these filings are about the fuel pump recall and repair parts that dealers couldn't get for long periods. Owners with actual symptoms report stalling and loss of power at speed, sudden slowing on the highway, engine hesitation, and lunging forward when the pedal is pressed. In one case a loud vibrating noise continued after the recall repair, and a mechanic suspected the second fuel pump, which the recall does not cover. Reported mileages fall between about 50,000 and 87,000.

The main complaint is throttle delay from a stop followed by a sudden takeoff. Owners say they were nearly hit while turning across traffic. Others report the car losing power or jerking with every warning light on. In one case a mechanic traced this to the high-pressure fuel pump. Recall repairs did not always cure the delay, and some dealers had not completed the fuel pump recall. Single reports mention check engine codes P0441 and P04F1 and a fuel nozzle sticking in the capless filler.

The edges of the front windshield are distorted, which is the most repeated complaint. Straight lines look bent and objects seem to grow and shrink. Some drivers report dizziness, nausea, and trouble judging distance while parking or checking for cross traffic. Other reports describe a washer fluid pump that stops working after the reservoir runs low and is refilled, a sunroof that shattered while driving, and a steering wheel that sometimes fails to return to its memory position.

Only 3 reports fall here, and they show no clear pattern. In one, a fire started in the engine compartment shortly after the car was parked and spread to a building. The owner suspects a fuel line leak. In another, rain leaked in through a misaligned front passenger area on a new car, and the manufacturer called it a factory defect. The third reports paint chipping off the tailgate.

The automatic braking system engages when there is no real hazard and brings the car to a hard or full stop at around 35 to 40 mph. In one report this sudden braking caused a crash with 2 injuries. In both reports another vehicle was nearby, either turning off the road or passing. The dealer found no stored errors and could not reproduce the problem.