2019 Acura MDX Reliability Report

Sudden power loss and stalling lead these reports, sometimes on the highway with no warning light. Some cars drop into limp mode. One failure was traced to a rocker arm oil pressure switch. Engine knocking also shows up, and owners report replacing a cylinder head or the whole engine. Many complaints are about the connecting rod bearing and fuel pump recalls, with dealers saying parts have been unavailable for more than a year. Failure to restart after auto start/stop is another repeated complaint, and new batteries and software updates have not cured it.

Automatic emergency braking slams on with nothing ahead, sometimes at highway speed. The car stops abruptly and drivers report close calls with traffic behind them. Dealers often cannot reproduce it, and one case appears at 41,000 miles. The second pattern is a failing front camera. It sets off warnings for adaptive cruise, lane keep assist, road departure mitigation, collision mitigation, and auto high beams, then shuts those systems off. Owners describe the camera as an out-of-pocket repair. One quote was $900 for the part and $1600 for installation and calibration.

Nearly every report is about the fuel system recall, which other complaints tie to the fuel pump, and the lack of parts to complete it. Owners say dealers had no parts and the wait went past a reasonable time. A few reports describe real failures. One car stalled pulling away from a light near 90,000 miles. Another shifted into park while driving, with an EVAP leak near 88,000 miles, and the problem came back after the recall repair. One unrelated complaint describes a dimming instrument panel.

Optical distortion in the windshield near both front pillars dominates these reports. Through those areas, cars and pedestrians look wavy or bent. Owners say this causes dizziness, nausea, and trouble judging traffic at turns and intersections. Complaints come from buyers of new and just-purchased cars. Other reports describe a sunroof that shattered while driving with nothing hitting it. Another describes a rear camera image that turns blurry at night, which dealers could not reproduce in daylight.

The most serious pattern is unintended acceleration, both at low speed in parking areas and while slowing for lights. One report describes the car speeding up despite braking and hitting several vehicles, with injuries. Other owners describe the opposite problem: no power when trying to pass, or adaptive cruise slowing hard with no car ahead. Some engines shut off at speed with no warning light, including one case near 42,000 miles. Dealers usually cannot duplicate these failures.

Automatic braking that kicks in with no obstacle ahead appears repeatedly. Some owners say it happens more often over time, and one dealer called it normal behavior. Other reports describe a brake pedal that turns very stiff after the car sits for a few hours, and a pedal stuck down with a grinding noise and the brake light on. In one low-speed case the pedal did not respond and the car hit a pole, near 37,000 miles.

Factory wheels cracking at low mileage in normal driving is the clearest structural concern in this small group of reports. The others do not share a pattern. One describes the car accelerating on its own while braking in a drive-through, then hitting a curb and damaging a front wheel. Another says the tire sealant and compressor kit failed to fix a roadside flat, leaving the family stranded until help arrived.