Friday, August 7, 2026
RecallGazette

Vehicle problems, recalls & safety intelligence

2010 Acura MDX problems & reliability

45 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2010 Acura MDX, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.

Owner complaints
45
Recall campaigns
1
Fire reports
4 (9%)
Crash reports
6 (13%)

Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.

NCAP overall rating
Not rated
NHTSA 5-star program
EPA fuel economy
18 MPG combined
City 16 · highway 21 (typical trim)
Service bulletins (TSBs)
77
Manufacturer communications on file
Defect investigations
0
NHTSA ODI probes naming this model year

4 complaints report injuries (8 injured).

Federal crash records (FARS 20202023): 2010 Acura MDX vehicles were involved in 11 fatal crashes with 2 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.

Most reported problems

ComponentComplaints
Engine11
Electrical System9
Steering6
Structure6
Power Train5
Unknown OR Other5
Seat Belts4
Air Bags3
Exterior Lighting2
Fuel/propulsion System2

Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.

Mileage when problems occurred

Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 67,000 miles (middle 50% between 30,026 and 96,900 miles), based on 30 complaints that included mileage.

under 20k
7
20–40k
4
40–60k
3
60–80k
4
80–100k
6
100–150k
4
150k+
2

Complaints by incident year

09
10
11
12
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

What owners report

  • The contact owns a 2010 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while attempting to open the door, the contact’s grandson exited the vehicle, and the door closed independently. The contact stated that his daughter had experienced the door closing independently onto her right hand while exiting the vehicle. No warning light…

    Structure · filed Jul 15, 2025

  • SO my car had a torque converter recall at some point i was not notified of it to get it fixed. as such i drove it across the us and ended up making the transmission slip so bad that it would not go into gear anymore. since this i have taken it a dealership where the recall was performed after the fat and now they…

    Power Train · filed Apr 21, 2025

  • The contact's wife owned a 2010 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while parked in his garage, the passenger's low beam headlamp was removed after it stopped illuminating. The contact observed then observed the driver's low beam heal lamp blinking. The contact stated after 10 minutes, he and his family observed a…

    Visibility · filed Sep 19, 2024

Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.

Technical service bulletins

77 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2010 Acura MDX. The 10 most recent:

  • These SKUs are Exhaust Manifolds with Catalytic Converters. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory due to a loss of CARB certification. These SKUs can no longer be sold as they do not meet CARB…

    DOR-M9J4S-07 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 3, 2020

  • These SKUs are Exhaust Manifolds with Catalytic Converters. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory due to a loss of CARB certification. These SKUs can no longer be sold as they do not meet CARB…

    DOR-M3J3F-07 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 3, 2020

  • Service Bulletin - Due to high demand for repairs under this warranty extension, pistons and rings required to complete this repair are currently backordered. Acura has provided this service bulletin (19-052) as a…

    B19-052 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 2, 2019

  • Dealer Message - On January 16, 2019, Acura announced a warranty extension for certain 2009-14 Acura vehicles equipped with a 3.7L V6 engine to address client concerns related to excessive oil consumption. Acura…

    BBOM08312019 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 31, 2019

  • Service Bulletin - The oil control rings may become clogged with carbon deposits. These deposits restrict the ring's ability to scrape and return oil from the cylinder wall to the crankcase, which can result in…

    B19-006 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 10, 2019

  • Service Bulletin - The oil control rings may become clogged with carbon deposits. These deposits restrict the ring's ability to scrape and return oil from the cylinder wall to the crankcase, which can result in…

    B19-006 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 18, 2019

  • Service Bulletin - The oil control rings may become clogged with carbon deposits. These deposits restrict the ring's ability to scrape and return oil from the cylinder wall to the crankcase, which can result in…

    B18-009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2019

  • Service Bulletin - The oil control rings may become clogged with carbon deposits. These deposits restrict the ring's ability to scrape and return oil from the cylinder wall to the crankcase, which can result in…

    B19-006 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 21, 2019

  • Owner Notification Letter - On certain 2009-14 Acura vehicles equipped with the 3.7L V6 engine, the oil control rings may become clogged with carbon deposits during normal engine operation. These deposits restrict the…

    ONL6C502142019 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 14, 2019

  • Dealer message - Today, January 16, 2019, Acura is announcing a warranty extension for certain 2009-14 Acura vehicles equipped with the 3.7L V6 engine to address client concerns related to excessive oil consumption…

    BBOM01162019901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 16, 2019

TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.

Safety recalls

The 2010 Acura MDX has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.

Check whether your specific vehicle is affected

Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.

Check VIN on NHTSA →

Buying a used 2010 Acura MDX?

  • · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
  • · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
  • · Owners most often reported problems around 67,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.
About this data. Complaint figures come from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database and count unique complaints (one per NHTSA case number). Complaints are submitted by vehicle owners and are not independently verified; complaint volume also reflects how many of these vehicles are on the road. Recall data comes from the official NHTSA recall database. This page is not affiliated with Acura or NHTSA.