2011 Acura MDX problems & reliability
70 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2011 Acura MDX. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
6 complaints report injuries (6 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2011 Acura MDX vehicles were involved in 19 fatal crashes with 6 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
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine → | 28 | 40% |
| Power Train | 8 | 11% |
| Electrical System | 7 | 10% |
| Unknown OR Other | 7 | 10% |
| Air Bags | 6 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 6% |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 4% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 4% |
| Structure | 3 | 4% |
| Suspension | 3 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 70,000 miles (middle 50% between 35,500 and 98,350 miles), based on 43 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Check engine light continues to come on after repair, lack of power and transmission skip at times. Reverse light dark, unable to see at all.”
Power Train · filed Sep 17, 2025
“The hazard warning switch on my 2011 Acura MDX Technology & Entertainment Package VIN [XXX] sticks. It is due to a manufacturing defect and not because of normal wear and tear. That is a safety concern because when it is pressed and sticks, such as when giving the right of way to an emergency vehicle, or in bad…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Sep 11, 2025
“The 2011 Acura MDX has a problem with the pistons in the engine which causes excessive oil consumption. This was subject of the matter of a class action suit described on the website entitled Acura Oil Consumption Settlement. This defect should be subject to recall and American Honda should be required to repair or…”
Power Train · filed Apr 28, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
59 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2011 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
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2011 Acura MDX in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
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 2011 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 70,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.