2013 Acura MDX problems & reliability
29 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2013 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.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2013 Acura MDX vehicles were involved in 7 fatal crashes with 3 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 | 9 | 31% |
| Electrical System | 8 | 28% |
| Unknown OR Other | 5 | 17% |
| Power Train | 4 | 14% |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 10% |
| Steering | 3 | 10% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 10% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 2 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 3% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The car is giving external right head light issue. The light turns off suddenly at night which we need to turn on again after 2 minutes. This happens frequently and we have to turn on the lights very often. The dealer examined the issue and he expressed regret in repairing the vehicle and estimated price of $2.500.The…”
Forward Collision Avoidance · filed Jun 14, 2026
“Warning message appeared 1/17/25. Inspected by Price Acura service department 1/20/25. Checked online recall for airbags. Multiple airbag recalls are mentioned for Acura, including my make and model. This vehicle has approximately 92,000 miles and I am the original owner. Would like to know if this $1800 charge would…”
Air Bags · filed Jan 21, 2025
“The contact owns a 2013 Acura MDX. The contact stated that he was about to drive the vehicle when he noticed the front passenger-side headlight was flickering. The contact stated he decided not to drive the vehicle. The contact stated when he looked at the vehicle again he noticed the vehicle was on fire from the…”
Electrical System · filed Nov 7, 2023
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
88 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2013 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
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
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 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 2013 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 2013 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.