2023 Acura MDX problems & reliability
36 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2023 Acura MDX, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. 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.
1 complaint report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2023 Acura MDX vehicles were involved in 6 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
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 8 | 22% |
| Power Train | 8 | 22% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 6 | 17% |
| Service Brakes | 6 | 17% |
| Steering | 4 | 11% |
| Unknown OR Other | 4 | 11% |
| Suspension | 3 | 8% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 8% |
| Equipment | 2 | 6% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 6% |
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.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“My 2023 MDX Type S is currently at Mungenast St Louis Acura. Transfer Case and Transmission are both being replaced at roughly 56,000 miles. I made a turn and heard a loud noise. Because I was under acceleration my car was hard to control when it happened. Scared me and immediately let off the gas.”
Power Train · filed Aug 4, 2026
“The contact owns a 2023 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds over a bumpy road surface or a pothole, there was an abnormal metallic sound coming from underneath the passenger’s side of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where a technician…”
Structure · filed Jul 14, 2026
“2023 Acura MDX Sport looses AWD randomly and vehicle becomes only FWD. This has happened many times now and I have taken it to the dealership but they claim they can’t recreate it and would not do anything further unless I change rear end fluid.. I paid for the service but still have the problem. This is getting…”
Power Train · filed May 18, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- All wheel drive allegation
Defect Petition DP26001 · opened Mar 6, 2026 · closed Aug 4, 2026
- No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages
Engineering Analysis EA25004 · opened Mar 26, 2025 · open
Technical service bulletins
127 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2023 Acura MDX. The 10 most recent:
Tech Line Summary Article - Customers are complaining of a clicking noise from front of vehicle while turning at low speeds. This is a temporary solution to address the issue.
BBTS28851 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 18, 2026
"Service Bulletin - A pop noise can occur from the rear roof area when turning into driveways, bumps, or on an incline due to, in some cases, the panoramic roof frame mounting bolts are unable to maintain the necessary…
B23-004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 17, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023-2025 MDXs with a client complaint of a no auto re-start condition after going into an auto idle stop. The push button ignition may or…
BTI&07312025903 · Other · issued Aug 1, 2025
Tech Line Summary - Customers are complaining of a clicking noise from front of vehicle while turning at low speeds. This is a temporary solution to address the issue.
BBTS28851 · Other · issued Jul 17, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023-2025 MDXs with a client complaint of a no auto re-start condition after going into an auto idle stop. The push button ignition may or…
BTI&07152025901 · Other · issued Jul 15, 2025
Service Bulletin - Customers are experiencing screeching, squeaking, rubbing, or scraping from the rear wheel area due to rocks are getting caught between the rear brake disk and splash guard.
B24-025 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 2, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023-2025 MDXs with a client complaint of a front suspension noise while turning left and/or right. The noise can be described as a…
BTI&05272025901 · Other · issued May 27, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023-2025 MDX with a client complaint of a no auto re-start condition after going into an auto idle stop. The push button ignition may or…
BTI&05212025902 · Other · issued May 21, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2019-2025 RDXs and 2022-2025 MDXs with a client complaint of a pop noise in the rear sunroof area. Clients may describe a single pop noise…
BTI&05092025901 · Other · issued May 10, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2019-2025 RDXs and 2022-2025 MDXs with a client complaint of a pop noise in the rear sunroof area. Clients may describe a single pop noise…
BTI&04252025901 · Other · issued Apr 25, 2025
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 2023 Acura MDX has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — 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 2023 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.