2011 Acura MDX

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Average

Quick Summary

The 2011 Acura MDX has 87 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 1.1x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is engine problems (33% of all complaints), specifically: we are currently leasing a 2011 acura mdx and are experiencing a pinging or engine knock at lower rpm. i had a service technician test drive the car and he recognized the noise and stated that acura is aware of the problem but does not have a fix for the problem. when i asked if there was potential . ⚠️ 1 fire report filed.

1 fire report 4 crash reports 6 injuries

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

1.1x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ENGINE

29 complaints

33%

• WE ARE CURRENTLY LEASING A 2011 ACURA MDX AND ARE EXPERIENCING A PINGING OR ENGINE KNOCK AT LOWER RPM. I HAD A SERVICE TECHNICIAN TEST DRIVE THE CAR AND HE RECOGNIZED THE NOISE AND STATED THAT ACURA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT DOES NOT HAVE A FIX FOR THE PROBLEM. WHEN I ASKED IF THERE WAS POTENTIAL
• WHILE PARKING, THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AS IF THE ACCELERATOR WAS FLOORED, AND THE CAR ONLY CAME TO A STOP AFTER HITTING A BLOCK WALL. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV UNTIL THE CAR WAS PUT INTO PARK AND THE ENGINE TURNED OFF. I COULD HEAR THE TIRE SCREECHING LIKE "BURNING RUBBER" WHEN IT ACCELERATE
• VEHICLE PURCHASED USED WITH 47K MILES ON IT. BY THE TIME I NOTICED THE OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM (WHICH I CERTAINLY DIDN'T EXPECT) THE USED CAR WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. I AM CURRENTLY BURNING 1 QT OF OIL EVERY 1K MILES. AS THE VEHICLE HAS A FACTORY 70K POWERTRAIN WARRANTY I BROUGHT IT TO MY LOCAL ACURA D

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“WE ARE CURRENTLY LEASING A 2011 ACURA MDX AND ARE EXPERIENCING A PINGING OR ENGINE KNOCK AT LOWER RPM. I HAD A SERVICE TECHNICIAN TEST DRIVE THE CAR AND HE RECOGNIZED THE NOISE AND STATED THAT ACURA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT DOES NOT HAVE A FIX FOR THE PROBLEM. WHEN I ASKED IF THERE WAS POTENTIAL ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

8 complaints

• WHILE LEAVING A PARKING LOT AND COMING TO A STOP PRIOR TO ENTERING TRAFFIC, THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD WHILE BRAKING. THIS HAS OCCURRED 3 ADDITIONAL TIMES SINCE THAT INITIAL EPISODE. CONCURRENTLY, THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SHIFT ROUGHLY. I EXPERIENCED "MICRO LURCHES" WHILE ACCELERATING AND DECELERATI
• WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY THE CAR THE BEGAN SHAKING FOLLOWED BY A BOOMING SOUND- SIMILAR TO A TIRE EXPLOSION - AND EVENTUALLY TIRES LOCKED UP CAUSING VEHICLE TO SKID. DEALER REPAIR SHOP DIAGNOSED AS A "REAR DIFFERENTIAL FAILURE" AND REPAIRED. HOWEVER, TWO DAYS AFTER THE REPAIR, THE PROBLEM MANIFEST
• WHILE PARKING, THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AS IF THE ACCELERATOR WAS FLOORED, AND THE CAR ONLY CAME TO A STOP AFTER HITTING A BLOCK WALL. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV UNTIL THE CAR WAS PUT INTO PARK AND THE ENGINE TURNED OFF. I COULD HEAR THE TIRE SCREECHING LIKE "BURNING RUBBER" WHEN IT ACCELERATE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“WHILE LEAVING A PARKING LOT AND COMING TO A STOP PRIOR TO ENTERING TRAFFIC, THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD WHILE BRAKING. THIS HAS OCCURRED 3 ADDITIONAL TIMES SINCE THAT INITIAL EPISODE. CONCURRENTLY, THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SHIFT ROUGHLY. I EXPERIENCED "MICRO LURCHES" WHILE ACCELERATING AND DECELERATI”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

8 complaints

• I HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY PACKAGE WHICH INCLUDES A MONITOR ABOVE THE DASHBOARD FOR NAVIGATION AND REAR VIEW. THE REVERSE CAMERA FOR THIS VEHICLE DOES NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE VISIBILITY AT NIGHT. I PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 2004 MDX AND THE REAR VIEW CAMERA WORKED WELL. OTHER CARS I'VE BEEN SEEN ALSO ALLOW THE D
• THE SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE IN MORNING TRAFFIC GOING AT LEAST 65 MPH.
• I WAS TRAVELING ALONG AN INTERSTATE AND HEARD A DEAFENING SOUND. I LOST CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE, LEFT THE INTERSTATE AND WAS HEADING DOWN AN EMBANKMENT WHEN I FINALLY REGAINED CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE. I MADE IT BACK TO THE INTERSTATE AND PULLED OFF AT THE NEXT EXIT. I HEARD THE SOUND AS IF SOMETHING

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“I HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY PACKAGE WHICH INCLUDES A MONITOR ABOVE THE DASHBOARD FOR NAVIGATION AND REAR VIEW. THE REVERSE CAMERA FOR THIS VEHICLE DOES NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE VISIBILITY AT NIGHT. I PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 2004 MDX AND THE REAR VIEW CAMERA WORKED WELL. OTHER CARS I'VE BEEN SEEN ALSO ALLOW THE D”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

7 complaints

• AT NIGHT TIME, THE BACKUP REAR CAMERA IS USELESS DUE TO INSUFFICIENT LIGHTING PROVIDED BY THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. *TR
• OUR IGNITION TURNED OFF WHILE DRIVING. THE SWITCHBLADE KEY WAS ENGAGED. WE WERE ABLE TO STEER THE CAR AND PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. WE TOOK EVERYTHING OFF THE KEY RING AND RESTARTED THE IGNITION. THE SWITCH BLADE KEY MECHANISM APPEARS TO HAVE STARTED TO BEND OVER TIME. I AM CONCERNED THE
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 ACURA MDX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED SEVERAL TIMES WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE MORE THAN ONCE AND PROVIDED NO SPECIFIC DIAGNOSIS OTHER THAN INDICATING THAT THE FAILURE COULD BE DUE TO THE BATTERY AND BATTERY CABLE. THE MANUFAC

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“AT NIGHT TIME, THE BACKUP REAR CAMERA IS USELESS DUE TO INSUFFICIENT LIGHTING PROVIDED BY THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

AIR BAGS

6 complaints

• YELLOW CHECK AIRBAG SYSTEM APPEARS AFTER CAR IS STARTED.
• CHECK AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ON AT ALL TIMES. CAR CONSUMES WAY TOO MUCH OIL. CLOSE TO 3.5 QUARTS BETWEEN OIL CHANGES
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 ACURA MDX. THE CONTACT STATED THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHILE PRESSING ON THE HORN PAD, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LOCAL DEALER COGGIN ACURA OF FT. PIERCE LOCATED AT 4400 US-1, F

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“YELLOW CHECK AIRBAG SYSTEM APPEARS AFTER CAR IS STARTED.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

AIR BAGS(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 87 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ENGINE: WE ARE CURRENTLY LEASING A 2011 ACURA MDX AND ARE EXPERIENCING A PINGING OR ENGINE KNOCK AT LOWER RPM. I HAD A SERVICE TECHNICIAN TEST DRIVE THE CAR AND HE RECOGNIZED THE NOISE AND STATED THAT ACURA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT DOES NOT HAVE A FIX FOR THE PROBLEM. WHEN I ASKED IF THERE WAS POTENTIAL
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: WHILE LEAVING A PARKING LOT AND COMING TO A STOP PRIOR TO ENTERING TRAFFIC, THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD WHILE BRAKING. THIS HAS OCCURRED 3 ADDITIONAL TIMES SINCE THAT INITIAL EPISODE. CONCURRENTLY, THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SHIFT ROUGHLY. I EXPERIENCED "MICRO LURCHES" WHILE ACCELERATING AND DECELERATI
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: I HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY PACKAGE WHICH INCLUDES A MONITOR ABOVE THE DASHBOARD FOR NAVIGATION AND REAR VIEW. THE REVERSE CAMERA FOR THIS VEHICLE DOES NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE VISIBILITY AT NIGHT. I PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 2004 MDX AND THE REAR VIEW CAMERA WORKED WELL. OTHER CARS I'VE BEEN SEEN ALSO ALLOW THE D
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: AT NIGHT TIME, THE BACKUP REAR CAMERA IS USELESS DUE TO INSUFFICIENT LIGHTING PROVIDED BY THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)