2014 Acura MDX

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2014 Acura MDX has 246 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 3.1x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is steering problems (16% of all complaints), specifically: tl* the contact owns a 2014 acura mdx. the contact heard an intermittent noise behind the dashboard. while making a turn at various speeds, the power steering seized and caused temporary loss of control. initially, the dealer could not duplicate the failure. the dealer later discovered that the. ⚠️ 5 fire reports filed.

5 fire reports 17 crash reports 18 injuries

246

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

3.1x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

STEERING

39 complaints

16%

• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 ACURA MDX. THE CONTACT HEARD AN INTERMITTENT NOISE BEHIND THE DASHBOARD. WHILE MAKING A TURN AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE POWER STEERING SEIZED AND CAUSED TEMPORARY LOSS OF CONTROL. INITIALLY, THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE DEALER LATER DISCOVERED THAT THE
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 ACURA MDX. THE CONTACT HEARD AN INTERMITTENT NOISE BEHIND THE DASHBOARD. WHILE MAKING A TURN AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE POWER STEERING SEIZED AND CAUSED TEMPORARY LOSS OF CONTROL. INITIALLY, THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE DEALER LATER DISCOVERED THAT THE
• ON HIGHWAY GOING DOWNHILL AND CURVES, THE STEERING WHEEL HORRIBLY SHAKES AND VEHICLE FEELS VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE (WOBBLY). FELT ALMOST LIKE IF BRAKES WERE BAD BUT IT IS NOT THE BRAKE (BRAKES HAVE ALMOST DECENT AMOUNT OF PADS). TIRES ARE GOOD TOO. *TR AFTER THE INCIDENT, EQUIPPED TELESCOPING STEERI

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

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 ACURA MDX. THE CONTACT HEARD AN INTERMITTENT NOISE BEHIND THE DASHBOARD. WHILE MAKING A TURN AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE POWER STEERING SEIZED AND CAUSED TEMPORARY LOSS OF CONTROL. INITIALLY, THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE DEALER LATER DISCOVERED THAT THE”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

27 complaints

11%

• MY BRAND NEW MDX HAS HAD ISSUES WITH MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS APPEARING ON THE VEHICLE WHEN STARTING THE ENGINE. THIS INCLUDES CHECK ENGINE WARNING, LANE DEPARTURE WARNING FAILURE, POWER STEERING ISSUE AND POSSIBLY ADDITIONAL WARNINGS. THE VEHICLE DID THIS THE FIRST TIME WHEN I TOOK DELIVERY OF THE
• THE INCLUDED INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM, WHICH IS NOW PREDOMINANTLY CONTROLLED BY A TOUCHSCREEN, IS INCREDIBLY SLOW, LAGGY, AND DANGEROUS TO OPERATE. THERE ARE MULTIPLE, ONGOING FAILURES WITH THIS SYSTEM - EVERY TIME I ENTER THE VEHICLE. AS HONDA/ACURA HAS REMOVED OR REPLACED PRIMARY-OPERATION BUTTONS
• BRAKE PEDAL GETS REALLY STIFFEN UP AND CAR WON'T START UNLESS I DEPRESS THE BRAKE REALLY REALLY HARD. SEEMS LIKE FAULTY BRAKE SYSTEM. THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN LEFT SITTING FOR AWHILE. HAPPENING FREQUENTLY NOW. *TR

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“MY BRAND NEW MDX HAS HAD ISSUES WITH MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS APPEARING ON THE VEHICLE WHEN STARTING THE ENGINE. THIS INCLUDES CHECK ENGINE WARNING, LANE DEPARTURE WARNING FAILURE, POWER STEERING ISSUE AND POSSIBLY ADDITIONAL WARNINGS. THE VEHICLE DID THIS THE FIRST TIME WHEN I TOOK DELIVERY OF THE”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

26 complaints

11%

• YESTERDAY, AFTER BACKING UP, STEPPING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, SHIFTED INTO "PARK" WITH MY FOOT STILL ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE ENGINE UNEXPECTEDLY REVVED UP TO WHAT SOUNDED LIKE FULL THROTTLE! I PUSHED THE IGNITION BUTTON TO STOP THE ENGINE. AFTER THIS ONE INCIDENT, THE C
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 ACURA MDX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKED, ANOTHER VEHICLE SLIGHTLY BUMPED THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE AND CAUSED IT TO ROLL AWAY IN REVERSE AND DOWN A HILL. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE THEN CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED.
• THIS IS THE SECOND INCIDENT OF UNINTENDED ENGINE REVVING WITH THIS VEHICLE. THIS SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED AT APPROXIMATELY 4500 MILES. WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE IN "REVERSE" AND CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP WITH MY FOOT FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN, IN AN INSTANT, THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY REV

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 3 crashes

“YESTERDAY, AFTER BACKING UP, STEPPING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, SHIFTED INTO "PARK" WITH MY FOOT STILL ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE ENGINE UNEXPECTEDLY REVVED UP TO WHAT SOUNDED LIKE FULL THROTTLE! I PUSHED THE IGNITION BUTTON TO STOP THE ENGINE. AFTER THIS ONE INCIDENT, THE C”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

26 complaints

11%

• WHEN COMING TO A SUDDEN STOP THE BRAKE LIGHT WILL FLASH ON THE DASHBOARD ACCOMPANIED BY A BEEPING SOUND FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 SECONDS. I HAVE BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALERS SHIP IN METAIRIE LOUISIANA AND AM TOLD THAT THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THIS HAS OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 4 TIMES INTERMITTEN
• 9 DEC. 2014 BRAKE PEDAL WOULD NOT DEPRESS TO ALLOW STARTING OF VEHICLE. AFTER JAMMING FOOT AGAINST THE "FROZEN" BRAKE PEDAL MULTIPLE TIMES PEDAL DEPRESSED ENOUGH TO ALLOW VEHICLE START. NO FURTHER ISSUES THAT DAY. 10 DEC. 2014 SECOND OCCURRENCE OF EXACT ISSUE AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. 24 DEC. 2
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 ACURA MDX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKED, ANOTHER VEHICLE SLIGHTLY BUMPED THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE AND CAUSED IT TO ROLL AWAY IN REVERSE AND DOWN A HILL. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE THEN CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 4 crashes

“WHEN COMING TO A SUDDEN STOP THE BRAKE LIGHT WILL FLASH ON THE DASHBOARD ACCOMPANIED BY A BEEPING SOUND FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 SECONDS. I HAVE BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALERS SHIP IN METAIRIE LOUISIANA AND AM TOLD THAT THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THIS HAS OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 4 TIMES INTERMITTEN”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

26 complaints

11%

• MY BRAND NEW MDX HAS HAD ISSUES WITH MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS APPEARING ON THE VEHICLE WHEN STARTING THE ENGINE. THIS INCLUDES CHECK ENGINE WARNING, LANE DEPARTURE WARNING FAILURE, POWER STEERING ISSUE AND POSSIBLY ADDITIONAL WARNINGS. THE VEHICLE DID THIS THE FIRST TIME WHEN I TOOK DELIVERY OF THE
• I HAVE A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE WITH MY 6 MONTH OLD MDX (LESS THAN 5000 MILES). THE CAR IS MAKING GRINDING NOISES AND VIBRATES, INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER HAS DISMISSED MY CLAIMS AND MADE MINOR MODIFICATIONS WITH INSULATION, AND HOODCLIPS. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM A
• THIS IS THE THIRD INCIDENT OF UNINTENDED ENGINE REVVING WITH THIS VEHICLE. THIS THIRD INCIDENT OCCURRED AT 5925 MILES. WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE IN "REVERSE" AND CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP WITH MY FOOT FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN, IN AN INSTANT, THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY REVVED UP WHILE I WA

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

STEERING(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

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

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 246 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
STEERING: TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 ACURA MDX. THE CONTACT HEARD AN INTERMITTENT NOISE BEHIND THE DASHBOARD. WHILE MAKING A TURN AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE POWER STEERING SEIZED AND CAUSED TEMPORARY LOSS OF CONTROL. INITIALLY, THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE DEALER LATER DISCOVERED THAT THE
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: MY BRAND NEW MDX HAS HAD ISSUES WITH MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS APPEARING ON THE VEHICLE WHEN STARTING THE ENGINE. THIS INCLUDES CHECK ENGINE WARNING, LANE DEPARTURE WARNING FAILURE, POWER STEERING ISSUE AND POSSIBLY ADDITIONAL WARNINGS. THE VEHICLE DID THIS THE FIRST TIME WHEN I TOOK DELIVERY OF THE
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: YESTERDAY, AFTER BACKING UP, STEPPING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, SHIFTED INTO "PARK" WITH MY FOOT STILL ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE ENGINE UNEXPECTEDLY REVVED UP TO WHAT SOUNDED LIKE FULL THROTTLE! I PUSHED THE IGNITION BUTTON TO STOP THE ENGINE. AFTER THIS ONE INCIDENT, THE C
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BRAKES: WHEN COMING TO A SUDDEN STOP THE BRAKE LIGHT WILL FLASH ON THE DASHBOARD ACCOMPANIED BY A BEEPING SOUND FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 SECONDS. I HAVE BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALERS SHIP IN METAIRIE LOUISIANA AND AM TOLD THAT THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THIS HAS OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 4 TIMES INTERMITTEN
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)