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Engine & cooling

2015 Acura MDX Engine problems

Owners have filed 7 complaints about the 2015 Acura MDX's engine & cooling with NHTSA - 10% of all its complaints, most recently on July 15, 2026. They describe 1 crash, 1 fire and 1 injury. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.

Complaints
7
Recalls
0
Crashes
1
Fires
1
Injuries
1
Deaths
0

Engine complaints

Engine & cooling

My 2015 AcuraMDX engine seized while driving creating an unsafe condition as it occurred on a busy roadway. I suspect a rod bearing failure. It has been reported to Honda. The same parts listed in the 2015 RDX recall are used in my MDX but the 2015 is not part of the recall. My engine had a knock and had taken it for inspection at an independent Honda specialist. I had learned that the recall covers the 2015 model year for the Acura TLX, the official recall documentation only includes the 2016-2020 model years for the Acura MDX. There were no check engine lights prior to the stall and seizure of the engine.

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 11750652
Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2015 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact pulled over onto the shoulder of the roadway. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. In addition, the contact stated that the engine had been repaired by the dealer less than a month before the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,700.

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 11639599
Engine & coolingCrash1 injury

The contact owned a 2015 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while exiting the car wash parking lot, the vehicle was in neutral. The contact entered the vehicle. The contact attempted to shift the gear into drive, however the gear shifter was inoperable and did not move. The contact stated the vehicle independently accelerated and was unstoppable. The vehicle crossed a busy parking lot, the vehicle went up two embankments, crashed into a lamp pool, and then into a tree before coming to a complete stop. A police...

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report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. All the air bags deployed. The contact sustained several injuries and received medical attention at the local hospital. The vehicle was deemed as a total loss. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 141,000.

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 11571677
Electrical systemEngine & coolingFuel system

Vehicle stops accelerating while driving and loses power without warning. Multiple engine lights go off: check engine, emission system problem, all wheel drive system problem, power steering system eps problem, vehicle stability assist vsa problem, hill start assist problem, trailer stability assist problem. Car starts smoking excessively. Returned to the dealer several times in just a few days and they have not been able to diagnose the problem. Problem appears to resolve and then returns after driving no...

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more than 10 miles. Incidents have occurred while operating the vehicle in 45 mph speed zones where we had the ability to pull over and get out of traffic. This will be catastrophic if driving on the highway as the effect of this malfunction is equivalent to hitting the breaks while traveling at high speed. Car is currently back with the dealership for the 3rd time in 4 days. Acura mdx drivers should be alerted to this problem immediately - it happens with no warning.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Engine · Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 11150754
Engine & coolingFire

While driving on the highway (morning traffic moving at speed limit - 65-70 mph) I smelled smoke. Immediately following this there was a thud and then the check engine, ldw and other lights illuminated on the dash, along with audible alarm sound. Smoke was now visible, coming from the engine (under the hood). I was able to move from the middle lane to the right lane/exit lane as I knew I needed to pull over immediately. Since I was in an exit lane there was no real shoulder and I started down the exit ramp. ...

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The smoke was very strong at this point. I went to depress the brakes to slow down on the exit ramp and try to pull the car over but I had no brakes. The brake pedal went right to the floor. I had limited steering control and was driving erratically trying to keep control of the car while on the exit ramp. I tried to put the transmission in park - no effect to slow the car. I tried to power the car off - did not work. I had to depress the emergency brake to stop the car. It took over 100 feet to stop the car (luckily no other cars on the exit ramp) at which point I could pull over on the side of the road. At this point there was smoke billowing out of the engine area, smoke coming in to the car. I called 911 and they responded in about 5 minutes. After I got a safe distance from the car I could see flames coming from the bottom of the engine. From there I could see the fire start to grow in the engine compartment and once the fire dept arrived it was engulfed in flames. The car has been deemed a total loss by my insurance company. This is a very concerning situation as the car had a major, catastrophic failure with essentially no warning, including complete loss of braking and significant loss of steering, followed by a fire. The car had less than 12k miles and was about one year old. No issues or service other than standard maintenance.

Filed Incident Unknown or other · EngineNHTSA 10925103
Engine & cooling

We have sporadic problems with engine or transmission and the dealer has not been able to identify the problem. It happens at any time slow or fast speed: uphill or downhill the car will not change gears and starts to pull as if the transmission is going to fall out. We have reported this to acura customer service and results were guarded. I am afraid for my and my family's safety because the problem continues and it happens anytime and anywhere. It happened today and we called the dealer to come and pick up the car.

Filed Incident Unknown or other · EngineNHTSA 10781097
Electrical systemEngine & cooling

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 acura mdx. The contact stated that the keyless entry system failed. The contact was unable to unlock the doors if the cell phone and keyless fob were in the same location. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times. The technician explained that some cell phones might interfere with the keyless system. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that this was a known problem with the keyless system. However, they were not able to determine what the proper remedy...

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would be for the failure. The failure mileage was 5,000. Updated 11/09/15*lj the consumer stated the front doors would not open. Only rear doors opened, with the tailgate having little minor issues. Updated 1/25/2015 *js *cn

Filed Incident Electrical system · EngineNHTSA 10759256

Acura MDX engine complaints by year

MDX engine problems, every year

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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