2014 ACURA MDX Recalls, Complaints & Safety

This car is consistently garaged. It was pulled out one morning and a large sheet of paint peeled off roof while it was sitting in the driveway. This is a major concern as I don't feel comfortable driving the car for fear more will come off, affecting another driver on the highway. I've had to borrow a car until it can be fixed. Spoke to ACURA and this is a KNOWN issue for this color paint but they will not stand by their product. We have received no information from ACURA regarding this issue as they claim.

my daughter drove the vehicle for an appointment. Parked it went in and upon return, started it but could not turn the steering wheel. It was nearly impossible to turn the wheel. When turned with force, it would vibrate. Message popped up stating "Power Steering System (EPS) Problem". I had it towed to my mechanic who identified the problem but wasn't able to obtain the parts due to non-availability. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership (McGrath Acura of Libertyville) where it still remains. It has been there for about two weeks as of Dec. 17, 2025 and still not updates on when the issue would be fixed. I made a phone call complaint to Honda of America three days ago. They left a message today asking me to call back stating a recall (I don't find any EPS recalls while I've found others who have had the same issue. The dealer did quote me a cost of $1247.25 to fix the problem the day after I dropped it with them. Since then absolutely no response. I called Honda of America to follow up on their call but was not able to talk to the person as it went to their voicemail. I left a message and will follow up again tomorrow. I am the original owner of the vehicle and the vehicle has always been serviced on time based on the manufacturer's recommendations with the dealer and an independent mechanic. Thank you.

Upon startup the following warning lights come on and remain active: Brake System Problem, Power Steering Problem, Hill Start Assist Problem, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) Problem, Anti-Lock Break System Problem. Additionally, intermittingly a loud grinding noise can be heard from the button of the vehicle.

Headlights somehow may be taking on moisture. The clarity is down to almost nothing. Driving at night is unsafe! The RPM’s have never been smooth or consistent. There is almost a micro-revving effect. I’ve had all of the fluids and filters changed…… dealership thought it was a recall.

The contact owns a 2014 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while approaching the vehicle after the vehicle had been started, the contact noticed that the taillights were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the taillights assemblies needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred approximately two months later. The contact received an email notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V259000 (Exterior Lighting, Interior Lighting), which the contact related to the failure; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.

The power train experiences jutters. Known issue and many torque converters have been replaced while under warranty. Our vehicle had minimal miles when warranty expired and now this problem has occurred. Have followed all of the recommended technical bulletins from Honda and the issue is not resolved. They now say to replace the torque converter at own expense.

Large spot of paint has peeled off, exposing bare metal in front of the sunroof and above the windshield in the center of the roof.

The car is un safe to drive, the RPM fluctuations, gos up and down at low speed, doesn’t potential problems with the torque converter clutch, is juddering and unstable RPMs, noticeable during acceleration or deceleration

The EPS system failed while driving on a major highway. I was in the passing (left) lane, and had to manually steer the vehicle. I had to have the vehicle towed to the dealership. The service department has had the vehicle for almost 2 weeks. They said that when they ran the diagnostic, there was a code. They cleared the code, and drove the vehicle. They were unable to duplicate the incident. The service advisor said it may have been a “glitch.” That’s an extremely dangerous “glitch.” I have read that many other people have had the same issue with the same vehicle. This may have fatal consequences. If I had not been strong enough to steer the vehicle, I may have experienced a relatively high-speed collision.

I change my own engine oil every 3,000 miles. During the past year with three oil changes completed, I have observed aluminum pieces in the bottom of the oil change black pan. Because my wife's 2017 Acura TLX was the subject of the crankshaft and connecting rod campaign (the dealer had to replace the crankshaft and all of the connecting rod and main bearings) I am familiar with the issue of non-concentric crankshaft connecting rod journals, and so have been surprised that my 2014 MDX with the same 3.5 L V6 has not yet been included. I am pretty sure it does suffer from the same defect as evidenced by the aluminum in the engine oil. If it fails at hihway speeds, that would possibly cause a safety incident.

My vehicle has a hesitation and kick when it is at 35-40 mph about 1.8 to 2 on the tachometer. I took it in to the dealer and it needs transmission repair. I researched on the internet and it seems like thousands of others are having or have had the same problem. I purchased a lifetime powertrain warranty from Scott Clark Honda when i purchased the vehicle to cover these problems and the warranty company and Scott Clark Honda are trying to get out of repair. There are no lights or warning lamps on the vehicle. It just kicks and studders when you get to 35-40 mph which is the speed in the city limits. It is easy to get hit or run over when the vehicle does not go when you press the gas peddle. I would like to file a national case against Acura and Scott Clark Honda

I'M seeing several reports where ACURA has a major recall on their MDX models from 2016-2020 however i have a 2014 model but I have suffered the same engine failure due to a connecting rod issue that has caused what they call a spun bearing I have tried to contact American Honda to file a complaint but they just keep denying me since my vehicle is not part of the recall but by sheer coincidence my engine has failed I had no warning signals that would of indicated this problem and I have had the car fully maintained by ACURA Dealerships since I bought the car in 2017 I see where several hundred other complaints have been filed due to ACURA's faulty issues - ACURA needs to expand their recall list to go back as far as possible since they seem to be having the same issues with previous models not included in the recall

Upon engine start noticed vibration buzz noise and steering wheel locked, very difficult to steer. Turned off the ignition and waited 20 min, steering wheel was back to normal. Upon driving in the road for approximately 5-10 min, the wheel locked up with notification alert of "Electrical Power Steering Failure" It was very difficult to maneuver the steering wheel and manage to pull into a parking lot. Turned the ignition off and waited again another 5min and Upon restart, wheel was back to normal. As we were on our way home, the same alert came with steering wheel locked and difficult to turn. We managed to get home with difficulty turning. Car was towed to Acura Plesanton and was reported no recalls for this issue.

The contact owns a 2014 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, and while driving up an incline, the vehicle briefly hesitated and lost motive power before returning to normal functionality. The AWD and emission system warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V215000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The fuel pump impeller was improperly moulded, resulting in low density impellers. Over time, the low-density impeller can deform and interfere with the fuel pump body, rendering the fuel pump inoperative. If the fuel pump module is inoperative, the engine may not start or can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash or injury. difficulty starting, engine hesitation while driving, or an illuminated check engine light

Recall (M49) Moisture may enter the tailgate lid lights, possibly causing a loss of the tailgate lid lights and the taillights. Acura dealership confirmed repair back in 2019. I am currently having the same issue with the loss of my taillight. I raised concern with Acura and they confirmed that they release me part number that they didn’t use for the initial repair, which leads me to believe this issue was never fixed. The dealership then told me that they would not be able to repair this issue unless I had an extended warranty. I am requesting a review as this is a major safety issue and a traffic citation concern on the same grounds that the M49 recall was initiated.

The white paint on the roof of my car peeled off in huge chunks between the sunroof and the windshield. Acura had extended the warranty on the paint to 8 years from the date in service and ours was fine at the deadline. However, now at 11 years in, the paint has completely failed. It appears that there are a large number of other Acura owners who are having issues with the paint on their white MDXs, and Acura is in some cases saying that their VIN numbers are not included. It is an obvious problem with the white paint since Acura issued the warranty extension, but the limit was arbitrary and it is ridiculous that a "luxury" SUV has peeling paint that will result in an expensive repair job.

The contact owns a 2014 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at 15 MPH, the steering wheel jerked to the left. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.

My vehicle was part of a recall and Acura extended warranty protection for the paint between the windshield and sunroof. This was a manufacturer defect with the paint when the car was made. It did not happen to my car until October 2023 and Acura will not fix the paint due to end of the warranty extension that was issued by NHTSA. I was told to contact you from Acura corporate. They said the regulation to not cover any vehicles with this paint issue, was coming from NHTSA. The paint was applied incorrectly when the car was made and it’s causing a big circle of paint to randomly come off of the area of the car between the windshield and sunroof. I’m concerned the paint will continue to chip away and start coming off in large pieces. This is a manufacturer defect and should not be time limited.

Paint. Delaminating at the sealer. Paint flakes randomly fall off car over the years. Acura verified this was a factory defect and the common area is occurred was the roof. This was covered for my car 03.2019 under an extended warranty but was only limited to the roof. I specifically asked to fix the whole paint job since this was a FACTORY defect and they stated they will only fix the area with the current damage. Well now time has passed and this has now happened on my left passenger door and Acura will not cover any part of fixing their factory defect. Terrible on Acura for selling a product they know has a FACTORY defect and they will not stand by their product.

ABS VSA malfunction light comes up constantly and car rattles when brakes are used. It’s constantly turned on even with good road conditions. There are millions of customer complaints on the web about this issue and I believe this should be logged as a major issue which should be logged a recall and offered as a fix to customers who have these car models and issues. My daughter was driving the car and experienced issues on freeway when braking. The car slipped to the side when brakes were pushed and the whole car was shaking and unstable.

1 injured

ABS VSA malfunction light comes up constantly and car rattles when brakes are used. It’s constantly turned on even with good road conditions. There are millions of customer complaints on the web about this issue and I believe this should be logged as a major issue which should be logged a recall and offered as a fix to customers who have these car models and issues. My daughter was driving the car and experienced issues on freeway when braking. The car slipped to the side when brakes were pushed and the whole car was shaking and unstable.

1 injured

ABS VSA malfunction light comes up constantly and car rattles when brakes are used. It’s constantly turned on even with good road conditions. There are millions of customer complaints on the web about this issue and I believe this should be logged as a major issue which should be logged a recall and offered as a fix to customers who have these car models and issues. My daughter was driving the car and experienced issues on freeway when braking. The car slipped to the side when brakes were pushed and the whole car was shaking and unstable.

1 injured

Hi, My Reverse camera is not working. When I put the car in reverse, I can see the guidelines but no picture of the rear. Regards,

The contact owns a 2014 Acura MDX. The contact stated that when starting the vehicle, she heard an abnormally loud noise and the steering column was inoperable. 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 152,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, there was a loud popping sound was heard. The contact stopped and inspected the vehicle and discovered that the glass sunroof had shattered. The contact stated that there was no impact to the sunroof glass to cause the glass to shatter. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 104,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle was jerking upon acceleration and deceleration. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the transmission control module (TCM) software was updated, and the transmission fluid was flushed; however, the failure reoccurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys where it was diagnosed that the transmission control valve solenoid had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer who provided the same diagnostic information. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.

There is a known issue of Certain Acura MDX models having a "judder" (i.e. bouncing rev counter) at certain speeds. This causes the torque converter to not lockup and continue to find the right gear, per se. This is a known issue and Acura has a TSB (16-062) for this: https://www.tsbsearch.com/Acura/16-062 The issue is, even though, unaddressed in a timely manner and continual use of the vehicle may deteriorate the transmission, Acura doesn't fix this free of charge for vehicles not under warranty. Dealer quotes $800+ for a total 1.6 hours of work (based on the TSB bulletin). This is outrageous and monopolistic behavior in a free market. Moreover, typical mechanics doesn't have access to the special computers needed to perform the software update, required by this TSB. I am reaching out to request Acura (Car manufacturer) to cover this under recall and not charge the customer this ridiculous ~$400/hr labor rate just because I can't update the software from a local mechanic.

On numerous occasions the Electric Power Steering, Lane Departure Warning, and Lane Keeping Assist problem lights illuminate on the dash and I lose all power steering. My car becomes extremely difficult to turn, particularly at lower speeds. This is a major safety hazard and warrants a recall. Had my wife been driving when this occurred she would not be able to turn the vehicle. This has happened on several occasions over the past 2 weeks. The car is being taken to the dealership tomorrow. Note: it appears that Acura and Honda have extended the warranty on several models for a similar issue, but not the 2014 Acura MDX.

Transmission surges when shifting between 1st gear to 2nd, feels like rear ended, the whole car jumps. Acura of America seems to not have a fix for this issue that a lots of 3rd generation ACURA MDX owners suffer from . Acura dealership only suggestion is transmission fluid flush, which is not a real fix for the transmission jump that can cause a serious accident while operating the vehicle in traffic. Acura Of America is aware of this issue but !!! No safety recall been addressed.

Back LEFT inner tail light assembly strip and RIGHT Outer LED strip tail light assembly damaged by water moisturizer getting inside of them.

The outside rear taillight was FULL of water. I discovered this when going to replace bulbs I thought were just burned out. In fact one of the bulbs was shattered I presume from the water reaching the hot light. The taillight is non functional and I will have to take it to be repaired/replaced. I should not have to pay for what is very clearly an manufacturer defect that compromises safe vehicle operations. Acura did a recall for the interior tail light for this same issue, but did not include the outer taillight. A simple google search shows this is not an isolated incident but rather a major problem.

Went out with family recently and all of a sudden front passenger side seat belt buckle won't latch. I took it to the dealer (Pohanka Acura). They said seat belt buckle has to be replaced and it will cost approx. $1000. I called Acura and they said this is not a warranty issue. Car is only 7 years old and front passenger side is used only occasionally by an adult. I would like Acura to pay for the replacement of my seat belt buckle.

I HAD THIS 2014 ACURA MDX FOR 4YR SINCE 2016 AS CPO AT LOCAL ACURA DEALER. SINCE 2YRS AGO, MY RPM DO NOT CLIMB STEADY AND IT IS JUMPING UP AND DOWN ,ESPECIALLY AT THE SPEED BETWEEN 40 TO 60. I THOUGHT IT IS JUST TRANSMISSION FLUID ISSUE. ONCE I REPLACED TRANSMISSION FLUID REPLACED, LEVEL OF FLUCTUATION BECAME LESS THAN PREVIOUS. BUT AFTER COUPLE MONTH LATER, IT IS STILL SAME. I AM WONDERING THIS ISSUE IS KNOWN FOR ANY ACURA MDX OWNER MANUFACTURED IN SAME PERIOD. I THINK THIS COULD BE SOFTWARE ISSUE RATHER THAN MECHANICAL ISSUE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED TO BE REPAIRED OR UPDATED. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY CLAIM SAME AS WHAT I AM EXPERIENCING. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND SINCERE SUPPORT.

WHILE PARALLEL PARKING, THE POWER STEERING STOPPED WORKING (CAR WAS STOPPED OR GOING <3 MPH). IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN THE WHEEL. NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. I CHECKED TO BE SURE NOTHING WAS STUCK IN THE WHEEL WELLS OR OTHERWISE BLOCKING THE TIRES. AFTER PULLING OUT OF THE PARKING SPOT, POWER STEERING RETURNED TO NORMAL. IT HAPPENED AGAIN WHEN RE-TRYING TO PARALLEL PARK, BUT THEN POWER CAME BACK TO NORMAL. I HAVEN'T TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER YET. IT STARTED ALL OF THE SUDDEN TODAY AND APPEARS TO HAVE RESOLVED SPONTANEOUSLY. BUT I WORRY THAT IT WILL RETURN, PERHAPS LEADING TO AN ACCIDENT.

WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, THERE WAS ONLY A REPETITIVE CLICK, CLICK, CLICK SOUND. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN OVER. THIS INDICATED A BATTERY ISSUE THAT WAS CONTRADICTED BY THE FACT THAT EVERYTHING ELSE WAS WORKING I.E. HORN, LIGHTS, BLOWER, RADIO. A QUICK SEARCH OF THE INTERNET DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS AN ISSUE WITH THE HANDS FREE MODULE WEAKENING THE BATTERY JUST ENOUGH TO NOT START.

WHILE DRIVING IN A MAIN ROAD, SMOKE STARTED TO FILL THE INSIDE OF THE CAR. PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY, OPENED THE HOOD, THERE WAS FIRE THAT WAS RAPIDLY EXPANDING. CALL 911, BY THE TIME THEY ARRIVED (ABOUT 4 TO 5 MINS), THE FIRE CONSUMED THE ENTIRE CAR.

Fire

WHILE DRIVING IN A MAIN ROAD, SMOKE STARTED TO FILL THE INSIDE OF THE CAR. PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY, OPENED THE HOOD, THERE WAS FIRE THAT WAS RAPIDLY EXPANDING. CALL 911, BY THE TIME THEY ARRIVED (ABOUT 4 TO 5 MINS), THE FIRE CONSUMED THE ENTIRE CAR.

Fire

THE DRIVER SIDE HEAD LIGHTS ARE BRIGHTER THAN THE PASSENGER SIDE HEAD LIGHTS. I GET BRIGHT LIGHTED ALL THE TIME. IT LOOKS LIKE MY BRIGHT LIGHTS ARE ON AND THEIR NOT. THE FROM AIR CONDITIONING / HEAT FAN WORKS OFF AND ON. THE BLOWER IS ACTING UP. THE BACK HEAT FAN ( BLOWER) WORKS ALL THE TIME. I HAVE TO CRACK THE FRONT WINDOWS AND FLY DOWN THE HIGHWAY TO GET THE FRONT FAN TO WORK.