2022 Acura MDX Type S Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2022 Acura MDX Type S, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Powertrain (other)2080.0%
- Brakes28.0%
- Driver assistance14.0%
- Electrical14.0%
- Suspension14.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
The vehicle's all wheel drive system has malfunctioned at 77,000 miles with a known all wheel drive system issue. Because we are 7k beyond the power train warranty, Acura is not wanting to cover the repair even though this is a known issue.
Reporting an additional case in support of ongoing defect petition investigation DP26001. 2022 Acura MDX Type S SH-AWD, currently at 63,700 miles. While driving and making a turn, I heard a grinding noise with no warning lights illuminated. I stopped immediately and shut off the engine but noticed no abnormality. I restarted the vehicle and drove with no further issues or noises. Later, during a scheduled oil change, I discovered that the area between the transmission and PTU was covered in oil. The Acura dealership diagnosed a bad PTU seal and replaced the PTU under powertrain warranty, but completely disregarded my concern regarding investigation DP26001 and the known issue with stripped splines. The leak was repaired, but several weeks later while driving in the rain, the vehicle felt very unstable during acceleration on wet pavement. I raised the vehicle on a lift and engaged drive to inspect AWD function. The rear wheels were not spinning while the front wheels were, and the driveshaft was also stationary. When I brought this to the dealership’s attention, they stated this is normal SH-AWD behavior — however, I have personally observed all four wheels spinning under identical conditions in another Acura of the same model and configuration. I am confident the transmission-to-PTU splines are stripped and am escalating this to Acura corporate for further investigation.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
Twice earlier in the year as I was pulling into a parking spot the brakes seemed to have failed, car auto accelerated, but was stopped by a parking block. Air suspension warning light was on, car was evaluated three times 6/2023-8/2023, air suspension sensor replaced, Acura reported car was otherwise fine. One week following last evaluation car again auto accelerated, was stopped by parking block. The car again auto accelerated one month later, this time into cement wall, air bags deployed. Issue only happens when coming to a stop, very sporadic and rare, but obviously dangerous.
Rear brake gets rocks stuck, a lot of people are complaining for this, Acura is not taking actions to correct this, This can be dangerous if the brakes fails for having a rock stuck in the calipers
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
While driving and happened multiple times, vehicle senses phantom objects or nothing at all but hard brakes on its own which also causes the seat belt to tug on abdomen (wife was pregnant at the time, unfortunately had a miscarriage at 14 weeks which could have been a cause). After the second time, the forward facing camera was replaced per Honda/Acura technical support. Once camera was replace vehicle would hard brake on it's own again which lead me to installing a dash cam to have proof which I provided to service to share with their technical support. In response they came back with vehicle is performing as designed and claiming the dash cam can be interfering with the system (BS!!) Since then, my wife refuses to sit in the car and I only drive it one a week for a short errand.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
Twice earlier in the year as I was pulling into a parking spot the brakes seemed to have failed, car auto accelerated, but was stopped by a parking block. Air suspension warning light was on, car was evaluated three times 6/2023-8/2023, air suspension sensor replaced, Acura reported car was otherwise fine. One week following last evaluation car again auto accelerated, was stopped by parking block. The car again auto accelerated one month later, this time into cement wall, air bags deployed. Issue only happens when coming to a stop, very sporadic and rare, but obviously dangerous.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
The All Wheel Drive of my 2022 MDX has been going out in the rear, and only the front wheels are powered. This happens nearly every time I drive the vehicle for the last 2 months, at least. My safety is at risk because I live in Montana and the roads have been getting icy with current weather conditions. When the AWD drive gives out, I lose all power briefly as the front tried to regain power. Going up mountains with this issue is very dangerous. It also goes out in "snow" mode. I have sent the Acura warranty department numerous photos, via email, of the error message as well as videos of the message popping up. I also started a log of the error as of 11/09/23. I live over 400 miles from the closest Acura dealership. I asked if the local Honda dealership can look at it and after over a week of waiting to hear back, was told I needed to take it to Acura. I refuse to drive it over 400 miles in winter conditions. I asked for it to be towed to Acura last Monday, 11/20/23, and have yet to hear back. The warning message reads, "All Wheel Drive system problem. Only front wheels may be powered, see your dealer." Additional, snall rocks from snow protection keep getting stuck between the break rotors and the back plate. It causes a loud screeching sound until the rocks are dislodged. The rear brakes now sweak.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .