Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 52 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2009 Acura MDX, most frequently naming the electrical, engine and powertrain (other) categories. 35 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
When owners filed reports about this model year
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2009 | 1 | 1 |
| May 2009 | 1 | 2 |
| Nov 2009 | 1 | 3 |
| Dec 2009 | 1 | 4 |
| Feb 2010 | 3 | 7 |
| Jul 2010 | 1 | 8 |
| Aug 2010 | 1 | 9 |
| Oct 2010 | 1 | 10 |
| Aug 2011 | 1 | 11 |
| Dec 2011 | 1 | 12 |
| Jan 2012 | 1 | 13 |
| Apr 2012 | 1 | 14 |
| Oct 2012 | 1 | 15 |
| Nov 2013 | 1 | 16 |
| May 2014 | 1 | 17 |
| Jul 2014 | 1 | 18 |
| Aug 2014 | 1 | 19 |
| Sep 2014 | 1 | 20 |
| Feb 2015 | 2 | 22 |
| Apr 2015 | 4 | 26 |
| May 2015 | 1 | 27 |
| Nov 2015 | 2 | 29 |
| Feb 2016 | 1 | 30 |
| Sep 2016 | 1 | 31 |
| May 2017 | 2 | 33 |
| Jul 2017 | 1 | 34 |
| Dec 2017 | 1 | 35 |
| Feb 2018 | 1 | 36 |
| May 2019 | 1 | 37 |
| Jul 2019 | 1 | 38 |
| Aug 2019 | 1 | 39 |
| Dec 2019 | 1 | 40 |
| Feb 2020 | 1 | 41 |
| Jul 2020 | 1 | 42 |
| Feb 2021 | 1 | 43 |
| Jul 2021 | 1 | 44 |
| Aug 2021 | 1 | 45 |
| Feb 2022 | 1 | 46 |
| Apr 2022 | 1 | 47 |
| Jul 2022 | 1 | 48 |
| Jun 2024 | 1 | 49 |
| Jan 2025 | 1 | 50 |
| Jul 2026 | 2 | 52 |
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
No recalls in our database for this model year
That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
No major incidents, hits, or bumps no off roading only drove on city roads and highways. Tread and all rubber on the outside half of the tire has completely seperated from the inner tire on a section.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2009 Acura MDX. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was 117,500. At the time of the vehicle registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 140,223.
On Jan 21, 2025 the drivers side air bag deployed as I was driving. I did not hit or get hit by anyone or anything, I did not run over anything either the airbag deployed on drivers side from the front to the back of my Acura MDX it was sudden it was random Nd damn scary. I was injured from the impact of the air bag ... I have had my car approximately 6 months I am purchasing from Drive now in Wichita, KS and am still making payments on this vehicle..
I just got this car in September and it is now throwing all kinds of different codes to the point where I can’t drive it sh-awd /check charging station / emission light etc
While driving vehicle, all power shut off after all lights(airbag, tire, engine, etc. came on the dashboard) not able to start vehicle now at all. Has power but will not run, turn over, stay running, etc. has brand new battery so that’s not the problem no problems until today.
I was driving onto an exit ramp around 50 to 60 mph on Rt 50 yo 495 south and VSA light appeared on dash. Also steering felt extremely loose. No control to steer and could not accelerate either.
Vehicle produced a dash warning light for airbag/supplemental restraint system on January 29th or 30th, 2022. Went away and back on again 3 times in the following week. No prior issues related to this. Vehicle has never been in an accident. Acura dealer scanned vehicle 2/5/2022 to find vehicle code 11-11, meaning bad airbag and possibly bad cable reel. No recalls or effort by Acura (contacted by me) to assist with fix. Replacement isn't readily available, nor is a dealer loaner. Part is $1202.75. Vehicle is 2009 with only 89,7XX miles.
The battery has been drained on three separate occasions this year (2021). I replaced the battery after the first occurrence. Each time I have had to use a battery jump to restart the vehicle which sufficed to get it operating and return home. On the last occasion, the car started to display dash board warning messages before arriving at home after driving only 15 miles. This came with a fully charged battery installed to get the car restarted. Previously I could see no error codes, but following this latest incident the AWD error code 77-01 is displayed by an OBD reader. The vehicle began to run roughly and flashed many dashboard warnings as the battery began to draw down to zero power. Latest incident required a battery replacement instead of just a jump to restart.
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Service News - The navigation clock and date are incorrect. This is due to a limited GPS receiver capacity resulting in rollover of internal chip memory. The rollover occurred on January 1, 2022 at 12:00AM local time
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
ServiceNews Article - The clock shows the incorrect time. This issue is due to a limited GPS receiver capacity resulting in "rollover" of the internal chip memory; the "rollover" will occur on January 1, 2022, at 12:00AM local time. As a result, the navigation date and time will be incorrect.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
These SKUs are Exhaust Manifolds with Catalytic Converters. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory due to a loss of CARB certification. These SKUs can no longer be sold as they do not meet CARB standards, but parts on vehicles are not effected.
AIR BAGS; EQUIPMENT
Dealer message - Today, May 24, 2018, Acura is announcing a warranty extension for 2002-17 Acura vehicles. This warranty extension applies in cases where any of the replacement driver?s and/or front passenger?s airbag inflators have failed internally.
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM(GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM)
SERVICE BULLETIN - NAVIGATION SYSTEM INFORMATION.
SUSPENSION:FRONT; SUSPENSION:REAR
"REIMBURSEMENT FORM - ON SOME 200713 MDX AND 201012 ZDX VEHICLES LOCATED IN COLD AREAS, THE FRONT AND REAR ACTIVE DAMPERS MAY LEAK. WHILE LEAKS ON THE REAR ACTIVE SUSPENSION ARE VISIBLE, THE FRONT ACTIVE DAMPERS ARE MOUNTED IN AN INVERTED POSITION AND THE LEAK IS NOT VISIBLE ON THE EXTERIOR OF THE DAMPER. IF AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF DAMPER OIL HAS LEAKED, THE ACTIVE DAMPERS MAY MAKE A CLUNK OR A BANG SOUND WHEN DRIVING ON ROUGH ROADS OR OVER SPEED BUMPS."
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 78 | 3 | 1 | 61.4 |
| 2024 | 37 | 2 | 1 | 61.0 |
| 2023 | 36 | 2 | 2 | 60.1 |
| 2022 | 140 | 2 | 2 | 65.0 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2020 | 210 | 8 | 3 | 66.3 |
| 2019 | 183 | 9 | 3 | 65.6 |
| 2018 | 162 | 10 | 3 | 67.8 |
| 2017 | 249 | 8 | 3 | 69.8 |
| 2016 | 364 | 7 | 3 | 68.4 |
| 2015 | 70 | 8 | 0 | 57.7 |
| 2014 | 169 | 9 | 0 | 56.1 |
| 2013 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 43.8 |
| 2012 | 76 | 1 | 0 | 47.6 |
| 2011 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 42.9 |
| 2010 | 45 | 1 | 0 | 47.7 |
| 2009Viewing | 52 | 0 | 0 | 46.0 |
| 2008 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 40.0 |
| 2007 | 99 | 1 | 0 | 39.1 |
| 2006 | 87 | 11 | 5 | 62.8 |
| 2005 | 180 | 13 | 5 | 61.7 |
| 2004 | 171 | 10 | 4 | 62.8 |
| 2003 | 206 | 13 | 5 | 61.6 |
| 2002 | 204 | 4 | 1 | 54.6 |
| 2001 | 224 | 4 | 1 | 54.1 |
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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.