2016 Acura MDX Driver assistance Problems

I started the vehicle and steering wheel was frozen and EPS, Brake, and lane departure lights on the dash. I shut the car off and let it sit for five minutes. Restarted and the steering wheel came back to normal. but all light remained on. I drove the car about half a mile and the lights went off. When I got home, I shut the car off and started it again. The wheel was frozen again, and all the lights came back on. I shut the car off and re-started and steering came back on. I'm afraid this will happen again but while I'm driving. I looked up the issue but no recall but a lot of complaints with same problem. I cannot drive like this for it can be dangerous if I'm driving and lose control of the vehicle and hurt someone or myself. I took the car to a mechanic, but he said there is no current issues just stored codes. Today I had the same problem.

NHTSA ID

11746141

Incident

Jun 24, 2026

Front camera not working triggered multiple warning lights on

NHTSA ID

11710005

Incident

Jul 1, 2025

This has happened twice while on a drive, cruising along on a highway and go to pass a car in another lane, transmission down shifts and then lose all power, transmission repair light comes on as well as emission controls, vehicle is still running but no power to the wheels, trying to get back across three sometimes four lanes to get to the shoulder due to the loss of power, this happened once back in the summer and again today about 96k and now 110k, there are a lot of forums talking about it as well

NHTSA ID

11701011

Incident

Nov 22, 2025

Cruise control stopped working 5 years ago after ACC LKAS stopped working. I have had the car into multiple Acura certified dealerships attempting to repair and no one has been able to determine the issue.

NHTSA ID

11700950

Incident

Jan 1, 2020

warning lights for LKAS, ACC, lane mitigation, etc come on intermittently and then just disappear next time you start car. Tech advises numerous problems with camera

NHTSA ID

11697648

Incident

Nov 1, 2025

The vehicle frequently experiences problems while idling at red lights or stop signs. Specifically, the engine suddenly shuts off after displaying a message that "Idle Mode is unavailable." This has occurred multiple times, and on five separate occasions, the vehicle became completely immobile, requiring towing to the nearest mechanic. Initially, I had the flywheel and starter motor replaced, which cost me approximately $5,000. However, just three months later, the same issue reappeared. Most recently, while driving home from work, the idle mode failed again at a stop sign, and the engine stopped running. I contacted Acura/Honda regarding this issue, but they informed me that it is not their responsibility. At this point, I am unsure how to proceed or where to seek a reliable fix, and I am concerned about the safety implications of this recurring failure.

NHTSA ID

11695976

Incident

May 15, 2025

While driving on the freeway with my children, the vehicle started to shake and the emission system problem, transmission system problem and blind spot problem lights came on. The safety of myself and children were at risk due to being on the freeway and having to pull over on the side of the road. There were zero signs leading to this.

NHTSA ID

11684298

Incident

Sep 1, 2025

On Saturday [XXX] I was travelling on [XXX] from Orangeburg to Atlanta. I did was not using cruise control but the system was enabled. Enabling the cruise control system on my automatically enabled the LKAS(Lane Keep Assist) feature on my car. On at least two other occasions, specifically going around corners at low speed, I've had the LKAS system grab the wheel and steer the car aggressively to the left. On these prior occasions we were travelling at low speed and the road conditions were questionable as in striping of the roads were not clear. On [XXX], the road conditions were optimal minus being a little wet due to rain. The LKAS unexpectedly turned the wheel hard to the left going around a corner at 55mph and into oncoming traffic. Before I could regain control of the vehicle it veered into a ditch, across a culvert and landed in the ditch on the other side of a driveway. If not for sheer luck both I and the oncoming driver would be dead and the car destroyed. I am taking the car to a dealer tomorrow to have them inspect the LKAS. There were no warning lamps, message or any other alerts prior to the LKAS taking over the steering. Upon coming to a rest and recovering, I inspected the vehicle and found no damage save a deflating front tire and was able to drive the car back to Atlanta. I do not have Dashcam footage of the other occurrence of the LKAS malfunctioning but I did have a DashCam in the car and running when this latest incident occurred and if possible I will attach it to this complaint. Prior to submitting this complaint and contacting a dealership to have the car inspected I did put in my VIN and research if there had been any recalls on the LKAS system in my model year vehicle. I can confirm that there were not but there had been recalls for earlier versions of the same vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11679163

Incident

Aug 2, 2025

My Acura mdx 2016 is well maintained, only 42500 miles,bought brand new from dealer, problem started 6 months ago, accelerator, rpm goes up even on 20 miles driving, and car just stops and gear goes to park mode..dealer inspected, they said transmission needs to be replaced, contacted NCDS, their respond I passed the warranty of 7 years, not covered. Dealer charging 7100 to fix issues.

NHTSA ID

11641551

Incident

Jul 6, 2024

Mileage

43,000 mi

Dear Support, I own Acura MDX 2016 with VIN number [XXX] , paint color is White Diamond Pearl I notice the paint is peeling off from in-between roof and front wind screen. I see there are recall for this color but I don't see my car in your recall list, My cousin also own 2016 MDX and after contacting to Acura support his car is getting fixed. I tried to contact t them but they are very rude and not supporting for INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11584687

Incident

Apr 16, 2024

while driving on a local road (not highway), engine began to make a very loud sound. sounds like metal on metal inside engine. called local ACURA dealer and they said that the connecting rod recall/problem that was announced in November 2023 "does not apply to my VIN".

NHTSA ID

11564665

Incident

Jan 9, 2024

I have a 2016 MDX v6 88k miles and I purchased the car as a Certified Pre Owned (CPO). I recently had two lights come on 1) Blind Spot Info System Problem and 2) Transmission System Problem. The car has been driving fine and has been well maintained. Since the lights came on, I've put about 8000 miles on it over the last 6 months and no change to the way it drives (transmission seems to work fine). It seems odd that both lights come on at the same time? Recently my family took a 150 mile trip and both went off during the trip but then did both come back on later that day. Looked on line and it seems many are having this exact issue. One of the websites I visited was - https://www.mdxers.org/threads/2016-mdx-transmission-system-problem-valve-issue-blind-spot-info-system-problem-light.178519/ . I can provide more links to websites if needed. The dealership wants us and others to pay for a new transmission and installation charges. It seems odd that most if not all are having these issues just after the warranty expires. Reminds me of that issue with Volkswagen a few years ago when they would pass emission test when they went to get tester because the computer was programmed to recognize the driving habits of being tested but the other 995 of the time it failed. Also seems odd that cars made in 2016 have a shorter life span than cars built in 1980's. My vehicle is currently in for service at the local dealership (Acura of Seattle) and they want me to pay $8000+ for a new transmission.

NHTSA ID

11527927

Incident

Jan 10, 2023

The auto engine idle stop on my 2016 Acura MDX has left me in precarious situations at stop signs and/or traffic lights at least twice before the recall notification I received in the mail a couple of weeks ago. The engine turned off as designed but then would not turn back on like it should without a delay. The worst incident was when my teenage Daughters were in the car with me! After receiving the recall notice recently and taking the vehicle into the dealership within days of the notification, my “software update fix” by the dealership (Napleton Acura in West Palm Beach) completely disabled my auto engine idle stop! After calling the service rep I dealt with later that day and telling him about it, I was told the software update made the “turn-off” feature more specific and mine didn’t meet the parameters! My engine was at normal operating temperature, my air conditioner was NOT on and I stopped at at least 12 lights on the way home with no engine stop. That was a week ago and still no engine idle stop has taken place! I’m a pilot and don’t appreciate being talked down to by a supposed “racing champion” named Zeke that feels the need to advertise his prior win on his service uniform! Not only that, but now my safety related “object approaching” notification for front driving and “rear warning” for close objects during parking/reversing are now non-existent! I paid extra for these safety related options and I’m not happy that they’ve been disabled because of the “software update!” How do I become part of the class action lawsuit against Acura/Honda?

NHTSA ID

11515325

Incident

Jan 1, 2023

Forward Looking Camera failed at 62k miles, it won't communicate with the computer according to dealership diagnosis on 11-18-2022. Replacement cameras are on backorder, with no availability date. Vehicle is available for inspection. The issue directly affects Forward Collision, Lane Departure and Cruise Control. It no longer warns me if approaching something too quickly. It no longer tells me if I drift into another lane or corrects it. Cruise Control stopped working as well. Distracting lights and beeping when driving, says windshield needs to be cleaned on instrument cluster. Issue began in mid 2022. According to my research, failing cameras seem to be an issue. Replacement camera is approx $1500, plus the labor to install and align.

NHTSA ID

11495300

Incident

Jul 1, 2022

First on off glitching when ever accessory mode is used WHILE IN MOTION, FIRST BRAKELIGHT HAD WARNING THEN WARNING ABOUT TRAILER STABILITY ASSIST. WHEN I WENT IN REVERSE, THE WHOLE DASHBOARD INCLUDING THE NAVIGATION SCREEN WENT BLACK AND THE CAR FELT LIKE THE ENGINE STOPPED. THIS HAPPENED A FEW TIMES. I DON'T THINK THE ENGINE ACTUALLY STOPPED THOUGH BECAUSE I DID NOT HAVE TO RESTART THE CAR. THE BRAKE LIGHT ERROR MESSAGE HAS OCCURRED DRIVING FORWARD AS WELL, BUT NOT ACCOMPANIED BY THE BLACKOUT OF THE DASH AND NAV PANEL. Steering becane stiffer ALL OF THIS HAPPENED WHILE IN MOTION.

NHTSA ID

11492993

Incident

Nov 9, 2022

Transmission issues with my 2016 Acura MDX slipping into neutral and staying there while driving at high speeds on interstates. This could've caused injury to myself, my passengers, and other drivers on the road due to the high speeds. Without being to able to accelerate when needed, it could've resulted in harm. Transmission Service Problem and Blind Spot Malfunction lights appeared. I took the vehicle to Acura for service 3 weeks before the last incident and Acura said there was no problem and to bring it back if it happened again. 3 weeks later, it happened again. I had reported slippages in the transmission for several service checks with no issues found by Acura. After the most recent incident, Acura recommended to either keep driving and bring it back or replace the transmission. Diagnostics were run and error codes cleared. The CSR at Acura mentioned he saw this on at least 5 Acura 2016 MDXs this year already. The warning lights did not appear until the last issue. Several other incidents occurred with no warnings. All transmission maintenance activities have been performed.

NHTSA ID

11475517

Incident

Jul 22, 2022

The contact owns a 2016 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the inadvertently slowed and decelerated to 30 MPH. The brake alert warning message was displayed. The vehicle was not taken to the local dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ID

11453913

Incident

Feb 6, 2022

Mileage

65,000 mi

My SUV would accelerate when going down hill and the message: “transmission system problem”along with “blind spot warning malfunction” would come on. Took to dealer the message went out. Will come on intermittently. This has gone on For past month. They sai it had to stay on for them to diagnose. Now car will not go in reverse at all. This transmission was replaced November 2019 because of a defect. They told me there is no recall but the other was a service bulletin that required my engine to be replaced as well. If there is a class action I want to be added as this is a big inconvenience and the company is denying there is an issue with the transmission computer system so they can get us to pay high repair fees. Please help!

NHTSA ID

11451740

Incident

Feb 12, 2022

ENGINE LIGHT ON STATING: LEAN CODE, ALL WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEMS PROBLEM, EMMISION SYSTEM PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING WHEN IT CAME ON.

NHTSA ID

11405061

Incident

Jan 4, 2021

WHILE DRIVING WITH ADAPTIVE CRUSE CONTROL ON, I WAS APPROACHING SLOWER VEHICLE. I WANTED TO GO AROUND IT WITHOUT BREAKING. WHILE DRIVING ALREADY ON HIGH SPEED (70M/H) I PRESS ACCELERATION PEDAL SO I CAN SAFELY GO AROUND SLOWER VEHICLE. I WAS HALF WAY INTO PASSING LINE (LAST LEFT LINE), THERE WAS A CAR ALREADY BEHIND ME APPROACHING WITH HIGHER SPEED, WHEN I SUDDENLY COMPLETELY LOST POWER AND LOTS OF LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH. CAR BEHIND ME NOTICE THAT I START LOOSING SPEED RAPIDLY SO HE START BRAKING THAT I COULD HEAR HIS TIRES. I DIDNT KNOW WHAT TO DO SO I JUST KEPT GOING TO EMERGENCY STOPPING LINE WHERE I ALMOST CRASH INTO THE CONCRETE DIVIDER. I MANAGE TO STOP VEHICLE SAFELY BY PURE LUCK. AFTER STOPPING I NOTICE THAT CAR IS NOT SHIFTING, AND SH-AWD SYSTEM, BLIND SPOT ASS, EMISSION SYSTEM AND TRANSMISSION SYSTEM FAULT LIGHTS CAME ON. I CALLED INSURANCE AGENT TO SEND ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE, BUT WHILE WAITING ON THE CALL I START THE CAR AGAIN (LIKE 15MIN AFTER THIS INCIDENT) AND ALL LIGHTS WERE STILL ON EXCEPT TRANSMISSION. I TRIED CAR AND IT WAS SHIFTING NORMALLY NOW, EXCEPT SH-AWD WAS NOT WORKING (I DIDNT HAVE POWER TO THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL). THIS COULD BE VERY TRAGIC EVENT IF BOTH ME AND THE DRIVER BEHIND ME DIDNT REACT PROPERLY. I HAD TWO MORE PASSENGERS IN THE CAR, FROM WHICH ONE WAS 15 MONTHS OLD CHILD. I WAS READING THAT THIS COULD BE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM UPDATE ISSUE, BUT MY DEALER DID UPDATE TRANSMISSION ALREADY.

NHTSA ID

11399559

Incident

Mar 5, 2021

Mileage

80,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING ON LOCAL ROAD ALL OF A SUDDEN THE 3 ERRORS CAME ON THE DASH BOARD TRANSMISSION SYSTEM PROBLEM, EMISSION SYSTEM PROBLEM, AND BLIND SPOT SYSTEM PROBLEM, ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE TRANSMISSION DOESN'T SHIFT RIGHT AND GRINDING OF THE GEAR IS HEARD, CAR QUICKLY SLOW DOWN. AFTER STOPPING AND START UP AGAIN, ERRORS STILL THERE BUT TRANSMISSION COULD NOT SHIFT INTO HIGHER GEARS AND CAR TOPS OUT AT 30MPH. THIS HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES IN THE LAST FEW DAYS AND WE ARE NOW SCARED TO DRIVE THE CAR LOCAL ROADS, HIGHWAY WOULD BE BAD UNTIL WE GET IT FIXED AT THE DEALERSHIP. THIS IS POTENTIALLY A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION IF THE CAR LOSES POWER AT AN INTERSECTION.

NHTSA ID

11384979

Incident

Dec 24, 2020

Mileage

75,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 ACURA MDX. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, WHEN DRIVING OVER A SPEED BUMP THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY AND IMPACTED THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT STATED SHE WAS NOT INJURED. THE CONTACT STATED THE DRIVER OF THE OTHER VEHICLE SUSTAINED UNKNOWN INJURIES BUT WAS NOT AWARE IF MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS REQUIRED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVABLE AND WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT COLLISION CENTER. THE VEHICLE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC OR DEALER. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED AFTER THE ACCIDENT THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V060000 (FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER) AT NORRIS ACURA (8559 BALTIMORE NATIONAL PIKE, ELLICOTT CITY, MD 21043) ON 10/11/2019. THE CONTACT STATED AFTER THE RECALL REMEDY THE VEHICLE HAD A FUEL LEAK. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED, HOWEVER STATED SHE WOULD BE REASONABLE FOR DIAGNOSES AND REPAIRS FEES. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 64,053.

NHTSA ID

11316652

Incident

Nov 15, 2018

Mileage

64,053 mi

THE DESIGN DEFECT ON THIS ACURA IS THAT THE VEHICLE SUFFERS FROM "SUDDEN ACCELERATION," AFTER DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO ACCELERATE FOR VARIOUS SECONDS. THE SAME ISSUE HAPPENS WHEN THE VEHICLE SLOWS DOWN AFTER PRESSING THE BRAKE WHEN ARRIVING TO AN INTERSECTION, AFTER RELEASING THE BRAKE WHEN GETTING READY TO STOP THE VEHICLE WILL CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE, CAUSING A TREMENDOUS HAZARD AND RISK OF DEATH FOR AN ACCIDENT TO PEOPLE IN OTHER VEHICLES, PEDESTRIANS, AND OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE ITSELF. I TOOK THE VEHICLE FOR REPAIR AT YOUR ACURA DEALERSHIP IN MISSION VIEJO, CALIFORNIA (SEE ENCLOSED BACK UP DOCUMENTS), AND THE SERVICE SPECIALIST FROM ACURA RECOMMENDED ME TO PAY FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICES OVER AND BEYOND MY STILL EXISTING WARRANTY (WARRANTY IS VALID UNTIL 03/2020), LIKE A SOFTWARE UPDATE AND AN TRANSMISSION FLUSH, STATING IT WOULD REPAIR THE CONDITION. WELL, THE CONDITION WAS NEVER FIX AND THE RISK OF ACCIDENT STILL REMAINED. I TOOK THE VEHICLE ON A SECOND OCCASION TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP, AND THIS TIME, SINCE THEY HAVE ALREADY TAKEN MY MONEY ON THE PREVIOUS SERVICE, DECLINED TO DO ANY MORE REPAIRS ARGUING THAT CONDITION (SUDDEN ACCELERATION) IS NOT CONSIDERED HAZARDOUS BY ACURA USA, AND THAT IT HAPPENS TO OTHER ACURA VEHICLE WITH THIS TYPE OF TRANSMISSION, AND THEREFORE THEY WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING TO FIX IT. ON THIS SECOND TIME I RECORDED THE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE SERVICE CONSULTANTS AND WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER, IN CASE I HAD TO ESCALATE THIS ISSUE FURTHER LIKE I'M DOING NOW OR TAKE FURTHER LEGAL ACTIONS IN THIS REGARD. I ALSO HAD MULTIPLE PHONE CONVERSATION WITH THE ACURA CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS, STATING MY ISSUE AND YOUR REPRESENTATIVES DIDN'T OFFER ANY HELP, THEY ONLY INDICATED I'D HAVE TO DEAL WITH DEALERSHIP DIRECTLY, EVEN THOUGH HE'S A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE NAME, ACURA USA. (SEE ENCLOSED LETTER TO YOU FOR MORE INFORMATION)

NHTSA ID

11311881

Incident

Nov 1, 2019

Mileage

10 mi

NOVEMBER 10, 2019 TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AT ~65 MPH, PRESSED ACCELERATOR TO PASS CAR AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT SPEED UP...FELT LIKE THE CAR WAS IN NEUTRAL. AFTER ABOUT 7 TO 10 SECONDS THE TRANSMISSION FINALLY KICKED IN AND THE CAR ACCELERATED. IF THIS HAPPENED ON A 2 LANE ROAD THE LACK OF TRANSMISSION DELIVERING POWER TO WHEELS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION. SERVICE APT SCHEDULED WITH ACURA DEALERSHIP WHERE PURCHASED AND WAS TOLD THEY COULD FIND NO 'CODES' OR ALERTS IN CARS COMPUTER AND THAT THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG. THE DID SAY THEY REPROGRAMMED THE TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE...BUT THEY HAVE DONE THAT 2 OTHER TIMES. CAR HAS ONLY 35K MILES ON IT AND WE HAVE BROUGHT CAR INTO ACURA DEALERSHIP 4 TIMES TO ADDRESS THE HARSH SHIFTING OF TRANSMISSION AND TOLD THEM EACH TIME WE FELT IT WAS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. THE ABOVE INCIDENT OF NO POWER WHEN ATTEMPTING TO PASS ON HIGHWAY IS THE FIRST TIME THAT HAS HAPPENED..BUT IS A VERY SERIOUS CONCERN. WE WERE TOLD FOR THE 3RD TIME THAT THE HARSH SHIFTING AND GEAR-WANDERING WAS A 'CHARACTERISTIC' OF THIS MAKE / MODEL CAR AND THAT ACURA HAS BEEN TRYING TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE WITH TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE UPDATES. I HAVE SEEN MANY ONLINE COMPLAINTS OF THE "GEAR-WANDERING' TRANSMISSION ISSUE ONLINE AND HAVE ALSO READ SIMILAR SAFETY COMPLAINTS OF CAR LOSING TRANSMISSION POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. PLEASE THOUGHTFULLY REVIEW THIS COMPLAINT AND CONTACT ME IF YOU NEED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. WE FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THE KNOWN REPORTED ISSUES OF THE 2016 ACURA MDX SHAWD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ARE A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. THIS 7 SEATER SUV IS DRIVEN BY MANY FAMILIES!

NHTSA ID

11286445

Incident

Nov 10, 2019

Mileage

34,700 mi

TRANSMISSION SHIFTING HARD. I ALSO HEAR AND FEEL A GRINDING SOUND. WHEN SHIFTING ON THE LOWER GEARS, IT SHIFTS HARD. I HAVE READ THAT THERE IS A BULLETIN ON THIS BUT NO RECALL YET. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY COMPLAINTS. BULLETIN TSB NO. 15-054. HOW MANY COMPLAINTS ARE NEEDED BEFORE A RECALL IS ISSUED?

NHTSA ID

11209994

Incident

May 10, 2019

Mileage

43,000 mi