2019 ACURA MDX Engine Problems

I was merging onto the interstate from another interstate when my car suddenly became limp and would not accelerate. I had zero warning there was anything wrong with my car, only 67,150 miles. I had to coast to the side of the road and it wasn't driveable. I was forced to have it towed to Acura to find out it's a rocker arm oil pressure switch that apparently goes out after 60,000-100,000 miles. Without warning, this is a huge safety issue. There should be a backup switch and notification to get it to a dealer. I had 3 kids in the car, traveling 65 when it suddenly decided to stop accelerating. ZERO warning. It was terrifying. I could have been hit by another car on the interstate, with 3 kids in the car, zero warning to cars behind me that my speed went from 65 to almost nothing instantly. I've always owned Honda cars and this is the first vehicle I've ever had this happen in. Dealership confirmed it was a faulty switch, nothing to do with low oil, dirty oil and I have that in writing. Acrua/Honda should figure out how to alert users that there is an issue before there is an issue. Or put this on the maintenance schedule because I'm terrified to drive this car now. Or how will I know if it's ready to do it again. Again, some type of backup switch that works for a bit until you can get it to dealer. I had to be towed to dealer. Kids had to be picked up. All things that could have been avoided if Honda did a better job.

Since the purchase of my Acura MDX 2019, the following problems have been reported to the dealership and to Honda Manufacturing Inc. without any resolution. The dealer shop has replaced recall parts, but the problems persist and have not gone away. The vehicle stalls and stops working while driving. The engine makes knocking/rattling noises upon becoming disabled while driving.The engine would randomly not start when turning it on. When car becomes disabled the dashboard lights up warning lights displaying messages intermittently of the following problems: Anti-Lock Brake System Problem (ABS), Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Hill Start Assist, Trailer Stability Assist, Collision Mitigation System, Road Departure Mitigation System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assist, Brake System, Brake Hold System, Electric Parking Brake, SH-AWD, Keyless Start System and Power Steering System (EPS) Problems, while displaying ACC and LWKS codes. Additionally, the vehicle runs improperly and shuts down completely making the window, doors, etc, inoperable while passengers are inside locking me in and my entire family for long periods of time. A few times has left me either myself or with my children and dog inside. The only place where I take my car for services is where I purchased it (Chevy Chase Acura). The issues noted are the same reported by the recalls I have received, and I have not taken it somewhere else because of that reason. Nobody can fix them as the problems are manufacturing issues that even Acura/Honda cannot repair. This safety defect can kill or seriously injure me, my passengers, and other drivers on the road. As noted in one of the many recalls the fuel pump defect can cause the vehicle to stop in the highway and could prevent an engine from starting or cause a vehicle to stall while being driven, it potentially increases the risk of a fire, crash, or injury. My car continues to have these issues and nobody is helping me. Please help!

My car has failed to restart while sitting at red lights. The engine complete shut down. This has happened twice now since I have owned the vehicle. The first occurrence was around March 2024 and the most recent occurrence was 09/2025. Very dangerous situation both times and I had my child in the car.

while driving, mdx loose power especially on freeway speed. engine start jerking.

My 2019 Acura MDX which was owned for less than two years, broke down due to a transmission failure. The vehicle had an open recall (one of many recent) delayed by Acura for months, which research shows can cause engine and transmission damage. Acura of Reno denied the recall link and misattributed the failure to “incorrect fluid,” despite admitting the fluid was correct to myself and other businesses. I believe this breakdown was directly related to the open recall and request an investigation into Acura’s handling of these failures. There have been many legal cases against acura regarding this matter previously.

Vehicle is getting errors for Emssions controls, parking brake, and sh-awd system faults all at the same time. Car will still function normally and codes will go off and come back intermittently. Also while reading the codes it will get a U3006-16 code for low voltage on the ecm. Confirmed battery is good under load test and alternator is charging at 14.2 volts.

My 2019 Acura MDX with 100K miles stalled on the road with several alerts on the dashboard and went into Parking mode with no further movement. Had several alerts stating Transmission failure, Blind Spot monitoring failure, Auto break system failure and vehicle stalled on the road. Had similar issues previously where the steering jammed and vehicle was stalled on the signal, took it to Acura dealer and they had to fix some circuit / reset the circuit board. Was ok for few months and last week the car stalled with Parking sign on. Towed the car to the Dealer service center, they diagnosed and identified there is a failure with transmission. They quoted around 10000 dollars for replace new and 7000 for used transmission. This is huge money, hence called Acura customer care for any review/support but they claimed this issue is not in their current recalls or claims, so cannot support. had to pay out of the pocket. Per google there seemed to be a lawsuit with Transmission failures with Acura 2019 mdx vehicle. Acura customer relations is asking to get into the law suit group and Acura as such cannot help the customers with these problems. Had Lexus for several years with no issues and very upset/annoyed with these type of repairs within 100K / 5year old.

Engine failure due Dealership refusal to fix recall items. Engine completely stop working in between drive.

The car is stalling on the highway.that very scary situation the dealer said they don’t have the parts to fix it. Also they said till the check light doesn’t come on they can’t fix it. I don’t know what to do

We received these recalls more than a year ago and after we called the Acura dealership they told us that there were not enough parts to fix the cars now and that they would give us a call when they had the parts, after two months we called them again and same statement, and same thing for 3 more times with the span of six months. today after more than a year I called again and they are saying no part is available! Since I am worried about safety I don't drive my car out of the city but it seems that Acura has no plan to address these recalls.

There are two open recalls, and I have tried reaching out local dealer as well as Honda email, to get these repaired. However, I have been told that fix is not available. It has a year plus and I worry driving car with these issues ignored by Honda. Thanks.

Engine poweer failure while driving at highway speed. Vehicle could not maintain allowed highway speed (above 45 mph) while moving in fast traffic. First warning indicator appeared after driver noticed loss of power while driving 60 mph. Independent service center confirmed error code p0304, misfiring cylinder. Could not identify problem with spark plug or ignition coil. Technition found engine knocking during diagnostic exam.

I was driving down the highway today at 70 mph and all the lights illuminated on my MDX. It began to struggle to keep speed and eventually shut down once I was on the service road. I was extremely scared and nervous that I was going to be involved in an accident or the car was going to blow up as it started bouncing up and down while I was still on the highway.

The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while his wife was traveling on Interstate 75 and driving 85 MPH, the vehicle independently slowed down, failed to accelerate, and shut off. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.

Mileage: 42,000

I have three recalls on my vehicle. I am trying to get them serviced and the Acura dealership is stating that they do not know when they can service the fuel pump because they haven't created/issued any parts. They will not let me book to service/fix the connector rod bearing before August. I am concerned with the safety of my vehicle due to these recalls and not being able to get them fixed ASAP.

After driving for an extended timeframe (approximately 3 hours, trip was traveling between Des Moines, Iowa and Kansas City, Missouri) at Highway/interstate speeds, upon slowing down from those speeds, the vehicle goes into limp mode and check engine light begins blinking. After pulling over and turning car off and on again, normal behavior resumes. This has happened both as I arrived in the Kansas City area, and upon my return home to the Des Moines area. Depending on circumstances for when vehicle enters limp mode, there’s a significant risk of causing an accident. Dealer was unable to pull any codes and therefore is unwilling/unable to address the issue.

In March, I made an appointment at Lehigh Valley Acura in Emmaus, PA 18049, to address NHTSA Recall Number 23V-751 on my 2019 Acura MDX. When I got to the appointment on [XXX], the service technician told me that American Honda will only send parts for recall-related repairs for cases where the "vehicle is showing evidence of the connecting rod bearing defect." Since the evidence of the defect is that the car could "stall while driving," I believe this sounds like a defect that should be addressed immediately. I called American Honda on [XXX], and was told that they don't have sufficient parts to fix all the vehicles covered by the recall. The person I spoke to said that we would get a letter in the mail when it is our turn. I believe this is negligence on the part of American Honda and Lehigh Valley Acura. How do I get this defect addressed immediately? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

See attached document for complaint

2 Issues: Transmission shifts hard between 35-50mph and 50-60mph. Dealership accused me of utilizing improper gas which is not factual; this car has only received the recommended premium octane gas since I purchased it as a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle. Recall: vehicle is currently under crank shaft recall. In the original notification, Acura stated parts would be available in April. Per the Acura dealer, Acura told them parts will not be available until October. This timeline is unacceptable for such a serious safety recall (risk of fire/crash). I feel unsafe driving this car and am worried I will not get fair market value with the recall still open.

Unknown, manufacturer says can’t be fixed. It MOST certainly can be fixed! They just don’t want to do it.

Engine had a knocking noise, went to dealer and explained the problem. They mentioned there was a recall regarding this issue but when my vehicle's Vin was typed in they said it was not part of the recall. A few days later all the warning lights in the instrument panel came on and soon after the engine went bad and had to replace it. My vehicle had approximately 45k miles when this happened. I was completely shocked, angry and disappointed with Honda Motors when they didn't want to take responsibility. It's obvious this was a manufacturing problem with these engines and they should reimburse vehicle owners that had issues with these vehicles. Thank you for your attention!

Beginning in October of 2023, I was hearing an engine knock/ticking. Acura tech support at the local dealership said my rear cylinder head needed to be replaced. I asked Acura how, since my car is only a few years old, could this cylinder head already be bad. They responded that these vehicles are mass produced by the hundreds of thousands and sometimes bad parts or installations slip through. I paid $7,500 for the new cylinder head, but now I see the new recall about engine crank shaft and the connecting rod bearing can wear and cause damage to the engine. It further says if you hear engine knocking, to immediately call Acura.

rod bearin system and fuel pump recall expansion system

I was yielding to make a left hand turn , in the middle of the intersection, and my car turned off and wouldn’t turn back on. In addition the car occasionally jerks as I’m driving almost like if it changes gear. Sometimes I can’t get the car in park position I have to press the button multiple times. The recall going on right now can cause a fire crash or injury and they cannot replace the parts until April 2024 and I don’t feel safe driving my car.

During normal driving transmission will shift to Neutral, locks the system, and engine does not start when automatic idle stop had been engaged at stoplight or stop sign. Instead of restarting the engine, the feature causes the transmission and electrical system to lockup taking quite a bit of time to convince the car to restart.

While making a very normal commute, my 2019 Acura MDX began running very roughly, slowing rather abruptly. The check engine light began flashing, and several warning messages were displayed on the message center of the vehicle display unit. The vehicle would not accelerate, and would not attain a reasonable speed while in traffic. With the hazard lights on, I was able to move to the side of the road, but it was very difficult as I was unable to exceed 15-20 mph. The vehicle was taken to the dealership for repair. The dealer investigated and found the timing belt had "jumped time" causing the engine management system to set multiple misfire codes, and was described as the cause of the failure. I am aware certain 2018-2019 Acura MDX models were recalled for timing belt issues, but this particular vehicle was determined to be outside of the group of vehicles involved in the current recall. My MDX had 52,600 miles at the time of the incident. It has not had any modifications or repairs to the engine prior to this incident. Acura recommends replacing the timing best at 100,000 miles.

UNKNOWN Over the course of a couple weeks, engine has intermittently stalled while driving, forcing me to turn off the car in the middle of the road. Progressively, other electronics have also intermittent failed including power steering and infotainment system. All dashboard warning lights are on and do not resolve by turning car on/off. Generally, car is driveable until the random intermittent stall, which is obviously dangerous. 2 weeks ago, car had gone through state inspection and 30k mile maintenance without issue. Service station checked battery and alternator and no issues.

The Car shut down in engine idle and would not restart. It was unresponsive and took 5 minutes for the start button to function. This occurred in the middle of a busy intersection. 2 weeks ago Acura performed an update to the software that was supposed to resolve the engine restart issue, but clearly it has not.

I pulled up to a stop light at a busy intersection/highway exit and, after depressing the brake, the vehicle abruptly turned off and shifted to neutral. The brake became very difficult to depress and the parking brake enabled on its own. The entire dashboard lit up and the car would not shift or respond to any input. The vehicle would not turn off, turn back on, or shift for approximately 15 minutes. After this, I tried to turn the car off and it finally did, I started it again and was able to pull off the roadway. We just recently (within the past 2 weeks) had a recall done to update the auto-stop system. This occurred 1x prior to the recall and now this has happened again. My young children were in the car both times and this put us all in danger.

Vehicle was stopped at a traffic light (transmission in Drive) and the automatic idle shutoff engaged, turning off the engine. When the traffic light turned green, the brake was released and we found that the transmission had shifted to neutral and would not shift back into Drive. We had to restart the car. Being stalled at a green light is a serious safety hazard as approaching vehicles would not anticipate my vehicle being stalled.

The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated that on numerous occasions while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the engine revved however, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode for 10 seconds and then operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. No warning lights were illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure; however, the contact never received a reply. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

Mileage: 55,000

During Idle stop at red light car stops and goes into neutral and engine stalls. 2019 MDX won't move unless completely restart the car in the middle of busy intersection. High risk for accident and injury. There is few recall mention in Acura site for 2019 MDX, but when input vin number its claims no recall to this vehicle . Need urgent help.

The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while stationary at a traffic light, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the battery warning light was illuminated temporarily. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving to her destination. The contact stated the had occurred four times. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

Mileage: 59,000

The auto stop feature is enabled by default when the car is started. When stopped at a traffic light or in a traffic jam, the auto stop turns off the engine and is supposed to restart when the drivers foot is off the brake. The engine unexpectedly will not restart, and the car must be put in park, turned off, and restarted. This is dangerous in heavy traffic. The dealer replaced the battery as an attempted repair. The problem reoccurred. The dealer then updated the software, which also did not solve the problem. The dealer advised that Honda is aware of the problem and currently has no solution. I was advised to manually turn off the auto stop feature until a solution can be found.

On a few occasions, while at a stop light the auto idle engaged. When I lifted my foot from the brake pedal, which should restart the engine, the car Shifts automatically into neutral and cannot restart the engine. The dash shows a message saying that I must now shift to park. I have to then turn the car off, while in traffic, and then restart. This happens while in traffic, causing everyone behind me to wait or drive around. I have taken this to Acura of Stamford twice already, and they cannot recreate it. I have pictures of the car when it was in neutral. Other people have reported this occurring on a 2019 mdx as well.

I was getting ready to pass a semi and when I went to accelerate I had no power. I pushed the pedal several times with no power. Then it finally kicked in and the car accelerated. I was almost rear ended due to me losing power. This has happened multiple times. No lights ever come on. I am also experiencing the car completely shutting off while stopped. When it does this, a message pops up that I need to shift to park. It takes a few tries and then I can restart the car. I have taken it to the dealership and they can’t replicate either issue. They told me there are no TSB’s on these issues. Dates this occurred in 2021: 8/27, 9/9, 10/5, 11/5. Dates this occurred in 2022: 3/4, 3/28, and 4/10.

I was stopped at a light and as the light changed to green I began to accelerate to enter the on ramp to 75N. While driving onto the on ramp many warning lights came on as my car shifted into Neutral on its own. I couldn’t accelerate, switch it back to drive.or depress the break as it was locked. The car stopped and would not move on the entrance ramp to a busy highway. I called 911 because I was almost hit multiple times as I could not move the car. FDOT came to assist and saw that I could not depress the break, remove the emergency break, or get the car to move. After a few minutes we turned the car off and it started back up with no problem. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealer on 3/30/2022. Upon searching on the internet, I saw that this is not a new issue. I could have been killed yesterday while on the phone with 911 on the on ramp to the highway with vehicles approaching at a very high rate of speed and having to slam on their breaks and swerve off the road to avoid hitting me.

I think this recall needs to be expanded: Honda and Acura have recalled 2019 and 2020 vehicles including the CR-V and Accord for fuel pumps which can malfunction and cause the engine to lose power. My wife recently had her 2019 MDX stall on her in an intersection and she had to turn off the car and turn it back on so it would work. It sounds exactly like the below: “While driving, the vehicle shifts into Neutral, the transmission indicator comes and DTC P0657 (actuator supply voltage circuit/open) is stored. The driver will not be able to select any other gear until the vehicle is turned off and restarted. Update the PGM-FI [programmed fuel injection] software and the TCM software, clear any DTCs [diagnostic trouble codes], and do the PCM [powertrain control module] idle learn procedure.” - TSB 15-034 Additionally, May 23, 2021 we had an experience where the same MDX decelerated as we merged into traffic at I-30 and I-820 in Ft. Worth. I let off the accelerator going 60-70 MPH and then stepped on the accelerator to complete my merge and there was no power. Speed dropped to around 20 almost instantly. I had to completely let off the accelerator and depress it again to get going. Very scary situation considering how fast people drive on Texas freeways. These are two big issues Honda/Acura needs to address ASAP as both put consumers at risk of injury and possibly death.

THE CAR CAUGHT FIRE SPONTANEOUSLY IN THE PARKING AREA. WE CALLED 911 AND THE FIRE BRIGADE TOOK ABOUT AN HOUR TO GET THE FIRE UNDER CONTROL. WE HAD GONE TO CHICKFILA (ABOUT 6 MILES TOTAL DISTANCE) AND THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED FOR MAYBE 5 MINUTES WHEN WE SAW A FIRE ENGULF THE FRONT PORTION. I PUT WATER ON IT WHILE WAITING FOR 991 RESPONSE.

Mileage: 11,000

VEHICLE GOES INTO 'GO LIMP' WHEN I ACCELERATE OR CHANGE LANES. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN PASSING ON A TWO LANE COUNTRY ROAD (HAPPENED TWICE) AND MERGING ONTO A HIGHWAY WITH A SHORT ENTRANCE RAMP. THIS COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO A MAJOR ACCIDENT AND WE DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE IN THESE SITUATIONS.

Mileage: 23,040

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 ACURA MDX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HER HUSBAND WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOSS MOTIVE POWER AND STALLED WITH SEVERAL UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND WAS DRIVEN TO THE RESIDENCE IN LIMP MODE. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO POHANKA ACURA LOCATED AT 13911 LEE JACKSON MEMORIAL HWY, CHANTILLY, VA 20151 HOWEVER, THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT YET DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,353.

Mileage: 13,353

THE ENGINE AUTO STOP OR IDLE STOP IS A SAFETY HAZARD. THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF PREVENTING A QUICK ACCELERATION FROM AN INTERSECTION OR OTHER HAZARD. THE MANUFACTURE SHOULD OFFER A METHOD TO PERMANENTLY DISABLE THIS HAZARD.I WAS NEARLY T-BONED WHEN TRYING TO MAKE A LH TURN AT A BUSY INTERSECTION BECAUSE THE CAR HAD TO START BEFORE ACCELERATING

Mileage: 2,500

WHILE DRIVING APPROX. 40 MPH AND SLOWING TO TURN INTO GAS STATION, THE CAR COMPLETELY TURNED OFF. I WAS UNABLE TO PUT CAR IN NEUTRAL OR GET OFF OF ROAD. TOW TRUCK CALLED AND HAD TO BE DRUG ONTO FLATBED. GARAGE REPLACED BATTERY AND STILL UNABLE TO START. NEEDED TO REPLACE TIMING BELT, TENSIONER PULLEY, WATER PUMP, ENGINE SHORT BLOCK AND HEADS. CAR WITH ONLY 4088 MILES, NO S/S OF ISSUE PRIOR TO INCIDENT, ETC. GARAGE NOT SURE WHAT CAUSED ISSUE, BEST GUESS IS MANUFACTURE DEFECT IN TIMING BELT. I ASKED TO END LEASE OR FOR NEW VEHICLE, BUT ACURA DENIED. CAR WILL BE RETURNED TO ME DESPITE MY CONCERNS.

Mileage: 4,088