2022 Acura MDX recalls & problems

Safety recalls

Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.

Fuel economy

EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.

What owners report

*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.

Recent owner complaints

• Power train

  Vehicle had oil leak from transmission/transfer case area. Repair shop discovered splines worn where transmission driveshaft and transfer case meet. A common issue apparently. Caused vehicle to only work as a FWD instead of a FWD vehicle. Was advised transmission and transfer case need replaced a cost of 12-13k for a used pair.

  Oct 20, 2026
• Power train

  Transmission Failed, Drive train spline is stripped, Safety basically vehicle would shake constanstly. It has been inspected by Acura of Berlin CT.

  Jun 1, 2026
• Power train

  My less than 5 year old car had a leak coming from the center front of the car. Acura Service said the transfer case and transmission connection spindles were damaged and transmission seals are leaking. They recommended a replacement of both transmission and transfer case, at a cost of over $13,000, and that is after Acura Customer Service gave me a 10% discount on the repair.

  Oct 12, 2026
• Power train

  My 2022 Acura MDX has transmission issues that started at 99,000 miles. After inspection as to why the drive shaft is spinning freely - they pulled the transfer case off and noticed that the teeth are worn down to almost flat, which is cause ing the transmission not to send power to the real wheels. This is consistent with multiple documented transmission - PTU spline failures on 2022-2023 Acura MDXs (reference NHSTA Investigation DP26-001).

  Sep 3, 2026
• Power train

  SPLINES BETWEEN TRANSMISSION AND TRANSFER CASE STRIPPED. AWD DOES NOT WORK ANYMORE. NO CODES ON THE DASH.

  Sep 18, 2026
• Power train

  I was driving and my AWD sistem made a shader sound and right after that the vehicle went on two wheel drive, the clang it made cause the vehicle to swerve in the highway which could have caused an accident. Yes the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The vehicle hasn’t been inspected by the dealer or anyone yet, but the SH-AWD light came on after the sound and the vehicle stayed on front wheel drive only. If this system fail the way it fail on my vehicle at a higher speed it could have caused a fatal accident!

  Sep 25, 2026
• Structure › Body

  The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact noticed quite a bit of water leaking into the trunk of the vehicle. The contact stated she was able to find a smell of mildew. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a leak coming from the trunk was confirmed. The dealer diagnosed the failure to be caused by defective drain tubes on both sides of the trunk. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

  Sep 24, 2026
• Power train

  The splints that control the SH-AWD have stripped out and I'm being told tge transmission and transfer case need to be replaced. I've had all the services done on-time with the dealership I purchased it from.

  Sep 24, 2026

Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.

NHTSA defect investigations

• All wheel drive allegationClosed

  The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has completed its review of a Petition dated January 9, 2026, requesting an investigation into the loss of the optional all-wheel drive capability in model year (MY) 2021-2023 Acura TLX and MY 2022-2023 Acura MDX vehicles. The Petition alleges failures in the interfacing splines between the front wheel drive transaxle and the rear wheel drive power take off unit. Failure of these splines prevents the transfer of drive power to the rear axle, making the vehicle front wheel drive only. The Petition further alleges that this failure reduces vehicle directional control. Most traditional AWD systems utilize mechanical and passive measures. These systems have the tendency to distribute torque along the path of least resistance, such as a wheel that has lost contact with the ground or is on a low friction surface such as ice. To compensate for this,…

  DP26001 · opened Mar 6, 2026 · closed Aug 4, 2026
• No Restart After Auto Start/Stop EngagesOpen

  On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5L engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. On January 6, 2023, Honda released service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. These service bulletins address the failure to restart issue in the 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles, as well as the 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2019-2022 Honda Passport, and 2020-2023 Honda Ridgeline vehicles. The repair outlined in the service bulletins is a two-stage countermeasure to remedy the issue. The first stage is a…

  EA25004 · opened Mar 26, 2025