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2012 Acura Mdx

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2012 Acura Mdx do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 101.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

47 reports with mileage · 29 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports3 fire reports2 injury reports

Power Train complaints

13 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jan 24, 2024
EnginePower Train

The engine consistently consumes too much oil between service events. The low oil light comes on. I had this problem for over 8 years and the dealership said it was not a problem until now and they want me to pay for it. The oil control rings have been clogged since 2016 and progressively gotten worse. The clogged rings caus…

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The engine consistently consumes too much oil between service events. The low oil light comes on. I had this problem for over 8 years and the dealership said it was not a problem until now and they want me to pay for it. The oil control rings have been clogged since 2016 and progressively gotten worse. The clogged rings cause restriction of oil to return to the crankcase. This causes a decrease in available oil and may cause overheating that could lead to engine fire. Acura should fix the oil control rings to function properly. They have identified this in the past, through a service bulletin (19-006). I have performed 97% of my oil changes at Acura dealerships.

NHTSA ODI #11567583

80,000 miles · Nov 23, 2020
Power Train

SHUDDERING WHEN GOING BETWEEN 20-40 MILES.

NHTSA ODI #11375956

80,000 miles · Nov 7, 2020
Power Train

THE TRANSMISSION BROKE EVEN AFTER THE REGULAR MAINTENANCE. SPENT MORE THAN $5,000 WITH THE DEALER TO FIX IT.

NHTSA ODI #11373555

87,534 miles · Jun 5, 2020
Power Train

METAL PIECES WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION FLUID.REGULAR MAINTENANCE DONE WITH ACURA OF WAPPINGER FALLS, NY 12590. SPENT $5190.04 FOR REPLACING TRANSMISSION AND TORQUE CONVERTOR WITH REMANUFACTURED UNIT. FEW YEARS BEFORE HAD ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUES JUST AT 55,000 AND WAS TOLD THAT INTERNAL GASKET OIL CONSUMPTION WAS NOT PART OF …

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METAL PIECES WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION FLUID.REGULAR MAINTENANCE DONE WITH ACURA OF WAPPINGER FALLS, NY 12590. SPENT $5190.04 FOR REPLACING TRANSMISSION AND TORQUE CONVERTOR WITH REMANUFACTURED UNIT. FEW YEARS BEFORE HAD ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUES JUST AT 55,000 AND WAS TOLD THAT INTERNAL GASKET OIL CONSUMPTION WAS NOT PART OF THE ENGINE PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11327454

113,000 miles · Feb 19, 2020
Power Train

EVER SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR I TRY TO TAKE IT BACK TO GET IT WAS BECAUSE THE CAR RPM FLUCTUATE ABOUT 1500-2500 RPM RANGE AND 30-40MPH CAUSES THE CAR TO JERKS LIKE ITS TRYING TO GO AND BRAKING AT THE SAME TIME. IT DOES THIS CONSISTENTLY IN CITY STREETS SOMETIMES IT DOES THAT ON THE HIGHWAY. ESPECIALLY GOING UP HILLS. I JUST DON'T …

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EVER SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR I TRY TO TAKE IT BACK TO GET IT WAS BECAUSE THE CAR RPM FLUCTUATE ABOUT 1500-2500 RPM RANGE AND 30-40MPH CAUSES THE CAR TO JERKS LIKE ITS TRYING TO GO AND BRAKING AT THE SAME TIME. IT DOES THIS CONSISTENTLY IN CITY STREETS SOMETIMES IT DOES THAT ON THE HIGHWAY. ESPECIALLY GOING UP HILLS. I JUST DON'T FEEL SAFE AT ALL WHEN THE CAR ACTS UP LIKE THAT. I TAKE IT BACK TO WHERE I BOUGHT IT FROM THEY KEEP SAYING IS NORMAL I EVEN TOOK IT TO ACURA DEALER AND THE TECHNICIAN SAYS ITS NORMAL AND THAT I NEED TO PRESS ON GAS HARDER. THIS IS BULLSH*T.

NHTSA ODI #11310054

107,000 miles · Oct 30, 2018
Power Train

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR MY RPMS FLUCTUATE AND MY CAR CAN'T SEEM TO GET INTO GEAR. IT IS ALL OVER THE PLACE AND VERY SCARY AT TIMES. IT SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND ALSO A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. THIS SHOULD NOT BE THE CONSUMERS PROBLEM. ACURA SHOULD BE LIVING UP TO THERE NAME BY FIXING THIS PROBLEM. ACURAS SHOULD NE…

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WHILE DRIVING MY CAR MY RPMS FLUCTUATE AND MY CAR CAN'T SEEM TO GET INTO GEAR. IT IS ALL OVER THE PLACE AND VERY SCARY AT TIMES. IT SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND ALSO A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. THIS SHOULD NOT BE THE CONSUMERS PROBLEM. ACURA SHOULD BE LIVING UP TO THERE NAME BY FIXING THIS PROBLEM. ACURAS SHOULD NEVER HAVE A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. THATS WHY MY HUSBAND AND I ARE LOYAL CUSTOMERS. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTING.

NHTSA ODI #11144197

78,000 miles · Aug 20, 2018
Power Train

TRANSMISSION SHUDDERS AT VARIOUS SPEEDS BETWEEN 15-55 MPH. MOST SEVERE AT APPROX 35-40 MPH BETWEEN 1500-2000 RPM. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE BY ACURA/AMERICAN HONDA AS EVIDENCED BY SERVICE BULLETIN 16-044.

NHTSA ODI #11121145

69,000 miles · Jan 9, 2018
Power Train

RPM'S FLUCTUATE ON THE TACHOMETER WHILE ACCELERATING. THEY JUMP UP AND DOWN AND YOU CAN FEEL THE VEHICLE HESITATE. BASED ON WHAT I AM READING, THIS APPEARS TO BE A WELL KNOWN ISSUE WITH PROGRAMMING AND WITH THE TORQUE CONVERTER THAT CAN RESULT IN TRANSMISSION DAMAGE. EVEN IF THE TORQUE CONVERTER IS REPLACED, WHICH IS AN EXPENSIV…

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RPM'S FLUCTUATE ON THE TACHOMETER WHILE ACCELERATING. THEY JUMP UP AND DOWN AND YOU CAN FEEL THE VEHICLE HESITATE. BASED ON WHAT I AM READING, THIS APPEARS TO BE A WELL KNOWN ISSUE WITH PROGRAMMING AND WITH THE TORQUE CONVERTER THAT CAN RESULT IN TRANSMISSION DAMAGE. EVEN IF THE TORQUE CONVERTER IS REPLACED, WHICH IS AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR, THIS APPEARS TO BE A RE-OCCURRING ISSUE. OUR 2012 MDX HAS 79,365 MILES ON IT WHICH IS JUST OUTSIDE THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY AND WELL BEFORE A TRANSMISSION SHOULD BE GOING ON AN ACURA VEHICLE. THIS STARTED HAPPENING A COUPLE MONTHS AGO AND NOW IS A DAILY OCCURRENCE. BEING THIS HAPPENS AT ANY SPEEDS AND WHILE MOVING AND IS DIRECTLY TIED TO THE COMPUTER, THIS COULD LEAD TO FAILURE ON A BUSY ROAD AND A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. BEING A COMMON ISSUE THAT IS WELL DOCUMENTED, I FEEL THIS SHOULD BE COVERED BY WARRANTY AND FIXED BY THE MANUFACTURER.

NHTSA ODI #11061527

Mileage unknown · Feb 14, 2017
Power Train

VEHICLE HAS BEEN LUNGING AT STEADY RPM OF 1.6. WHEN TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP THEY SAID THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN INDICATING EARLY DEGRADATION OF TRANSMISSION FLUID CAUSED BY SOFTWARE ISSUE WAS CAUSING THE ISSUE. WOULD NOT COVER THE REPAIRS UNDER WARRANTY. TSA 16-044 ISSUED IN NOVEMBER OF 2016. CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY WHEN ACURA BEC…

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VEHICLE HAS BEEN LUNGING AT STEADY RPM OF 1.6. WHEN TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP THEY SAID THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN INDICATING EARLY DEGRADATION OF TRANSMISSION FLUID CAUSED BY SOFTWARE ISSUE WAS CAUSING THE ISSUE. WOULD NOT COVER THE REPAIRS UNDER WARRANTY. TSA 16-044 ISSUED IN NOVEMBER OF 2016. CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY WHEN ACURA BECAME AWARE OF ISSUE AND DID NOT NOTIFY CONSUMERS OF ISSUE. HAVE SPENT NUMEROUS PHONE CALLS WITH ACURA AND THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY CANNOT PROVIDE A DATE WHEN SOFTWARE UPDATE WILL BE AVAILABLE TO FIX THE ISSUE. TEMPORARY SOLUTION WAS TO CHANGE TRANSMISSION FLUID, WHICH I HAD TO PAY FOR. ACURA CANNOT TELL ME OF PERMANENT DAMAGE TO TRANSMISSION DUE TO KNOWN ISSUE WITH SOFTWARE CAUSING EARLY DECAY OF TRANSMISSION FLUID.

NHTSA ODI #10954405

74,000 miles · Dec 7, 2016
Power Train

MY 2012 MDX SUFFERS FROM A TORQUE CONVERTER RUMBLING SOUND AND VIBRATION COMMON TO THE MDX SERIES. AS YOU ACCELERATE THE NOISE AND VIBRATION CAN BE FELT ALMOST LIKE A BEARING NOISE WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY CAUSE A LOCKUP OR FAILURE POSSIBLY RESULTING IN INJURIES TO ANY DRIVERS OR PEDESTRIANS. THE DEALERS ARE SAYING THAT THIS NOISE …

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MY 2012 MDX SUFFERS FROM A TORQUE CONVERTER RUMBLING SOUND AND VIBRATION COMMON TO THE MDX SERIES. AS YOU ACCELERATE THE NOISE AND VIBRATION CAN BE FELT ALMOST LIKE A BEARING NOISE WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY CAUSE A LOCKUP OR FAILURE POSSIBLY RESULTING IN INJURIES TO ANY DRIVERS OR PEDESTRIANS. THE DEALERS ARE SAYING THAT THIS NOISE IS INDIGENOUS TO THE INHERENT HISTORY OF THE VEHICLE . FACT: SO I'M NOT ALONE IN THIS AND I KNOW ANY VIBRATIONS IN THAT AREA WILL DEFINITELY LESSEN THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE AND COST THE CAR OWNERS ! GOD FORBID ! THERE REFUSAL TO SIMPLY REPLACE THE CONVERTER IS A REFUSAL TO SELL GOOD VEHICLES AND THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ASAP ! UPDATED 10/22/13 ACURA CLIENT SERVICES INFORMED THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT ALL THE MDX VEHICLES NEAR THE SAME YEAR, HAVE AN INHERENT DOCUMENTED KNOCK ON ACCELERATION REGARDLESS OF WHAT PREMIUM FUEL IS USED.

NHTSA ODI #10933709

Official recalls

1

12V063000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly

Feb 17, 2012

HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 PILOT AND ACURA MDX VEHICLES. THE VENT SHUT FLOAT (VSF) VALVE CASE IN THE FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY DOES NOT MEET THE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: AS A RESULT, FUEL MAY LEAK FROM THE TANK, INCREASING THE RISK OF FIRE.

Remedy: HONDA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VSF ASSEMBLY DATE AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 13, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-999-1009.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.