2022 Acura MDX Type S Transmission Problems

Mileage when the problem started

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2022 Acura MDX Type S owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

driving on highway car suddenly lost power check engine light came on. was able to coast off to an exit on the highway. car eventually unable to move. the car was towed to the dealer. the transmission and power take off unit was replaced.

The All Wheel Drive of my 2022 MDX has been going out in the rear, and only the front wheels are powered. This happens nearly every time I drive the vehicle for the last 2 months, at least. My safety is at risk because I live in Montana and the roads have been getting icy with current weather conditions. When the AWD drive gives out, I lose all power briefly as the front tried to regain power. Going up mountains with this issue is very dangerous. It also goes out in "snow" mode. I have sent the Acura warranty department numerous photos, via email, of the error message as well as videos of the message popping up. I also started a log of the error as of 11/09/23. I live over 400 miles from the closest Acura dealership. I asked if the local Honda dealership can look at it and after over a week of waiting to hear back, was told I needed to take it to Acura. …

The vehicle is experiencing a catastrophic mechanical failure of the transfer case/transmission splines, resulting in a 'Loss of Motive Power.' On two occasions while merging into high-speed highway traffic, the engine revved to high RPMs, but the vehicle failed to accelerate for approximately 5 seconds (Mechanical Neutral Drop). These incidents resulted in near-collisions. The vehicle also exhibits violent torque steer and unpredictable handling. The issue was initially reported to an authorized dealer at 70,320 miles but was misdiagnosed as 'no codes were present.' Subsequent inspection by a second dealer confirmed a mechanical failure of the drive splines. This is a purely mechanical failure that does not trigger dashboard warning lights or Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), leaving the driver unaware of the impending drivetrain failure until power is lost. …

Catastrophic Power Take-Off Unit (PTU) and Transmission spline failure on a 2022 Acura MDX Type-S vehicle. Had dangerous loss of traction and unexpected handling characteristics with rough shifting, RPM Surges, Sensor problem LOSS OF Power, Delayed shifting with Jerky ride, and a smell of burning oil or rubber, also would move into reverse and the Drive Letter "D" was blinking. The problem was confirmed by Independent service center and it was inspected by the manufacturer. Messages indicating engine/transmission issues appeared on Jan 4, 2026; *Transmission system problem. Paddle shifters not available. See your dealer. *Emissions system problem. Power may be reduced. See your dealer. * Transmission system problem. Avoid heavy acceleration and High speed. See your dealer. * AWD All Wheel Drive system problem. Only the Front wheels may be powered. See your dealer. …

Reporting an additional case in support of ongoing defect petition investigation DP26001. 2022 Acura MDX Type S SH-AWD, currently at 63,700 miles. While driving and making a turn, I heard a grinding noise with no warning lights illuminated. I stopped immediately and shut off the engine but noticed no abnormality. I restarted the vehicle and drove with no further issues or noises. Later, during a scheduled oil change, I discovered that the area between the transmission and PTU was covered in oil. The Acura dealership diagnosed a bad PTU seal and replaced the PTU under powertrain warranty, but completely disregarded my concern regarding investigation DP26001 and the known issue with stripped splines. The leak was repaired, but several weeks later while driving in the rain, the vehicle felt very unstable during acceleration on wet pavement. …

Many attempts in the last 5k miles made to diagnose unsafe uncomfortable front vibrations. Vehicle erratically shaking above 50mph. Returned vehicle to CarMax (where vehicle purchased), and 3 separate individual Acura dealers made attempts. Rotated and rebalanced tires several times with a scan tool connected as a technician drove vehicle with no results Finally Acura dealer an hour away from my home diagnosed faulty front transfer case pending anything further. Conveyed the shaft splines into transfer case and other end to transmission may be faulty, rounded out, and will report findings. After inspected, transmission output splines for shaft going to front transfer case have been found rounded out as well. Dealer reported this again under warranty and ordering transmission. Coming up on 30 days front transfer case, transmission, and possibility of further repairs. …

The component that malfunctioned was the transfer case, the vehicle was already repaired so an inspection isn't possible anymore. The vehicle behaved as normal until the accelerator was pressed enough to make the front wheels lose traction, in which the vehicle couldn't send power to the rear, because the transfer case was shredded up. When needing to accelerate quickly in traffic, the vehicle would completely spin up the front tires, not being able to put the power down. The dealer reproduced the problem, but initially stated that it was most likely due to the salt on the road (it was winter). As spring arrived, the problem still persisted, in which the dealer checked the transfer case and found it was shredded. They replaced the transmission and transfer case under warranty. …

Starting hearing issues late 24 of MDX and TLX losing all-wheel-drive due to splines stripping between the transmission and transfer case. Had car thoroughly inspected and fluid samples taken in December of 24. In February on 25 with a frame rattling bang as I was pulling out onto a street, rear wheel drive went out at 64k. No warning lights and no indicators, dash showed all 4 tires pulling. Dealership verified system was stripped as rear tires were not turning. Also discovered connection between the two units failed allowing water to get in and wash all grease out around the spines. New transmission is two parts number newer than original and transfer case is one parts number newer than original. Also noted transmission and transfer case take less fluids than original. Car feels a lot tighter and smoother on shifting with new units.

My transfer case went out at an unknown mileage with no indication on my dash that there was a failure. It converted the vehicle to front wheel drive while indicating it was still having the back wheel spinning on the all-wheel drive indicator on the dash. During a recent snowstorm, there were multiple instances when I pulled out from an intersection thinking I had good traction I'm pulled out and then my wheels started spinning almost causing an accident. I thought that was weird so I brought it to my local Acura dealer and explained what happened and they tested it and found that the transfer case splines were bad along with the splines that attached to the transmission. They replaced both the transmission and transfer case under warranty. No police or insurance representatives were involved as there were no accidents.

Vehicle experienced reduced power and many alarm messages came up. I pulled to the side of the road to get out of traffic. I turned off the engine and attempted to restart, the engine would run for 5 seconds and then shutdown. I learned later that the turbo outlet hose had become detached from the hose fitting. It was under the motor and only accessible when the vehicle was on a hoist. The real reason for my complaint is that with the engine unable to stay running, the transmission could not be shifted to neutral and there is no shift lock feature to manually put the transmission in neutral either. So, if I had been stuck in traffic when the engine lost power, there would have been no way to push or tow the vehicle to a safe place. This seems like a function that would be important to have on a vehicle.

NHTSA investigations

Transmission complaints in other MDX Type S years