Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2019 Acura MDX owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated while her nephew was driving at an undisclosed speed, he noticed smoke coming from the front and rear of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The contact's nephew pulled off the road to lift the hood of the vehicle where he saw flames. The Fire and Police Department arrived at the scene however, the fire had already been extinguished. The contact was unaware if a Police report was filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to the nephew's residence where the Insurance Adjustor took pictures of the damages. The vehicle was towed to Mack's Automotive but due to the extensive damage, the vehicle was not repaired. …
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated while reversing into a parking space, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the message "Transmission Failure" was displayed. The vehicle was able to be restarted after 30 minutes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. The dealer informed the contact that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), which could be related to the failure; however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle had failed to start and was undrivable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. …
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated that occasionally while accelerating, at a stop, or while driving, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. While driving at approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated to 80 MPH. Additionally, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes activated independently. 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 repaired. Upon returning the vehicle, the warning lights were flashing or beeping without a light. The steering wheel was loose. The steering wheel also turned a third of the way, but the wheels failed to respond. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. …
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at various undisclosed speeds, an abnormal sound could be heard coming from the engine and a fuel-burning odor leaked into the interior and exterior of the vehicle. The transmission jerked while driving. The failure occurred on several occasions. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) and 23V751000 ( ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond and started to decelerate. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but had become a recurring failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The failure mileage was 45,705. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 98,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was a rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while at a stoplight with the Auto START/STOP feature activated, the vehicle failed to restart after releasing the brake pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle was able to be restarted approximately 5 minutes later. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Action Number: EA25004 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); and related the failure to the action number. The failure mileage was 1,000.
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.
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Hard parts internal/mechanical
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 2016-2017 Acura MDX owner letters were mailed November 1, 2024.
Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline › Belts and associated pulleys
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Acura MDX and Honda Pilot vehicles and 2019 Acura RLX, RLX Sport Hybrid, TLX and Honda Odyssey and Ridgeline vehicles. The timing belt teeth may separate from the belt.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle and replace any affected timing belt free of charge. Vehicles receiving a replacement timing belt will also have the engine inspected and any damaged…
NHTSA investigations
Engine failure
On November 8, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query RQ24013 to assess the scope of Honda recall 23V-751 after receiving complaints that alleged connecting rod bearing failures in vehicles that were not within the scope of recall 23V-751. In November 2023, Honda recalled 248,999 various Model Year (MY)2016-2020 Honda and Acura vehicles equipped with the 3.5L V6 engine.
Engine failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 414 reports of connecting rod bearing failures in the 3.5L V6 engine used in the following vehicles: Model Years (MY) 2018-2020 Acura TLX, MY2016-2020 Acura MDX, MY2016-2020 Honda Pilot, MY2018-2020 Honda Odyssey, and MY2017-2019 Honda Ridgeline. The subject engine failures were analyzed as part of a Recall Query (RQ24013).
No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages
On June 3, 2022, the O ce of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several eld 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 tra c light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged.
Engine complaints in other MDX years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2019 Acura MDX?
NHTSA has 77 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2019 Acura MDX, 41% of the model year's 190 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2019 Acura MDX engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 23V-751 (hard parts internal/mechanical, Nov 13, 2023); NHTSA recall 19V-298 (belts and associated pulleys, Apr 12, 2019). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2019 Acura MDX engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 42,000 miles, and 35% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.