2016 Acura MDX Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2016 Acura MDX most often describe two patterns: engine trouble that begins as a ticking or knocking noise and ends with lost power and a dealer diagnosis of failed connecting rod bearings, and transmission behavior where the vehicle hesitates, jerks, surges or refuses to move from a stop. Transmission complaints tend to appear at lower mileage than engine complaints, and many owners report software updates and reprogramming did not resolve the symptoms.

1. 1
   Engine

   Engine knocking, metal in oil, rod bearing failure

   • 90 complaints (24%)
   • median 102,750 mi at 9.5 yrs old (20 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $7,500 (median of 12 quotes)
   • filed 2017–2026

   Complaints describe a ticking, rattling or knocking sound from the engine that appears while driving or right after startup, sometimes with the check engine light on or several warning lights flashing. Owners report losing motive power and being unable to restart, and dealers or independent shops then finding metal shavings in the oil pan or filter and reporting failed connecting rod bearings, often requiring an engine or short block replacement. Several owners say their VIN was not covered by the related bearing recall campaign, or that they were told it was not covered. Reported from roughly 11,000 to 157,000 miles, with many cases between about 60,000 and 110,000 miles, and often while driving at speed rather than during a cold start.

   Recall 23V751000

   What to check: Ask for oil and filter service records and whether the engine has ever been opened or replaced, and check the VIN against recall 23V751000. Listen for a ticking or knocking at start-up and at light throttle; a used-oil analysis can also show bearing material.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “driving on freeway at 65mph and check engine light flashed as vehicle started to studder and turned off while driving. vehicle would not even try to start afterwards. vehicle got towed off freeway to my home. I continued to try to start, it sounded like a bad starter or dead battery, so I charged the battery and got the vehicle to crank and start. engine was knocking and squealing and pinging. immediately turned off and did some research. found out about recall and my engine is not on it . I found a local shop and had it towed there. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11673138, filed 2025-07, 149,385 miles

   “Driving up a hill, new knocking noise, car lost engine power, steered the car to the curb and turned engine off. Got car towed to mechanic, ultimately diagnosed as connecting rod bearing failure at cylinder 1. No noted leaks nor other issues at engine nor transmission, this appeared to be defect of the connect rod itself.”

   NHTSA complaint #11666067, filed 2025-06, 66,701 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission hesitation, jerking and going into neutral

   • 150 complaints (40%)
   • median 28,500 mi at 2.9 yrs old (94 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $7,200 (median of 7 quotes)
   • filed 2015–2026

   Owners describe the vehicle hesitating or failing to move when the accelerator is pressed from a stop, then revving high before engaging, along with jerking, surging, rough low-speed shifts and a feeling of staying in a gear too long. Some complaints describe the transmission unexpectedly shifting into neutral at highway speed with transmission, emissions and blind spot warnings on the dash and the vehicle limited to about 30 mph. Owners report dealers performing software or PCM updates, and several say the symptoms returned afterward; some were told a transmission replacement was needed. Often reported from about 10,000 to 80,000 miles, frequently during cold-engine driving, low-speed acceleration or highway cruise-cancel situations.

   What to check: Test drive from cold and try several stop-and-go launches and a highway pass to see whether shifts are smooth. Ask whether any transmission software updates or a replacement unit have been done and whether service records show it.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My Acura mdx 2016 is well maintained, only 42500 miles,bought brand new from dealer, problem started 6 months ago, accelerator, rpm goes up even on 20 miles driving, and car just stops and gear goes to park mode..dealer inspected, they said transmission needs to be replaced, contacted NCDS, their respond I passed the warranty of 7 years, not covered. Dealer charging 7100 to fix issues.”

   NHTSA complaint #11641551, filed 2025-02, 43,000 miles

   “Since we purchased this car we have issues with the vehicle where it is hesitating to accelerate when going from 0 MPH to 30 MPH. We took it to the dealership and they updated the software for the powertrain but still the vehicle has acceleration issues when going from 0 to 40 miles per hour. We have researched this issue on internet and it seems like lots of people owning Acura are having this issue. This issue is attributed to new 7 speed transmission that Acura built. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11300557, filed 2020-01, 29,000 miles
3. 3
   Engine

   Stalling or no restart after idle stop

   Mentioned in 7 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the engine shutting off when the vehicle stops, such as at a light or in a parking lot, and sometimes not restarting on its own, with the driver needing to shift to park and press the start button or having the vehicle jump-started. Owners also report sputtering restarts and stalling while driving with warning lights on the dash, and dealers resetting computers or updating software in some cases. Reported from very low mileage up to roughly 120,000 miles, with many cases in stop-and-go traffic or right after an idle-stop event.

   7 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the idle-stop PGM-FI software update was applied, and whether the starter has been serviced. During the test drive, stop several times with idle stop active and confirm the engine restarts each time.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “In the last 6 months, my SUV has stalled either at a stop light or when parked. It would sputter on trying to restart. Battery was not an issue. Thought it was a starter issue and got a new starter. But it happened again today and the tow truck guy powered with jump start (even though it was not a battery issue) and it started.”

   NHTSA complaint #11373683, filed 2020-11, 77,000 miles

   “Car began to stall while driving. Would not accelerate while pressing gas pedal and suddenly turned off. Tried to turn it back on. Which it did turn on but it did so with a lot of effort from the car. Engine light has now came on along with 3 more lights.”

   NHTSA complaint #11363602, filed 2020-10, 1 miles
4. 4
   Engine

   Loss of power and no accelerator response while driving

   Mentioned in 6 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe pressing the accelerator at speed or after cancelling cruise control and getting no response, with the engine dropping toward idle and the vehicle slowing sharply, sometimes with multiple warning lights and an emissions system message. Some say the condition clears after shutting off and restarting, and that no fault codes were stored or the dealer found nothing to fix. Mostly reported between roughly 35,000 and 90,000 miles, often at highway speed during a pass or after coming off cruise control.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the throttle and fuel system have been diagnosed or updated, and whether warnings appeared during prior ownership. On a test drive at highway speed, note any delay between pedal input and response.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving with adaptive cruse control on, I was approaching slower vehicle. I wanted to go around it without breaking. While driving already on high speed (70m/h) I press acceleration pedal so I can safely go around slower vehicle. I was half way into passing line (last left line), there was a car already behind me approaching with higher speed, when I suddenly completely lost power and lots of lights illuminated on the dash. Car behind me notice that I start loosing speed rapidly so he start braking that I could hear his tires. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11399559, filed 2021-03, 80,000 miles

   “When driving at highway speeds for at least a half hour and attempting to accelerate, the engine speed will drop to idle and will not respond to accelerator pedal movement for several seconds. When this happens, there are no: warnings, lights, or messages and no fault codes are stored in any of the control modules. This has never happened when using cruise control. This has happened on at least 9 different trips. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11303030, filed 2020-01, 75,000 miles

Buying note. A 2016 MDX deserves a pre-purchase inspection that includes a cold start and a scan for stored codes, since many complaints involve engine bearings, transmission behavior and fuel pump faults that a short drive may not reveal. Verify recall status by VIN, particularly the engine bearing and fuel pump campaigns, and ask for records showing what has already been repaired.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.