2018 Acura MDX Problems

What owners report

Owners of this 2018 MDX most often describe hesitation or a delayed, lurching response when pressing the accelerator, sometimes along with stalling or jerking — a pattern that shows up across fuel-system, engine and transmission complaints in the sample. Electrical complaints, including a backup camera that stays on and random light/alarm activity, also appear often, and a number of owners reported waiting on recall parts for fuel pump and engine repairs.

1. 1
   Fuel system

   Hesitation or lurching on acceleration

   • 37 complaints (22%)
   • median 50,000 mi at 5.4 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2019–2026

   Complaints describe the accelerator pedal being pressed with no immediate response, followed by a sudden lunge or jerk. Several owners say the delay happens from a stop or at low speed and is repeatable, and some describe the vehicle stalling or jerking with warning lights at speed. Some dealers could not duplicate the behavior; others performed fuel pump recall work or replaced an oil pressure switch, with mixed results. Reported across a wide mileage range, roughly 45,000 to 100,000 miles, often during stops, turns or low-speed acceleration.

   Recall 23V858000Recall 19V0600003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Road test from several full stops and slow rolling starts, and note any delay before the car moves. Ask whether the fuel pump recall 23V-858 was completed and whether idle-stop software updates were applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Sometimes when we step on the gas petal, the car does not move, and when we press harder on the gas petal, the car suddenly takes off very fast. We have almost been hit by other cars many times because the car does not move when we press the gas petal.”

   NHTSA complaint #11564185, filed 2024-01

   “This car has repeatedly had issues with delaying to take off when I touch the gas pedal. Once the pedal is depressed there is a long delay before the car actually moves. Two days ago as I was driving at around 35mph all warning lights came on and the car started jerking as it was trying to slow down or stall. I was able to get back to my home luckily I was only up the street and was able to drive under 30mph and had to pull off the road several times because it kept jerking almost as if someone was repeatedly slamming on the brakes. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11525838, filed 2023-06
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Backup camera stays on; display and electrical glitches

   • 41 complaints (24%)
   • median 12,000 mi at 1.2 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Complaints describe the rear camera image remaining on the screen after shifting out of reverse, sometimes for miles of forward driving. Owners also report the infotainment system freezing, dash lights flickering, the alarm sounding on its own and the battery draining. Dealers often said they could not reproduce the problem or needed approval before replacing parts. Mostly reported under about 20,000 miles, with some reported later in ownership.

   What to check: With the car in park, shift to reverse and back to drive to confirm the screen returns to the normal display, and check that the alarm and dash lights behave normally after locking.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “After switching to drive from reverse the nav display would not switch back from the back up camera while driving ahead, when a car would be anywhere near mine on the road, still in drive, whether idle at a stop light or in motion on the street, the back up sensors that respond to passing cars did not beep. I tried pressing the back button, nav button, settings button & turning the car on/off all failing to fix the problem. The camera remained on even while in park once I arrived home.”

   NHTSA complaint #11129434, filed 2018-09, 2,500 miles

   “I am having continual issues with the infotainment system (radio, air conditioning, navigation, etc.). The issues have continued to worsen over time during my short time of ownership. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11230117, filed 2019-07, 15,150 miles
3. 3
   Forward collision avoidance

   AcuraWatch and driver-assist warning lights

   • 19 complaints (11%)
   • median 10,750 mi at 1.5 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners report multiple warnings at once — collision mitigation, adaptive cruise, lane keeping and road departure — with the related dash lights staying on and the systems not working. One owner says the dealer confirmed a front camera failure. Others describe the system braking on its own when no obstacle was in the path. Reported from a few thousand miles up into higher mileage; complaints do not point to a single mileage range.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Start the car and check that no AcuraWatch warnings appear, and ask whether the multipurpose camera software update described in a service bulletin was applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was traveling about 35-40 MPH approaching a side street to the right. The car in front of me slowed to turn right. The 'brake' light flashed as it typically does. I slowed but did not stop since the car in front of me was continuing it's turn and moving away from me. There was a car at the stop sign on the side street waiting to turn onto the road I was traveling. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11257574, filed 2019-09, 18,000 miles

   “Purchased Acura MDX in january of 2018 so it is now 3 months. I believe there is something significantly wrong with its automatic braking system. I was driving down a hill on a residental, fast paced road, with a guardrail to my right side and another car passing me on the left side. We both we traveling at the speed limit of 40 miles per hour when all of a sudden my car's brakes went on, causing me to swerve into the guardrail. From there, I was thrown into oncoming traffic causing a collison. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11081739, filed 2018-03, 3,500 miles
4. 4
   Engine

   Stalling or no restart after idle stop

   • 12 complaints (7%)
   • median 44,500 mi at 5.4 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2025

   Owners describe the engine shutting off at a stop and then failing to restart when the brake is released, sometimes with the gear indicator showing neutral. Several say shifting to park and pressing the start button restarted the car after repeated tries, and a few describe the vehicle losing power while driving. Complaints mention stalls that dealers could not reproduce. Reported from very low mileage (under 20,000 miles) up to about 130,000 miles, often at idle stops in traffic.

   Recall 23V7510004 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the PGM-FI software update and the idle-stop warranty extension work were done, and whether the engine connecting rod bearing recall 23V-751 has been completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Starter failed with auto start/stop while stopped in traffic. Since engine wouldn't start, car shifted to park automatically and can not shift to neutral with the engine off and unable to start. The battery was fine and could go into aux mode, but still won't shift to neutral. Aside from quality issues related to starter, significant safety design flaw.”

   NHTSA complaint #11099303, filed 2018-06, 1,900 miles

   “The contact owned a 2018 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to several dealers but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11684470, filed 2025-09, 130,000 miles
5. 5
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Hard or jerky transmission shifting

   • 25 complaints (15%)
   • median 30,000 mi at 2.0 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Complaints describe jerking or harsh shifts, hesitation followed by a surge, and occasional difficulty moving the shifter out of drive. Some owners say the dealer checked the transmission and reported it as normal, and the behavior continued. Reported from around 30,000 miles upward, often after months of ownership.

   What to check: Test drive at low speeds with repeated stops and starts to feel for harsh or delayed shifts, and ask for the transmission service history.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “6 months after delivery of my vehicle I stated noticing a jerking when my transmission shifts. I have taken my vehicle to the dealer indicating my concern. Each time the dealers said the could not duplicate. The problem continues. The second issue has to do with my brakes . On 9/23/2019 my brakes started emitting a loud persistent squeak. I am scheduling an appointment with my dealer. My vehicle is a little more than a year old and it seems to me that at 30,000 miles constitute premature brake ware.”

   NHTSA complaint #11257621, filed 2019-09, 30,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2018 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the contact was unable to shift into park (P) or into neutral (N) as the gear shifter became stuck into drive (D) position. The contact stated as he turned off and restarted the vehicle several times, the gear shifter responded as needed. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed the contact that they could not duplicate the failure. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11488902, filed 2022-10, 44,000 miles

Buying note. Check that the open fuel pump and engine recalls (23V-858 and 23V-751) were completed, then road test for accelerator hesitation and idle-stop restarts, since those are the most common themes in owner complaints. Verify the backup camera returns to normal and that no driver-assist warning lights are lit.

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.