Acura MDX 2007–2013 problems by year and mileage
2nd generation (YD2)
NHTSA data through 24 September 2026420 complaints, 300 with mileageMethod
Which year is yours? Tap it to see what breaks on it.
The 2007 Acura MDX
Close- Median failure report
- 92,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 99
- Recalls naming this year
- 0
Most reported on the 2007
- Electrical system51 reports · median 100,000 mi
- Suspension12 reports
- Engine11 reports
The 2008 Acura MDX
Close- Median failure report
- 40,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 49
- Recalls naming this year
- 0
Most reported on the 2008
- Electrical system8 reports
- Body structure8 reports
- Suspension6 reports
The 2009 Acura MDX
Close- Median failure report
- 55,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 52
- Recalls naming this year
- 0
Most reported on the 2009
- Electrical system18 reports
- Engine8 reports
- Transmission and driveline8 reports
The 2010 Acura MDX
Close- Median failure report
- 67,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 45
- Recalls naming this year
- 1
Most reported on the 2010
- Engine11 reports
- Electrical system9 reports
- Steering6 reports
1 recall campaign names the 2010: Air bags. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2011 Acura MDX
Close- Median failure report
- 66,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 70
- Recalls naming this year
- 0
Most reported on the 2011
- Engine28 reports
- Transmission and driveline8 reports
- Electrical system7 reports
The 2012 Acura MDX
Close- Median failure report
- 62,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 76
- Recalls naming this year
- 1
Most reported on the 2012
- Engine23 reports
- Electrical system13 reports
- Transmission and driveline13 reports
1 recall campaign names the 2012: Fuel system, gasoline — storage. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2013 Acura MDX
Close- Median failure report
- too few reports to time
- Complaints filed
- 29
- Recalls naming this year
- 1
Most reported on the 2013
- Engine9 reports
- Electrical system8 reports
- Problems owners could not categorise5 reports
1 recall campaign names the 2013: Fuel system, gasoline — delivery. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
Each tile shows the median mileage at which that model year’s failures were reported. The 2007 reports latest and the 2008 earliest, but part of that gap is age: the 2007 has had 1 more year on the road to accumulate mileage. 1 of these years carries fewer than 30 reports with an odometer reading and shows no median at all, rather than one computed from a handful.
The short answer
“Is the 2007–2013 Acura MDX reliable?”
- Median of reported failures
- 70,000 mi
- 90% of reports came by
- 133,000 mi
- Reports with mileage
- 300
- Recalls
- 3
Most reported
- Electrical system27.1% of complaints · median 90,000 mi
- Engine22.1% of complaints · median 90,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline11.7% of complaints · median 61,000 mi
Owners filed 420 complaints with NHTSA about the 2007–2013 Acura MDX; the electrical system leads with 27.1% of them, and half of the 300 that record an odometer reading came by 70,000 miles. A count like this can’t rate reliability on its own: NHTSA records what owners chose to report, not how many of each car were sold.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 31,000 and 103,000 miles.
Before-you-buy checklist ↓At your mileage ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
How many miles does a 2007–2013 Acura MDX last?
Complaint records can’t measure how long a car lasts; they show when reported failures happened. On the 2007–2013 Acura MDX, half of the 300 complaints that record an odometer reading were filed by 70,000 miles and 90% by 133,000 miles.
17 reports came in past 150,000 miles and 2 past 200,000 — each one proof that a MDX reached that mileage, not that it failed there.
Figure 1 · Acura MDX 2007–2013 · 300 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 10,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 37 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 2 complaints (0.7%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 6,000
- 25%
- 31,000
- Median
- 70,000
- 75%
- 103,000
- 90%
- 133,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10,000 | 37 | 12.3% |
| 10,000–20,000 | 19 | 6.3% |
| 20,000–30,000 | 18 | 6.0% |
| 30,000–40,000 | 21 | 7.0% |
| 40,000–50,000 | 14 | 4.7% |
| 50,000–60,000 | 21 | 7.0% |
| 60,000–70,000 | 19 | 6.3% |
| 70,000–80,000 | 24 | 8.0% |
| 80,000–90,000 | 23 | 7.7% |
| 90,000–100,000 | 21 | 7.0% |
| 100,000–110,000 | 21 | 7.0% |
| 110,000–120,000 | 8 | 2.7% |
| 120,000–130,000 | 17 | 5.7% |
| 130,000–140,000 | 13 | 4.3% |
| 140,000–150,000 | 7 | 2.3% |
| 150,000–160,000 | 7 | 2.3% |
| 160,000–170,000 | 1 | 0.3% |
| 170,000–180,000 | 4 | 1.3% |
| 180,000–190,000 | 1 | 0.3% |
| 190,000–200,000 | 2 | 0.7% |
| 200,000+ | 2 | 0.7% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Common MDX problems, and when they happen
Figure 2 · Acura MDX 2007–2013
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Steering28 reports52,0007,500–99,000Steering: 28 reports, median 52,000 miles, middle half 7,500 to 99,000 miles.
- Transmission and driveline49 reports61,00020,000–90,000Transmission and driveline: 49 reports, median 61,000 miles, middle half 20,000 to 90,000 miles.
- Problems owners could not categorise40 reports70,00050,000–107,000Problems owners could not categorise: 40 reports, median 70,000 miles, middle half 50,000 to 107,000 miles.
- Suspension25 reports74,00050,000–97,000Suspension: 25 reports, median 74,000 miles, middle half 50,000 to 97,000 miles.
- Airbag system36 reports85,00060,000–125,000Airbag system: 36 reports, median 85,000 miles, middle half 60,000 to 125,000 miles.
- Electrical system114 reports90,00051,000–122,000Electrical system: 114 reports, median 90,000 miles, middle half 51,000 to 122,000 miles.
- Engine93 reports90,00045,000–122,000Engine: 93 reports, median 90,000 miles, middle half 45,000 to 122,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
All systems in a table
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 114 | 27.1% | 90,000 | 51,000–122,000 |
| Engine | 93 | 22.1% | 90,000 | 45,000–122,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 49 | 11.7% | 61,000 | 20,000–90,000 |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 40 | 9.5% | 70,000 | 50,000–107,000 |
| Airbag system | 36 | 8.6% | 85,000 | 60,000–125,000 |
| Steering | 28 | 6.7% | 52,000 | 7,500–99,000 |
| Suspension | 25 | 6.0% | 74,000 | 50,000–97,000 |
| Body structure | 24 | 5.7% | 66,000 | 35,000–133,000 |
| Exterior lighting | 19 | 4.5% | 50,000 | 10,000–72,000 |
| Throttle and speed control | 18 | 4.3% | 14,000 | 3,500–68,000 |
System by system, in words
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 70,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The electrical system accounts for 27.1% of complaints (114 reports, 96 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 90,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 51,000 and 122,000 miles.
A single system taking 27.1% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
The engine accounts for 22.1% of complaints (93 reports, 51 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 90,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 45,000 and 122,000 miles.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 11.7% of complaints (49 reports, 36 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 61,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 20,000 and 90,000 miles.
Problems owners could not categorise accounts for 9.5% of complaints (40 reports, 21 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 70,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 50,000 and 107,000 miles.
The airbag system accounts for 8.6% of complaints (36 reports, 19 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 85,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 60,000 and 125,000 miles.
The steering accounts for 6.7% of complaints (28 reports, 26 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 52,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 7,500 and 99,000 miles.
Known problems with the 2007–2013 MDX
Engine — Variable Cylinder Management (vcm) 2007–2013
The cylinder-deactivation system causes excessive oil consumption as oil passes the rings on deactivated cylinders; the consumed oil fouls spark plugs, producing misfires and a check-engine light. Secondary effects include repeated engine/motor mount failure from the vibration of running on three cylinders, and torque converter damage. Owners report stalling or lurching under light acceleration in the 35-45 mph range where VCM cycles.
Before you buy a 2007–2013 MDX: the 3-minute check
Generated from 300 mileage-tagged complaints, 3 recall campaigns, 1 documented problem area. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. 3 campaigns cover this generation; an open recall is a free repair you can make the seller's problem.
- Check engine — variable cylinder management (vcm) on 2007–2013, with 2010–2011 the most heavily reported (2010 owners reported averaging roughly $6,800 to remedy) cars. The cylinder-deactivation system causes excessive oil consumption as oil passes the rings on deactivated cylinders; the consumed oil fouls spark plugs, producing misfires and a check-engine light. Secondary effects…
- Complaint reports are not spread evenly across model years here — see the by-model-year table below before you settle on a year.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 31,000 and 103,000 miles, with a median of 70,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the electrical system and the engine are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The electrical system in particular shows a median failure mileage of 90,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
MDX problems by mileage: where your car sits
Type your odometer reading, or read the common mileages in the table. Your marker lands on the timing chart above and on the curve below.
| System | Middle half of reports, mi | At 60k mi43% below | At 90k mi65% below | At 120k mi82% below | At 150k mi94% below | At 200k mi99% below |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 51,000–122,000 | in window | in window | in window | earlier | earlier |
| Engine | 45,000–122,000 | in window | in window | in window | earlier | earlier |
| Transmission and driveline | 20,000–90,000 | in window | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 50,000–107,000 | in window | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Airbag system | 60,000–125,000 | in window | in window | in window | earlier | earlier |
| Steering | 7,500–99,000 | in window | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Suspension | 50,000–97,000 | in window | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier |
Figure 3 · Acura MDX 2007–2013 · 300 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 43% of reports below
- 90,000 mi — 65% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 82% of reports below
- 150,000 mi — 94% of reports below
- 200,000 mi — 99% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it above
The staircase tops out at 99%: the remaining 0.7% of reports (2) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
2007–2013 Acura MDX recalls (3)
NHTSA records 3 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
The campaigns cluster around the fuel system (2), the airbag system (1). Several campaigns against one area can mean a remedy that did not hold, or separate defects in parts filed under the same heading; the summaries below name each defect.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Dec 2023 · 2013 · Fuel System, GasolineFuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The defect. Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda…
What can happen. Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The free fix. Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall…
Feb 2012 · 2012 · Fuel System, GasolineAs a result, fuel may leak from the tank, increasing the risk of fire.
The defect. 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.
What can happen. As a result, fuel may leak from the tank, increasing the risk of fire.
The free fix. 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…
Jan 2010 · 2010 · Air BagsIn the event of a crash resulting in side curtain air bag deployment, the trim piece may not remain properly…
The defect. Honda is recalling certain model year Acura 2010 MDX vehicles manufactured between october 7, 2009 and november 14, 2009. A bolt used to attach an interior trim piece to either the driver's or passenger's side a-pillar may not have been installed during…
What can happen. In the event of a crash resulting in side curtain air bag deployment, the trim piece may not remain properly secured to the a-pillar, increasing the risk of injury to the driver and/or front seat…
The free fix. Dealers will inspect the interior trim piece of the a-pillar and if a bolt is missing it will be installed free of charge. Four vehicles were purchased before the stop-sale was issued and all the…
Crashes, fires and injuries owners reported
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 420 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 22 (5.2%)
- Fires
- 15
- Injury reports
- 21
- Fatality reports
- 0
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
MDX problems by model year
The 2007 drew the most complaints of this generation, 99, most of them about the electrical system, and the 2013 the fewest, 29. A typical year drew about 52.
The first year of the generation, 2007, drew more complaints than a typical year. A count like this follows how many cars of each year were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as how often they failed, so it is not by itself evidence of a worse year; what each year's reports name, in its card and row, is the useful part.
| Year | Complaints | With mileage | Median miles | Most reported | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 99 | 90 | 92,000 | Electrical system (51) | 0 |
| 2008 | 49 | 35 | 40,000 | Electrical system (8) | 0 |
| 2009 | 52 | 37 | 55,000 | Electrical system (18) | 0 |
| 2010 | 45 | 30 | 67,000 | Engine (11) | 1 |
| 2011 | 70 | 44 | 66,000 | Engine (28) | 0 |
| 2012 | 76 | 46 | 62,000 | Engine (23) | 1 |
| 2013 | 29 | 18 | under 30 reports | Engine (9) | 1 |
What MDX owners reported
The contact owns a 2010 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while attempting to open the door, the contact’s grandson exited the vehicle, and the door closed independently. The contact stated that his daughter had experienced the door closing independently onto her right hand while exiting the vehicle. No warning light…
2010 · 184,000 miles · Latches and locks
The contact's wife owned a 2010 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while parked in his garage, the passenger's low beam headlamp was removed after it stopped illuminating. The contact observed then observed the driver's low beam heal lamp blinking. The contact stated after 10 minutes, he and his family observed a…
2010 · 240,000 miles · Visibility equipment
The contact owns a 2013 Acura MDX. The contact stated that he was about to drive the vehicle when he noticed the front passenger-side headlight was flickering. The contact stated he decided not to drive the vehicle. The contact stated when he looked at the vehicle again he noticed the vehicle was on fire from the…
2013 · 158,000 miles · Electrical system
The contact owns a 2011 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the airbag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the driver's side airbag needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of…
2011 · 76,000 miles · Airbag system
Built from 300 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-09-26 · open data · how it is built
Other MDX generations
- MDX 2001–2006 822 reports with mileage, most about the transmission and driveline
- MDX 2014–2020 574 reports with mileage, most about the engine