There are 2 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2015 Acura MDXin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I WAS DRIVING IN HOUSTON, GOING NORTH ON KIRBY DRIVE, WHICH IS A BUSY CITY STREET, AT APPROXIMATELY 4:30 PM ON MONDAY, OCT. 26, 2015. SHORTLY BEFORE I REACHED THE INTERSECTION OF KIRBY DR. AND SUNSET BLVD, I APPROACHED A STANDARD SIZED STEEL SHEET/PLATE IN THE ROAD. THE BRAKE ALERT FLASHED ON MY DASHBOARD. I IGNORED THE ALERT AND CONTINUED TO DRIVE, BECAUSE MY CAR WAS NOT IN DANGER OF HITTING ANYTHING. AS I GOT CLOSER TO THE STEEL PLATE, THE VEHICLE'S COLLISION MITIGATION BRAKING SYSTEM APPLIED THE BRAKES ON ITS OWN, I ASSUME BECAUSE IT PERCEIVED THE STEEL PLATE TO BE A COLLISION THREAT. I HAD NO CONTROL OVER MY SUV, AND THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO TO RESUME NORMAL ACCELERATION. THE COLLISION MITIGATION BRAKING SYSTEM ONLY DISENGAGED ONCE THE SUV WAS DIRECTLY ON TOP OF THE STEEL PLATE. MY CHILDREN AND I NARROWLY AVOIDED A REAR-END COLLISION. AT THE TIME, BECAUSE THE CITY STREET WAS SO BUSY, I WAS ONLY TRAVELING 20-25 MPH, AS WERE THE OTHER CARS AROUND ME. I FEAR WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED AT HIGHER SPEEDS. MANY HOUSTON ROADS, INCLUDING OUR BUSY HIGHWAYS, HAVE STEEL PLATES COVERING ROAD REPAIR PROJECTS. I AM AFRAID THE BRAKES WILL ENGAGE SPONTANEOUSLY ON THE HIGHWAY. WHEN I CALLED MY DEALERSHIP SHORTLY AFTER THE INCIDENT OCCURRED, I WAS INFORMED THAT UNLESS THERE IS AN ACTIVE SIGNAL ON MY CAR SHOWING THE NEED FOR SOME KIND OF SERVICE, THE DEALERSHIP WON'T BE ABLE TO FIX OR IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. SUPPOSEDLY, MY VEHICLE WAS SUBJECT TO THE MAY 20, 2015 FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE RECALL INVOLVING THE 2015 ACURA MDX COLLISION MITIGATION BRAKING SYSTEM (NHTSA CAMPAIGN #15V301000). THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT IT ADDRESSED THE RECALL ISSUE AS A PART OF MY AUGUST 2015 CHECKUP, AND THAT AS A RESULT, MY VEHICLE MET ALL STANDARDS. I NOTE THAT MY COMPLAINT IS NOT THE ONLY ONE PERTAINING TO THIS ISSUE (SEE NHTSA ID #10763775). THE RECALL FIX MAY NOT HAVE WORKED.
UPON ENTERING A T-INTERSECTION WITH A STOP SIGN AT THE END OF OUR STREET THE BRAKES OF A 2015 ACURA MDX SH AWD WITH ONLY 2000 MILES WOULD NOT ENGAGE. WE WERE TRAVELING AT 50MPH AND DECREASED OUR SPEED TO 30MPH AS WE WERE COASTING, BUT COULD NOT GET THE VEHICLE TO STOP. THE BRAKES WERE PUMPED TWICE AS WE DECELERATED (SO REST ASSURED THE GAS PEDAL WAS NOT BEING PRESSED BY MISTAKE), BUT TO NO AVAIL AND WITH NO WHERE TO GO AND NOT ENOUGH TIME TO DO MUCH MORE WE COLLIDED WITH A SEMI TRUCK. IT WAS A HORRIFIC ACCIDENT THAT TOTALED OUR CAR AS THE SECOND TRAILER TIRES RAN OVER OUR HOOD AS HE WAS DRIVING AT 60MPH. LUCKILY DUE TO HIS HIGH SPEED OUR VEHICLE WAS THROWN AND WE LANDED UPRIGHT AND ALL AIRBAGS DEPLOYED WHICH IS THE ONLY REASON WE ARE ALL ALIVE. IT WAS A COLD DECEMBER MORNING WITH BELOW ZERO TEMPERATURES. I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE OTHER ACCOUNTS WHERE BRAKE PEDALS ARE NOT WORKING IN THE COLD OR WHERE DRIVERS ARE PUMPING BRAKES 4-5 TIMES TO GET THEM TO ENGAGE, OR DRIVERS ARE TURNING THEIR CAR OFF. WE SADLY DID NOT HAVE THAT KIND OF REACTION TIME. THIS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN 4 DEATHS AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE ACURA LOOK INTO THEIR PLETHORA OF BRAKE PROBLEMS FURTHER AS THIS IS A BRAND NEW VEHICLE COMING OFF OF A BRAKE REDESIGN DUE TO THE EARLIER MODEL RECALL. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026