There are 4 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2023 Acura MDXin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Transfer case and yes, it is attached the vehicle. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? At this time there is a leak and the power is being redistributed which could lead to loss of power at any times. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yea both. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Manufacturer. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No. During a routine transmission service this was noticed that there was a leak, they did not fill the fluid in the vehicle up to monitor fluid levels.
Transfercase fluid eaking observed at 38000 +- miles, this could lead to a binded transfercase thus damage transmission permanently
I hear a high-pitched whistle when I the speed reaches around 57-63MPH. I've taken it to the dealer a couple of times, and they said it's normal. I am really disappointed that Acura didn't fix it...
The automatic transmission on the vehicle failed without warning. Vehicle was driven on the highway without issues; exited highway to a city street, stopped at a stop light, and turned onto another street. Upon turn onto another street, transmission did not upshift as it should; it was noticed the engine was revving high, but transmission did not shift. Tried to manually shift, with no luck. There were no warning lights or messages present at any time. Vehicle was stopped in a safe area and turned off, restarted, and tried again. Transmission still would not shift correctly; when it tried to shift, it would clunk, and it sounded like something dragging under the vehicle. Drove vehicle home and parked it. Later when transmission was shifted into gear, it did not move, and made a terrible clunking noise, then a squealing sound. Called dealer and had vehicle towed in for inspection. After inspection, manufacturer replaced failed transmission under warranty. Per dealer rep, transmission failed, and registered two internal codes, one for incorrect gear ratio, and other for torque converter issue. While the codes registered internal, unfortunately there were no warnings issued to driver. Safety was put at risk because if the failure happened while on the highway three miles earlier, there was no warning to driver who was driving in heavy traffic, and they may have been involved in an accident. The only reason the driver was aware of the issue was because they could hear the engine revving high, and they pulled over to inspect. A less experienced driver may not notice the same issues. Additionally, it's concerning that transmission codes were stored internally but did not trip any transmission issues or loss of power warning; this could prevent drivers from noticing issues prior to failure. Lastly, the vehicle health report we received from Acura on 12/31 (and states as of 12/12, day after failure), stated there are no transmission issues present.
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 25, 2026