Free. Instant. No signup. Pulls recalls and complaints for your exact vehicle.
Couldn't find that VIN. Check the digits and try again.
moderate Owners of the 2014 Acura MDX have filed 12 NHTSA complaints about the lighting at roughly $250 to repair (U.S. federal records, as of August 2026). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. See lighting across all vehicles →
| Model year | lighting complaints |
|---|---|
| 2013 MDX | 3 |
| 2014 MDX (this page) | 12 |
| 2015 MDX | 4 |
| 2016 MDX | 6 |
| 2017 MDX | 5 |
Of the 8 model years of Acura MDX we track for lighting problems, this one carries the most owner complaints on file — 12.
All 2 active lighting recalls on this vehicle land at critical or severe — none classified moderate.
Loss of the taillights reduces the vehicle's visibility, increasing the risk of crash.
Vehicle lights that fail to illuminate can decrease visibility and increase the risk of a crash.
The manufacturer has issued service bulletins covering lighting on this vehicle — documented repair instructions, service campaigns, or warranty extensions sent to dealers. A TSB isn't a recall (it's not a free safety remedy), but it's the manufacturer acknowledging the issue and how to fix it.
Service Bulletin - Recall update for 2014 - 2019 MDX and 2017 - 2019 MDX Hybrid Sport models. An uneven sealing surface allows moisture to enter the inner taillight(s), causing one or all of the taillights not to work. Honda updated the inspection procedure to replace both inner taillights if one or both inner taillights do not come on.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Dealer message - American Honda (AHM)is investigating certain 2014 MDXs & RLXs with a complaint of the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)on with the DTC P0154 (Front Air Fuel Ratio Sensor [Bank 2, Sensor 1]Heater System Malfunction)or P0134 (Rear Air Fuel Ratio Sensor [Bank 1, Sensor 1]Heater System Malfunction)stored. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect specific parts from the vehicle prior to your attempting any further repair of any kind.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Dealer message - American Honda (AHM) is investigating certain 2014 MDXs with a complaint of the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) on with the DTC P0154 (Front Air Fuel Ratio Sensor [Bank 2, Sensor 1] Heater System Malfunction) or P0134 (Rear Air Fuel Ratio Sensor [Bank 1, Sensor 1] Heater System Malfunction) stored. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect specific parts from the vehicle prior to your attempting any further repair of any kind.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Dealer message - American Honda (AHM) is investigating certain 2014 MDXs with a complaint of the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) on with the DTC P0154 (Front Air Fuel Ratio Sensor [Bank 2, Sensor 1] Heater System Malfunction) or P0134 (Rear Air Fuel Ratio Sensor [Bank 1, Sensor 1] Heater System Malfunction) stored. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect specific parts from the vehicle prior to your attempting any further repair of any kind.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Dealer message - American Honda (AHM) is investigating certain 2014 MDXs with a complaint of the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) on with the DTC P0158 (Front Secondary Heated Oxygen Sensor Circuit High Voltage) and/or P0138 (Rear Secondary Heated Oxygen Sensor Circuit High Voltage) stored. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect specific parts from the vehicle prior to you attempting any further repair of any kind.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications. Bring the bulletin number to your dealer or shop.
Water is getting into the taillight and headlight assemblies on 2014 MDX models, and Acura's fix is incomplete. Owners describe finding water pooled inside the lens housings—the outer quarter-panel taillights fill up, the hatchlid lights fog over, and at least one owner reports finding a shattered bulb and standing water. The lights go dark, creating a safety hazard for visibility and inviting traffic citations.
Acura issued recall Campaign 19V256000 for hatchlid taillight moisture in 2019 and later Campaign 25V259000 for exterior lighting, but the recalls don't cover the outer body taillights or headlights, even though owners report the same water-intrusion failure in those components. One owner found that Acura released a different part number after the initial recall repair, suggesting the original fix didn't stick. Dealerships refuse to service taillights and headlights outside the recall, telling owners they need extended warranty coverage. Owners point out that failed gaskets and seals are the root cause, not driver error or accident damage, yet they're stuck paying out of pocket or going without functioning lights.
Moisture enters the taillight assemblies through failed gaskets or compromised seals, causing water to accumulate inside the lens and rendering the lights inoperative. Owners report finding water inside both outer quarter-panel taillights and inner hatchlid taillight assemblies.
When: 72,300–99,000 miles; issues reported from 2018 onwards
Symptoms owners cite: Taillights inoperative; Water visible inside taillight lens; Loss of taillight function; No warning indicators illuminated; Bulbs shattered or burned out due to water contact
Repairs/costs cited: Owners paid out-of-pocket for taillight assembly replacement at independent shops and Acura dealerships. Cost not specified. Dealer replacement involved swapping entire assemblies.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: NHTSA Campaign 19V256000 (Exterior Lighting) issued a recall for hatchlid taillight water intrusion; Campaign 25V259000 (Exterior Lighting, Interior Lighting) exists but some VINs not included. Recall repairs covered hatchlid lights but not outer quarter-panel body taillights, despite same failure mode. Acura released different part numbers for subsequent repairs, suggesting initial repairs did not resolve the issue. Dealerships refused service citing recall limitations and lack of extended warranty.
Moisture accumulates inside headlight assemblies, reducing optical clarity and creating a short-circuit hazard. Water inside the lens degrades visibility significantly during night driving.
When: Timing not specified; reported in 2014 model year
Symptoms owners cite: Cloudiness or degraded headlight illumination; Moisture visible inside headlight lens; Severely reduced night-driving visibility; Potential short-circuit hazard
Repairs/costs cited: Repair details not provided in narratives
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Owner notes this is a known recall issue with Acura TSL headlight and MDX taillight assemblies due to similar construction
Water moisture penetrates the inner LED taillight strip assemblies on the hatchlid, causing physical damage to the LED strips and inoperability.
When: Timing not specified
Symptoms owners cite: Water damage to LED strip; Inoperative taillight
Repairs/costs cited: Replaced under recall M49 / Campaign 19V256000
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Covered under NHTSA Campaign 19V256000 (Exterior Lighting) recall for hatchlid lights
Synthesized from 12 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
First, many new vehicles install halogen head lamps, some of them are white in color. These head lamps are exceptionally bright. I live in california where there is law restricting the brightness of these lamps. I strongly believe that some of these head lamps are overly bright because it blinds my eyes at night. One model in particular is the new 2013, 2014 prius. I wonder if they pass the…
It's a documented issue but not catastrophic. 12 complaints have been filed. Repairs average $250 and most owners catch it before it causes a breakdown.
Based on the 12 complaints filed, lighting issues most often appear around 72,575 miles. Some report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 with no symptoms. Maintenance habits matter — vehicles that received timely fluid services and were not regularly overworked tend to last longer.
Independent shops typically charge around $250 for lighting repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Yes — 2 active recall(s) cover lighting issues on this vehicle. Recall fixes are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status. Use the VIN decoder at the top of the page to check if your specific vehicle is affected.