Acura MDX reliability by year
12 recalls and 2,282 owner complaints across 20 model years. Best year to buy: 2013. Year to avoid: 2020.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 1 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and others. Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 20 model years · newest first
Common trouble spots across the MDX aggregated across 20 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Acura MDX?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2013 Acura MDX scores 8.4/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2025 range. 28 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Acura MDX year should I avoid?
The 2020 Acura MDX scores 7.0/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 205 owner complaints with NHTSA, 2 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2020 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Acura MDX should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2006 (avoid — the powertrain — powertrain: 37 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 58,000–86,172 mi). The cleaner years on the data are 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2013, 2012. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Acura MDX are tracked?
20 model years (2005 through 2025) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 12 recalls and 2,282 owner complaints.
What's the most-reported problem on the Acura MDX?
powertrain is the most-reported category — 475 complaints across 17 model years. Average shop repair runs about $2,500.