2012 Acura MDX problems and recalls

Owners have filed 76 complaints on the 2012 Acura MDX, and NHTSA has issued 1 recall. The most cited component is the Engine (23 complaints).

76
Complaints
1
Recalls
4
Crash reports
3
Fire reports
2
Injuries
63.0
Severity index

Severity index 63.0 Medium. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 63.0p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 65 of 130 by severity index among 2012 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 50% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2012 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

EngineEngine: 23 complaints (30.3%)23 30%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 13 complaints (17.1%)13 17%Power TrainPower Train: 13 complaints (17.1%)13 17%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 10 complaints (13.2%)10 13%Air BagsAir Bags: 9 complaints (11.8%)9 12%StructureStructure: 5 complaints (6.6%)5 7%Fuel/Propulsion SystemFuel/Propulsion System: 4 complaints (5.3%)4 5%Engine And Engine Cooli…Engine And Engine Cooling: 2 complaints (2.6%)2 3%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ENGINE2330.3%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1317.1%
POWER TRAIN1317.1%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1013.2%
AIR BAGS911.8%
STRUCTURE56.6%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM45.3%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING22.6%

Complaints filed per year

06112013: 62014: 32015: 22016: 72017: 72018: 112019: 102020: 102021: 42022: 62024: 12025: 52026: 4 (partial year)1314151617181119202122242526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20136
20143
20152
20167
20177
201811
201910
202010
20214
20226
20241
20255
2026 (year to date)4
Filings in 2022 to 2025 ran 0.5x those in 2019 to 2021 (12 against 24).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
12V06300017/02/2012FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLYHONDA 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.

Other Acura MDX model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 13 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.