10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
123,532 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Acura MDX drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2003 Acura MDX Owner Comments (Page 3 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #8

Jan 102012

MDX 6-cyl

  • 105,080 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While crossing an intersection, the transmission suddenly shifted to neutral and the car won't move anymore. Me and my family were trapped in the middle of a busy intersection and were almost hit by a truck because of our unexpected stop. We are lucky that the truck missed us. I can't imagine if this happens on a railroad crossing. This problem keeps happening from time to time, all in low speed like coasting to a stop sign or traffic light, also on highways when slowing down for traffic, then the vehicle won't move anymore. I heard that the Acura/Honda transmissions have serious defects, from lubrication to material used to make gears. Especially the material used for 1st gear, which fails prematurely and causes the transmission to malfunction. This is a very dangerous defect that could endanger not only the passengers' lives, but also a public safety issue.

- Ellicott City, MD, USA

problem #7

Dec 162011

MDX 6-cyl

  • 97,500 miles
Car just died while I was driving. Ended up stopping in a dangerous spot. Transmission fluid leaked out of front of car. No warning light came on.

- Ramsey, NJ, USA

problem #6

Oct 032011

MDX 6-cyl

  • 99,600 miles
Torque converter and transmission failed at 99600 miles, not to mention two motor mounts. These repairs are between $6-7K. This is unacceptable for a higher end car. Car would vibrate and shudder around 40 mph a few years ago with only 35K miles on the car, and of course Acura could not replicate. Now that it's out of warranty, they hear it. This car is a total lemon- please help protect consumers- Honda/Acura greed has stopped them from stepping forward and owning a problem they have known about all along. Consumers should not be paying for Acura's flawed design, that should be coming straight out of their profits.

- Newark , DE, USA

problem #5

Jun 262011

MDX

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driving on highway at 65mph and car goes into neutral. Had towed and it was a tranny. Car had 97K miles. Acura said it would not cover the repair and that it would cost me 6K to repair. I had it taken to a local shop and repair cost me 4K.

- Warren, NJ, USA

problem #4

Nov 012006

MDX

  • 35,000 miles
My car along with many other Acura between 2001-2005 have a problem with a very significant shudder vibration that lasts a few secs, usually at speeds between 35-40. If you read the blogs you will see hundreds of other consumers say the same thing: Acura says they can't replicate the noise. When the car is out of warranty, then suddenly they can replicate it and they say they have to replace either the torque converter or the entire transmission, charging $2000 +. this is a major problem and should have been a recall, please help us hold Acura accountable for this known problem! these cars are too expensive for such a big problem so early on.

- Newark , DE, USA

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problem #3

Jan 142010

MDX

  • 126,000 miles
As I was bring my husband home from major back surgery our 2003 Acura MDX started to slip into neutral as we were leaving the hospital. This was one hour away from our home! in shifting through the gears, I finally got the transmission to catch at D3. This happened several times to us as we were traveling through a city and had to stop at several stop lights. Every time we stopped, it was the same scenario. D3 seemed to be the 'ticket' gear to get it to catch. I came home and made an appointment at a local garage. Thankfully I went to drop it off two days early, as the car completely stopped moving on our way to the garage and I had to call and have the vehicle towed. For a luxury vehicle, I am sadly disappointed as I love everything else about the car. I can't wait to see the price tag on this repair and for the number of complaints with the transmissions going bad, I would think that there would have been a recall by now.

- Elmira, NY, USA

problem #2

Oct 062008

MDX

  • 73,000 miles
We have recently bought Acura MDX from herb chambers dealership in burlington. We took an extended bumper to bumper warranty for the car and paid a good amount for that. Few days back, the transmission fluid leaked. As soon as it was detected, car was stopped to avoid any damage to engine. When the bumper was opened, smoke was coming out of car bumper, it could have caught file and killed people traveling in it. It is notified to us as transmission seal broke. The dealers was informed and car was towed to them same day. I want to report this damage, which could not be explained, as the car was safely parked in very safe area. Car was driven by experience driver and family members, and we are certain that the car was not damaged while driving. Dealer is not ready to take the tag by saying it is vandalism. Please take a note of this and help us out to get the justice here. Sunita

- Lexington, MA, USA

problem #1

Apr 152003

MDX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 15 miles
Key can be removed in any postion of the transmission after turning off.

- Portland, OR, USA

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