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Home›Acura›2017 Acura MDX› engine problems
Owner complaints · Engine

2017 Acura MDX engine problems

97 of the 264 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2017 Acura MDX name the engine (NHTSA’s “Engine” heading — the engine and its cooling system). Filed under the same heading: 71 manufacturer bulletins, 1 recall, 3 NHTSA investigations. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.

97 complaints 37% of this model year’s 2 a fire typically at 86k miles

What owners filed about the engine

Source: NHTSA complaint database
97complaints name the engine

0 of the 97 reports a crash · 2 a fire · 0 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.

Filed per year: 2017: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2019: 4 · 2020: 2 · 2021: 5 · 2022: 4 · 2023: 6 · 2024: 19 · 2025: 38 · 2026: 14

86kmiles, typically

Half of the 36 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the engine problem between 25,000 and 112,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.

37%of this model year’s complaints

264 complaints in all about the 2017 Acura MDX, 14 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →

Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Engine” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.

Across model years: Acura MDX engine problems, every year on file →

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In owners’ own words

Source: NHTSA complaint database

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the engine. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.

The vehicle stalls and loses all power when coming out of auto idle stop. This is a default feature that shuts the engine off when the vehicle stops to create fuel efficiency. But it is creating a terrible safety issue of having vehicles unexpectedly stopped on the roadway. The feature cannot be permanently turned off.
Engine May 29, 2022 NHTSA owner report
While driving suddenly all error warnings came up. It included Check Engine Light, Error messages included: Electronic Braking System error, Emission System error. The light indicative of parking P! kept blinking also the (P) came up on the dashboard. Interestingly after some time this all cleared on its own.
Engine Oct 14, 2021 NHTSA owner report
We were driving on the highway yesterday at 75 mph when suddenly our tachometer jumped a couple of times and then the car lost all power and switched into neutral. It's the same transmission problem others are reporting and dangerous
Engine Jun 21, 2021 NHTSA owner report
I own a 2017 Acura Mdx. When accelerating from a stop it hesitates for a second or two and then jerks when it finds its gear. This happens every time the vehicle is used. Merging onto the interstate or switching lanes can be very dangerous
Engine at 63,000 miles Jan 14, 2021 NHTSA owner report
Issues have now occurred twice within an approximately 4 week period. First time was near the end of june and the second time occurred on 7/30/20. After stopping on the highway, once for a stoplight and the other time to turn off highway onto another road, the engine stalled/turned off.
Engine at 64,000 miles Jul 31, 2020 NHTSA owner report

What is on file about the engine

Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications

Recall filed under this heading

NHTSA investigations

71 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading

The 1 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.

Trouble codes named on this system

P0171 P0174 P219A P0716 P0369 P2652 P3400 C0369

Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2017 Acura MDX names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.

From here
Every 2027 model on file, by price Compare two vehicles, trim vs trim See what a VIN was priced at See what owners reported

Common questions

Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communications

Are engine problems common on the 2017 Acura MDX?

They are documented: NHTSA holds 97 owner complaints naming the engine on this model year (37% of everything owners filed about it), and 71 manufacturer bulletins, 1 recall, 3 NHTSA investigations are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.

Is there a recall for the engine on the 2017 Acura MDX?

Yes — one campaign is filed under this heading: 23V751000. A recall is matched by VIN; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

When do engine problems show up on the 2017 Acura MDX?

Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 86,000 miles; half of them between 25,000 and 112,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.

What does NHTSA's "Engine" heading cover?

The engine and its cooling system. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.