2021 Acura MDX
The 2021 Acura MDX is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid and gas compact SUV with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The EPA did not publish a separate 2021 certification; fuel-economy figures below are carried over from the 2020 listing. The most efficient version, the MDX Hybrid AWD, is EPA-rated at 27 mpg combined. NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year so far (Safety Signal A).
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Specs & fuel economy
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MDX Hybrid AWD | Hybrid | AWD | 3.0L 6-cyl + 259V Li-Ion | 26 | 27 | 27 | $3,050 |
| MDX FWD | Gas | FWD | 3.5L 6-cyl | 20 | 27 | 23 | $3,550 |
| MDX AWD | Gas | AWD | 3.5L 6-cyl | 19 | 26 | 22 | $3,750 |
| MDX AWD A-SPEC | Gas | AWD | 3.5L 6-cyl | 19 | 25 | 21 | $3,900 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 41665, 41658, 41663, 41664. Figures carried over from the 2020 EPA listing; no separate 2021 certification was published.
Emissions & certification
Source: EPA emission certificates| Configuration | Smog rating | Emission standard | Where it can be sold new | SmartWay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MDX AWD, MDX AWD A-SPEC, MDX FWD, MDX Hybrid AWD | 3 / 10 | California LEV-III ULEV125 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 125 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.
The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.
Dimensions & weight
Source: Transport Canada| Length | 196.1 in |
| Width (body, without mirrors) | 77.2 in |
| Height | 67.3 in |
| Wheelbase | 111.0 in |
| Track, front | 66.5 in |
| Track, rear | 66.1 in |
| Curb weight | 4,277 lb |
| Weight distribution, front/rear | 58/42 |
Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here one configuration: 4-door SUV AWD. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.
Factory warranty running out?
The 2021 Acura MDX is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. What an extended plan does and does not cover is worth reading before a dealer quotes you one.
What to check before you buy →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Recalls (0)
Source: NHTSA recall databaseNo NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2021 Acura MDX. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them.
These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above.
NHTSA defect investigations
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages open
On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5L engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. On January 6, 2023, Honda released service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. These service bulletins address the failure to restart issue in the 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles, as well as the 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020
Opened Mar 26, 2025 · action EA25004 · the investigation’s page →
Hear about a recall before the letter does
The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2021 Acura MDX, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.
Parts & accessories for the 2021 Acura MDX
Search by fitment on eBay Motors — OEM take-offs, aftermarket, and the trim pieces dealers no longer stock. The listing and the price are the seller's.
Find parts for this MDX →Owner complaints
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseNo owner complaints on file with NHTSA for this model year.
Crash ratings
Source: NHTSA NCAPNHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.
Service bulletins & campaigns
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsMost often about: Fuel/Propulsion System, Engine, Electrical System, Visibility/Wiper, Structure.
- B23-013 Service bulletin2023-05-23 · Structure
- Service Bulletin - A driver can notice loss of auto function, or no function, of the sunroof glass/sunshade due to Motor-Control Unit error code in the clock frequency check falsely detecting a failure.
- BTI&03282023902 Service bulletin2023-03-28 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2020-2022 MDXs & RDXs with a client complaint of the Check Engine Light (CEL) on & the DTC P0087 (Fuel Rail Pressure Too Low [Loss of Fuel Pressure]) stored. In some cases, the customer may also experience such conditions as engine hard to start, no start or start & stumble in conjunction with CEL. To better understand
- BTI&03132023906 Service bulletin2023-03-13 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2020-2022 MDXs & RDXs with a client complaint of the Check Engine Light (CEL) on & the DTC P0087 (Fuel Rail Pressure Too Low [Loss of Fuel Pressure]) stored. In some cases, the customer may also experience such conditions as engine hard to start, no start or start & stumble in conjunction with CEL. To better understand
- BTI&02232023904 Service bulletin2023-02-23 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2020-2022 MDXs & RDXs with a client complaint of the Check Engine Light (CEL) on & the DTC P0087 (Fuel Rail Pressure Too Low [Loss of Fuel Pressure]) stored. In some cases, the customer may also experience such conditions as engine hard to start, no start or start & stumble in conjunction with CEL.
- BTI&02072023902 Service bulletin2023-02-07 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- Dealer Message- American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2020-2022 MDXs & RDXs with a client complaint of the Check Engine Light (CEL) on & the DTC P0087 (Fuel Rail Pressure Too Low [Loss of Fuel Pressure]) stored. In some cases, the customer may also experience such conditions as engine hard to start, no start or start & stumble in conjunction with CEL. To better understand t
- BTI&01182023901 Service bulletin2023-01-18 · Electrical System
- Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2020-2022 MDXs & RDXs with a client complaint of the Check Engine Light (CEL) on & the DTC P0087 (Fuel Rail Pressure Too Low [Loss of Fuel Pressure]) stored. In some cases, the customer may also experience such conditions as engine hard to start, no start or start & stumble in conjunction with CEL. To better understand
- BTI&01032023904 Service bulletin2023-01-03 · Electrical System
- Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2020-2022 MDXs & RDXs with a client complaint of the Check Engine Light (CEL) on & the DTC P0087 (Fuel Rail Pressure Too Low [Loss of Fuel Pressure]) stored. In some cases, the customer may also experience such conditions as engine hard to start, no start or start & stumble in conjunction with CEL. To better understand
- BTI&12132022902 Service bulletin2022-12-13 · Visibility
- Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2022 MDXs & 2020-2022 RDXs with a client complaint of the auto-open/close function on the sunshade/sunroof being lost (client has to continuously press on the button for movement). To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.
A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.
Diagnostic trouble codes on file
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaintsCodes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.
| Code | What it means | Most often filed under | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|---|
| P0087 P0087 on Acura → | Fuel rail pressure is below what the system commanded. | Engine · Fuel pump → | 6 bulletins |
Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
MDX by model year
all years, side by side →Common questions about the 2021 MDX
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsDoes the 2021 Acura MDX have any recalls?
No NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2021 Acura MDX. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them, and a clean sheet on a recent model year often just means the vehicle is new.
How safe is the 2021 Acura MDX?
NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2021 Acura MDX yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it A (100/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.
What is the fuel economy of the 2021 Acura MDX?
Across the 4 EPA-rated configurations of the 2021 Acura MDX, the best EPA combined figure is 27 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.
What are the dimensions of the 2021 Acura MDX?
Transport Canada measured it at 196.1 in long, 77.2 in wide (body, without mirrors), 67.3 in tall, on a 111.0 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 4,277 lb. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.
How clean is the 2021 Acura MDX?
The EPA smog rating for the 2021 Acura MDX is 3 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III ULEV125, Federal Tier 3 Bin 125 — which the table above lists per configuration.
Are there service bulletins for the 2021 Acura MDX?
The manufacturer has filed 9 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2021 Acura MDX, most often covering fuel/propulsion system, engine, electrical system. The most recent is dated 2023-05-23. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.
What we hold, and what an empty row means
Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.
| Data | Held | Source | What it covers — or what empty means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy & configurations | 4 configurations | EPA certification records | Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures. |
| Emission certificates | 4 configurations | EPA emission certificates | Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new. |
| Recalls | none | NHTSA recall campaigns | No campaign has been filed. Because the register is complete, an empty row here means there is nothing to find — not that we are missing it. |
| Owner complaints | none | NHTSA complaint database | No owner has filed one. On a car that sold in small numbers this says very little either way. |
| Crash ratings | none | NHTSA NCAP | NHTSA has not tested this model year. Cars are selected for testing, so untested is not unsafe. |
| Service bulletins | 9 | NHTSA manufacturer communications | Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall. |
| Investigations | 1 | NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation | Open and closed defect investigations, with the agency's own narrative. |
| Driver-assist crash reports | none | NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01 | No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like. |
| Specifications filed with NHTSA | none | NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns | We had no VIN pattern to decode for this model year, or the manufacturer filed nothing usable. |
| Measured dimensions | 7 fields | Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications | Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions. |
| Trims, pricing & equipment | none | Manufacturer press kit | We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind. |
Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-11-04. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.