2005 Acura MDX problems
The 2005 Acura MDX has 244 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (18%) concerns transmission. After that come drivetrain & axles (18%) and air bags (16%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 244 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Transmission 18% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 25 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 25 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 82,000 miles 184 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 8 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 14 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 27 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 36 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 19 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 28 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 20 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 11 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 4 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 10 |
| 200k+ miles | 7 |
What the data shows
Among the 184 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 82,000 miles. For transmission specifically, the median reported mileage is about 66,000 miles (42 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 25 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 25 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2005 ranks 10th most-complained-about out of 24 model years of the Acura MDX with enough data (89 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 11 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 acura mdx. While driving in reverse, the contact heard a clunking noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle jerked backwards and struck a concrete pole approximately 2 feet away. The vehicle automatically shifted into drive, surged forward, and struck another concrete pole. Both air bags deployed. The passenger in the front of the vehicle was trapped and unable to open the door. The police, ambulance, and fire departments arrived at the scene. A police report was filed.
My accident is still under investigation, but I am going to tell you about this so anyone who has an acura mdx will be aware. On the day of my daughters wedding, I was in a terrible accident in a parking garage. There were 4 passengers in the car. My transmission surged as I was in reverse hitting a cement pole, within a second, the car surged forward hitting another cement pole. The airbags thankfully deployed. I was burned, badly bruised and have neck and back injuries as does the passenger in the front seat.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 acura mdx. While driving 55-60 MPH and when the brake pedal is depressed, the steering wheel shakes and vibrates. The dealer has had the vehicle five out of the eight weeks that the contact has owned the vehicle. After being diagnosed several different times, she was finally informed that the brand new tires were cupping and causing the failure. The current mileage was 31,000 and failure mileage was 25,395.
Car is making a grinding noise at approximately 30 to 40 m/h. I had the timing belt changed and was told this noise is a transmission problem that is common to acura mdxs between 02s to 06s. I have justified the cost of acuras because of their longevity and am very upset over the repair cost of $4000. Why hasn't acura been forced to stand behind this defect when it seems to be so common when I investigated on the internet.