2013 Acura MDX problems
The 2013 Acura MDX has 47 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (21%) concerns engine. After that come electrical system (17%) and drivetrain & axles (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 47 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 21% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 6
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 50,000 miles 28 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 | 7 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 6 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 3 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 6 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 3 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 28 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 50,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 6 complaints mention a fire.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2013 ranks 24th most-complained-about out of 24 model years of the Acura MDX with enough data (24 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
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 2012 acura mdx. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, smoke started to emit from under the hood of the vehicle and into the vehicle. The contact merged to the side of the road where the vehicle caught fire. The fire department was able to extinguish the flames. A fire report was filed and stated that the failure was due to an electrical problem. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure.
Internal vehicle fire started around front passenger seat and burned for an unknown amount time before it extinguished on its own while vehicle was off and parked. Fire department was contacted upon fire discovery and they confirmed it was out, could be electrically related, and disconnected my battery Vehicle is available for inspection for the time being (pending insurance). If I or any passenger was in the vehicle they could've been seriously injured or died.
My 4 year old was in a booster seat in the back so seat belt was on him. When we went to unbuckle the seatbelt it locked. We attempted several times to unlock it, we tested all the other seatbelts which did lock and unlock. We could not get it unlocked and had to go into a local restaurant and borrow scissors to get him out. We tried for 15 mins at least to get the seat belt unlocked and every time it seemed to get tighter.
Torque converter problem...... I bought a used 2012 mdx with 4300 miles 5 months later I had this issue. I took the car to a acura dealer and they fixed it but I did feel safe so I traded it in for a newer model thinking it would be better...long behold the 2013 mdx I got did the same thing 5 month later. The dealer never told me after bring the first car back that this was an issue with these cars.