Check a VIN

2009 Acura MDX engine problems

11 complaints (21% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 45,000.

owner complaints
11
of this car's complaints
21%
typical mileage
45,000
crashes
0
recalls
0

Which part fails

  • Exhaust system
    1

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+

Acura MDX engine problems in other years

200120052010201520202026

Specific symptoms reported on the 2009 Acura MDX engine

Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.

Stalling 6

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

What 2009 Acura MDX owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Jul 6, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · TN

While driving vehicle, all power shut off after all lights(airbag, tire, engine, etc. came on the dashboard) not able to start vehicle now at all. Has power but will not run, turn over, stay running, etc. has brand new battery so that’s not the problem no problems until today.

Filed Jul 21, 2017 · Engine · 130,000 miles · VA · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2009 acura mdx. While driving 25 MPH, the check engine indicator flashed. The contact pulled the vehicle over to a shoulder lane and exited the vehicle prior to the engine compartment catching fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. There were no injuries. The insurance company towed the vehicle to a storage area. The vehicle was destroyed. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted and provided no additional assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Filed May 21, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 45,000 miles · CA

Ongoing problem with 2009 acura mdx- the check engine warning light sporadically illuminates while driving indicating that the vehicle should be brought to an acura repair facility. The dealership service department stated that it is a faulty sensor and it is a common problem with the 2009 acura mdx. The dealership further stated that it would be approximately $700.00 for them to make the repair as acura has not yet issued a recall notice for the sensor.

Filed Apr 27, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 90,000 miles · NE

The message center came on telling me to check the oil level and pressure. Pull over asap and have it towed to nearest dealer. This has happened several times now and each time they say its a sensor but how many can there be and how can they keep going out. When this is happening the wipers will short out as well and radio will fade in and out. This has to be a defect within the electrical.

Filed Apr 22, 2015 · Engine · 74,000 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 acura mdx. While starting the vehicle, the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the nox sensor harness had been chewed on by rodents and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 74,000.

Filed Feb 26, 2015 · Engine · 124,900 miles · WI

Vehicle was running normal. After sitting outside on a very cold day in wisconsin, the car would not start. It was towed to bergstrom acura in appleton, wi where a new starter was installed and it started. There was an immediate loud knocking noise. Inspection indicated a large piece of the #5 piston broke off due to a latent manufacturing defect and destroyed the engine. Although this failure occurred in the shop, the piston could have failed on the road which could have seized the engine and caused an accident. An identical failure was also found in canada on VIN [xxx] that occurred jan 12, 2015. Acura has been contacted and refused to consider them related and has not logged them as potential safety defects. Photos of the failed parts are available upon request. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Nov 26, 2013 · Electrical, Engine · 45,000 miles · PA

Approximately 3 months ago I went to start the medic and it would not start. No lights or any other accessories were left on. The car was jumped and started. Being the car was 4 years old and I had reviews of battery problems in the medic, I had the battery replaced. About two weeks later it would not start again. It was jumped again and taken to an auto repair shop to be tested. The repair shop said the battery was weak, so it was replaced again. It's been about 2 months now and today when I went to start it, the battery was dead again. Three batteries do not go bad that quickly, there is a problem with the electrical system in this vehicle. I have noticed other complaints with this same issue on this web site.

Filed Oct 15, 2012 · Engine, Transmission · 34,095 miles · NY

I brought the car into the dealer because I was having transmission problems or power steering problems. I indicated that the car makes a whine at about 1500 RPM. The dealer chose to treat it as a power steering problem. The power steering pump was replaced. There was still a whine although less. The car RPM hangs up on deceleration to a stop. Some times when going down hill the car does not upshift until the car is accelerated even though the road slope is zero. The dealer never informed me when I brought the vehicle in for the original concern that there were some problems with the transmission or torque converter hanging up.

Filed Jan 11, 2012 · Engine · NJ

This vehicle is only 2 years and 2 months old (bought in nov. 2009), yet the battery keeps failing (and there were no lights left on after the engine was shut off, and nothing done out of the ordinary with the car on the 3 occasions this week that the "shut off" occurred). We've had to call acura roadside assistance 3 times this week (week of jan. 9th, 2012). Today is jan. 10, 2012 and we had to be boosted this morning again. We eventually took it in to the manhattan acura dealership today (1/10/12) and was told that the battery was, indeed, defective. We were also informed that others have come in to that location with the same issue (all acura owners). Perhaps, this should be officially noted just in case there are plenty more with this experience.

Filed Dec 10, 2009 · Engine · 3,500 miles · IL

My 2009 mdx with 3500+ miles has been taken to dealer 3 times in the last month. Once I had to get it towed to dealership. First time I was told that they was issue with poor quality timing belt pulley. So timing belt got shredded. They had to replace the both. They took almost week to replace it. With in a day, 2009 mdx developed issue. This time there was an issue with catalytic converter. They took another week to replace. Again with in two days, "check emission system" came up again. This time I was told they would have to replace another catalytic converter and also sub converters. I am really concerned about the quality this vehicle.

Questions about the 2009 Acura MDX engine

Does the 2009 Acura MDX have engine problems?

Owners have filed 11 complaints about the engine of the 2009 Acura MDX, 21% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 2009 Acura MDX engine problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 45,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2009 Acura MDX engine?

There is no recall for this problem on this model year.

What year does the Acura MDX have bad engine?

The Acura MDX model years with the most engine complaints are 2016 (173 complaints), 2020 (105 complaints) and 2017 (97 complaints).

Other 2009 Acura MDX problems

Electrical 18Transmission 8Lights 6Acceleration 5Airbags 4Wheels 3Locks 2Seats 2Steering 2Suspension 2Tires 2Visibility 2Body 1Driver assistance 1Seat belts 1

VIN decoder

See the problems and recalls for an exact car

Buying a used 2009 Acura MDX?

Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.

Check its history