2017 Acura MDX: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Aug 24, 2026 · Engine, Lights · CO

On my 2017 Acura MDX SH-AWD with approximately 112,000 miles, the engine experienced a sudden catastrophic failure while I was traveling at highway speed. The vehicle abruptly lost power, the accelerator became unresponsive, smoke came from the vehicle hood and exhaust area, and multiple warning lights illuminated. The failure occurred with no advance warning and created a serious safety risk because I suddenly lost propulsion while traveling approximately 75 mph in highway traffic. An independent repair facility inspected the vehicle and reported that connecting rod/bearing failure resulted in catastrophic engine damage. I was advised that two connecting rods/bearings failed and caused holes in the engine block, with a rod/component also damaging the A/C compressor. Oil subsequently leaked from the damaged engine. Prior to the sudden failure, I did not have warning lights or other indications suggesting an imminent engine failure. The warning lights appeared during or immediately after the loss of power. The vehicle has been inspected by a repair facility and the engine requires replacement. The vehicle/failed components can be made available for inspection upon request. I am particularly concerned because Acura has previously recalled certain vehicles for connecting rod bearing failures that can result in engine damage, stalling, or loss of motive power. My vehicle is the same model year and has experienced an apparently similar catastrophic connecting rod/bearing failure, but my VIN is not currently included in the recall 23V‑751. I am submitting this complaint so the federal safety agency can evaluate whether the affected population may extend beyond the VINs currently covered in that recall. This is also linked to the federal safety agency’s new investigation PE25008.

Filed Aug 6, 2026 · Engine · MD · fire

I was driving home late at night with my family in the car. The car suddenly loss power and the check engine light came on and began flashing. I pulled over and turned the car off and back on. The light went away. I began driving again and after a short while, a bunch of lights popped up on the dashboard and the car began to loose power again and started making weird rattling noises from the engine. Just moments before pulling over again I realized the car was on fire and evasively pulled over and frantically got my sleeping children out of the car and we created distance from the vehicle since it was on fire underneath. We called the fire department and they responded very quickly and put out the fire. We secured a few belongings and the children’s car seats and my brother in law picked us up. The car was towed from the scene. I called the incident into the insurance the next day and filed a claim. After a few days once the adjuster came out, it was determined that the insurance company would not be covering the claim because the cause of the fire was internal engine failure. It had shot a bearing cap through the oil pan and that is what caused the fire. I contacted Honda about the issue and have yet to hear back from them. This was over a month ago. I am now stuck repairing the vehicle on my own since I cannot afford to take the car to the dealer and I am mechanically inclined as it is what I do for a living. The car is currently in my garage and after taking the engine apart, I found that the main bearing for cylinder #6 had failed and in turn fell apart and broken the piston for that cylinder and the broken debris destroyed the engine block and even bent the valves on the from head for that cylinder. I now have to rebuild my entire engine with no warning whatsoever that this was going to happened. The car was maintained on schedule and nothing was ever overlooked or not performed. It was a great car until the engine decided to grandad itself out of nowhere.

Filed Nov 11, 2019 · Engine · 14,000 miles · TX

Car caught on fire while we were driving with all the family inside

Filed Sep 13, 2019 · Electrical, Fuel system · 17,000 miles · TX · fire

I own a 2017 acura mdx. The VIN is [xxx]. On sunday january 13, 2019 my wife was pulling into our drive way when she noticed smoke coming from under the hood. She got our kids out of the car just before the car burst into flames. It?s amazing no one was hurt. The car, however, is completely destroyed. The fire destroyed our other car in the driveway, the garage door, the gutters, windows, the front door and a large part of the roof. All four tires exploded and flaming pieces of rubber went all over our home and drive way. The car left an oil stain across our entire driveway. The car was still under the one year manufacture end to end warranty. The only service ever performed on the vehicle was done at john eagle acura in katy, texas. We purchased the service package from john eagle acura which cost roughly $300.00 and was a complete waste of money. The car had no warnings and had no indication of a service engine soon notice. The car was reduced to smoking rubble. The car is a pile of broken glass and ashes. Thank you.

Filed Aug 17, 2018 · 16,000 miles · WA · fire

Car caught on fire in the middle of the road. I was inside of the car with my three kids, my husband was driving, the car started smoking, we stopped in the middle of the road and everybody ran out of the car and the car caught up in flames, we heard an explosion, the police officers and firefighters arrived and they stopped the fire. They filed a report with city of issaquah #18-09696. We called the dealership and acura customer relation and they didn't want to go see the car and check what caused the fire. Firefighter mentioned it could have started in the engine. From my point of view, this was a manufacturing defect and should be covered by the car's warranty. I would like to request for a compensation, the money spent on the car so far.