I own a 2025 Acura MDX Advance with approximately 18,500 miles. While stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle's Auto Idle Stop feature engaged and shut off the engine as designed. However, when it was time for the vehicle to restart, the engine would not restart. The failure left me unable to move the vehicle at an intersection, creating a potentially dangerous situation and exposing me and other motorists to the risk of a traffic accident. A vehicle that automatically shuts off at a traffic light must be able to reliably restart when traffic begins moving. The dealership diagnosed the problem as a failed starter and replaced the starter on November 2, 2026. The vehicle was only approximately 18,500 miles old at the time of the failure. A starter failure at such low mileage is extremely concerning, particularly when it occurs in connection with the Auto Idle Stop system. I am concerned that this may be a broader safety issue involving the 2025 Acura MDX and its Auto Idle Stop/start system. Failure to restart at an intersection can create an immediate traffic hazard, particularly in busy intersections where the driver may be unable to move the vehicle out of the way of approaching traffic. I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate this issue and determine whether there is a defect involving the Auto Idle Stop system, starter, or related electrical components in 2025 Acura MDX vehicles. A vehicle should not unexpectedly become immobilized in an intersection because its automatic restart system fails.
2025 Acura MDX: start-stop system problems
41 of the 117 complaints about the 2025 Acura MDX describe start-stop system problems.
- owner complaints
- 41
- of this car's complaints
- 35%
- recalls
- 0
Start-stop system problems by model year
What owners say
The contact owns a 2025 Acura MDX. The contact stated upon coming to a complete stop at an intersection downhill, the engine turned off while the instrument panel and infotainment center remained operable. The contact was unsure if the engine Auto START/STOP system was engaged during the failure. The message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact attempted to shift to park(P), to turn off and restart the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to respond. The message "Transmission Error-Take to Acura Dealer" was displayed. The contact's husband arrived on the scene to assist, but the Police advised the contact that an emergency tow was required due to the potential crash. The Police requested emergency towing services, and the vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Action Number: EA25004 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The selling dealer, Acura of Memphis (2611 Ridgeway Rd, Memphis, TN 38119) and the manufacturer were contacted by email. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.
The auto-stop feature engaged after I stopped at a traffic light. When attempting to begin moving again the vehicle, it would not move upon pressing the gas peddle like it typically does. Vehicle gave alerts stating “system issue shift to park” but I could not shift out of Drive. Police had to be called as cars were flying by and I had two kids in the back. Very scary situation. Eventually while waiting for a tow I googled the issue and saw recommendation to turn off the car, open and close the door. At this point the alert said “transmission issue engage emergency brake” which I did and was then able to start the car and move it. I took the car to the dealer the next day and dealer said it was a starter issue and replaced the starter under warranty. They acknowledged this is a known issue caused by the starter not reengaging after the car stops with auto start stop feature engaged. There is no way to turn off this feature without manually pressing a button each time you start the car. It never happened before and I have had this vehicle since May 2025, and has never happened again since, although I now immediately turn off the feature everytime I remember to. It is an extremely dangerous situation to be in and leaves the driver not knowing how to move the car. Shutting the car off alone did not fix the issue, but opening and closing the door and waiting 30 seconds managed to get the car to start again. Luckily the police responded quickly and blocked traffic before someone hit me. I believe something like this should be worthy of a recall as it can leave people in a very dangerous situation.
On three separate occasions, 2/27/26, 9/9/26, and 9/23/26 the Idle stop/start feature was inoperable and caused the vehicle to shut down. Upon attempting to turn the vehicle back on, vehicle would not immediately start back up. Inoperable and a major safety concern since this happened at a red light that was turning green. This poses a great concern due to traffic approaching the light while green not noticing the vehicle is stopped, as the entire vehicle shuts off when this happens. There is no way to get the vehicle moving again, so if there is traffic approaching, there is no way to avoid it or get out of the way. This was inspected by the dealership on 2/27/26 and dealer replaced the starter. Then this happened again on 9/9/26 and 9/23/26 - dealer replaced starter again.
My 2025 Acura MDX A-Spec Advance (VIN [XXX]) twice failed to restart after the Auto Idle Stop system shut the engine off — on XXX (~2:00 PM CDT) and again on October 10, 2026 (2:20 PM CDT). The vehicle was immobilized and would not restart. Sterling Acura of Austin ([XXX]) diagnosed a failed starter on XXX: bench testing showed 9.7 amp draw with voltage drop below 7.3V. The dealer replaced the starter motor (part 31200-5MR-A03) under warranty, test drove 10+ miles, cleared codes, and verified the repair. A no-restart after auto idle stop leaves the vehicle without motive power in traffic, which is a safety hazard. This matches the subject of the federal safety agency Engineering Analysis EA25004 (No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages, 2016–2025 MDX). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Faulty and auto-stop/start system glitch where the engine fails to turn back on. This issue frequently occurs while driving in traffic or at a stop light. This issue happens daily become extremely dangerous as car unexpected turns off and fails to turn back on a busy road. There is no option to turn off the auto-stop/start system to avoid the glitch.
I own a 2025 Acura MDX A-Spec purchased in XXX from John Eagle Acura in [XXX]. The vehicle has less than 10,000 miles. Component/system: The Auto Idle Stop/start system has malfunctioned. During the past week, the engine unexpectedly shut off while stopped at red lights and stop signs approximately 4–5 times. When it was supposed to restart, the vehicle sometimes failed to restart normally and required multiple attempts. The vehicle and components are available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: These incidents occurred at intersections while I was stopped in traffic. When the engine failed to restart, I was unable to immediately proceed while vehicles were behind me, creating a potential collision and traffic hazard. I regularly have my two young children in the vehicle, making this especially concerning. Dealer inspection: I brought the vehicle to John Eagle Acura after experiencing the problem. The service advisor indicated that this is a known issue, and the vehicle was serviced for the concern. The failure occurred repeatedly in real-world driving, but I do not know whether the dealer was able to reproduce it during inspection. Manufacturer/other inspection: The vehicle was inspected by an authorized Acura dealership. It has not been inspected by police or insurance representatives. Warnings/symptoms: I received no prior notification or warning from Acura regarding this issue. The first incidents occurred during the week before my dealership visit. The engine shut off while stopped and then did not restart normally. I did not observe a warning lamp or message specifically indicating that the vehicle would fail to restart. After experiencing the problem, I learned that the federal safety agency has an ongoing investigation, EA25-004, involving Auto Idle Stop failures on Honda and Acura vehicles, including 2023–2025 Acura MDX models. I am submitting this complaint so these repeated incidents can be documented as part of the federal safety agency's review. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 5
Auto Start/Stop At stop light car wouldn’t start after engaging Auto Start/Stop, had to turn on hazards, turn car off and restart with cars bearing down on me Monday 9/14, before entering traffic I stopped and Auto Start/Stop engaged but car wouldn’t start Got a jump and brought to dealership and they replaced starter motor
Auto start-stop system stalled my car at a red light few times. Also I can clearly tell starting/cranking it is lagging as well.
Occassionally when the "auto stop start" feature is on and I am stopped at traffic light, the engine does not restart when I release the brake and hit the gas pedal. I took my car into my local dealer and they replaced battery but I was also advised that I might not want to use the "auto stop start" feature because it is a real drain on battery. Even with the new battery, I have experienced failure of the car to restart after being stopped in traffic while the "auto stop start" is engaged. When in traffic and you expect the car to restart and it doesn't, it causes momentary panic and is very unsafe. I have been turning the "auto stop start" feature off every time I start the car to avoid this unsafe situation.
Auto Stop/Start fails to restart intermittently causing dangerous situations stuck at lights unable to move. Sometimes it restarts again after pressing the brake and ignition right away. Sometimes it takes a minute to restart. Either way it happens unexpectantly leading to being frozen until you figure out what is going on.
Idle Auto Start/Stop will not restart after cutting on leaving me stranded in traffic.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2025 Acura MDX start-stop
Is start-stop system problems a common problem on the 2025 Acura MDX?
41 of 117 owner complaints about the 2025 Acura MDX (35%) mention start-stop system problems. The model year with the most reports is 2025.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2025 Acura MDX?
There are 0 recalls and 5 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
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