On two occasions my vehicle stalled out when the idle stop feature failed to restart the engine in traffic. I could not restart my vehicle initially and it took several attempts to restart. Because I was at a stop in an intersection waiting to turn this could have resulted in a serious accident. There was no warning light or other indication of an issue prior to, during, or after the first incident. This was subsequently reproduced and documented with the dealer. They indicated they are seeing issues with many other vehicle of the same model and year but indicated they couldn't say much more. The dealer said they would replace the starter but did not definitively say it would solve the issue. Because they did not have the part in stock thet advised me to continue driving in the meantime with the idle stop feature disabled; however, operators must remember to do this manually at each drive.
2025 Acura MDX: engine stalls while driving
23 of the 117 complaints about the 2025 Acura MDX describe engine stalls while driving.
- owner complaints
- 23
- of this car's complaints
- 20%
- recalls
- 0
Engine stalls while driving by model year
What owners say
My 2025 Acura MDX completely stalled in active roadway traffic and failed to restart. The failure occurred during a routine stop in traffic, tied to the Auto Idle-Stop / restart sequence: when releasing the brake pedal to accelerate, the engine did not restart, leaving the vehicle completely dead and stranded in the travel lane, creating a severe risk of a rear-end collision. I brought the vehicle to an authorized Acura dealership for repair. The dealership diagnosed the issue and replaced the starter motor under warranty. However, shortly after picking up the vehicle, the exact same failure occurred again in traffic. The vehicle was brought back in, and the 12V battery and charging system were tested and deemed functional, but the vehicle continues to stall and fail to restart. Replacing the starter and testing the battery has not resolved this recurring defect, which leaves the vehicle intermittently immobilized in active traffic lanes.
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.
My 2025 Acura MDX has 21,000+ miles on it and the START STOP SYSTEM has stalled and failed to restart the engine at RED LIGHTS several times. This is a SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN! Does Honda/Acura have a Technical Service Bulletin for this issue? Reading many other complaints on social media many people are looking for ways to electrically circumvent the Start Stop System but that voids the manufactuers warranty. I need help solving this problem through HONDA/ACURA the right way. Please help?
After an auto idle stop at a major intersection, car failed to restart automatically and was left stranded unable to restart the car. Car would not shut off or turn back on when using the power button and with foot on brake but had power but it was in limp mode - transmission warnings flashed and the D "for drive" on the screen at the drivers location. I called tripleA however before they showed up I was able to put the parking brake on and turn the car off and on ad it reset. This is similar to the issue was happening with my 2017 Honda Pilot where it would stall and not restart after the auto idle stop engaged. Very dangerous and difficult to troubleshoot when in that situation, surprised that this is still happening in Honda manufactured cars - this is very dangerous and needs to be addressed and investigated.
My vehicle was stopped at a busy intersection, idling in the automatic stop mode. When my husband moved his foot from the brake to the accelerator, the car stalled, orange alarm alerts went off, and the car was completely dead and stalled without power. The car needed to be restarted, and it took a few attempts to accomplish that task. I have had the same problem before with this car and have had it into the dealer at least two times without resolution.
I am writing to formally report a serious and recurring safety defect with my 2025 Acura MDX A-Spec (VIN [XXX]) involving the Auto Idle Stop system. The engine repeatedly fails to restart after the Auto Idle Stop feature shuts it off. When my wife releases the brake pedal (for example, at a traffic light), the vehicle either stalls completely or experiences a major delay before restarting sometimes lasting more than 20 seconds, leaving the my wife unable to accelerate. This creates an immediate and unacceptable safety hazard, particularly in intersections or heavy traffic. I previously brought the vehicle to Acura of Langley regarding this exact issue. Despite that visit, the problem has continued. Most recently, on today, while my wife was driving with my kids, the vehicle again entered Auto Idle Stop at a traffic light. When the light turned green, the engine completely shut off and would not restart for more than 20 seconds. This left her stranded in traffic and unable to move the vehicle, creating a clear risk of collision. This is not an isolated complaint. the federal safety agency has opened Engineering Analysis EA25004 into precisely this condition “No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages” affecting, among other models, 2016–2025 Acura MDX vehicles. American Honda has also issued dealer communications specifically seeking 2023–2025 MDX vehicles with client complaints of no auto re-start after Auto Idle Stop for inspection prior to any repair attempts. Class-action investigations and prior litigation involving related Idle Stop failures further underscore the known nature and seriousness of this defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I had driven 1.5 hours of highway driving. Exited highway and at the first stop light the car stalled on a busy four lane road. I have had the recall software update. Took a minute or 2 to get the car restarted
Auto start-stop system stalled car at a light, could not turn car off after multiple tries following instructions on dash, but ultimately finally turned off, and then struggled to turn back on, all while on a busy road during rush hour.
On June 9, 2026, my 2025 Acura MDX, with only 9,139 miles, stalled at a red traffic light after the Auto Idle Stop feature activated. The engine would not restart, leaving the vehicle disabled in an active traffic lane. I was unable to shift the vehicle out of Park and was stranded for approximately 5 to 10 minutes with my two young children in the back seat. The dashboard instructed me to fully depress the brake pedal and press the ENGINE START/STOP button to restart the vehicle, but repeatedly following those instructions did not restart the engine. There were no warning lights or other symptoms before the incident. I feared another vehicle would rear-end us because I could not move the vehicle out of the travel lane. After multiple attempts to turn the vehicle off and back on, it eventually restarted, allowing me to drive home. The vehicle was towed to the Acura dealership on June 10, 2026. The dealership inspected the vehicle, diagnosed a failed starter, and told me the failure was caused by the Auto Idle Stop feature. The starter was replaced, and I was instructed to disable the Auto Idle Stop feature every time I start the vehicle to help prevent the problem from happening again. The dealership has records of the repair, and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
While stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle had auto shut off normally. However when I released the brake and pushed the gas it unexpectedly stalled and shut off without warning. When attempting to restart the vehicle, it would not start again. There were no prior warning indicators or messages suggesting an imminent issue. This created a hazardous situation as the vehicle was disabled in an active traffic lane. After several attempts, the vehicle either restarted after having set the emergency brake. The failure appears to be sudden and without driver input, raising concerns about reliability and safety in traffic conditions.
Engine stalls when at intersection and the engine cuts off at idle and fails to start back up when you remove your foot from the break. Can have keep lane assist enable. KLAS mode narrow, you have to fight the wheel to maintain control of the vehicle, formal mode is a 50/50 chance it works, wide you can sift right off the road for 5-10 secs before to realize your off the road. Steer wheel control button intermittently fail and stop being able to control the midi instrument panel and infotainment system. I believe there is a systematic electrical issue in the car. They attempted to fix this by replacing a starter which hasn’t because the engine stalled at an intersection again and on cold start this morning 5/4 at the same intersection as this is by my girlfriends apartment.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2025 Acura MDX stalling
Is engine stalls while driving a common problem on the 2025 Acura MDX?
23 of 117 owner complaints about the 2025 Acura MDX (20%) mention engine stalls while driving. The model year with the most reports is 2016.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2025 Acura MDX?
There are 0 recalls and 9 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
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