Acura MDX fire or smoke problems

Filed Aug 24, 2026 · Engine · NC · fire

The engine in the car caught fire and subsequently destroyed the vehicle. The car was parking in a shopping center parking lot at the time.

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 Jul 14, 2026 · Electrical · OH · fire

I just got back home from Walmart, went in my house to get a few things and head to my camper. I had to get one last thing ,so I started to drive over town I noticed a plastic burning smell ,I thought someone was burning trash, so I keep going ,the smell got worse,so I stopped and was going to check what it was and smoke started coming out of the vents,so I turned around drove car home,as I was pulling into my drive ,I noticed the wiring harness fell from behind glove box ,on fire on the floor. We got car in driveway and got out,tried to extinguish the fire but couldn't, so grab everything out of the car,and the car became totally engulfed in flames,the car was totally gone from this electrical short.

Filed Apr 9, 2025 · Brakes, Driver assistance · WI

I was pulling into a friend’s driveway. I had my foot on the brake was barely creeping forward. Without any yellow warning, the car slammed on the brakes for me. It hit the brakes so hard, I had smoke coming out of my front, middle vents and when I got out of the car, it smelled very bad and I had smoke coming from my brakes. There was nothing in front of me. The same incident also happened to my husbands few days earlier while he was pulling into our garage.

Filed Sep 19, 2024 · Visibility · 240,000 miles · GA · fire

The contact's wife owned a 2010 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while parked in his garage, the passenger's low beam headlamp was removed after it stopped illuminating. The contact observed then observed the driver's low beam heal lamp blinking. The contact stated after 10 minutes, he and his family observed a smokey odor in the house and retreated to the garage to inspect the origin of the odor. The contact then observed flames emanating from the passenger headlamp. The fire spread and within 45 minutes the entire house was engulfed in flames and the vehicle remained trapped under a collapsed roof. The fire was extinguished by the Fire Department and a police report was filed. The Fire Inspector determined that the fire originated from the vehicle. There were no injuries. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 240,000.

Filed Apr 19, 2024 · Engine · 50,000 miles · CA · fire · 1 injury

The contact owned a 2018 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in a garage there was a sudden odor of smoke. The contact stated upon discovering the smoke the contact noticed fumes and flames coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated the vehicle was unoccupied at the time of the fire. The fire was extinguished by the Fire Department however the vehicle was consumed by the fire. There was smoke damage to the home and there was damage to the driveway due to the fire. The contact's wife sustained emotional distress. A Fire Department report was filed. A Police report was not filed. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Filed Feb 20, 2024 · Engine · TX · fire

The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated while her nephew was driving at an undisclosed speed, he noticed smoke coming from the front and rear of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The contact’s nephew pulled off the road to lift the hood of the vehicle where he saw flames. The Fire and Police Department arrived at the scene however, the fire had already been extinguished. The contact was unaware if a Police report was filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to the nephew’s residence where the Insurance Adjustor took pictures of the damages. The vehicle was towed to Mack's Automotive but due to the extensive damage, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed by Mack's Automotive that the rod went through the engine causing the oil to leak which caused the engine to catch on fire. The vehicle was towed back to the nephew’s residence and remained unrepaired due to the cost and because the Insurance provider declined to pay to repair the vehicle because it was deemed a mechanical failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a claim; however, the contact had not spoken with the manufacturer personally. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Jan 9, 2024 · Electrical · PA · fire

Fire under the hood of my 2018 MDX - caused by weak battery and overloaded starter. My car was parked in the garage right under my daughter’s bedroom. I pressed the "Start" button on the car and the dashboard started to flash on and off quickly and I heard clicking sounds and other swooshing noises. The car did NOT start but it seemed to keep trying over and over again. I pressed the start/off button repeatedly but the car did not shut off. My wife came out and asked what I was doing and she smelled and saw smoke coming from under my hood. She ran into the house and called 911. I popped the hood and got out of the car. At this point, there was more smoke and a VERY strong burning electrical odor. The car continued to try to start and the only thing I could think of was to disconnect the battery. Just as I disconnected the battery, The fire department showed up and the smoke started to slowly subside since the car was no longer trying to start. I called AAA and had the car towed to the local Acura dealership that I just had it serviced at. Upon their evaluation, it was determined that the battery was not completely dead, but not strong enough to engage the starter. Therefore, the car continued to try to start and overloaded the starter, burning it out. I strongly feel that this is a catastrophic failure for Acura and completely unacceptable for a vehicle with all kinds of safeguards. It should not have caught on fire from a weak battery in the garage/under my daughter’s bedroom – The whole car and house could have burned down. After several weeks of discussions with the dealership and Acura customer care, it was determined they would split the cost of ~ $2000 for repairs. I felt I had no choice but to pay it and get my car back with a new starter and battery. I asked the dealership to give me the starter - I do have it - I also noticed the replacement starter is a new model - Thank you [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Nov 27, 2023 · Electrical, Engine · MO · fire

My wife went to the grocery store and turned the car off. And upon doing so the car started smoking and she opened the hood and it was on fire. She opened the hood and put out the fire.