Acura MDX jerking problems

Filed Oct 29, 2026 · Transmission · VA

My 2022 Acura MDX lost motive power due to a transmission and transfer case failure at 64,306 miles. The transmission first became jumpy shifting from 1st to 2nd gear, then began whining and self-correcting. The jerking worsened in stop-and-go traffic until the vehicle became stuck in low gear and at times lost all gears completely. On the drive to the dealer, it nearly would not go into gear at all, and I did not think it was going to make it. The dealer (Crown Acura, [XXX], repair order #XXX) found the transmission fluid level low and the transfer case fluid dark, indicating the two fluids had been mixing. Diagnostic codes present were described by the dealer as transmission failure codes. After removing the transfer case, the dealer found brown sludge and worn connections between the transfer case and transmission, and noted the vehicle was not far from the relatively common failure of the transfer case. Both the transmission and the transfer case were replaced, and the transmission control module was reprogrammed with a new module. The vehicle was in the shop for approximately six weeks. The repair was covered under the certified pre-owned powertrain warranty at no cost to me. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Sep 13, 2026 · Fuel system · TX

When making a slow turn or rolling stop, the vehicle hesitates on light throttle and then experiences a sudden, jerky surge when the pedal is pressed further. This is very unsafe and scary for people around at school crossing and highway crossings

Filed Aug 14, 2026 · Transmission · OH

Was driving arround corner and felt a shudder like I had run over something, the felt front tires loosing traction and car jerked into next lane. Took to dealer and they diagnosed a failure of output shaft from transmission to awd transfer case, currently at dealer getting transmission awd assembly replaced.

Filed Jun 2, 2026 · TX

The Auto Start/Stop system shuts down the engine and periodically the engine fails to restart. The car needs to be put into Park and then the electronics seem to re-boot before the car will restart the engine. This has now happened many times in city traffic, interstate highways and in areas of questionable safety (high crime zones). The dealer and Acura has refused to repair since they have not been able to duplicate the issue. They wanted me to lend my new $60,000 car to their service technician to drive back and forth from home/work to see if they can duplicate the issue. The dealer has tested the battery, however it passes. They refuse to do anything with the starter or other components of the system whether it be replace or inspect them. As the car ages (now approx. 1.5 years) it seems to occur increasingly often. I am concerned that the Auto Star/Stop system is doing irreparable damage to the engine & transmission. Additionally, sometimes the engine gets cut off and then tries to re-start and after several churns the engine restarts and the car lurches forward as the car is in gear "drive' when the car re-starts. The catalyst for making the car re-start is to release the brake... and that causes an immediate lurch forward when the engine does re-start. Does not seem to be a good thing for the transmission. The Auto/Start/Stop engine feature can not be permanently disabled.

Filed Apr 27, 2026 · Fuel system · GA

Car jerked badly on highway when trying to accelerate. It puckered to a stop after a few hours. But started in a few mins and we got home. Mechanic suggested that fuel pressure is low. No repair done. But problem did not surface again for a little bit. Now emissions problem light has come on. This is the third time in 4 months. Once again mechanic suggested low fuel pressure and also pointed to the recall. Writing to request being included

Filed Apr 23, 2026 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · CA · crash

On April 17 2026 while driving my 2022 Acura MDX at very low speed in a parking lot, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward without warning and surged into bushes before I could stop it. I did not mistake the gas for the brake pedal. This felt like a sudden unintended acceleration event. I was preparing to park in a stall and the vehicle lunged forward unexpectedly. I applied the brake, but the braking did not immediately stop the forward surge. Earlier, I experienced another unusual event in which the vehicle abruptly auto-braked, jerked, and made a warning sound while I was slowing for a red light. I noticed the car felt as if it was surging a bit on residential streets and was about to mention it during the next service. This incident has caused me to lose confidence in the safety of the vehicle. I contacted Niello Acura who has been very cooperative. I was told the issue would need to be duplicated or that they could only inspect it if a code had been stored once the car is repaired. The car is currently being repaired with close to 7,000 in front end damage. I am reporting this because a sudden unintended acceleration presents a serious safety risk and could easily have caused a more severe crash or injury. I did research on this issue and have found various reports of unintended accelerations in the Acura MDX forums from various years but was unable to find any recalls or outcomes with these reports My concern is this will be dismissed as "operator error" or a phantom incident that cannot be reproduced.

Filed Apr 13, 2026 · Transmission · VA

Complete drivetrain failure while accelerating from a complete stop in the middle of a busy intersection. No warning lights or hazard messages were activated before or after the failure. The car made a massive clunking/banging sound and continued to clunk on acceleration. The car had to be towed to the dealership. My children were in the car with me, and we had just driven on the highway for 45 minutes before this failure. Luckily, my husband was behind me, and I activated hazards until I could pull over safely. It was jerking and clunking so badly that I was barely able to steer. It was terrifying since my two young children were in the car, and they were both screaming from the noise. I believe I would have been rear-ended if my husband had not been behind me due to the sudden jerk from the failure, as I was the first car in the left turn lane. This is not the first issue I have had with the transfer case in this vehicle. The affected transfer case and drive train were replaced only 7 months prior due to a faulty transfer case and a severe clunking sound. This vehicle has had repeated drivetrain failures without warning, resulting in loss of traction and control. The recent failure reflects a completely stripped spline connecting the transfer case and transmission. This will be the 4th transfer case this vehicle has had at only 64K miles. All recommended maintenance and care have been completed at the certified Acura dealership since the vehicle was purchased. Recently, the 60K services were completed just 3 months prior to the current failure. The vehicle is currently at the dealership for repairs under warranty, as it needs a new transmission and another transfer case. I have not yet received the documentation, as the car is not in my possession, but I will provide it once I receive it. See the attached documentation from the previous failure, dated 6/3/2025, to establish a pattern of catastrophic drivetrain failure.

Filed Feb 8, 2026 · Acceleration, Transmission · WI

There were several instances where my vehicle either accelerated or decelerated while I was driving. I first noticed the issue about a week after I purchased the car in May 2022. I took it back to Acura of Brookfield, and they said they couldn’t replicate the issue. I also took my car to Acura of Brookfield in September 2023 for the same jerking issue. They charged me for an update, but the issue did not change. I continued noticing the problem over the years, but it happened more frequently in 2025. In May 2025, I was driving down a hill in Brookfield, Wisconsin, when my car jerked aggressively and then accelerated on its own. Throughout the rest of the year, it would either accelerate or decelerate while I was on the highway. On January 20, while I was on my way to the gym, my car jerked and decelerated while I was on the highway. I was able to pick up speed again and continue driving to the gym. When I came back out, my car started, but it would not shift out of park. I had the car towed to Acura of Brookfield, and they said something about the hydraulics inside the transmission being bad, and that they had to replace the entire transmission.

Filed Jan 21, 2026 · Acceleration · NC

The transmission of this model car is very poorly programmed a low speeds. it is constantly jerking in and out of gears making it difficult to moderate speed. There is also a substantial delay between hitting the pedal and accelerating the vehicle. The issues with the transmission paired with the very delayed accelleration leads to very ineffective control of the vehicles speed, leading to what I believe is dangerous driving scenarios. Turning through inersections, braking at a light, accellerating out of the way of traffic, are all made much more difficult/unpredictible due to how unpredictible and inconsitent the transmission behaves. It feels impossible to 'learn' how it behaves. Here is a forumn of other users confirming similar issues: https://www.mdxers.org/threads/jerky-transmission.181658/ I believe this should be addressed via software update or recall as it i'm sure will lead to accidents/injuries.

Filed Jan 16, 2026 · Engine · CO

On December 4th I noticed a rattling sound when I was driving. It worsened when my car would rev above 2RPMs and before shifting. It also would make a terrible grinding sound when I started the car. I had about 1/4 of a tank of gas and thought that maybe that was part of the issue. After filling up, the sound was not as loud, but was still present when I started the car and upon accelerating. I took my car to my Acura dealership on December 5th. Within an hour of having the car they called to tell me that the engine needed to be replaced due to a connecting rod failure. They told me that the car is no longer safe to drive and that the repairs would be required in order to continue to use the vehicle safely. There was no warning sign. My only other concern is that the downshifters of this vehicle have never worked properly. I have mentioned this to the dealership multiple times and even drove the vehicle with their representative to recreate the issue. The car would accelerate and lurch forward upon utilizing the downshift feature. This would also cause the vehicle to over-rev which I am concerned was problematic to the connecting rod failure. Additionally, the vehicle has always made a grinding noise upon starting the engine, but the dealership assured me this was normal. Acura is unwilling to cover the full cost of replacement even though this vehicle has been maintained per the manufacturer's recommendations. There are approximately 90,000 miles on this vehicle.