Acura MDX power steering loss problems

Filed Nov 3, 2025 · Steering · NY

The power steering failed while driving, and multiple warning lights came on. This happened in the middle of a busy city street and came very close to causing an accident. When the car was restarted the power steering came back on line but failed again the next day. My wife and I decided it was unsafe to drive and had it towed to the dealer. The dealer told us that the "Wire Harness" failed and the Clockspring/Reel assembly had to be replaced. The total cost was $3,888.91. There were no warning lamps, messages or symptoms prior to the failure. This is definitely a safety issue. The dealer had no explanation of why a component like this should have failed. I contacted Honda and was told that there is no recall on this part and i should make a report to the federal safety agency. This was a scary and distressing event. Please look into it and get Honda/Acura to issue a recall.

Filed Sep 8, 2025 · Brakes, Electrical · GA

LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKING ASSIST REDUCED. My spouse was driving our 2023 MDX approximately 45mph when she ran over a recessed manhole cover which created a bump. The MDX lossed power steering and brake performance reduced. The vehicle was very difficult to turn at that point. The car began to cycle through errors that would not clear until the car's engine could be stopped and restarted: HILL START ASSIST PROBLEM, TRAILER STABILITY ASSIST PROBLEM, ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL PROBLEM, LANE KEEPING ASSIST PROBLEM, COLLISION MITIGATION BRAKING SYSTEM PROBLEM, ROAD DEPARTURE MITIGATION SYSTEM PROBLEM, LOW SPEED BRAKING SYSTEM PROBLEM, ELECTRICAL POWER STEERING SYSTEM PROBLEM STEERING ASSIST IS NOT AVAILABLE DO NOT DRIVE, AWD SYSTEM PROBLEM FRONT WHEELS MAY ONLY BE POWERED, BRAKE SYSTEM PROBLEM BRAKE PERFORMANCE MAY BE REDUCED. All these errors said SEE YOUR DEALER. We took the vehicle in to our local Acura dealer's service department 2 times over the course of 3 days. Both times diagnostics were ran and the car was deemed without problem. The MDX's alignment was ok as well, so the impact of the road hazard was NOT severe.

Filed Jun 7, 2025 · Steering · FL

Incident happened on 2-JUN-2025 While driving home from work at around 45-50 mph, all of a sudden, every warning light on the dashboard illuminated, displaying various messages such as “Brake System Failure - See Your Dealer,” “Power Steering Failure - See Your Dealer,” “Road Departure Mitigation System Problem - See Your Dealer,” “Lane Keeping Assist System Problem - See Your Dealer,” and “Collision Mitigation Braking System Problem - See Your Dealer,” among others. The power steering became extremely difficult to turn, almost as if it had locked up, while the brakes were also stiff but seemed to function. The steering wheel completely locked, and I was fortunate enough to maneuver the car to the side of the road by forcing it. After turning the car off and on about three times, everything finally returned to normal on the third attempt. I immediately contacted the Acura dealership to report the issue and scheduled an appointment, feeling apprehensive about driving on the highway, fearing the problem might recur. After dropping off the vehicle, the Acura dealership diagnosed the issue, as a “Power Steering Rack/gearbox malfunction. Luckily it was covered under the extended warranty. Q.1) The components that failed or malfunctioned include the brake system, power steering system, road departure mitigation system, lane keeping assist system, and collision mitigation braking system. These components should be available for inspection upon request at the dealership where I reported the issue. Q.2) My safety and the safety of others were significantly at risk due to the sudden failure of multiple critical systems. The power steering became extremely difficult to operate, and the steering wheel locked up, making it challenging to control the vehicle. This could have resulted in an accident. Q.3) Yes, the problem was confirmed by the Acura dealership after I reported the issue and dropped off the vehicle for inspection. They diagnosed the malfunction.

Filed Feb 3, 2025 · Steering · NY

the electric power steering system indicator light came on and the car would not start-- the indicator went off and the car then started--2 weeks later the same issue occurred when i went to start the car this time all indicator lights came on and then the electric power steering system indicator light came on and the car would not start-- after 5 minutes the car started--brought the car in to dealer and they said nothing wrong the indicator light is off--they replaced the battery but the battery was changed only 15 months ago---i googled the issue and it appears many people are having the same issue with no dealer recourse provided for this issue in which the driver can lose steering to the car--

Filed Oct 2, 2024 · Steering · NY

While driving, the power steering in my car failed. I was unable to turn the steering wheel beyond 0.5” or so. Luckily, I was driving only 25mph on an empty road, so I was able to take my time and pull over. But had I been on the highway, this would have been a fatal crash for my wife, 2 year old, one 5 month old, who were in the car. When the power steering failed, I had 10+ failure messages flash on the screen (full list available on request), along with multiple error lights. The car is with Rallye Acura in Roslyn, NY, who has been unable to replicate the failure. They have stated the car is fine to drive. However, we are very shaken and afraid to get in the car until the root cause is identified, and a solution is offered.

Filed Sep 3, 2024 · Electrical, Steering · CA

Upon engine start noticed vibration buzz noise and steering wheel locked, very difficult to steer. Turned off the ignition and waited 20 min, steering wheel was back to normal. Upon driving in the road for approximately 5-10 min, the wheel locked up with notification alert of "Electrical Power Steering Failure" It was very difficult to maneuver the steering wheel and manage to pull into a parking lot. Turned the ignition off and waited again another 5min and Upon restart, wheel was back to normal. As we were on our way home, the same alert came with steering wheel locked and difficult to turn. We managed to get home with difficulty turning. Car was towed to Acura Plesanton and was reported no recalls for this issue.

Filed Aug 12, 2024 · Brakes, Steering · NJ

While driving on a major highway, several warning lights, including the brake warning, appeared on the dashboard. Simultaneously, the vehicle lost power steering, making it extremely difficult to steer and creating a hazardous situation for the driver and others on the road. The driver managed to pull over and turn off the vehicle. Upon restarting, the warning lights were gone, and the steering returned to normal. The car was taken to a local Acura dealership, but they couldn’t find any error codes or replicate the issue. After a week of driving without any problems, the car was brought back to the dealership. This time, a district Acura technician recommended replacing the steering rack. The dealership informed us that Acura would disassemble the old steering rack to investigate the issue further and determine if it was the cause. Acura will decide on a recall if enough vehicles are affected.

Filed Jan 24, 2023 · Brakes, Electrical · CA

All electrical systems failed while driving around 30mph, Power steering failed, power brakes failed, lane assist failed. We were at high risk of a crash due to lack of control of the car while driving. We were lucky that it happened on a flat road and we were able to manually pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was inspected by the manufacturer and we were told that the car did show all the steering angle sensors did malfunction and fail. They said there is no known cause. They just recalibrated and reset the sensor and said it now is ok "at this time." There is no guarantee that the problem won’t happen again and put my family’s life in danger. Prior to this incident we repeatedly got the "BRAKE SYSTEM: Brake system problem, Brake performance may be reduced, See your dealer". We took it into the deal and was told nothing is wrong with the car and this is a known issue. Dealership Service video: https://app.truvideo.com/v/CbRSGHvo?s=46jtvtJ1AFXkZdwwQ3gE7pDBzV4dlDl0

Filed Apr 29, 2022 · Steering · NJ

At slow speed our brand new vehicle with only 800 miles the electric power steering system failed causing difficulty manually steering the vehicle and pulling off the roadway. In addition every warning light illuminated on dashboard. Vehicle was towed to Acura of Turnersville in NJ and after three days is still being diagnosed. Internet searches have revealed several other owners with the 2022 Acura MDX and the same vehicle problems. One owner had Acura buy the car back after four months of diagnosis and no repair. Our dealer serivce advisor stated the had another 2022 MDX with the same issue only two weeks ago. This is a very serious situation as losing power steering at any speed could cause a crash if the driver doesnt have enough strength to manually steer the car. This is a potentionally serious situation the warrants further investigation by the federal safety agency.

Filed Feb 21, 2021 · Steering · 75,000 miles · WA

While parallel parking, the power steering stopped working (car was stopped or going <3 MPH). It was extremely difficult to turn the wheel. No warning lights came on. I checked to be sure nothing was stuck in the wheel wells or otherwise blocking the tires. After pulling out of the parking spot, power steering returned to normal. It happened again when re-trying to parallel park, but then power came back to normal. I haven't taken it to the dealer yet. It started all of the sudden today and appears to have resolved spontaneously. But I worry that it will return, perhaps leading to an accident.