I was driving in the far right lane on the Van Wyck Expressway when suddenly my steering wheel locked up on me along with the following error messages displayed on the odometer: 1. Collision mitigation braking system problem. See your dealer 2. Road Departure mitigation problem. See your Dealer 3. Low Speed braking control problem. See your Dealer. 4. Electric Power Steering problem. Steering assist not available. Do not drive. 5. All wheel drive system problem. Only front wheels may be powered. See your Dealer. 6. Brake system problem. Brake performance may be reduced. See your dealer. 7. Brake hold problem. Apply brake when stopped. See your dealer. 8. Vehicle stability assist system problem. Reduced traction and handling. See your dealer. 9. Hill start assist problem. Vehicle may roll upon brake release. See your dealer. Thankfully I was approaching an exit ramp and I was able to steer my MDX safely off the expressway. I parked my car on the service road, turned my hazards on and then turned the car off. When I restarted the car the error messages were gone and power steering worked as if nothing happened. Acura will be hearing from me I could’ve been in a serious accident.
Acura MDX steering lock-up problems
20 of the 3,339 owner complaints about the Acura MDX describe steering wheel locks up, most of them for the 2014 model year.
- owner complaints
- 20
- worst model year
- 2014
- typical mileage
- 81,000
By model year
- 20242
- 20224
- 20148
- 20101
- 20071
- 20052
- 20032
Often reported together
Engine failure 6Power steering loss 3Lane assist 3Collision warning 3Steering noise 2Brake failure 2Adaptive cruise 2Won't start 1
What owners say
I was driving to work yesterday morning- busiest time of day on probably the busiest road in our area. My car started freaking out randomly. It popped up numerous errors. The steering wheel locked up. The brakes weren’t working well. I had a car behind me. THANKFULLY they were paying attention because they were very close to rear ending me. But they dodged me. I finally jerked the wheel and got it pulled over to the side of the road until someone could come get me and take me to work. There could have been a different outcome. After being hit head on in February of this year, this incident was NOT good for my PTSD!!!! My anxiety has been through the roof since this incident with a car that I bought SIX MONTHS AGO! As soon as I can trade this car off and get something else, I will be. We still don’t know what it’s wrong with it. We are going to have it towed somewhere on Monday. This was a major safety risk for me AND for the others on the road!!! If my kids had been in the car, I would’ve been even more upset over the situation.
While driving with my small children in the vehicle, my 2022 Acura MDX suddenly displayed multiple simultaneous system failures without warning and the steering wheel locked and the car slowed and the brakes didn't work well: •Brake System Problem – warning that braking performance may be reduced •Electric Power Steering Problem – “Do Not Drive” warning •Vehicle Stability Assist Problem •Hill Start Assist Problem •All Wheel Drive System Problem - •Adaptive Cruise Control Problem •Collision Mitigation Braking System Problem •Lane Keeping Assist System Problem •Trailer Stability Assist System Problem •Brake hold system problem •Vehicle Stability Assist Problem •Electric Power Steering System Problem •Low Speed Braking Control Problem •Road Departure Mitigation System Problem These failures created a serious risk to my life as well as my children's lives by simultaneously disabling braking, steering assist, stability control, and AWD traction. If this had occurred at highway speeds or in a location without space to maneuver, it could have caused a severe crash and even death. The vehicle was towed to the dealer immediately.The tow truck driver stated that he had transported another 2022 Acura MDX with identical failures earlier the same day, suggesting this may be a widespread defect. The dealer found no recalls and attributed the issue to a steering angle sensor malfunction. Given the severity and the risk of injury or death, I am reporting this to the federal safety agency. Request: the federal safety agency investigation into whether this is part of a broader safety defect affecting 2022 Acura MDX models, and whether a recall or manufacturer corrective action is warranted.
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.
I have attached all my service records from Honda/Acura and the dealership Motorworld which is located in Wilkes Barre, PA I had my first issue with the car in January 2024 with sensors malfunctioning. They we replaced a few times, repeated issue I had other issues that didn't replicate themself or show as an error code when I brought the car in. Issue accelerating or inability to accelerate on the highway in a middle lane w/ a tractor trailer on each side. One trying to merge into my lane. Noisy brakes, low breaks etc Fast forward to March 2025, my number one complaint about these sensor issues is they would malfunction on me one day when I was driving. And I was always assured by the dealership it was good, the car was good, I was good. Acura felt the same. Well in April my steering malfunctioned while driving, the steering wheel locked as I was breaking for a red light, and I drifted off the road. Turns out my steering rack needed to replaced. It was fixed on 4/4 then on [XXX] with my children in the car, it did the same thing. Now they tell me it is the EPS, electric power steering. This car spends more time on [XXX] and one day this is going to happen on the interstate and there will be fatalities. I have been screaming at Acura and the Motorworld for months. Acura will not respond to emails (which I have kept) and every time I call the case manager assigned to me is not available. The few times months ago I did speak to someone they tell me the same things the automated email I get once in while that say my case is under review. All dates of occurrence and repair are in the service records I attached. They still have my car today, 5/8/25 so I do not have those to attach. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While driving the vehicle and while it was in motion, I received a wave of faults. The power steering, lane departure, brake system, brake hold system, vehicle stability assist, hill start assist, trailer stability, and adaptive cruise control all failed. Consequently, the steering wheel locked completely while the car was in motion. I couldn’t steer at all, and the car was in motion! I informed American Honda and the dealer, who informed me that “they had never heard of such a problem”, and that they were “unable to duplicate the issue” when the tow truck brought it into the shop.
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.
On 7/22/2020, after filling up at gas station, steering wheel was locked and eps light came on. Restarted car 4 times and still locked. When tow truck arrived an hour later, car drove and steered fine. Towed to bergman acura in appleton, wi and they found no problems. Picked up car on 7/27/2020. It drove fine for 2 days. After being parked in a friend's driveway for 2 hours on 7/29/2020, upon starting steering wheel locked and eps light came on. Had it towed again to bergstrom acura and they said eps system was fried and needed to be replaced.
Eps ! Pop up as I try to start my car. Power n light is on as normal but won't start, steering wheel lock
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 acura mdx. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized and the contact could not move the steering wheel. In addition, on other occasions it was hard for the contact to make turns. The contact mentioned that it was very seldom when the steering functioned normally. The vehicle was taken to barber ford (640 e 8th st, holland, mi 49423 (616) 396-2361) where the mechanics stated that the vehicle was fine and had no failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 178,000. The VIN was not valid.
Related recalls
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Acura TLX, 2022-2024 Acura MDX, and 2023-2025 Pilot vehicles. The software for the electric power steering (EPS) assist may cause the EPS system to enter a failsafe mode, resulting in a loss of power steering assist.
- Risk
- A loss of power steering assist can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reprogram the EPS control unit, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 14, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1‑866‑784‑1870. Honda's numbers for this recall are KQB and TQA. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on beginning November 11, 2026.
Recall number 26V721000 · Recall details
Questions about the Acura MDX steering lock-up
Which Acura MDX years have steering wheel locks up problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2014 (8 complaints), 2022 (4 complaints) and 2003 (2 complaints).
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