Acura MDX sudden acceleration problems

Filed Sep 14, 2026 · Acceleration, Airbags · 45,000 miles · NJ · crash

The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating. The contact stated that later, while parking the vehicle, the vehicle unintended accelerated and drove over a curb and crashed into a tree. The vehicle crashed into the tree, and the front wheels continued spinning without the accelerator pedal being depressed, and the engine was turned off. During the crash, the front end was severely damaged, but the air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was driven to the residence and examined by an independent mechanic, and it was determined that the PCM had malfunctioned and there was a computer miscommunication between the engine and the transmission. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer. The failure mileage was 45,000.

Filed May 8, 2026 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · CA

I was pulling up to our house to park in the open garage as I typically do and was in the driveway with my foot lifted off the gas pedal to allow the car to coast forward slowly. The car hesitated for a moment before it lunged/accelerated on its own with such force I had to slam on my brakes to avoid the car hitting the wall of our house. I did not have cruise control on. Took the car to Acura dealership for a multi-point inspection and they found nothing out of order that would’ve caused that to occur.

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 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 Nov 11, 2025 · Acceleration · MA

When you press the accelerator pedal there is a significant delay in the pedal response particularly at low speed. As you press accelerator pedal nothing happens for a second or two. Then the vehicles accelerates not a gradual rate but at the rate of where the accelerator pedal is at when the vehicle begins to speed up. This causes sudden and hard acceleration. This delay and or sudden acceleration is dangerous when trying to pull into traffic. The Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Was brought to dealer and after a very short inspection, was told nothing was wrong. They did do a transmission software update. This did not change anything. This is an issue reported in on-long blogs frequently. No warning lamps to error codes related to this issue according to the dealer. This has been an ongoing issue for as long I have owned the vehicle but gets worse as the vehicle gets older.

Filed Nov 4, 2025 · Brakes, Driver assistance · SC

As slowing down to park in parking space, the automatic braking applies hard and throws you forward. All three times, the vehicle was just entering the parking space and automatically slammed on brakes causing all passengers to lunge forward and seat belt to apply hard, hurting passengers chest. This is a safety hazard as it could cause harm to the passengers and if it happens at higher speeds then could cause a rear end collision if someone is behind us when this happens. This has happened three times in the past month. We have also experienced the cruise control not working once because it though there was a car in front of us when there was not. I turned the cruise off then on and has worked properly since.

Filed Sep 8, 2025 · Brakes · TX · crash

on [XXX], I was trying to park under the shade of a tree when the vehicle suddenly surged forward, ran through the back of a big concrete dumpster retaining wall, pushed the dumpster at least 3 to 4 feet forward. It all happened so fast, I was left puzzled about why the brake failed and caused the accident and property damage. Luckily there was no personal injury to me nor anyone else, my car video showed that I narrowly missed 2 Hispanic young men standing near the dumpster ! Since the car is still under warranty, my plan was to get the car checked out by the dealership mechanic after the body shop finished with the $18,000 repair job. Then on 7/31/2025 I received a recall notice from Honda about BRAKE PEDAL PIVOT PIN may not have been staked during production. I immediately contacted State Farm and Honda. On 8/6/2025 A Honda representative, Mr. Noah, called and advised to have the car inspected by dealer for recall issue. I did not agree to it due to what I believed to be a conflict of interest : since the dealer is part of the same network with Honda ! Noah then suggested to get State Farm to request an EDR download of specific data providing insights into what happened before , during and after a collision. or I can order one myself. In accident cases involving vehicle recall, the manufacturer is considered a key party when it comes to investigation, why we consumer need to foot the bill knowing that ordering EDR is not assigned to a single party! It has been more than 3 months now since the accident, and my car is still sitting at the auto shop waiting for an EDR its data might have already been overwritten !! I have never heard from Honda again after 8/6/2025 !! They just ignored my phone calls, emails, accident video and photos totally. There were no warning lamps, message or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Aug 1, 2025 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 9,747 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2024 Acura MDX. The contact stated the messages "Parking Sensor Failure - See Dealer", "Brake Performance Failure" and "Brakes May Be Reduced - See Dealer" were displayed. Additionally, the Forward Collision Avoidance sensor would alert the contact of a potential collision erroneously. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the computer systems were reset, and the front bumper sensor was replaced. The contact stated that after the repair, the auto brake hold feature failed to engage upon coming to a stop and releasing the brake pedal, causing the vehicle to roll. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Kearny Mesa Acura (5202 Kearny Mesa Rd, San Diego, CA 92111); to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The contact also noticed that the wheels were out of alignment. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle surged forward and felt like the transmission had shifted from 1st to 3rd gear instantly, and the failure recurred while decelerating to come to a stop. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH in a parking lot, the vehicle suddenly felt like the transmission was in 3rd gear. The contact immediately depressed the brake pedal and stopped the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a third dealer, Acura of Escondido (1502 Auto Park Way N, Escondido, CA 92029) to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 9,747.

Filed Sep 3, 2024 · Driver assistance, Electrical · MA

1.) I have had repeated, on-going issues with the fuel propulsion system since the day I bought the car. When I step on the accelerator it randomly (lately more constant than random) does not respond, then it will shoot me out into traffic. For example when I am entering the highway from an onramp, I see my opportunity to merge into traffic and I step on the gas - nothing - no response, then it suddenly accelerates and shoots me into oncoming traffic. This is SO BAD that I am afraid to drive the vehicle. It is DEADLY. I have reported the issue every time I have had the car serviced (always dealer serviced, from same dealer where I bought it.) 2.) The vehicle will randomly decide that I am going to hit a car in another lane, and will forcefully apply the brakes (when there is no issue, no danger, no possible way I am going to even be close to hitting another car) causing the cars behind me to come extremely close to rear-ending me! Or the car will decide I am going off the road when I am taking a soft curve, and it will sound a warning and try to turn the wheel. 3.) The display panel will go black for no reason. I then cannot use the navigation screen. It will randomly return after a few hours or after a day or two. 4.) The camera/display will get stuck on the reverse camera causing a visual disconnect as I drive forward, but can only see what is in reverse. (like seasickness). No idea what causes it or how to fix it. Eventually it corrects itself after a few hours/day+. 5.) Car will occasionally make a strange squealing noise after it has been turned off - no idea what that is, or what causes it. As a salesperson who spends many, many hours in her car, this vehicle has become a constant danger to both my livelihood and my life. I am afraid to drive it and I will not let family members drive it as I am afraid for their lives due to the issues stated above.

Filed Aug 25, 2023 · IN · crash

I was maneuvering to park my car in a parking lot. Driving down the traffic lane of the parking lot, I slowed, braked and turned left 90 degrees into the parking space with my foot still on the brake. I reached the end of the parking space and prepared to shut the engine down. I remember looking at the shift console to find the park button when the car bolted forward. The car went over the concrete curb, clipping a tree and through bushes beyond the parking space. The car proceeded down the embankment of a dry retention basin, across rip rap stone of the basin then up the other bank to the next parking lot. I was pushing hard on the brake petal the entire time with no results. The car just kept moving forward. I’m now thinking “How am I going to stop this car before it enters the busy street ahead?”. Once in this second parking lot, with a bit of mental clarity, I purposely slid my foot across the brake petal a very little bit, right to left, confirming to myself that I had not been on the accelerator. I did not lift my foot off the pedal to reposition my foot. Somehow, I was able to stop the car, or the car stopped itself in this parking lot. I was lucky that nobody else was involved or injured and there was no additional property damage beyond my vehicle. At this time, I’m not sure I will be able to trust this car again. Have there been other incidences of this ‘Sudden Unintended Acceleration’ happening to other Acura owners? Can I expect this to happen again to me?