Reliable Auto DB

2016 Acura MDX reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Acura MDX holds 374 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 25 per year. That is more complaints per year than most MDX years here — over the median of the other years, which is 10. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Frame, Exterior lighting, and Fuel pump.

2012 Acura MDX
Photo by Navigator84, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
Complaints

374

Per year

25

Recalls

7

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (161 of 374), then Powertrain (111) and Electrical system (37). Those filings include 10 that report a crash, 5 that report a fire, and 5 that report an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 MDX has 71 complaints, 11 per year, and the 2017 has 255 complaints, 16 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2016 Acura MDX. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (7)

Recall structure, frame 2026-06-04 · NHTSA campaign 26V365000
Summary American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Honda Pilot, 2017-2023 Ridgeline, 2019-2023 Passport, and 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles that were sold in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. The rear subframe may corrode at the suspension mounting points, which can result in rear suspension component failure.
Remedy Dealers will inspect the rear subframe and install a rear subframe reinforcement kit and, as necessary, repair or replace the rear subframe components, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed July 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in the fall of 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are AOU and AOT. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning June 10, 2026.
Recall Exterior lighting 2025-04-17 · NHTSA campaign 25V259000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles. Moisture may enter the tailgate lid light assembly and wiring harness, which can cause the interior and exterior lights to fail, including the lid lights, position lights, license plate lights and taillights.
Remedy Dealers will inspect the wiring and install a fuse harness, replace the lid light, and repair the body dust sealer, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 30, 2025. Owners may contact Acura's customer service at 1-800-382-2238. Acura's number for this recall is FLI. Vehicles included in this recall that were previously repaired under NHTSA recall number 19V-256 will need to have the new remedy completed.
Recall Fuel pump 2023-12-18 · NHTSA campaign 23V858000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Remedy Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Recall engine and cooling, engine, internal engine parts 2023-11-13 · NHTSA campaign 23V751000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 2016-2017 Acura MDX owner letters were mailed November 1, 2024. 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed in mid-December 2024. Honda began mailing owner notification letters as of March 18, 2024. 2015-2016 Acura owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-December 2024, 2018 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed the end of March/early April 2024, 2019 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-May 2024, 2020 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-June 2024, and 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed January 27, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XG1 and GG0.
Recall exterior lighting, tail lights 2019-03-28 · NHTSA campaign 19V256000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Acura MDX and 2017-2019 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid vehicles. Moisture may enter the tailgate lid lights, possibly causing a loss of the tailgate lid lights and the taillights.
Remedy Acura will notify owners, and dealers will modify the tailgate lid lights and install updated gaskets and a wiring sub-harness or will replace both tailgate lid lights. The repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began May 7, 2019. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is M49.
Recall other fuel system, delivery, fuel pump 2019-01-29 · NHTSA campaign 19V060000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Acura MDX, 2015-2019 Acura TLX and 2015-2017 Honda Accord vehicles, equipped with a 3.5L V6 engine. Particulates in fuel may adhere to the internal components of the fuel pump, reducing its performance.
Remedy Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the fuel injection engine control unit (FI-ECU) software and, if necessary, replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began March 25, 2019. Owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's recall number for this recall is P3W. Honda's recall number for this recall is N3X.
Recall gasoline fuel system, storage, tank 2016-06-09 · NHTSA campaign 16V417000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2015 Acura MDX 2WD and MDX 4WD vehicles, 2016 Acura MDX 4WD vehicles, 2015-2016 Honda Odyssey vehicles, and 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD and 4WD vehicles. The affected vehicles have fuel tanks that were manufactured with insufficient welds which may separate and allow fuel to leak out.
Remedy Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tanks, free of charge. Owners may contact Honda/Acura customer service at 1-888-234-2138. The recall began on July 29, 2016. Honda's numbers for this recall are KA9 (Honda vehicles) and KB0 (Acura vehicles).

Complaints by component (374 total)

Engine
161
Powertrain
111
Electrical system
37
Fuel and propulsion system
27
Structure
21
Speed control
19
Lane departure
14
Service brakes
13
Steering
12
Engine and engine cooling
10
Exterior lighting
10
Forward collision avoidance
9
Electronic stability control (ESC)
8
Suspension
8
Air bags
7
Fuel system, gasoline
4
Visibility and wipers
4
Adaptive and mobility equipment
2
Back-over prevention
2
Interior lighting
2
Seat belts
2
Seats
2
Wheels
2
Tires
1
Show 16 more Show less
Crash-flagged

10

Fire-flagged

5

Injury reports

5

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

122015252016182017192018482019212020132021142022132023692024752025472026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "My 2016 Acura MDX (VIN [XXX]) is covered by Acura safety campaign 4170A8. The campaign covers rear subframe corrosion at the suspension mounting points that can cause the rear wheels to become misaligned or inadequately…"
    Suspension · filed 2026-09-21
  • "The contact owns a 2016 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and failed to accelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine…"
    Engine and engine cooling, Engine · filed 2026-09-15
  • "Heard a knocking noise in the engine, had it serviced at an independent mechanic (towed as to not create more damage and the knocking noise was louder). Mechanic told me that the rod bearing/engine had failed and would…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-15
  • "Car Keyless Entry Module/ TPMS Module having problem and alarms keep going off at anytime. It also stops car while driving because of no fob detection. It also automatically tries to turn the car on/off even when it was…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-08
  • ""My 2016 Acura MDX completely seized on the highway after a loud knocking sound, which perfectly matches the connecting rod bearing failure under Recall 23V-751. Even if my specific VIN isn't showing up as open on the…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-07

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Acura MDX SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2016 Acura MDX SUV FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
MDX two-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (9-speed) Front-wheel drive 20 27 23 MPG $3450
MDX two-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (9-speed) Front-wheel drive 19 27 22 MPG $3650
MDX four-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (9-speed) All-wheel drive 19 26 22 MPG $3650
MDX four-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (9-speed) All-wheel drive 18 26 21 MPG $3800

Specs and fitment

3rd generation (YD3), 2014–2020
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 (3.5L V6) , 4.5 qt capacity
Tire size 265/45R20, 245/50R20, 245/60R18 (trim dependent)
Towing capacity 5,000 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA safety recall 21V215000 covers affected vehicles after the agency found that honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 CR-V vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail. Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash. Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 18, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-314.

Compare

Previous year 2015 Acura MDX Next year 2017 Acura MDX See every Acura MDX model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Acura MDX reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Acura MDX holds 374 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 25 per year. That is more complaints per year than most MDX years here — over the median of the other years, which is 10. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Frame, Exterior lighting, and Fuel pump.

What are common problems with a 2016 Acura MDX?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (161 of 374), then Powertrain (111) and Electrical system (37). Those filings include 10 that report a crash, 5 that report a fire, and 5 that report an injury.

Is the 2016 Acura MDX more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 MDX has 71 complaints, 11 per year, and the 2017 has 255 complaints, 16 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Acura MDX been recalled?

The 2016 Acura MDX has 7 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2016 Acura MDX?

Owners have filed 374 complaints about the 2016 Acura MDX with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Acura MDX get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Acura MDX is 22 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Acura MDX use?

US MDX manuals specify 0W-20 for recent V6 engines unless another grade is listed for your model year.

What generation is the 2019 Acura MDX?

3rd generation / YD3 (2014-2020).

What tire sizes does an Acura MDX use?

Sizes vary by generation and trim; examples include 255/55R18, 245/60R18, and 255/50R20.