Total Complaints
74 filings
ACURA MDX · model year
74 NHTSA complaints, 6 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2009ACURAMDX carries 74 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 6 crashes, 1 fire, 7 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2009 MDX is electrical system with 17 filings, followed by power train (8) and engine (8). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 2009 MDX, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page, a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
74 filings
Crashes Reported
6 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 17 |
| POWER TRAIN | 8 |
| ENGINE | 8 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 6 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 5 |
| AIR BAGS | 4 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 |
| WHEELS | 3 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 2 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:HEAD RESTRAINT | 2 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 2 |
| SUSPENSION | 2 |
| STEERING | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM | 1 |
On Jan 21, 2025 the drivers side air bag deployed as I was driving. I did not hit or get hit by anyone or anything, I did not run over anything either the airbag deployed on drivers side from the front to the back of my Acura MDX it was sudden it was random Nd damn scary. I was injured from the impact of the air bag ... I have had my car approximately 6 months I am purchasing from Drive now in Wichita, KS and am still making payments on this vehicle..
I just got this car in September and it is now throwing all kinds of different codes to the point where I canât drive it sh-awd /check charging station / emission light etc
I just got this car in September and it is now throwing all kinds of different codes to the point where I canât drive it sh-awd /check charging station / emission light etc
I just got this car in September and it is now throwing all kinds of different codes to the point where I canât drive it sh-awd /check charging station / emission light etc
While driving vehicle, all power shut off after all lights(airbag, tire, engine, etc. came on the dashboard) not able to start vehicle now at all. Has power but will not run, turn over, stay running, etc. has brand new battery so thatâs not the problem no problems until today.
While driving vehicle, all power shut off after all lights(airbag, tire, engine, etc. came on the dashboard) not able to start vehicle now at all. Has power but will not run, turn over, stay running, etc. has brand new battery so thatâs not the problem no problems until today.
While driving vehicle, all power shut off after all lights(airbag, tire, engine, etc. came on the dashboard) not able to start vehicle now at all. Has power but will not run, turn over, stay running, etc. has brand new battery so thatâs not the problem no problems until today.
I was driving onto an exit ramp around 50 to 60 mph on Rt 50 yo 495 south and VSA light appeared on dash. Also steering felt extremely loose. No control to steer and could not accelerate either.
I was driving onto an exit ramp around 50 to 60 mph on Rt 50 yo 495 south and VSA light appeared on dash. Also steering felt extremely loose. No control to steer and could not accelerate either.
Vehicle produced a dash warning light for airbag/supplemental restraint system on January 29th or 30th, 2022. Went away and back on again 3 times in the following week. No prior issues related to this. Vehicle has never been in an accident. Acura dealer scanned vehicle 2/5/2022 to find vehicle code 11-11, meaning bad airbag and possibly bad cable reel. No recalls or effort by Acura (contacted by me) to assist with fix. Replacement isn't readily available, nor is a dealer loaner. Part is $1202.75. Vehicle is 2009 with only 89,7XX miles.
The battery has been drained on three separate occasions this year (2021). I replaced the battery after the first occurrence. Each time I have had to use a battery jump to restart the vehicle which sufficed to get it operating and return home. On the last occasion, the car started to display dash board warning messages before arriving at home after driving only 15 miles. This came with a fully charged battery installed to get the car restarted. Previously I could see no error codes, but following this latest incident the AWD error code 77-01 is displayed by an OBD reader. The vehicle began to run roughly and flashed many dashboard warnings as the battery began to draw down to zero power. Latest incident required a battery replacement instead of just a jump to restart.
The contact owns a 2009 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and approaching a stop sign, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact shifted the vehicle to neutral and back to drive and the vehicle responded slowly. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,061.
Mileage: 150,061
LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT IS EXTREMELY DIM, CAN BARELY SEE AT NIGHT. CHANGING THE LIGHT BULB DOES NOT SOLVE. HEADLIGHT COVER IS NOT FOGGY OR CLOUDY, IT IS CLEAR. SUSPECTING INTERNAL REFLECTOR ISSUE AS ACURA HAS DONE RECALLS ON OTHER MODELS FOR THE SAME ISSUE BUT NOT ON RDX.
Mileage: 50,000
MY HEADLIGHTS IN MY 2009 MDX ARE GETTING VERY FOGGY LIKE THEY TURNNIG WHITE IN OUTSIDE SURFACE IS HARD TO SEE AT NIGHT TIME WHIT THE LOW BEANS I USE THE HIGH BEANS TO BE ABLE TO SEE I TAKE IT TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THEY CANNOT DO NOTHING I THINK THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD I SEE OTHERS ACURA WHIT THE SAME PROBLEM THEY SURE PUT THIS PROBLEM IN RECALL...THANKS
HFL MODULE # 39770-STX-A011-M1 STOPPED WORKING PREVENTING CONNECTION TO MY CELL PHONE. 2009 MDX WITH 92,004 MILES. CALLED ALL THE DEALERSHIPS IN MY AREA AND OTHERS ON THE INTERNET AND NO ONE HAS THE MODULE. I WAS TOLD BY THEM IT'S ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER FOR SONE TIME NOW ( 2/5/2020 ) . DOING FURTHER RESEARCH BROUGHT TO LIGHT THERE IS A 2016 OR 2017 CLASS ACTION SUIT ON THIS HFL MODULE/SYSTEM FAILING AND DRAINING POWER FROM THE BATTERY, CAUSING PREMATURE FAILURE OF SAID BATTERY, WHICH ALSO HAPPENED TO ME AS WELL AS NO START CONDITIONS WHICH ALSO HAS HAPPENED TO ME. SO FAR NO STALL OUTS WITH THE VEHICLE MOVING. I CURRENTLY HAVE A HFL MODULE ON ORDER FROM ACURA AND WAS TOLD BECAUSE THEIR ON BACK ORDER IT COULD BE SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE THEY GET THEIR ORDER. ALSO THEY WANT MY OLD MODULE WHICH THEY ADDED A $50.00 CORE CHARGE TO THE PRICE. THOUGH THERE MAYBE JUST A FEW OFFICIAL COMPLAINTS LISTED HERE JUST CHECK THE WEB. THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A FAULT IN THESE MODULES AND THE MANUFACTURE IS
Mileage: 95,000
I HAVE ACCURA MDX 2009.UNABLE TO OPEN CAR DOOR USING MY KEY.COULD NOT OPEN TRUNK.BOTH SIDES LIGHT SIGNALS DO NOT WORK.CALLED AAA SERVICE TO OPEN DOOR.VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY
Mileage: 92,000
I HAVE ACCURA MDX 2009.UNABLE TO OPEN CAR DOOR USING MY KEY.COULD NOT OPEN TRUNK.BOTH SIDES LIGHT SIGNALS DO NOT WORK.CALLED AAA SERVICE TO OPEN DOOR.VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY
Mileage: 92,000
THE BLUETOOTH MODULE DRAINS THE BATTERY WHEN THE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF AND I AM AFRAID THAT MY VEHICLE COULD BE TURNED OFF BY DRAINING THE BATTERY WHEN RUNNING CAUSING A SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE REGISTERED THE CASE WITH ACURA CUSTOMER SERVER AND HAVE NOT HELPED ME WITH THE FREE REPLACEMENT. THE ACURA CASE NUMBER IS [XXX] 2009 ACURA MDX AWD VIN: 2HNYD28679H[XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TT
Mileage: 70,000
ON JUNE 30TH 2019 AFTER LEAVING FROM WORK I WAS ON MY WAY TO PIER 1 WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES AWAY. I TURNED INTO THE PARKING LOT PARKED IN FRONT OF PIER 1 AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL. IT JUMPED THE CURB CRASHED THROUGH PIER 1 WINDOW INTO THE STORE AND DIDN'T STOP UNTIL IT HIT A WALL. AT THIS TIME I'M IN SHOCK GLASS IS EVERY WHERE AND I COULD MOVE I HEAR PEOPLE IN THE BACKGROUND TELLING ME TO GET OUT OF THE CAR BUT I WAS FROZEN FROM WHAT JUST HAPPENED. I JUST WANT TO HOLD ACURA ACCOUNTABLE BECAUSE I SEE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO SEVERAL PEOPLE
Mileage: 150,000
ON JUNE 30TH 2019 AFTER LEAVING FROM WORK I WAS ON MY WAY TO PIER 1 WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES AWAY. I TURNED INTO THE PARKING LOT PARKED IN FRONT OF PIER 1 AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL. IT JUMPED THE CURB CRASHED THROUGH PIER 1 WINDOW INTO THE STORE AND DIDN'T STOP UNTIL IT HIT A WALL. AT THIS TIME I'M IN SHOCK GLASS IS EVERY WHERE AND I COULD MOVE I HEAR PEOPLE IN THE BACKGROUND TELLING ME TO GET OUT OF THE CAR BUT I WAS FROZEN FROM WHAT JUST HAPPENED. I JUST WANT TO HOLD ACURA ACCOUNTABLE BECAUSE I SEE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO SEVERAL PEOPLE
Mileage: 150,000
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.