2024 Acura MDX: What to check before buying

Hard braking kicks in on its own with nothing ahead, often while creeping into a driveway or garage. One hard stop left smoke coming from the brakes, and another threw a child into a seatback and cut her lip. Other reports describe the pedal sinking to the floor at a stop and staying there, plus one crash where the car surged forward while parking and the brakes did not stop it. Pads and rotors squeal early, with the steering wheel shaking. Dealers often find no error codes. One filing is about a lease repossession, not the brakes.

The engine shuts off at stoplights and the car shifts into park on its own. In some cases it drops into neutral while moving and shows a transmission warning. The push-button start can refuse to restart for up to 5 minutes, leaving cars stuck in traffic. One low-speed stall at 9,000 miles was traced to corrosion on a battery terminal. Other reports describe a slow rearview camera, a dead 360-degree camera and suspension mode, and false automatic braking. Wiring harness replacements did not stop the problems from coming back. Dealers often cannot reproduce the faults.

Power steering assist cuts out without warning, and the wheel becomes so stiff it barely turns. Each event sets off a string of warnings at the same time, covering collision mitigation, road departure, low-speed braking, all-wheel drive, brake performance, and stability assist. Some cars also barely move under throttle while this happens. Failures occur in traffic and on expressways, which creates a real risk of losing control. Dealers often cannot reproduce the fault and send the car back. One owner reports repeated sensor replacements before the steering failure.

Jerking at steady highway speeds shows up early, in one case at 2,500 miles, and that car later broke down several times. With cruise control on, speed sags noticeably on hills before recovering. In another case the car slowed from 55 mph to 6 mph without any warning lights, which leaves it exposed to being rear-ended. The throttle also lags when pulling away from a stop. Dealers usually cannot reproduce these faults, so the cars go back to owners without a repair.

Acceleration lags badly from a stop and when merging onto a highway. A computer reset did not fix it, and repeat dealer visits have not solved it. Other reports describe parking sensor and brake performance warnings along with false forward collision alerts. In one case a replaced front bumper sensor was followed by the auto brake hold failing, which let the car roll after stopping. Dealers have pointed to the lack of an official recall as the reason they cannot fix the delay.