2013 Acura MDX

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
18 mpgcombined; city 16, highway 21; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$22,360U.S. average; Ohio $21,070 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
4 starslowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
1over its history; check a VIN for open ones
Owner complaints
30filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2013 MDX. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 30 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 MDX. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by part of the car
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine9010
Electrical system8030
Unknown or other5010
Power train4000
Exterior lighting3000
Steering3000
Vehicle speed control3000
Forward collision avoidance2000
Air bags1000
Electronic stability control (ESC)1000
Engine and engine cooling1000
Equipment1000
5 more parts
Fuel system, gasoline1000
Fuel/propulsion system1000
Seat belts1000
Seats1010
Visibility/wiper1000

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 200687
  2. 200799
  3. 200849
  4. 200952
  5. 201045
  6. 201170
  7. 201276
  8. 201330
  9. 2014172
  10. 201571
  11. 2016376
  12. 2017268
  13. 2018170
  14. 2019198
  15. 2020228
  16. 2022180
  17. 202347
  18. 202443
  19. 2025111
  20. 20269

Every MDX year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for the 2013 MDX over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.

Fuel system, gasoline: delivery

NHTSA campaign 23V858000 · reported Dec 18, 2023 · 2,490,460 vehicles potentially affected

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.

Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

NHTSA's record and documents

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 88 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2013 MDX, the latest on Jun 3, 2020. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: engine (22), engine and engine cooling (14), equipment (13), power train (11), electrical system (10).

NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2013 MDX.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2013 Acura MDXs for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax

These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.

Specs

EPA class: small sport utility vehicle. EPA greenhouse gas score: 4 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
MDX
All-Wheel Drive		3.7 L, 6 cylAutomatic (S6)Premium Gasoline16 / 21 / 18

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data