2014 Acura MDX

Showing the 2014 MDX Tech. We haven't verified this trim's engine; the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version

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

Fuel economy
21–23 mpgcombined; city 18–20, highway 27–28; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$17,500–$19,160U.S. average; Ohio $16,490–$18,060 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
5 starslowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
8over its history; check a VIN for open ones
Owner complaints
172filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2014 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 172 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 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
Steering38104
Electrical system27124
Power train27300
Engine26020
Service brakes26402
Vehicle speed control19601
Structure14010
Exterior lighting13000
Unknown or other13113
Fuel/propulsion system7010
Suspension6000
Electronic stability control (ESC)5010
13 more parts
Fuel system, gasoline4000
Visibility4000
Air bags3101
Equipment adaptive/mobility3104
Wheels3000
Equipment2000
Seats2000
Forward collision avoidance1001
Interior lighting1000
Lane departure1000
Latches/locks/linkages1000
Seat belts1000
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 8 recall campaigns for the 2014 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.

Structure: frame and members; Suspension: rear

NHTSA campaign 26V365000 · reported Jun 4, 2026 · 965,561 vehicles potentially affected

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.

Risk: Failure of rear suspension components, such as the rear control arm, can cause a loss of vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

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.

NHTSA's record and documents

Exterior lighting; Interior lighting

NHTSA campaign 25V259000 · reported Apr 17, 2025 · 152,800 vehicles potentially affected

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.

Risk: Vehicle lights that fail to illuminate can decrease visibility and increase the risk of a crash.

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.

NHTSA's record and documents

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

Exterior lighting; Exterior lighting: tail lights

NHTSA campaign 19V256000 · reported Mar 28, 2019 · 322,897 vehicles potentially affected

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.

Risk: Loss of the taillights reduces the vehicle's visibility, increasing the risk of crash.

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.

NHTSA's record and documents

Equipment: appliance

NHTSA campaign 15V417000 · reported Jul 1, 2015 · 106,439 vehicles potentially affected

American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Acura MDX and MDX AWD vehicles manufactured April 23, 2013, to December 16, 2014. The affected vehicles have air conditioning compressor clutch drive bolts that may not have received the proper anti-corrosion coating.

Risk: If a bolt was not coated, it may corrode and break as a result. If the bolt breaks, the compressor clutch plate may separate from the vehicle, possibly becoming a road hazard.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air conditioning compressor clutch drive bolt and install a new clutch plate if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 7, 2015. Owners may contact Acura client relations at 1-800-382-2238. Honda's number for this recall is JQ7.

NHTSA's record and documents

Forward collision avoidance: crash imminent braking

NHTSA campaign 15V301000 · reported May 20, 2015 · 19,502 vehicles potentially affected

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Acura MDX 2WD and AWD, RLX and 2014 Acura RLX Hybrid vehicles. In certain driving conditions, the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) may incorrectly interpret certain roadside objects such as metal fences or metal guardrails as obstacles and unexpectedly apply the brakes.

Risk: If the CMBS unexpectedly applies emergency braking force while driving, there is an increased risk of a crash.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the CMBS software, free of charge. The recall began on July 6, 2015. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-800-382-2238. Honda's numbers for this recall is JQ4, JQ5 and JQ6.

NHTSA's record and documents

Seat belts

NHTSA campaign 14V639000 · reported Oct 10, 2014 · 43,481 vehicles potentially affected

American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Acura MDX vehicles manufactured April 23, 2013, to August 25, 2014, and 2014 Acura RLX vehicles manufactured November 5, 2012, to November 25, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the driver and front passenger seat belt may not extend or retract in low temperatures.

Risk: A seatbelt that does not function increases the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: Honda has notified owners, and dealers will replace the driver and front passenger seat belts, free of charge. The recall began in November 2014. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-800-382-2238. Honda's number for this recall is JK7 for the MKX, and JK8 for the RLX.

NHTSA's record and documents

Power train: automatic transmission

NHTSA campaign 13V571000 · reported Nov 14, 2013 · 19,197 vehicles potentially affected

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2014 Acura MDX AWD vehicles manufactured May 6, 2013, through October 14, 2013. The bolts that attach the drive shaft to the automatic transmission transfer assembly may not have been properly tightened. As a result, the bolts could loosen possibly allowing the shaft to detach.

Risk: If the drive shaft detaches while driving it could cause excessive noise and possibly damage the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and tighten the drive shaft attaching bolts as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on July 3, 2014. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009 or visit their website at www.recalls.honda.com. Honda's recall number is JC8.

NHTSA's record and documents

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 270 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2014 MDX, the latest on Sep 4, 2025. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: equipment (60), structure (44), electrical system (43), engine (27), latches/locks/linkages (25).

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 2014 MDX.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2014 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: 5–6 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
MDX
Front-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cylAutomatic (S6)Premium Gasoline20 / 28 / 23
MDX
All-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cylAutomatic (S6)Premium Gasoline18 / 27 / 21

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