2005 Acura MDX - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2005 Acura MDX has impressive safety ratings with a 5-star score for both the front and side crash ratings. Additionally, it comes equipped with standard electronic stability control, which enhances the vehicle's handling in challenging driving situations. This model does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems. The rollover rating is 4 out of 5, indicating a lower risk of rollovers. However, it's important to note that the overall safety rating and some specific crash ratings are not available for this vehicle.

On the downside, there have been a considerable number of complaints, with 177 reported, and the vehicle has been subject to 13 recalls. It's worth considering these factors when evaluating the overall safety and reliability of the 2005 Acura MDX.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

177

Recall Count

13

Investigation Count

5

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2005 Acura MDX 4-DR. w/SAB Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2005 Acura MDX 4-DR. w/SAB

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2005 Acura MDX 4-DR. w/SAB Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2005 Acura MDX 4-DR. w/SAB Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 4
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 4
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 4

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5

Complaints for the 2005 Acura MDX

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"vehicle suddenly brakes at freeway speeds and sways to one side. vsa light and warning light comes on. after couple of seconds, vehicle resumes freeway speed. this has happened few times in last 2 weeks. it causes the suv to sway and can easily lose control or drift into adjacent lane causing accident. after stopping and restarting the warning lights go away."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2021-07-07

Complaint:
"total transmission failure while under incline load driving, leaving vehicle unable to maneuver in traffic to reasonably get to safety."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2019-01-08

Complaint:
"the transmission gear shifts not smoothly, d4/d5 light blinking, won't excel when gas is applied, had to cut the car off, wait 5min, to drive for two blocks before having to repeat this process to get it home 12 blocks away, only would excel 20mph (bought it on wednesday, on tuesday of the next week, the problem began). the car has 127,000 miles and history of oil change/transmission services. after seeking answers, per repair pal, there's an issue with transmissions with all years of this model, some people have had to get the transmission repaired/replaced several times. please recall before someone gets hurt or worse dies. *tr"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2017-08-03

Complaint:
"the car jumps into neutral at anytime while driving the vehicle. if you come to a stop or even trying to accelerate while attempting to merge into traffic it will just stop and the rpm will rev up. you will have to come to a complete stop and then place in neutral and then back in drive and it may go or may not go... really just depends on how the car wants to act that day. it happens all the time, city street, parking lot, highway, when coming to a complete stop, low speeds during school zone or residential area."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2020-03-02

Complaint:
"my car's transmission system was damaged. seems like it is a common problem with acura mdx. i wonder why there is no recall. the dealer covered the remanufactured part but i still had to pay for labor that ran to ~$3000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2012-01-09

Complaint:
"this is the second transmission i put in my car , warranty expired and car is starting to jerk and make noise when accelerating. it cost way to much money to keep replacing a transmission if all the transmissions are having the same problem . way to many people are having this issue . why hasn't this been recalled yet?"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2016-01-01

Complaint:
"transmission started acting up while driving. the transmission fluid cooler connection to radiator failed due to corrosion and galvanic action. lost all transmission fluid, coolant and transmission fluid got mixed in radiator. this is a known issue in acura / honda vehicle but manufacturer is not taking any action."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2016-04-03

Complaint:
"transmission start making noise, jerking and problem in shifting. sometimes it shakes alot. lot of people had the same problem in the past. i dont understand why there is no recall"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2016-02-09

Complaint:
"gear shift lever became harder and harder to shift over the time and then seized. noticed heavily corroded shift lever linkage at the transmission end. the linkage design seems to be a poor. exposure to elements makes it to corrode and seize. i had to apply wd40 to loosen the linkage and then coat it heavily with anti-seize compound. *tr"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2015-04-08

Complaint:
"transmission has intermittent vibration between 30-40 mph. lasts approximately 10 seconds. acura is aware of the problem but will not fix the transmission. *tr"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2014-12-09

Recalls for the 2005 Acura MDX

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling specific 2003 acura 3.2cl, 2013-2016 ilx, 2013-2014 ilx hybrid, 2003-2006 mdx, 2007-2016 rdx, 2002-2003 3.2tl, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 tl, 2010-2013 zdx and 2001-2007 and 2009 honda accord, 2001-2005 civic, 2003-2005 civic hybrid, 2001-2005 civic gx ngv, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 cr-v, 2003-2011 element, 2007 fit, 2002-2004 odyssey, 2003-2008 pilot, and 2006-2014 ridgeline vehicles. the affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode."
Consequence:
An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy:

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL > DRIVER SIDE > INFLATOR MODULE
Date of incident: 2019-03-06

Recall:
"honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2003 acura 3.2cl, 2002-2003 3.2tl, 2003-2006 mdx, 2001-2007 honda accord, 2001-2005 civic, 2003-2005 civic hybrid, 2001-2005 civic gx ngv, 2002-2006 cr-v, 2003-2011 element, 2002-2004 odyssey, 2003-2008 pilot and 2006 ridgeline vehicles. these vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling."
Consequence:
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy:

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are Q5A and Y58.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL > DRIVER SIDE > INFLATOR MODULE
Date of incident: 2019-06-27

Recall:
"honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 accord, 2001-2005 civic, 2001-2004 honda civic gx, 2003-2005 honda civic hybrid, 2002-2006 cr-v, 2003-2011 element, 2002-2004 odyssey, 2003-2008 pilot, 2006 ridgeline, 2003 acura 3.2cl, 2003-2006 acura mdx, and 2002-2003 acura 3.2tl vehicles. the affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture."
Consequence:
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy:

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-800-382-2238, select option 4. Note: Vehicles that have had their driver frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy prior to September 12, 2014 need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well. Vehicles that, on or after September 12, 2014, received a remedy for a prior driver frontal air bag inflator recall already received an inflator of a different design, and therefore are not included in this recall and do not require additional servicing. Note: This recall fully supersedes recalls 08V-593, 09V-259, 10V-041, 11V-260, 14V-351 and 15V-153. Honda's numbers for this recall are JQ9, JR0, JR1, JR2, JR3, JR4, JR5, JR6, JR7, and JR8.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL > DRIVER SIDE > INFLATOR MODULE
Date of incident: 2015-05-28

ACURA Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

ACURA ranks 25 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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