Acura’s MDX is still the brand’s best bet if reliability is the priority, even as the luxury division badly trails Lexus in J.D. Power’s 2026 study. Lexus scored 151 problems per 100 vehicles, while Acura came in at 233.
The MDX has been around since 2001 and has changed enough over the years to stay in the fight, but one thing has not changed much: a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6 that makes 290 hp and 267 lb-ft of torque. That engine has been used in the Honda Pilot, the Honda Ridgeline pickup truck and other Honda vehicles for roughly a decade and a half, giving Acura time to refine a powertrain that now sits in the middle of the largest model in its lineup.
The fourth-generation MDX arrived for the 2022 model year, and that is where the records get less tidy. The 2022 MDX has drawn a couple dozen complaints about the AWD system failing or malfunctioning in slick conditions, with some owners describing transfer case splines wearing down and stopping power from reaching the rear wheels. Almost all fourth-generation MDX model years have also seen electrical complaints, ranging from blank screens to the car stalling while driving.
That is the tension inside Acura’s reliability story. The MDX is described as the brand’s most reliable SUV, and RepairPal gives it a 4 out of 5 reliability score while estimating annual maintenance and repair costs at about $571. But the same fourth-generation SUV has also been hit by three recalls since its 2022 debut, which means the reputation of Acura’s strongest nameplate rests on a model line that has not been entirely free of trouble.
The broader brand picture matters because Acura and Lexus sit in the same luxury field as Honda’s and Toyota’s premium arms, and J.D. Power’s numbers show how far apart they are today. Acura’s advantage is that the MDX still offers a long-used 3.5-liter V6 in its standard trims, while the MDX Type S moves to a 3.0-liter turbocharged engine. For buyers trying to avoid the worst of the fourth-generation issues, the plain 3.5-liter version remains the safer choice — and the reason Acura’s biggest SUV still carries the brand’s reliability case on its back.
