2012 Acura MDX engine problems

What owners report

• “I have a 2012 MDX and it burns an extreme amount of oil. We took our MDX back to the dealership where we purchased it and had the oil issue fixed. Or so we thought. The problem was supposed to be fixed 3 months ago but the car is still burning a lot of oil. We have to add oil every 2 weeks. We did not drive the car much after "getting the oil issue repaired" so we did not realize that the problem still exists. Acura should know how to repair this issue and there should be a recall for this e…”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 07/16/2026

• “2012 ACURA MDX burns extreme amounts of oil between oil changes. Typically a warning indicator comes on about 1,000 miles before oil change is due. I continue to refill oil between oil changes.”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 07/08/2026

• “our car eats a ton of oil and the piston rings failed, we owe a lot on it and I'm told there is no help for this issue even though there used to be because we are outside the guidelines in terms of mileage and purchase date. our car has 156k its a 2012 MDX. VIN [XXX] . Just checking with everyone everywhere to make sure I've exhausted all resources as it will take 13,000 to fix and we owe 12,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 05/21/2026

• “On 11/30/24 I heard a slight whirling sound while driving. On 12/1/24 I drove from Point A towards my home. Along the way the oil light flashed. I stopped at Advance Auto Parts, 15 miles from Point A. I checked the oil and it read as it should on the dip stick. No oil was needed. I drove straight home, a distance of 30 miles, and parked the car. When my son arrived home he started the car and there was a knocking sound. He shut it off. He stated that he felt it to be the rod bearings. He then ch…”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 02/03/2025

• “The engine consistently consumes too much oil between service events. The low oil light comes on. I had this problem for over 8 years and the dealership said it was not a problem until now and they want me to pay for it. The oil control rings have been clogged since 2016 and progressively gotten worse. The clogged rings cause restriction of oil to return to the crankcase. This causes a decrease in available oil and may cause overheating that could lead to engine fire. Acura should fix the …”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 01/24/2024

• “Consistently getting low oil notification shortly after getting oil changes. This has been happening since 2017. Dealer does a oil consumption test and says it is not a problem. However I cannot go between oil changes without getting the notification. I have no oil leaks. Furthermore, I have had 'oil' services done over the past 5 years that never fix the problem. I'm afraid this is doing damage to the vehicle and can put us in danger if oil level is too low. Dealer continues to say it is…”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 10/27/2022

• “This vehicle unrealistically burns oil. 5-6 quarts of oil is added to engine between oil changes.”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 09/18/2022

• “DONE everything Dealer suggested and still having problems with random misfires in 1,2 and 3 cylinders, changed spark plugs, fuel injectors, ignition coils and compression test and changed rear CAT. Still check engine light come on sometime then the SUV driving good, and sometimes it drive ruff, check engine light come on then go off then come back on with same codes: random misfire.”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 06/29/2022

Unverified owner reports from NHTSA's public complaint database.

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