2012 Acura MDX: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
76 NHTSA owner complaints · 1 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
76 NHTSA owner complaints · 1 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 5.43
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
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.
I bought a 2012 silver Acura MDX on March 3rd in 2022 from our local Acura dealership. Exterior paint was great, hardly any dings, scratches anywhere. I spent over $20,000 for this USED CAR and as of the past two years, the clear coat has worn out in various places on front hood, near the moon roof, near the rear side door windows, near the rack on top, near the back hatch window. It's absolutely embarrassing and I f…
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 REDACTE…
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 12V063000 | Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assem | HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 PILOT AND ACURA MDX VEHICLES. THE VENT SHUT FLOAT (VSF) VALVE CASE IN THE FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY DOE… |
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (23 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 85/100, computed from 76 NHTSA complaints and 1 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for the 2012 Acura MDX, 1 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 17/02/2012. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.