Acura ZDX: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Acura ZDX: 4 model years scored from 58 NHTSA owner complaints and 26 recall campaigns. Worst year 2024, best year 2013.
Acura ZDX: which years to avoid
Across 4 scored model years the Acura ZDX ranges from 40/100 in 2024 to 78/100 in 2013 — a 38-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a ZDX at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Forward Collision Avoidance (23 of them).
Avoid: 2024 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2011, 2012, 2013 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2013 (score 78). Worst: 2024 (score 40, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 40 | AVOID | $2,042 | 55 | 5 |
| 2013 | 78 | BUY | $6,210 | 0 | 5 |
| 2012 | 76 | BUY | $6,350 | 1 | 8 |
| 2011 | 75 | BUY | $6,492 | 2 | 8 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the ZDX, through the years →
ZDX sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the ZDX on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Acura ZDX
Across every ZDX model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Forward Collision Avoidance23 complaints across all ZDX years · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration$780–$2,160
- Service Brakes20 complaints across all ZDX years · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles$580–$1,140
- Unknown Or Other12 complaints across all ZDX years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Electrical System12 complaints across all ZDX years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Back Over Prevention9 complaints across all ZDX years · typical job: Reversing camera or park-sensor replacement$420–$940
- Hydraulic4 complaints across all ZDX years · typical job: Brake master cylinder or ABS module replacement$680–$1,520
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Acura ZDX years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2024 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2024 is the weakest at 40/100, with its complaints concentrated in Forward Collision Avoidance.
What are the best Acura ZDX years to buy?
2011, 2012, 2013 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2013 at 78/100, on 0 complaints and 5 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Acura ZDX problem?
23 of the complaints filed against the ZDX across all its model years sit in the Forward Collision Avoidance group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04