Acura MDX vs Infiniti Q50: which is more reliable?
The Infiniti Q50 is ahead of the Acura MDX on the federal record, 76/100 against 66/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Acura MDX
- 14 model years scored
- 1,916 owner complaints on record
- about 28 complaints per year on the road
- 70 recall campaigns, 36 safety-critical
- best year 2011 (95/100) · worst 2025 (39/100)
Infiniti Q50
- 10 model years scored
- 482 owner complaints on record
- about 5 complaints per year on the road
- 23 recall campaigns, 13 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (94/100) · worst 2014 (37/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: MDX against Q50
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Acura MDX
- Engine — 553 complaints
- Power Train — 388 complaints
- Electrical System — 334 complaints
Infiniti Q50
- Steering — 119 complaints
- Electrical System — 86 complaints
- Power Train — 69 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the MDX's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Q50's in Steering. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Acura MDX — avoid: 2016, 2020, 2025.
Infiniti Q50 — avoid: 2014, 2015.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Acura MDX prices at about $55,100 and a Infiniti Q50 at about $46,600 — the Infiniti Q50 is roughly $8,500 less, and they return 21.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Acura MDX or the Infiniti Q50 more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Infiniti Q50 scores 76/100 against the Acura MDX's 66/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Acura MDX and Infiniti Q50 years should I avoid?
Acura MDX: 2016, 2020, 2025. Infiniti Q50: 2014, 2015. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Acura MDX and the Infiniti Q50?
The largest complaint group on the Acura MDX is Engine (553 complaints); on the Infiniti Q50 it is Steering (119).
Is the Acura MDX or the Infiniti Q50 cheaper to own?
A recent used Acura MDX prices at about $55,100 and a Infiniti Q50 at about $46,600, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.