Selling a dead or junk Acura MDX

If yours no longer runs, you can sell the whole car as it sits. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, with free pickup anywhere in the US.

Four MDX generations and what owners filed

We counted each MDX figure here from owner reports at NHTSA on October 10, 2026. An owner writing in is one person's account, never a ruling on the SUV, and the youngest MDXs are still early in piling theirs up. Generation years and engines come from Wikipedia's MDX article.

2001-2006: a 3.5 V6 and a 5-speed automatic

Honda's Alliston, Ontario plant assembled the original MDX: 3.5-liter V6, 5-speed automatic. Wikipedia's Acura article calls it a three-row crossover based on the Honda Odyssey minivan, and it replaced the slow-selling SLX.

Owners lodged 1,072 complaints across these six years. Power train tops each one, falling from 119 on the 2001 to 33 by the 2006. Recall 04V176 covers the 2001-2002 for heat build-up between two second gears in the automatic transmission. Its 1,099,796-vehicle total spans Honda minivans and cars as well, not only MDXs.

Air bags rank right behind, second in all six years. A long list of recalls lines up with them: two campaigns for the air bag control module on the 2003 (13V412 and 15V045), plus driver and passenger inflator replacements that reach every year from 2001 to 2006. Recall 12V573 adds an ignition switch interlock lever on 2003-2006 MDXs; its 807,161 vehicles include the Honda Pilot and Odyssey.

2007-2013: the quiet stretch

The second generation moved to a 3.7-liter V6, with a 5-speed automatic on the 2007-2009. It collected only 421 complaints in seven years. The electrical system leads on the 2007 (41 of 99), the 2009 and the 2010. The engine leads on the 2011 (26 of 70), the 2012 and the 2013. The 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 have no recall campaigns at all.

2014-2020: engine complaints peak

Wikipedia lists a 3.5-liter V6 and a 3.0-liter V6 hybrid with a 6-speed automatic, and assembly in Lincoln, Alabama, for 2013-2017. This is the busiest generation, with 1,476 complaints. The 2016 has more than any MDX year, 374, and 137 of them name the engine. The 2017 follows with 265, 68 of them engine.

Three recalls stand out on these years:

• 19V060, 2016-2018 with the 3.5 V6: particulates in the fuel can stick to parts inside the fuel pump. The 437,032 vehicles include the TLX and the Honda Accord.
• 19V256, 2014-2019 MDX and MDX Sport Hybrid only: moisture can get into the tailgate lid lights. 322,897 vehicles.
• 26V365, 2014-2020 MDXs sold in states such as Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois and the District of Columbia: dealers inspect the rear subframe, add a reinforcement kit, and repair or replace the subframe as needed. The 880,514 vehicles include the Pilot, Ridgeline and Passport.

Fuel pump recalls 21V215 and 23V858 also reach this generation.

2022 and on: a 10-speed and a Type S

The fourth MDX is built in East Liberty, Ohio, with a 3.5 V6 or, in the Type S, a 3.0 turbo V6, both with a 10-speed automatic. There is no 2021 model year in the data. The 2022 has 177 complaints, 82 of them power train. The 2025 has 107, with the engine on top at 39.

The MDX year by year

Because a single campaign shows up under each MDX year it touches, adding the recall column overshoots the true 44.

Across all years, 146 complaints report a crash, 51 a fire and 133 an injury. None report a death.

Repair the MDX or sell it as is?

On an MDX, the big jobs in the complaint file are the automatic on 2001-2002 cars and the engine on 2016-2020 cars. Get a written quote for yours and set it against what the MDX would sell for running. Before you decide:

1. Run the VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup. On a 2014-2020 sold in a state the recall lists, ask an Acura dealer about the subframe recall. On a 2016-2020, ask about the fuel pump campaigns.
2. A slipping automatic on a 2001-2002? Read bad transmission before paying for a rebuild.
3. Engine trouble on a 2016-2020? Blown engine walks through the choice.
4. Rot under a high-mileage first-generation? See rotted frame.

Selling a dead MDX whole

1. Gather the basics: VIN, mileage and what's wrong. Say whether it has all-wheel drive and whether it rolls in Neutral, since a three-row SUV that won't roll needs a different kind of loading.
2. Get an offer online or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Say where it's parked, whether a sloped driveway, a parking garage or behind a body shop. There's free pickup anywhere in the US.
4. Keep the MDX in one piece. Its third-row seats, wheels and catalytic converter stay on. Mention anything that's already been stripped.
5. On pickup day, the driver needs the signed-over title and your ID. Lost the title? Our no-title guide comes first. For plates and insurance afterwards, see after you sell.

Other Acura SUVs: the smaller RDX and the SLX the MDX replaced. Every model we cover is on the Acura page.