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The short version
- An MDX wheel bearing at the rear splits by drivetrain across three separate generations.
- The front and rear numbers for 2007 to 2013 match the Honda Pilot exactly.
- The 2001 to 2006 cars, long a gap on this page, are documented now.
- 512527, 512531, 512628 and 512629 all sort the rear by drivetrain.
Across 2001 to 2020, an MDX wheel bearing often traces back to a Honda number.
The front carries that connection through two generations. The rear changes on drivetrain almost every time the body does, which makes the year and the axle configuration the two questions worth answering before ordering anything.
Neither question is hard to answer from underneath the truck. A full seven seat load and a fitted trailer both ask more of the rear hubs than an empty commute does, so the checks below are worth doing even before noise shows up.
The Honda underneath
Both are cited under the Honda Pilot for 2007 to 2013. The 2017 to 2019 rear pair, 512628 and 512629, carries over the same way.
The Pilot shares a platform under different sheet metal. A Honda listing is worth a look when the Acura price runs high.
The parallel listings later in the table do not carry a confirmed Pilot match. Match those years to the printed number instead of assuming a Honda equivalent exists for every span.
Lookups run through the cross reference page. Search by the number stamped on the old part rather than by either badge, since a badge search misses listings filed under the other make.
The rear splits by drivetrain in every generation
On 2014 to 2016 cars, 512527 covers front wheel drive and 512531 covers all wheel drive. The parallel listings for the same years, WE60620 and WE60619, follow the same split.
On 2017 onward the pair becomes 512628 and 512629. WE61887 and WE61888 repeat it again.
The front carries no such split. Only the rear changes with drivetrain, and that has held since 2014 across every generation the table documents.
A driveshaft running back toward a rear differential is the visual tell for all wheel drive. On a front wheel drive MDX that shaft is absent, and the rear hub is a simpler, lighter duty part.
A boxed hub on a shelf rarely announces which version it is on the casting alone. Reading the drivetrain off the truck first, then matching the row, avoids a return trip to the counter.
What the all wheel drive system and the body add
An all wheel drive MDX can route power across the rear axle rather than simply splitting it front to back.
That means the rear hubs carry driving torque a front wheel drive crossover never puts through them, on top of the vehicle’s own weight.
Watching the rear more closely than the front on an all wheel drive example is reasonable given that extra load. A quiet, well insulated cabin can also mask early bearing noise, so listen at road speed rather than only at idle.
A three row crossover rarely runs near its unladen weight in daily use. Seven seats filled, or a loaded cargo area behind the third row, both add real mass over the rear axle that the catalog weight figure does not include.
Weight is the single biggest driver of hub wear on any vehicle. A trailer hitch adds another layer, since the leverage behind the rear axle transfers some of that load forward onto the front hubs as well.
The early cars are documented now
The two MDX generations sold before 2007 went unlisted here for years. The catalogs now carry WE60379 for 2001 to 2002 and WE60383 for 2003 to 2006, both front positions.
That closes a span this page never resolved. A first generation MDX wheel bearing search now returns a real number instead of an empty result.
The trim naming shifts from 2014 on. The catalogs split the rear by trim, Base and SH-AWD, rather than by drivetrain wording.
Base pairs with the front wheel drive rows and SH-AWD pairs with the all wheel drive rows. Neither trim name changes what to order once the drivetrain is confirmed underneath the truck.
MDX wheel bearing part numbers
The table below runs newest to oldest, front and rear together, with the drivetrain and trim wording carried in the detail column wherever the catalogs supply it.
| Years | Detail | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 to 2020 | Front, Base and SH-AWD share one number | WE60386 check price |
| 2017 to 2020 | Rear, all wheel drive | WE61888 check price |
| 2017 to 2020 | Rear, front wheel drive | WE61887 check price |
| 2017 to 2019 | Rear, all wheel drive | 512629 check price |
| 2017 to 2019 | Rear, front wheel drive | 512628 check price |
| 2014 to 2016 | Front | WE60386 check price |
| 2014 to 2016 | Rear, all wheel drive | 512531 check price |
| 2014 to 2016 | Rear, front wheel drive | 512527 check price |
| 2014 to 2016 | Rear, Base, front wheel drive | WE60620 check price |
| 2014 to 2016 | Rear, SH-AWD, all wheel drive | WE60619 check price |
| 2007 to 2013 | Front, shares with Pilot | 513267 check price |
| 2007 to 2013 | Front, parallel listing | WE60513 check price |
| 2007 to 2013 | Rear | 512342 check price |
| 2003 to 2006 | Front | WE60383 check price |
| 2001 to 2002 | Front | WE60379 check price |
Every model year this chart resolves: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
The parallel rows above use Acura’s own trim names instead of drivetrain wording. Base pairs with the front wheel drive rows, and SH-AWD pairs with the all wheel drive rows.
That holds for both 2014 to 2016 and 2017 to 2020. Match the row by drivetrain first, and treat the trim name as confirmation rather than a separate choice.
The staked axle nut
The procedure stakes the axle nut into a groove on the shaft. That deforms the metal so it cannot back off under torque.
A deformed nut is a single use part. Reusing it on an MDX wheel bearing job is how a good repair fails early.
Ask whether the new nut is included in the quote before agreeing to a price. The quote itself is worth reading closely, since a cheap number can hide a missing nut or missing press labor, and that comparison is easier on the quote page.
Torque the new nut to the value in the service manual rather than to a guess. Warranty terms on a repeat failure are worth a call too, covered on the warranty page.
The impact case that mimics ordinary wear sits on the pothole page. A hard hit on a curb or a deep pothole can damage a bearing without leaving a mark anyone would notice from outside.
Diagnosing an MDX wheel bearing
None of the following steps need a lift, though a lift makes the wheel rock test easier to feel with confidence.
- Confirm the drivetrain before ordering a rear part.
- Check the model year against the table, since both ends change more than once.
- Order a new axle nut with the hub rather than reusing the staked original.
- Weave at road speed and note which side loads the noise.
- Rule out the tires before paying for a hub.
Those steps sit alongside the checking page and the tire noise page. The front versus rear cost difference is on the front versus rear page.
Price links lead to Amazon searches for that number. As an Amazon Associate this site earns from qualifying purchases.
Common questions
Which MDX wheel bearing do I need for my year?
Check the table by year first. Then confirm the drivetrain for any rear part, since the front rarely needs that second check.
Can I buy a Honda Pilot part instead?
For 2007 to 2013, and the 2017 to 2019 rear, yes. Match by the number rather than the badge, since not every parallel listing carries the same connection.
Do I need a new axle nut with the hub?
Yes. It is staked into the shaft, which deforms it, and a deformed nut should not go back on the vehicle.
Do I need a press for either end?
No. Every number on this page is a bolt on hub assembly, front and rear, so a jack and hand tools are enough.
Are the 2001 to 2006 cars documented now?
The front is. WE60379 covers 2001 to 2002 and WE60383 covers 2003 to 2006, closing a gap this page carried for a long time.