2020 Acura MDX

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2020 Acura MDX has 338 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 4.2x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is engine problems (27% of all complaints), specifically: the contact owns a 2020 acura mdx. the contact stated while driving 30-35 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond and would not move. there were several unknown warning lights illuminated. the contact stated that after depressing the drive button several times, she.

4 crash reports 2 injuries

338

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

4.2x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ENGINE

91 complaints

27%

• The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving 30-35 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond and would not move. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that after depressing the drive button several times, she
• My car was stopped at a light with idle auto on. The car shut off and switched into neutral with check engines lights on the dash. I was not able to switch the car to drive. I had to restart the car. This has happened twice in 2 weeks at busy intersections. I have brought the car to the dealership
• (4/2021). While cruising on a 2 lane hwy the power went to zero. All I could do was coast to the shoulder. Restarted and was on the go. If I was passing another car and this happened when there was oncoming traffic I could had a head on collision. This occurred twice on the same 3 day vacation Ano

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving 30-35 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond and would not move. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that after depressing the drive button several times, she”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

51 complaints

15%

• The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the collision mitigation braking system inadvertently activated. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had since deactivated the collision mitigation braking system. The contact stated that the
• On two separate occasions (December 2022 and April 2023), the Collision Mitigation System (CMS) of our 2020 Acura MDX improperly engaged. On the first occasion, the CMS abruptly engaged the braking system without warning. There was no car in front of the car, but there was a car in a turn lane to t
• Auto braking system engaged abruptly, without necessity. This occurred twice (December 2022 and November 2023) almost causing collisions on both occasions. The dealer could not reproduce the problem when it was brought in in December 2022 and said this could occur if the sensors are dirty and to ens

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the collision mitigation braking system inadvertently activated. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had since deactivated the collision mitigation braking system. The contact stated that the ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

38 complaints

11%

• My fiancé is 8 months pregnant and her sunroof literally exploded on her while she was on the freeway yesterday. She was almost in an accident and could have been killed. She has a 2020 MDX and I’m reading online that she isn’t the only person this has happened to. The dealership told her that she’s
• Car broke down 3 times on the road while driving, it show 12Vbattery failure, ABS failure nd started flashing lights on the dashboard nd broke down while driving. When first time it happened dealer said they have fixed the issue. It happened again md yesterday is 3rd time. Vehicle is 19k miles only
• When the brake is suppressed at a Stop sign or stop light, the vehicle has an Auto Idle stop feature which shuts off the engine completely to preserve fuel. The vehicle is supposed to restart once the brake is released. In my case, there have been multiple times when the brake is released but fails

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“My fiancé is 8 months pregnant and her sunroof literally exploded on her while she was on the freeway yesterday. She was almost in an accident and could have been killed. She has a 2020 MDX and I’m reading online that she isn’t the only person this has happened to. The dealership told her that she’s”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

37 complaints

11%

• My car was stopped at a light with idle auto on. The car shut off and switched into neutral with check engines lights on the dash. I was not able to switch the car to drive. I had to restart the car. This has happened twice in 2 weeks at busy intersections. I have brought the car to the dealership
• Car will not restart from the Auto Idle Stop when at a stop light. The dash goes blank then flashes everything and it takes a minute or so to restart. It has happened 3-4 times in the last 6 months. Once on a 55 mph highway. Very dangerous safety issue. I have take it to the Acura dealership service
• My 2020 Acura MDX shuts down and shifts to Neutral while stopped with the auto shut off feature engaged. This happens intermittently and the only remedy is to shut the car off and restart. It only seems to occur when the auto shutoff feature is engaged.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“My car was stopped at a light with idle auto on. The car shut off and switched into neutral with check engines lights on the dash. I was not able to switch the car to drive. I had to restart the car. This has happened twice in 2 weeks at busy intersections. I have brought the car to the dealership ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

SPEED CONTROL

34 complaints

10%

• WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED, THE VEHICLE DETECTS VEHICLES TO THE RIGHT (SAME DIRECTION OF TRAVEL) OR AT TIMES VEHICLES TO THE LEFT (OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL) AND ABRUPTLY APPLIED BACKING. NO VEHICLES WILL ACTUALLY BE IN LANE OF TRAVEL OF THE VEHICLE T
• WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED, THE VEHICLE DETECTS VEHICLES TO THE RIGHT (SAME DIRECTION OF TRAVEL) OR AT TIMES VEHICLES TO THE LEFT (OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL) AND ABRUPTLY APPLIED BACKING. NO VEHICLES WILL ACTUALLY BE IN LANE OF TRAVEL OF THE VEHICLE T
• Starting around 20,000 miles, my car started to majorly hesitate when I would step on the pedal trying to accelerate. Over time the problem became increasingly worse to the point where the car would slip into neutral causing a major hazard driving on the tollway when my car would decelerate when ste

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED, THE VEHICLE DETECTS VEHICLES TO THE RIGHT (SAME DIRECTION OF TRAVEL) OR AT TIMES VEHICLES TO THE LEFT (OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL) AND ABRUPTLY APPLIED BACKING. NO VEHICLES WILL ACTUALLY BE IN LANE OF TRAVEL OF THE VEHICLE T”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

SPEED CONTROL(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 338 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ENGINE: The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving 30-35 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond and would not move. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that after depressing the drive button several times, she
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the collision mitigation braking system inadvertently activated. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had since deactivated the collision mitigation braking system. The contact stated that the
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: My fiancé is 8 months pregnant and her sunroof literally exploded on her while she was on the freeway yesterday. She was almost in an accident and could have been killed. She has a 2020 MDX and I’m reading online that she isn’t the only person this has happened to. The dealership told her that she’s
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: My car was stopped at a light with idle auto on. The car shut off and switched into neutral with check engines lights on the dash. I was not able to switch the car to drive. I had to restart the car. This has happened twice in 2 weeks at busy intersections. I have brought the car to the dealership
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)