Complaint volume
204 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2020 Acura MDX Complaints
204 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Acura MDX, grouped by component category.
204 Total complaints
3 Crash reports
0 Fire reports
1 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are engine, unknown or other, electrical system. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 3 crash reports, 0 fire reports, 1 injury report, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 31 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 35,892 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to engine, unknown or other, electrical system?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2020 Acura MDX?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2020 Acura MDX
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2020 Acura MDX complaints?
3 Crash
0 Fire
1 Injury
0 Fatality
5 Towed
0 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Acura MDX complaint categories?
ENGINE 41
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 17
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE 10
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 9
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 9
POWER TRAIN 7
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 6
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 5
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5
204 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2024 | ENGINE | There is a clear engine knock. I have a recording of it both on video and audio, my engine performance and gas mileage has gotten worse. I picked up on the sound about 6 weeks ago and called (Mueller Acura), said I would have it checked at the next oil change. The dealer (Mueller Acura of Merrillville) has had my Acura MDX, for two days two weeks ago and for the last 7 days, currently. The didn’t tear down the engine completely. But they told me they had their master mechanic and Honda’s (from another shop Team Honda) Master mechanic came down and used a camera and I have a bad tensioner, bad rockers, and a bad cam shaft. I’ve been speaking with an outside mechanic who is a Honda certified Master mechanic who now runs an independent shop. Acura, says I have a bad camshaft, bad rockers, and bad tensioner. They said I need all of those replaced as well as the $3000 100K service. They are deeply discounting what they quoted me because I’ve documented well and made so many trips out there to physically show them the engine knock (right now they want $3606 to fix and then they will listen again). They finally heard it at the back of the engine. I’m in a rental and it’s costing me daily. The independent shop says the correct answer is you have a bad engine and they need to check the crank shaft, the head, and the rod bearings, in addition. He said if I changed the oil myself I would probably see metal particles in the oil and if I fix it I’m wasting my money as the entire engine is in need of replacement. It only has 86K miles on it and should not have these issues. I don’t think I should have to pay, and I need my vehicle back. I’m now without a vehicle and they are demanding I give them an answer by Monday at 7am on whether or not I’m fixing it. They won’t put anything in writing as they want to keep it kept quiet until I make a decision. The service manager is now trying to talk me into trading but not at their dealership. I feel like May need to contact an attorney. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | ENGINE | My car is producing a loud noise from the engine bay, which closely resembles the sound of a failing crankshaft. I have taken the vehicle to the dealership several times, but they were unable to determine the source of the noise. I consulted with an experienced mechanic who advised me that the engine is likely to fail soon if the issue is not addressed. He recommended inspecting the internal components of the engine, specifically the crankshaft, for potential faults. I am not sure if the official dealership can check my engine for a faulty crankshaft. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The vehicle stalled and was unable to start again, Called AAA , they jump started but when I went to dealership they said it wasn't the battery. The car electrical electric system was flashing. The breaks won't release. This is not the first time. My car is currently in Acura service for 5 days and they can't figure out what the problem is. My friends car also has had similar issues. I have a video of the flashing indicators. The car has only 33k miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | ENGINE | I started to here a very light knocking noise on cold starts. I made an appointment with my dealership to check it out. The earliest appoint they had open was a bout a week out. A few days later I was driving on the highway and the knocking noise suddenly became very loud and all the dashboard lights came on. The vehicle lost power and I barely coasted off the highway before the MDX came to a complete stop. I called AAA and had the car towed to the dealer. The next day they called me and told me it had been a connecting rod bearing failure and needed an entire new engine for $25,000.00. I was in total shock. I googled what happened to me online and found this is happening to many acuras and hondas. The dealer said there is absolutely no warranty and they cant do anything even though there are articles online and from NHTSA saying this is a common problem and under investigation. I was forced to replace the engine in my car because I still have a loan on it and dont know what else to do. The engine basically blew up on the highway in heavy traffic and was extremely dangerous and now acura wants nothing to do with the repairs. I think this situation deserves investigation. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Twice so far my car just turned itself off while stopped in traffic at a stoplight. It would not turn on immediately. Traffic built behind me, steering was locked, brakes not working. After sitting a minute or so it would start again and then the steering would then work, gas accelerator, brakes would all then start to work again. It was scary and unsafe. This needs a recall!!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated while coming to a stop, the contact noticed that the vehicle inadvertently slipped into neutral. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle several times to shift back into drive. The contact also noticed that the steering wheel had seized, making the steering wheel difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not mad aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 26,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 26,000 |
| Nov 2024 | SUSPENSION | I brought my 2020 Acura MDX with 61,086 miles on it for a routine service and was informed that the front suspension control arms were failing and needed to be replaced within weeks otherwise it could break causing a safety issue while driving. I have never had a car including prior MDX's that required this to be replaced and when I asked about it, I was told by the dealer and other dealers that I spoke to that is was unusal for this to happen with this many miles but it can. I feel that this is a manufacturer flaw and could be an issue in other MDX's. Again, if I did not go in for routine service at that time, it could have resulted in a safety incident within weeks according to them without notice and there was no mention of this with my prior routine service back in June 2024. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | While at a stoplight, my car notified me of many sensors having "problems" From my understanding, it relates to the front camera located on the windshield. I am unable to use these additional safety features since the problem arose earlier this week. Had this gone out while I was driving, my family and I could have been fatally affected. My cursory research online shows this is a recurring problem that customers need to address independently. All expenses are paid from their own pockets. There were no warnings prior to the system's failure. I have not taken my car in yet for this to be addressed. I am frustrated that this is a known issue with no proactive solution by a brand I had trusted. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | My vehicle stalled and the engine cut while I was waiting at a stop light. The engine auto shut-off feature was active at the time of the incident. While sitting a the red light the auto engine feature shut the engine down, which is normal to reserve the use of fuel while at a stop light. When I took my foot off the brake, the vehicle should have restarted. but instead, the vehicle went into N (neutral) and the engine did not restart. I was sitting in the middle of traffic with cars behind me, so I put the emergency signal on, I then put it in P (park) and started the vehicle. This is the second time this has happened. The first time I thought I touched the neutral button by mistake. There were no injuries, but I'm concerned that this could cause a crash in the future,. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Dealership is unable to repair recalls | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | I came to a stop at a stop sign. The start/stop feature activated and the engine shut off. When I lifted my foot off the brake, the engine did not restart (as it's supposed to), and then vehicle automatically shifted itself into neutral (without any of my doing). I put the emergency flashers on to alert other motorists, hoping to avoid a rear-end collision as I was stopped in the middle of an intersection in rush hour traffic. At this time, the battery light illuminated. The engine light illluminated as well. I had to forcefully and unusually push the brakew pedal towards the floor as the vehicle was drifting backwards. At this time, the vehicle would not shift into park. Then "PARK" illuminated, so I attempted to reapply the brake hoping that when I let up from the brake the car would start again (like the usual procedure). The vehicle then shifted into park, but the engine had not restarted. I pressed the on/off red button to follow normal procedures for turning the vehicle off. With my foot remaining on the brake, I pressed the off/on red button to start the engine as usual and the engine finally restarted. Afraid for the safety for myself and other motorists, I put the vehicle into drive and I pushed the button to stop the stop/start system from engaging. No codes generated during this. This is a safety issue for several reasons. First, I was stuck in the middle of a busy intersection where a large volume of cars travel through each day. It was rush hour, so the roads couldn't be more filled. Someone coming around the corner who might not have been prepared to stop could have hit me. Likewise, I could have been hit while in the intersection. Secondly, once the vehicle failed to turn back on, the Washington Grove (Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services - MCFRS) was responding to a vehicular file nearby on I-270 and had I not have been able to move in time, some of their vehicles likely wouldn't have made it through because my vehicle was blocking the lane. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | POWER TRAIN | I was in a stop and go traffic on the highway. When at a complete stop car shifted into neutral, I know that I didn’t push neutral because both of my hands were on the steering wheel. Step on gas pedal and car will not go. Tried putting into Drive but will not shift into Drive. Lots of vehicle behind me. It was very scary and dangerous, I could have been rear ended. I had to turn the engine off and restarted again then I was able to put it Drive and go. This issue happened twice, once at a stop sign about a month earlier. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ENGINE | Issue with Auto Idle Stop. I have had multiple instances of the auto idle stop kicking in and shutting the car off while I am at a stoplight. This has resulted in VERY close calls with me getting rear ended. I have taken the vehicle in to be inspected at an Acura dealership only to be told that they cannot replicate the issue. When this issue occurs, it takes about a minute to get the car working again. The dashboard lights up with a lot of different flashing lights. There was no warning prior to this issue occurring. You cannot permanently shut off the auto idle stop and I should not be expected to remember to do it every time I get into the vehicle. I am afraid that one day this will cause a bad car accident that will lead to myself or my family getting severely injured/killed as other drivers are not aware that the car won't be going. The most recent incident occurred last weekend. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | SEATS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My 2020 MDX with less than 52,000 miles (VIN [XXX] ) has a transmission problem. I serviced the SUV as recommended by the dealer regularly and I take very good care . The transmission jerks several times when taking my foot off the gas to slow down within my short drive to and from work. If I parked on a little uphill or downhill roads and switch gear (either forward or reverse), the car jerks and jumps. I mentioned the issue to the dealer 3 weeks ago but of course couldn’t find any issues. Please advise. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | Hello, so far 4 to 5 times my MDX automatically shifted to Neutral gear at traffic signals. THen vehicle stops and not moves, i wouldn't be able to change the gear, the vehicle just seems stuck. COuple of times the cars behind almost crashed with my family in the car. ONly options is to power off the car and restart. I took to the dealer, they ran all the tests and nothing found in the debugging. Looking online, looks like many customers have experienced the problem with Acura vehicles [XXX] ). This is a huge safety concern as i feel we are sitting ducks for any fast moving vehicle. Can you please get Honda/Acura to rectify this problem for existing cars and not to play with customer lives INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH and attempting to stop, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond, and the engine shut off unintendedly. The “Idle Stop” message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 54,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 54,000 |
| Sep 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | When the vehicle is idle, for instance at a light, it will shut down. It idles a little, goes into neutral and shuts completely down having to be restarted. I always turn off the automatic start on the vehicle after I start it, so it is not that. It has also done it while driving. It is very unsafe to be driving in traffic and have your vehicle shut down with no warning. Please advise on what actions should be taken to correct this issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Auto Idle Mode - After we've stopped and released the brake to go forward, the car will then shift to neutral by itself instead of restarting to drive. This has happened frequently and is now starting to happen more often. This is a safety issue, especially if you're the last car in line and other cars are traveling 55-60 miles behind you on a major road and see a green light ahead. Each time this happens, we have to turn off the car and try to restart the car, and sometimes this has been iffy and we've had to repeat the process a couple of times. There were no warning lights of problems with any of car components. There have been similar reports of this occurring: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | ENGINE | The auto idle engine stop malfuctions routinely shutting the engine off completely and requiring the driver to engage PARK, hit STOP, and RESTART engine before engaging DRIVE to proceed. We have experienced several near miss accidents or potentially caused accidents because drivers behind you have no idea what is going on. This issue is not just at stop lights but also interstate driving where traffic comes to a complete stop. I requested my Acura dealer permanantly disable this feature- they declined - I believe because it is an "Emission" feature that has gone wrong. I have seen "hack" options on line to disable this feature but fear for my safety - either way. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) contact however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | 136,000 |
| Jul 2024 | ENGINE | My MDX will randomly shut itself off while at a red light. It takes MULTIPLE attempts to get it restarted. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others was put at risk and continues to be at risk! This has happened at a highway red light multiple times. I am impeding the flow of traffic at an intersection with EIGHT lanes and FOUR lanes cross traffic. People move through this intersection extremely fast. This puts me at risk of causing an accident, injury the occupants of my vehicle and the occupants of the other involved vehicles. There is no warning as to when this will occur and there are no warnings at the time of the actual event either. I called the dealership and the service department acknowledged there have been others with the same issue. Acura is aware of the issue yet there is NO RECALL?? There is a Service Bulletin issued January 2023 by Acura admitting to the issue and it shows how Acura will resolve the issue for affected vehicles. If Acura is aware of the issue and the dangers of it, why have they not issued a recall to rectify the situation? The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. I have a service appointment with the local dealership. There are no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the failure. The first occurrence was about four months ago. The second occurred three months ago. It occurred again today. THIS IS AN ACCIDENT AND LAWSUIT WAITING TO HAPPEN. SOMEONE COULD BE SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED DUE TO ACURA’S NEGLIGENCE!!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | WHEN I WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT IN TRAFFIC (MY VEHICLE WAS IN IDLE STOP MODE), MY CAR SIMPLY DIED AND WOULD NOT RESTART WHEN THE TRAFFIC LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND I STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDAL TO MOVE FORWARD WITH TRAFFIC. IT TOOK NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO RE START THE VEHICLE WHILE STUCK IN VERY HEAVY TRAFFIC BEFORE IT GAINED POWER AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE FORWARD. MY SAFETY WAS COMPROMISED I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF MULTIPLE LANES OF MOVING TRAFFIC, IT WAS SCARY. NO WARNING LAMPS OR MESSAGES OCCURED PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | I was in traffic and we slowed down to a stop. Suddenly my car went to neutral and it didn’t want to go to Drive. I put emergency lights, as many cars were behind in the highway. I turned the car off and turned it back on. Then I was able to drive again! This has happened twice in the last 3 months. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Sunroof Explosion. On [XXX], I was driving southbound on [XXX] north of the [XXX] exit (about 15 miles north of Chicago, Illinois). It was mid to late morning, sunny, 75 degrees. I drove over some pavement that was under repair but was not marked as being under repair. Within 60 seconds I heard a loud bang or explosion. My sunroof cover was closed and heard glass falling onto the cover. I exited the highway and saw that the glass was broken in the center of the sunroof. There were no rocks or objects in the sunroof and no evidence that anything had impacted the sunroof. The vehicle is available for inspection however, I am in the process of clearing the glass so that I can operate the vehicle during the month that it will take for a replacement glass to arrive. The problem has not been confirmed by a dealer, the component has not been inspected by anyone other than myself. There were no warnings prior to the incident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |