What 209 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Acura MDX

The car had several warnings lights come on and immediately stalled out and stoped right in the middle of the road. The engine would turn over but would sputter like it was out of gas and would die after a few seconds. It stoped in the middle of a busy state highway in a curve. Luckily no one got hurt. I towed it to an auto service center. The 2020 Acura MDX suffered an in-tank fuel pump failure causing a low fuel pressure code (P0087). This model year is under a massive 2.6-million vehicle safety recall, but my specific VIN was omitted. It likely should be included before someone gets hurt.

NHTSA ODI 11749098

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ODI 11747720

The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 - 25 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the passenger’s side of the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle stalled and was towed to dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer determined that the engine had seized. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

NHTSA ODI 11746661

Collision Mitigation, Automatic Cruise Control, and Lane Keep Assist features disabled. Safety equipment failure.

NHTSA ODI 11746074

Good morning, Out of nowhere my dashboard lit up after 5 years of having no issues with the vehicle. I believe there are a total of 5 safety features that are linked to the ADAS camera in this MDX but i am not 100%, it may be 4 safety features. I am not here to whine about a repair on a 6 year old vehicle but this particular issue has become extremely common with this vehicle. I believe (along with all the other owners) that the ADAS issue with certain year Acura & Honda is happening way to often way too soon. my MDX does not even have 70k on it! after doing some research between Facebook, Reddit & many other Acura/Honda forums this appears to be all too common. when that camera shits the bed you lose many of the main safety features that may have brought you to purchase that vehicle. My local Acura dealer in Wilmington, NC told me he is replacing this part once a month and none of them are under warranty I'm not sure why he shared that with me but he did. that is an alarming number considering where i live and how few MDX's there probably are in my area. Where i live everyone drives either a full size pickup or suv and theyre all American brands. the dealer wants 1800 for the repair. I'm getting it done because i have the money to do it but I am not happy at all. normal wear and tear repairs i get, this one however i have a major issue with it. many people are not having the repair done because the car is driveable. any help with this would be greatly appreciated & thank you for your time. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11741211

My cruise control, automatic lane changing indicator light indicator, brake indicator light, high beam light indicator lights all keep coming off and on. Researching it on YouTube states that it’s the camera on my windshield getting too hot and it’s a known issue. It’s $1800 To fix but others have stated they get fixed and it doesn’t resolve the problem. Asking for your help.

NHTSA ODI 11741032

While sitting stopped at a red light, the brake pedal suddenly became soft and the vehicle began moving. As I rushed to depress the pedal further (all the way to the floorboard - which did not stop the car) the car rolled forward and collided with the car in front of us causing damage to both vehicles. If the other car had not been in front of us we would have rolled directly into heavy active cross traffic which would have caused significant harm to all inside. My daughter, niece, and 8 month old grand-niece were with me in the car.

NHTSA ODI 11740691

Car alarm keeps going off. Lights go crazy and car loses battery.

NHTSA ODI 11740067

While driving my 2020 Acura MDX, the vehicle developed an intermittent check engine light and a noticeable engine knocking noise coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an Acura dealership for diagnosis. According to the certified Acura technician, no diagnostic trouble codes were found stored in the vehicle’s system. However, the technician confirmed there was an audible knocking noise present from the engine during inspection. The technician stated "No engine oil leaks found at this time. Engine. I did verify the noise that you are talking about far as knocking noise goes. Right now, it sounds like it's a lower end noise, possibly crank shaft related. Engine teardown would need to be in place to verify which cylinders are bad and to confirm if the bearing is gone or not.". The vehicle has all service records, including routine oil changes at recommended intervals. The technician also confirmed that the vehicle had oil in it. The vehicle is not part of the existing recall, but the symptoms and description match the known crank shaft rod bearing issue.

NHTSA ODI 11737478

Faulty forward facing camera affixed internally on windshield. Adaptive Cruise Control will not function. Lane Keeping Assist will not function. Collision Mitigation Braking may be unavailable. Vehicle detects oncoming traffic in opposing lane as a potential collision, causing braking system to engage and causing a risk of a collision or being struck from the rear despite no vehicle ahead except on the opposite side of the road. Acura can not find anything wrong with the vehicle. Recently all warning lights for high beams, braking system, LKAS, road departure, front end collision, etc flash on vehicle. Multiple people with Acura and Honda vehicles have reported the same issue with the front windshield sensor camera, yet no recall, instead they have paid thousands to replace a faulty camera system. Acura quoted $2000 for replacement of camera. Vehicle operationally runs fine. Why has nothing been done despite numerous, repetitive issues with this safety hazard?

NHTSA ODI 11737175

There is an active Taillight (Lid Lights) Safety Recall (25V-259) on 2014-2020 Acura MDXs. When I enter my VIN it claims I am not part of this recall but there is sitting water inside my drivers side tailgate lid light assembly. It's only in the one, therefore I am unsure why my vehicle isn't listed/registered as part of this active recall.

NHTSA ODI 11736688

I was pulling up to our house to park in the open garage as I typically do and was in the driveway with my foot lifted off the gas pedal to allow the car to coast forward slowly. The car hesitated for a moment before it lunged/accelerated on its own with such force I had to slam on my brakes to avoid the car hitting the wall of our house. I did not have cruise control on. Took the car to Acura dealership for a multi-point inspection and they found nothing out of order that would’ve caused that to occur.

NHTSA ODI 11736703

Interstate driving 70mph. Sudden engine power loss, vehicle slowed to 50mph. Check engine light came on. Engine knocking noises. Drove car 2 miles to our Acura dealership. Service dept says we have rod bearing failure. Currently deciding how to proceed...used or Reman motor repalcement.

NHTSA ODI 11734327

On March 3, 2026 my son was driving our 2020 Acura MDX when we lost power in the middle of an intersection. The following day we had it towed to Montanto Acura in [XXX] where we were told we had a blown engine due to a bad crank shaft and possibly engine bearings. Prior to this the car drove fine with no warning signs. My son who was [XXX] old was at a dangerous intersection and had to wait for help to arrive to move the vehicle out of the intersection. We had to pay to replace the engine a total of 8,747.36 for a used engine. Now fearing for our son's safety we decided to sell the car at a loss and buy him something we can reply on and that won't put him in danger. Although Acura has recalled many engines, our VIN did not come up in that recall, however we have now been affected by the same issue many others had the recall performed on. I have all service records from our dealership to prove the condition. It is unacceptable that a Honda Engine would fail with 105,374 miles and all service work done at the dealership. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11729475

The motor through a misfire code and began making a noise while vehicle was sitting at a red light. Vehicle lost all power and had to be towed. Was quoted my the Acura dealership $9k. Main reason for addressing this concern is because numerous Acura J35 series motors have already been recalled for engine connecting rod issues. While this motor doesn't apparently fall under that recall, odd that it would essentially had the same issue, when it only had 136k miles and has been maintained to factory standards (or better)

NHTSA ODI 11728187

MY car has 39200. Miles acura mdx 2020 tech package. Has a rod knocking sound. There was a recall number 23v751000 that i was never notified about. I cant drive car under this vondition may harm engine further. Question is this recall still valid even if I was mot informed or does my cars acura/Honda warranty covers repairs or replacement

NHTSA ODI 11727655

While driving my 2020 Acura MDX A-Spec at approximately 63,744 miles, the vehicle suddenly lost all engine power without warning while passing through a busy multi-lane intersection. The loss of propulsion prevented acceleration and forced us to coast across traffic lanes to reach the shoulder, creating a significant safety hazard. The engine would not restart. The vehicle was inspected on 3/17/2026 by Lyle Pearson Acura (Boise, ID). The dealership diagnosed catastrophic internal engine failure with the following findings: spun rod bearing in cylinder #6, excessive metal debris in the oil pan, and bearing seizure to the crankshaft. The technician stated the failure pattern is consistent with the rod-bearing defect described in Acura Safety Recall / Service Bulletin 24-001. Although my VIN is NOT currently included in the recall population, the confirmed failure mode matches the known defect. This suggests the issue may extend beyond currently identified vehicles that are included in Acura Service Bulletin 24-001 and NHTSA recall 23V-751. The vehicle has a salvage title from prior cosmetic damage only; no engine, drivetrain, or structural components were affected. The vehicle has been properly maintained with documented service history. This failure represents a serious safety risk due to sudden loss of power in active traffic conditions, increasing the risk of collision or injury. I request NHTSA review this incident to determine whether additional vehicles should be included in the recall and to assess the broader safety risk.

NHTSA ODI 11725507

connecting rods came apart, needed a new engine. but outside of the recall

NHTSA ODI 11725208

The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while attempting to leave a parking lot, the contact was unable to shift the vehicle to drive (D). The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and retrieved information associated with transmission failure for the year and model vehicle. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,400.

NHTSA ODI 11724608

The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle shook abnormally with the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the engine seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with rod bearing failure and a failure in cylinder #6. The contact was informed there were metal shavings inside the oil pan, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 86,743.

NHTSA ODI 11724665

The rear lighting on the left side of the tailgate was accumulating water. Even though it was part of a recall campaign, the period had expired. I had to replace it at my own expense. This could be a broader issue since similar cases may occur for others.

NHTSA ODI 11724281

The front camera mounted under the dash stopped working, prompting all of these systems to fail.

NHTSA ODI 11722941

During the summer of 2025, the auto idle engine railed to restart while at a stop light. We had to shut off and restart the car. We took it to the car dealer and they did some sort of software update. It happened again in January 2026 while at a stop light off a highway exit ramp. We took it to a different dealer because we were living in a different city at the time. In their computer system, they could see the repair that had been done. They did some sort of other update and submitted it as a warranty repair for Acura (which the other dealer had not done). They noted there was one other repair that could be done, but Acura would not allow them to do both at once and this update usually fixed it. However, it happened again in February 2026. The engine did not restart from auto idle, this time at a stop light toward the beginning of an eight hour road trip back home. Fortunately, turning off the engine and starting it back up worked. We took it back to the second dealer and they did the additional repair authorized by Acura and submitted as a warranty repair. Three incidents of the auto-idle not restarting the engine in less than a year is not acceptable. The car is unrealiable.

NHTSA ODI 11722797

Add Auto High Beam problem to the above Adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, and collision mitigation. Suddenly got several warning popups and persistent warning lights on related to the identified issues. We just replaced the battery a few months ago, and didn't have any of these problems until this week. Now, it happens every time we start the vehicle. We did the Recall software upgrade. I suspect these problems are related to that software upgrade. Many people online report identical problems without solutions. Please advise RE next steps for how to resolve.

NHTSA ODI 11721310

I start getting every kind of warning on my dashboard - Collision mitigation system problem -Auto Crues Control Problem -Brake system Light on - The Car apply brake on the miidle of street/Highway

NHTSA ODI 11720934