Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2020 Acura MDX, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Engine84
- Electrical system40
- Unknown or other39
- Forward collision avoidance37
- Power train21
- Lane departure19
- Engine and engine cooling19
- Fuel/propulsion system15
- Service brakes14
- Vehicle speed control14
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 2 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 13 2020 MDX vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 4 people died inside them, and 1 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2020 Acura MDX failed the safety check 0.64% of the time — 46% less often than the average 2020 passenger car (1.18%). Median odometer at inspection: 29,745 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 2 variants; 2 of 2 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 Acura MDX SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | 16.4 % |
| 2020 Acura MDX SUV FWD | ★★★★★ | 16.4 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Standard
- Lane departure warning
- Standard
- Best overall rating
- 5 / 5
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 10.9–11.0 L/100 km (about 21–22 mpg US), CO₂ 254–258 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| MDX SH-AWD · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Premium gasoline | 12.3 | 9.2 | 10.9 |
| MDX SH-AWD A-SPEC · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Premium gasoline | 12.2 | 9.5 | 11.0 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
8 Transport Canada recalls for the 2020 Acura MDX.
| 2026275 4 Jun 2026 | Structure Issue: On certain vehicles, the suspension mounting points on the rear subframe could rust. As a result, rear suspension components could fail. This could lea… |
| 2026251 21 May 2026 | Seats And Restraints Issue: On certain vehicles, the weight sensor for the front passenger seat may not have been manufactured properly. As a result, the passenger-front airbag an… |
| 2025212 17 Apr 2025 | Lights And Instruments Issue: On certain vehicles, the recall repairs completed by a Honda or Acura dealer during recall AL65/AL66 (Transport Canada recall no. 2019-159) may not hav… |
| 2024262 6 May 2024 | Fuel System Issue: This recall is for low-pressure fuel pumps installed on certain vehicles or sold at dealerships as a replacement part. On certain vehicles, the low… |
| 2024059 1 Feb 2024 | Airbag Issue: On certain vehicles, the weight sensor for the front passenger seat may not have been manufactured properly. As a result, the passenger-front airbag an… |
| 2023679 18 Dec 2023 | Fuel System This recall was replaced by Transport Canada recall no. 2024-262. Issue: This recall is for low-pressure fuel pumps installed on certain vehicles or sold … |
| 2023603 8 Nov 2023 | Engine Issue: On certain vehicles equipped with a V6 engine, the connecting rod bearings could wear prematurely and become damaged. If this happens, the engine could… |
| 2021182 26 Mar 2021 | Fuel System Issue: On certain vehicles, the low-pressure fuel pump could fail. If this happens, then engine may run rough or may not start and the check engine light may … |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Honda Pilot, 2017-2023 Ridgeline, 2019-2023 Passport, and 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles that were sold in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. The rear subframe may corrode at the suspension mounting points, which can result in rear suspension component failure.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles. Moisture may enter the tailgate lid light assembly and wiring harness, which can cause the interior and exterior lights to fail, including the lid lights, position lights, license plate lights and taillights.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Civic, 2020-2023 Ridgeline, 2021-2023 Passport, 2021-2022 Pilot, and 2020 Acura MDX vehicles. The tie rod fastener that connects the brake booster and the brake master cylinder may have been improperly assembled during manufacturing, which can cause the brake master cylinder to separate from the booster assembly.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 CR-V vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Acura told its dealers about the 2020 Acura MDX: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11011046 | Service Bulletin - The AWD warning light is on potentially due to water intrusion into the rear differential pump motor connector area that corrodes the terminals. |
| 11002724 | Service Bulletin - Client complaint of A/C not blowing cold air due to oil/refrigerant leak from the A/C compressor shaft seal. |
| 11000723 | Owner Notification Letter - Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and the idle stop feature engaging, the vehicle may not automatically restart. Acura is providing a product update with a new PGM-FI software update to fix this issue. |
| 11000147 | Service News - Due to On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) regulation change starting with 2019 vehicles, American Hondas Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) On-Board Diagnostic monitors are now included in the EGR/VVT OBD Monitor Readiness status group. Due to some customers driving patterns, they may not drive in the fashion needed to operate the VTEC (EGR/VVT) that only operates above 5,350 rpm to run the OBD monitoring. Therefore, the EGR/VVT OBD monitor group readiness status is not set to Complete when the customer presents their vehicle to a Smog Check station for inspection. |
| 10249632 | Service Bulletin - Customers have complained that the air conditioning system is not blowing cold air due to Oil/Refrigerant leaking from the A/C compressor shaft seal. |
| 10248978 | Service Bulletin - The MIL comes on during vehicle operation due to variations in the purge control solenoid valve spring, the valve wears unevenly and intermittently sticks. This may result in setting DTC P0441 (Evaporative Emission (EVAP) System Purge Flow Malfunction). |
| 10247626 | Service Bulletin - Due to variations in the purge control solenoid valve spring, the valve wears unevenly and intermittently sticks. This may result in setting DTC P0441 (Evaporative Emission (EVAP) System Purge Flow Malfunction). |
| 10239511 | Service Bulletin - Client complaint of A/C not blowing cold air due to a Oil/Refrigerant leak from the A/C compressor shaft seal. |
| 10238825 | Service Bulletin - Honda has received customer complaints of the air conditioning system not blowing cold air due to an Oil/Refrigerant leak from the A/C compressor shaft seal. |
| 10237173 | Service Bulletin - A driver can notice loss of auto function, or no function, of the sunroof glass/sunshade due to Motor-Control Unit error code in the clock frequency check falsely detecting a failure. |
| 10237171 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2019-2020 MDXs with a client complaint of the lid light (inner taillight) inop. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10236568 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2019-2020 MDXs with a client complaint of the lid light (inner taillight) inop. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10235126 | Service Bulletin - The engine will not crank on the initial startup attempt after the vehicle has been exposed to precipitation and then freezing temperatures. Water can enter the starter motor. In cold temperatures the water can freeze, preventing the starter motor from cranking the engine. |
| 10235125 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2019-2020 MDXs with a client complaint of the lid light (inner taillight) inop. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10234574 | Dealer Message - Honda is searching for certain 2019 - 2020 MDXs with a client complaint of the lid light (inner taillight) inop. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10233673 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2020-2022 MDXs & RDXs with a client complaint of the Check Engine Light (CEL) on & the DTC P0087 (Fuel Rail Pressure Too Low [Loss of Fuel Pressure]) stored. In some cases, the customer may also experience such conditions as engine hard to start, no start or start & stumble in conjunction with CEL. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10233292 | Service Bulletin - Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and engaging idle stop the vehicle may not restart automatically due to excessive cylinder pressure and/or low cranking torque. Typically, the client can immediately restart the vehicle by selecting Park and pressing the ENGINE START/STOP button. Acura is extending the warranty coverage for valve adjustment and starter replacement related to this condition to 10 years from the original date of purchase with no mileage limitation. |
| 10233290 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2019-2020 MDXs with a client complaint of the lid light (inner taillight) inop. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10232976 | Product Update - Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and the idle stop feature engaging, the vehicle may not automatically restart. Acura is providing a product update with a new PGM-FI software update to fix this issue. |
| 10232974 | Warranty Extension - Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and the idle stop feature engages, the vehicle may not automatically restart. |
| 10232972 | Warranty Extension - Warranty Extension reimbursement form for engine idle stop repairs made before the warranty extension notice date. |
| 10232969 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2020-2022 MDXs & RDXs with a client complaint of the Check Engine Light (CEL) on & the DTC P0087 (Fuel Rail Pressure Too Low [Loss of Fuel Pressure]) stored. In some cases, the customer may also experience such conditions as engine hard to start, no start or start & stumble in conjunction with CEL. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10232965 | Service Bulletin - The engine will not crank on the initial startup attempt after the vehicle has been exposed to precipitation and then freezing temperatures. |
| 10232961 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2019-2020 MDXs with a client complaint of the lid light (inner taillight) inop. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. Qualifiers AHM is interested ONLY if the vehicle meets the following requirements: 1. Manufactured date on the drivers door jamb must be 12/2018 or later. 2. Must confirm that the lid light (inner taillight) is inop. 3. No history of side or rear impact collision. 4. No repair has been attempted. |
| 10232252 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2020-2022 MDXs & RDXs with a client complaint of the Check Engine Light (CEL) on & the DTC P0087 (Fuel Rail Pressure Too Low [Loss of Fuel Pressure]) stored. In some cases, the customer may also experience such conditions as engine hard to start, no start or start & stumble in conjunction with CEL. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Engine failure
No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages
Engine failure
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation