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Home›Acura›2020 Acura MDX› engine problems
Owner complaints · Engine

2020 Acura MDX engine problems

101 of the 226 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2020 Acura MDX name the engine (NHTSA’s “Engine” heading — the engine and its cooling system). Filed under the same heading: 51 manufacturer bulletins, 1 recall, 3 NHTSA investigations. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.

101 complaints 45% of this model year’s typically at 55k miles

What owners filed about the engine

Source: NHTSA complaint database
101complaints name the engine

0 of the 101 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.

Filed per year: 2021: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2023: 12 · 2024: 33 · 2025: 30 · 2026: 22

55kmiles, typically

Half of the 21 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the engine problem between 36,000 and 65,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.

45%of this model year’s complaints

226 complaints in all about the 2020 Acura MDX, 22 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →

Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Engine” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.

Across model years: Acura MDX engine problems, every year on file →

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In owners’ own words

Source: NHTSA complaint database

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the engine. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.

2020 Acura MDX, bought this in February of 2021. Issue with the auto-idle completely turning off the engine, when you pull up to a red light or stop sign and the engine goes into Auto-idle, then go into neutral, sometimes showing the battery sign. The car is completely disabled, have to shut off the engine and restart.
Engine Oct 20, 2023 NHTSA owner report
Its a known issue with my 2020 Acura MDX it has an issue with the autoidle completely turning off the engine, so you pull up to a red light and the engine goes into Autoidle mode and then completely turns OFF the engine so you are stuck in the middle of the road for a few minutes and then you have to wait for the car to allow you to turn…
Engine Aug 24, 2023 NHTSA owner report
We purchased a certified pre-owned Acura MDX 2020 in Feb of this year. In four separate instances, after the auto engine idle feature is on, the car stalls out and shuts off. Two of the four times this has happened on a highway causing extreme stress.
Engine Jul 21, 2023 NHTSA owner report
While driving, in the middle of the high way, the car shuts off and stops and when restarted it wouldn’t go. Stopped, twice this month and three time total this year, on the Highway thank god no accident
Engine Jun 12, 2023 NHTSA owner report
Our Acura MDX has continued to have Auto Idle Stop issues since we purchased the vehicle. Sometimes the vehicle would not restart after being stopped at a traffic light. Most recently, an accident almost occurred when the vehicle stuck behind us at the traffic light tried to go around us while we were trying to get the engine started and…
Engine May 23, 2023 NHTSA owner report

What is on file about the engine

Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications

Recall filed under this heading

NHTSA investigations

51 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading

The 5 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.

Trouble codes named on this system

P0171 P0174 P219A P0087 P0441

Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2020 Acura MDX names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.

From here
Every 2027 model on file, by price Compare two vehicles, trim vs trim See what a VIN was priced at See what owners reported

Common questions

Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communications

Are engine problems common on the 2020 Acura MDX?

They are documented: NHTSA holds 101 owner complaints naming the engine on this model year (45% of everything owners filed about it), and 51 manufacturer bulletins, 1 recall, 3 NHTSA investigations are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.

Is there a recall for the engine on the 2020 Acura MDX?

Yes — one campaign is filed under this heading: 23V751000. A recall is matched by VIN; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

When do engine problems show up on the 2020 Acura MDX?

Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 54,651 miles; half of them between 36,000 and 65,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.

What does NHTSA's "Engine" heading cover?

The engine and its cooling system. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.