2020 Acura MDX electrical system problems

“My 2020 Acura MDX fails to restart after the Auto Idle Stop system shuts off the engine at stops. The vehicle stalls and will not restart in active traffic, including busy intersections and high-speed roads. This began about three years ago and now happens every day, leaving my family stranded in live traffic lanes at risk of a collision. On [XXX], the engine shut off and would not restart in the middle of the [XXX], with traffic moving around me at about 40 mph. Capitol Acura in San Jose diagnosed a failing starter motor and ordered a replacement under repair order [XXX]. The part has been on backorder since, with no delivery date. I escalated to American Honda / Acura Client Relations on October 13, 2026 (case [XXX]). On [XXX], Acura replied only that it is "still reviewing" my request. No loaner or alternate vehicle has been provided, and no repair timeline has been given. I am concerned this is a defect affecting other MDX owners: a starter that fails under frequent Auto Idle Stop cycling, combined with a parts shortage that leaves unsafe vehicles on the road. I request that NHTSA review this issue for a possible investigation or recall.”

“Multiple errors Lane departure and advanced driver support, ACC LKAS, auto high beam, and braking system. Looking into this more i see lots of people with the same issue failing front facing camera and not a cheap fix. Is there any current investigations into this problem or a software upgrade? I clear the errors and they come back once car is turned off and back on. If no fix to the current system there should be a way to disable LKAS and ACC without spending $2000 to replace the system.”

“The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated that on six occasions the vehicle stalled and failed to restart immediately. The contact stated that while the idle button was on, the failure occurred. The contact was concerned about being in a crash. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and two batteries were replaced, and a software update was performed. The dealer would be checking the software to be sure that it was operating as intended. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was opened. The manufacturer provided a refund for the battery. The failure mileage was approximately 48,300.”

“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.”

“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.”

“The following issues occur on a 2020 Acura MDX with low 50k miles, maintenance was done regular whenever a maintenance schedule appear. For the past few years after purchasing the vehicle we started getting a non-start engine with the key fobs and automatic side mirrors did not open or close when parked. Brand new batteries were replace for the key fob and later the Car Battery and the issue occurs intermittently, this was brought to the attention of the dealership and each time (documented) that they were not able to reproduce when they turned off the vehicle, this was mid 2024 06-13-2024 and sporadically continues till this year 2026. The dealership did not test or trace the electrical system as they were told to reproduce the issue first as it will happen at that moment. A new recent event 2025 has also occur and was brought to the dealerships attention, a warning message indicating - Electric Parking Brake Problem follow by a Emissions System Problem will appear. This was also "reset" by the dealership and indicated it was safe to drive but event reoccurs every few months. A 2nd opinion to another mechanic indicated it can be the emergency brake system to…”