While driving on a residential street under normal daylight conditions, the forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking system failed without warning. A dashboard message appeared instructing me to clean the windshield and stating that collision avoidance services were unavailable. The windshield was clean and unobstructed. There was no precipitation, glare, or debris. The failure occurred while the vehicle was in motion. I had no indication of whether the vehicle was safe to continue driving or whether I should stop immediately, and no way to know whether the fault was limited to the camera or whether other systems were affected. There was no prior warning, no gradual degradation, and no fault indication before this event. I purchased this vehicle in part for its advanced driver assistance systems and rely on forward collision prevention in daily driving. That protection is now unavailable, and I am driving without a crash avoidance system I was sold and expected to have. I took the vehicle to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. The dealer determined that the forward facing camera module must be replaced and recalibrated, and quoted $2,700. No recall or technical service bulletin was identified. I believe this constitutes a safety defect. A primary crash avoidance system failed spontaneously under normal operating conditions on a vehicle marketed on its safety technology. The repair cost is also high enough that many owners will defer or decline it, leaving vehicles on public roads with disabled collision avoidance. I request that the federal safety agency investigate the failure rate of this camera module and consider a safety recall.
2020 Acura MDX: false forward collision warnings
14 of the 228 complaints about the 2020 Acura MDX describe false forward collision warnings.
- owner complaints
- 14
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,200
- recalls
- 0
False forward collision warnings by model year
What owners say
Collision Mitigation, Automatic Cruise Control, and Lane Keep Assist features disabled. Safety equipment failure.
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?
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.
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
This is a safety-related defect involving the multipurpose front camera used for Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) on the 2020 Acura MDX. The multipurpose front camera failed without warning, resulting in the simultaneous loss of multiple ADAS safety features, including (but not limited to) Lane Keeping Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Collision Mitigation Braking, and Road Departure Mitigation. These features are integral to the vehicle’s active safety systems and driver awareness. The failure required full replacement of the front camera assembly. The total repair cost was approximately $2,300, which I was required to pay out of pocket because no recall or extended warranty coverage was available. This failure creates a significant safety concern because: * The loss of ADAS functions occurred suddenly and without driver fault. * The driver may rely on these systems for collision avoidance, lane control, and adaptive braking. * The vehicle remains drivable, but with materially degraded safety capabilities compared to its certified design. * There is a risk that drivers may not immediately recognize the loss of functionality or may assume partial systems are still operational. After experiencing this issue, I discovered numerous reports from other Acura MDX owners describing identical multipurpose front camera failures, often at similar mileage, with similarly high repair costs. This suggests a potential systemic defect rather than isolated wear or misuse. I respectfully request that the federal safety agency review this issue to determine whether this represents a safety-related defect requiring investigation and possible recall. Given the role this component plays in multiple safety systems, I believe this issue warrants formal evaluation.
I drove my car in the morning and parked it in the lot for about an hour. After I came back and started my car, the following multiple safety systems displayed on my dashboard at the same time: - Lane Keeping Assist Problem - Collision Mitigation System Problem - Road Departure Mitigation System Problem - Auto High Beam Problem - Adaptive Cruise Control Problem When I took it to the dealership on the same day to diagnose this, they came back and said it was an internal failure with the camera and quoted me around $2200 to replace and recalibrate the camera. These lights just came on out of nowhere, I had no repairs or modifications with my windshield and there were no accidents of any sort. This appears to be a widespread problem among 2020 Acura MDX vehicles with similar camera modules. A malfunctioning front camera can prevent the vehicle from automatically braking or maintaining lanes, hence increasing the risk of collision. I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate the front multi-purpose camera system on the 2020 Acura MDX for potential defect and safety hazard.
While driving my 2020 Acura MDX with 29,647 miles, all AcuraWatch safety systems suddenly failed at once, including Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Lane Keeping Assist, Road Departure Mitigation, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Automatic High Beams. Multiple warning messages appeared simultaneously. This disabled forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane departure/lane keeping functions, creating a serious safety risk. The dealer inspected the vehicle and confirmed an internal failure of the multipurpose front camera/radar unit, and recommended replacement of the entire assembly. The repair estimate is $2,200. The dealer stated the component has failed and cannot be repaired. This issue is widely reported by many Acura owners of similar model years, and appears to be a recurring defect. The failure occurred without any impact, damage, or modification. The vehicle is available for inspection. The symptoms began suddenly and all warnings appeared at the same time. Because this failure disables critical collision-avoidance and lane-keeping systems, it presents a significant risk to the driver and others on the road. I believe this should be investigated as a safety defect.
My 2020 Acura MDX is throwing up multiple dashboard warnings related to the camera sensor—involving systems like Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assist, Collision Mitigation, and Road Departure Mitigation. These systems rely heavily on the Multipurpose Camera Unit mounted near the rearview mirror. I took it to my Acura Dealership Service and they concluded it's the Multipurpose Camera Unit that's causing all these dashboard warnings. They are charging me $1800+ for a new one to be installed. I have researched and googled this issue online, and there were hundreds and hundreds of comments from Honda car owners that have faced this issue, especially Honda and Acura models made in 2019-2020. Many have bought a used camera unit for approx. $150 online and got it installed & calibrated. Others have said that this camera unit is so HOT to the touch since it's located under the windshield. I agree with a lot of these Honda/Acura owners that this malfunction of this camera is a safety issue for the car drivers and others around them since these codes just pops out suddenly making the drivers so nervous during driving. Also, these cameras under the windshield get so, so hot that it could also start a combustible hazard. These units should be encased in a heat-tolerant case/cover and not metal.
I am reporting a failure of the multipurpose front windshield camera in my vehicle, which resulted in the loss of multiple safety systems including Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Road Departure Mitigation (RDM), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Auto High-Beam, and Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS). These features are critical to safe driving, and their sudden deactivation poses a serious safety risk to both the driver and others on the road. This issue required costly repairs. I believe this represents a safety defect that should be investigated by the federal safety agency.
2020 acura mdx tech package with 31600 miles, I purchased this vehicle first owner in march of 2021 and about 3 days ago 5/22/25 I get a fault reading for collision mitigation system problem, lane keep assist problem, road departure mitigation system problem, adaptive cruse control problem and auto high-beam problem, all safety feature issues, I brought vehicle to Acura dealership and they scanned for error codes which produced error code#u3000-49 for faulty multipurpose camera unit millimeter wave radar internal electronic failure recommend to replace the wave radar, dealership states vehicle is no longer under warranty and would cost a total of $1500 to get repaired and replaced , this issue should be looked into further for faulty acura part if repair is done what are the chances of it happening again with normal usage of vehicle.
### 1. **What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request?** The rearview camera system in my 2020 Acura MDX has malfunctioned. The camera, which is integral to several safety systems in the vehicle, has failed, causing significant safety concerns. The vehicle is available for inspection by an Acura dealership or independent service center upon request. ### 2. **How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk?** The malfunction of the rearview camera directly impacts the **Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS)**, **Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)**, and **Lane Departure Warning (LDW)** systems. These systems rely on cameras and sensors to detect obstacles, maintain a safe following distance, and alert the driver when switching lanes. Without the proper function of the rearview camera, these safety systems become unreliable, increasing the risk of head-on collisions, rear-end accidents, or unintended lane changes, which could lead to a serious crash. Furthermore, the area surrounding the malfunctioning camera becomes dangerously hot, posing a burn risk when touched, which adds another safety hazard. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes I have taken the vehicle to a dealership for a formal inspection, I have confirmed the issue through the consistent malfunctioning of the camera. The overheating and failure of the camera have been present since the issue began, and I have communicated this to Acura's customer service. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer beyond the initial communication with Acura’s customer service. No inspection has been conducted by the police or insurance representatives. However, I have made Acura aware of the problem, and the customer service team, led by Account Manager Monica
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2020 Acura MDX collision warning
Is false forward collision warnings a common problem on the 2020 Acura MDX?
14 of 228 owner complaints about the 2020 Acura MDX (6%) mention false forward collision warnings. The model year with the most reports is 2017.
How much does it cost to fix false forward collision warnings on the 2020 Acura MDX?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,200 (median of 7 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2020 Acura MDX?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2020 Acura MDX
Stalling 33Knocking 18Lane assist 16Adaptive cruise 14Engine failure 13Loss of power 12Check engine light 11Headlights 9Start-stop 9Hesitation 8Sudden acceleration 5
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