i've flown AA about 4 times in the past 2 years and have had no issue with AA recognising CX/OWS status. priority AAcess as well as status is reflected on the boarding passes.
i am not sure if the problem might be that the name on your CX card is slightly different from that in your AA booking and that the AA system is particular about that. i used to have problems because some TAs mangle my name in the booking by switching first, middle and last name sequence although it looks correct in the e-ticket.