2022 Acura RDX Problems and Complaints

Crossovers have gained an incredible pace in terms of sales as well as advancement in terms of technologies. A steady wave of demand and the buying pattern of consumers have propelled this particular segment of automobiles to have a booming development. Primarily since Americans absolutely love SUVs of different shapes and sizes, it was relatively easier for the car makers to design and manufacture crossovers that are big on utility, practicality, and affordability as well. Since there are luxury versions of almost every type of vehicle out there, the crossovers also have the same and luxury crossovers are brilliant too since they offer even more value for a higher price as compared to any other segment. Almost all the big and popular car brands across the world are into making crossovers and the ones that rank higher include Toyota, Honda, General Motors, Hyundai, and Nissan. Now, luxury crossovers might not have a similar sales volume to a regular crossover yet names such as the Acura RDX, the BMW X3, and the Volvo XC60 are quite popular and have seen plenty of takers as well.

Coming to the Acura RDX, it is the second luxury crossover offering from the luxury brand of Honda and initially shared the same platform with none other than the CR-V. Since its launch in 2006, it has gone through more than a couple of generation upgrades and sits in its third-gen model now since 2019. By adding the RDX to its portfolio, Acura proved its mettle in making luxurious vehicles even though the enthusiasts out there absolutely love the brand that gave us the NSX. The 2022 Acura RDX arrived with some updates such as a reworked exterior styling, improved NVH levels, an increased number of safety techs, and more exterior colors. Under the hood, the vehicle gets the same turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 motor that is capable of generating a maximum of 272 horsepower along with 280 lb-ft of torque. The luxury crossover finds the BMW X3, the Audi Q5, and the Volvo XC60 as its prime rivals in its segment.

Acura RDX user complaints and problems

As we have seen in common practice that Japanese car makers’ vehicles are more reliable as compared to their counterparts in the market and some of the bigshot names one could think of in this case include Honda and Toyota. Honda has made some genuinely reliable vehicles in the past and continues to do so but some of its popular models such as the Accord and the RDX have started to make a dent in that reputation. The RDX was never quite free from multiple reliability issues and after getting into its third-gen model in 2019, the number of complaints shot up. The numbers also saw a sharp decline in the following 2020 and 2021 model years but some of the underlying problems were still present. The Acura RDX transmission problems are the most common ones and it resulted in a series of other powertrain-related issues as well. The maximum complaints recorded by the NHTSA against the RDX were regarding its powertrain across several model years, especially the third-generation one.

Engine problems

• Engine going into limp mode along and sudden loss of power issue: This issue started with the third-gen model of the Acura RDX. Several owners were affected due to the issues and it denotes that the all-new 2.0-liter turbo four-pot is not at all a reliable engine and neither is the overall powertrain as well. Several complaints state that while driving under various scenarios, the engine would lose motive power randomly and in some cases, it would go into limp mode with the speed reduced to as low as 20 miles per hour. Unfortunately, the most recent 2021 RDX also has these issues to some extent as well. In some instances, while driving at higher speeds out on the highways, the engine completely lost power and didn’t even enter into the limp mode, potentially risking the driver’s and the occupants’ lives.
• Hesitation while accelerating: This issue was quite common with the second-gen model’s V6 powertrain but was also present in the third-gen’s all-new turbocharged four-pot motor as well. All the complaints state that the powertrain would randomly hesitate to accelerate under various driving scenarios.

Safety problems

• The unnecessary intervention of the forward collision avoidance system: Several owners were affected by this issue. And it was surprising to see that the brand never bothered to issue a recall to fix the affected units as well. Even the dealerships were clueless regarding the problems and failed to offer any assistance, let alone the fixes. A majority of the complaints states that while driving, the forward collision mitigation system would activate even though the path at the front was clear and there were no minute obstructions preset either.
• Extreme brake squeal and grinding noise: Both the 2019 and 2020 Acura RDX models were plagued by this issue. Numerous owners stated in their reports that even when their RDX models were brand-new, the brakes would make a high-pitched squealing noise along with grinding noise as well. Most of the time the dealerships did not acknowledge the issues or failed to offer any solution for the same.
• Brake hold feature malfunction: This issue was present in both 2019 and 2020 RDX. The complaints state that in different scenarios, when the vehicle was parked on a slope or a normal road, the brake hold feature would fail randomly. The failure resulted in the vehicle rolling away and causing injuries to the occupants along with damages to the vehicle as well. The engine start-stop system also had a role in it. When both the options were enabled, the failure rates were higher.
• Random explosion of the sunroof and rear windshield: This issue has been plaguing the Acura RDX for quite some time now and has been present since the third-gen model onwards. All the complaints stated that both the sunroof and the rear windshield would shatter completely without any reason. And in a majority of the cases, the incidents happened while driving, injuring the occupants in some instances. Before the shattering of the glasses, there were loud explosion sounds or loud popping sounds.

Electrical problem

• Multiple issues with the infotainment system: The 2019 RDX had multiple issues with its electrical systems with the infotainment issues taking up the major chunk. As per the several complaints recorded, some of the significant issues were the failure of navigation and phone media controller which was a kind of safety issue as well since it resulted in considerable distractions while driving. A few complaints state that the infotainment display screen along with the rearview camera goes completely black posing a risk while reversing in unknown locations.

2022 Acura RDX recalls

The above list of complaints denotes that the Acura RDX has been a victim of poor reliability ever since it entered its third-gen model. And the most disappointing fact is that the brand completely ignored fixing some of the serious issues with the vehicle such as the brake problems and the electrical problems. The Acura RDX transmission recall happened quite late and it still remains a question that of the several affected vehicles out there, how many units will ultimately receive the necessary fixes and repairs from the brand’s end.

Recall Date	NHTSA Campaign ID	Component Affected	Recall Issue	Explanation
March 16, 2019	19V182000	AIR BAGS	Driver Frontal Air Bag Inflator May Explode	An explosion of an inflator within the driver’s frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front-seat passenger, or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
March 25, 2021	21V215000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE	Fuel Pump May Fail	Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
December 2, 2021	21V939000	POWER TRAIN	Driveshaft May Fail	Driveshaft failure can cause a sudden loss of drive power, or cause the vehicle to roll away when parked if the parking brake is not applied. Either condition can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

What model year of the Acura RDX to avoid?

On paper, the Acura RDX looks quite promising with its impressive looks, a plush cabin, and a handsome list of features onboard. It even gives a strong rivalry to some of the steady segment players such as the Audi Q5 and the BMW X3. However, the vehicle has been riddled with several reliability issues, especially after entering its third-gen model. The second-gen model wasn’t quite reliable either and we would recommend you stay away from the RDX’s 2019 and 2020 models.

Should you buy a used Acura RDX?

The Acura RDX issues have been detrimental to its image in the market despite all the promising specs and features that it comes with as standard. Honda has had plenty of time to improve the overall quality and the reliability of the RDX but it seems, the brand was more on the ignorant side. It compels us to recommend staying away from any used example of the Acura RDX since the recent NHTSA reports showed some of the underlying problems with the vehicle such as the powertrain issues were present in the 2021 model.

Also Read:

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• 2022 Acura MDX Type S Preview
• 2021 Acura NSX Preview: Performance, Price, Specs, 0-60, Top Speed & Rivals