general problems of the 2015 Acura RDX - part 1

I have experienced the following situations while driving: •at night, drivers approaching from the opposite direction signal me to turn on my headlights, even though my headlights are already on. •in rainy conditions, I often have to pull over because I cannot adequately see the road markings. •recently, while driving on neighborhood streets lined with mature trees, I failed to see a curb and struck it because of the limited visibility. My vehicle's history shows that an Acura dealership replaced the headlight bulbs in 2020, at approximately 77,000 miles, slightly beyond the basic warranty period. Since then, I have replaced both low-beam bulbs again in 2026. My exterior headlight lenses are clear, and replacing both bulbs has not resolved the problem. In October 2026, Acura dealership inspected my vehicle. The dealership documented that both headlight bulbs were operating properly and that the electrical output was proper at 12v. The dealership recommended replacing both headlight assemblies due to cloudiness inside the headlight lenses resulting from moisture/oxidation. The dealership also documented that it could not perform photometric output testing because it lacked the appropriate equipment. The dealership quoted $4,652 for the replacement of headlight assemblies. A vehicle should not develop severely inadequate headlight illumination to the point that it becomes dangerous to drive at night simply because of its age or mileage. As a family vehicle, I regularly drive with my child as a passenger. At this point, this is a severe safety hazard to my family and other people on the road.

The low beam headlights are very dim at night time. An extreme safety issue. I had to occasionally use the high beam headlamps for proper visibility. I had the bulbs replaced and the brightness did not improve at all. I spoke with the service department at the dealership where I purchased the vehicle and was advised that the headlamp assemblies need replacing. I replaced them at a significant cost.

The deteriorating chrome in the headlight projector is impossible to see. I just miss head on collision. And weeks before. I have purchased all and every headlight bulb and nothing works. Either I’m going to die in a wreck or kill somebody. Due to this ongoing problem with the projector. Please recall 2015 Acura Rdx projectors so know one gets hurt.

My low beam headlights have not been giving off enough light to see at night. Upon further investigation, I found several complaints regarding the same problem with the year and make of my car. I went yesterday, 9/21/26 and had the bulbs replaced with led for $190 and the problem still exists. I have to use my high beam headlights to see at night, which is unsafe and illegal. Acura should be held accountable for faulty equipment and not their loyal customers.

The component that failed is the low-beam headlight system, specifically the internal projector lens housings of both the driver and passenger side headlight assemblies. The reflective chrome coating inside the projector bowls has degraded, delaminated, and burned away due to heat from halogen lightbulbs. This failure severely compromises nighttime driving safety. Because the reflective backing inside the headlights has deteriorated, the low-beam bulbs cannot project light onto the road ahead. This creates a critical lack of forward visibility, preventing the driver from seeing pedestrians, debris, road signs, or upcoming turns in the dark. The problem was physically inspected and confirmed by an Acura dealership certified technician. The technician verified that the halogen bulbs themselves were functioning at full power, but determined that the light output was blocked due to the ruined internal chrome housing. Because of this, the vehicle did not pass the safety inspection and they stated that the only remedy was a complete replacement of both headlight assemblies, with the likelihood that this same issue will occur again. There were no electronic warning lights, dashboard messages, or sudden failures prior to the condition.

The hid low beam headlamps are not putting out enough light to drive the vehicle at night. This is dangerous, and I drive home from work at night. The inner low beam lens has degraded and become hazy. This would require the entire headlight housing to be replaced, which are very expensive - about $1,700. I believe this is the same problem that 2015 Acura rlx are experiencing, and recall jn2 was created. I don't understand why the 2015 Acura Rdx models weren't included in that recall.

There is a defect in my headlights, too dim to drive at night, have to engage high beams to see. This is a safety hazard. I believe this should be repaired by the manufacturer.

Headlight reflector assemblies have delaminated causing headlight output to be very dim to the point that driving at night is not safe.

Low beam headlights are very dim after installing new bulbs. It appears the reflective capsule is not working properly. My car headlights have not been damaged in the past.

Low beam headlights are very dim and nighttime driving visibility is very low. Both headlights appear to have degraded over time and fail to produce adequate light for driving. This vehicle has been brought to the dealer for repair to address this issue, and has had two related repairs that did not solve the problem. The bulbs have been replaced with new low-beam lamps. The headlight lens has also been restored by the dealer to reduce haze on the headlight cover. These repairs have not fixed the dim lights and the problem seems to be internal to the light. The high-beams are rarely used and do not appear to be affected by the same dim output.

Exterior lighting - hid low beams have become extremely dim and very difficult to see at night. Reading other complaints, seems like this is a very common problem with this vehicle. The manufacturer should address as this is a safety issue.

Low beam halogen headlights are dangerously dim. It is not possible to see in darkness without the high beams on. New factory bulbs have been replaced. Lens cleaning restoration has been performed. This widely known flaw will cause accidents if it hasn't already. Hundreds of complains have been filed with the NHTSA. There are dozens of forums highlighting this important design flaw. The issue lies with the headlight assembly reflector becoming oxidized in a relatively short period of time. Based on research, the degradation of light emittance takes about 5-6 years to reach a dangerous visibility issue. Owners are not interested in spending $1,600 every ~6 years just to have minimum visibility while driving. This is dangerous. This is serious. This is consistent across all 2013-2015 Rdx models. Sadly, my father's 1999 Ford f150 with 250k miles has original headlights which shine about 10 times brighter than this "current day" Acura. I attached a . Pdf with comments from a certified Acura technician who also owns one of these vehicles. I own (2) Rdx vehicles that my daughters both drive. I am considering not allowing them to drive at night in the rain because there is literally zero visibility. Turning the lights to the off position or on position while driving at night makes zero difference in visibility. The brights are fantastic and have no issue.

The low beam headlights are very dim and this causes reduced / no visibility while driving at night. While driving in the dark, it is impossible to see anything on the road ahead.

Headlights are so dim and cannot operate at night driving thru the mountains. It seems like a repetitive issue that affects many owners.

Bought this used on February 5th 2026 low beam headlights so dim barely illuminating driving surface.

My 2015 Acura Rdx technology package has been having very dim headlights. I have replaced the bulbs in the car which provided no remedy. I then had the bulbs replaced with led lights which are more bright than the original lights with no remedy. The danger is to me and the occupants of the vehicle as you can not see more than 5-10 feet in front of the car. In addition, other cars or pedestrians on the road, I can not see them because of these issues will pose a serious safety risk to not my occupants but to others on the road. I have had the car inspected by my mechanic and we tried the different lights to improve the vision of the lights. The car has not provided any errors on the dashboard, or "engine warning light". I would like to lodge this complaint against Honda, parent company of Acura, to see if there is a resolution to the problem. This is currently still happening on my vehicle.

The low beam headlights have degraded over time and are now barely providing any light, making driving at night unsafe. This appears to be due to the degradation of the low beam assembly reflector. Replacing the low beam headlights with higher quality lights did not make any noticeable difference. This issue has been reported in numerous online chats for the 2015 Acura Rdx.

Headlights are dangerously dim, even with original equipment replacement bulbs.

My 2015 Acura Rdx has such dim headlights, that I feel that it is not safe to drive at night. The headlights have gotten so dim that I can't even tell if they are on, unless I drive by a building and see the lights in the reflection. The only way I can drive safely is to have my high beam headlights on, which is not safe for other drivers. Not to mention illegal in most areas. As I understand it, the 2015 Acura rlx has had recalls for a very similar headlight issue. Why hasn't this recall been extended to the 2015 Rdx, which appears to be built off the same platform, and is having the same issue?.

Can’t see to drive at night with low beams on. Miss turns at night.

Purchased car with ~96k miles. Drove at night and had extremely low road visibility due to lighting. Replaced the bulbs to a high lumen led, did not increase lighting/visibility. My research finds this to be a known issue with a refractor found behind the headlight lens within the headlamp housing.

At night when I turn on my headlights, they turn on, however they do not reflect properly causing severe dimming and inability to see farther than 1-2 feet in front while I am driving. This is a severe safety hazard. Changing the bulbs regardless of halogen or led does not improve. Many forums have this issue and it is too unsafe to drive at night putting myself, my passengers, and people on the street at risk. Mechanic confirms the issue.

The headlights on this vehicle are terrible. Have to drive with brights on at night or cannot see. I replaced with better bulbs but no improvement. I have been told this is a common problem on these vehicles and the only fix is to replace the complete headlight assembly. I was told by dealership this was approximately a $3000 job.

The headlights on this vehicle are very dim and it is dangerous to drive at night. I require my daughter to drive with the high beams on since the low beam lights are hardly functional. I've had the lights replaced at a cost of $500. This did not help the situation. The lights have failed inspection and I'm faced with having to replace the lights again for an additional $500 just to pass inspection. This fix will not resolve the issue. From what I've been able to research online, this is not an isolated situation with 2015 Acura Rdx vehicles. It appears to be a result of a defect in the entire headlight assembly part, which is a significant cost to repair. I'm concerned for the safety of my daughter having to drive this vehicle and the safety of other drivers due to her needing to use her high beams more often than typically required. I contacted Acura USA and was told there were no recalls and that I needed to manage repairs through the dealership. This is an obvious safety issue that Acura should resolve.

Low beam daily headlights do not illuminate properly forcing you to use high beams constantly because you can't see the road at night. Dangerous for driver of vehicle and major hazard for cars you pass because you are using your high beam headlights all the time.

The low-beam reflector itself oxidizes, is not reflective at all, and no amount of brighter bulbs or clean outside lenses will help with a reflector that doesn’t reflect. (it’s also not related to the cloudy inner-lens. It’s the reflector. ) replacing the entire headlight assembly is the only solution which is about 1,000. 00 many people are complaing of this. This should be a recall from Acura. On this model car, the low beams get so dangerously dim, that (my case for example), I literally could not tell if the low beam headlights were on or off if I were driving on a street where any street lights (even just residential neighborhood street lights) were anywhere within eyesight. The only time I could make out that they were on would be if I were on a pitch black section of a street, in which case I could see a very faint glow that only extended maybe four-feet out.

Very low light output from low beams, I have researched others, here is the same situation I have the low-beam reflector itself oxidizes, is not reflective at all, and no amount of brighter bulbs or clean outside lenses will help with a reflector that doesn’t reflect. (it’s also not related to the cloudy inner-lens. It’s the reflector. ) replacing the entire headlight assembly seems to be the only solution ($300-450 for the lights and 2-3 hours of labor) people who mean well and arent familiar with the specifics of the Acura Rdx 2013 to 2015 problem will give you conventional advice (clean the outside lenses and buy the brand bulbs they like), but they are incorrect. There is a widespread and extreme problem and defect with this specific generation of the Acura Rdx. On my car the low beams are so dangerously dim, that (my case for example), I literally could not tell if the low beam headlights were on or off if I were driving on a street where any street lights (even just residential neighborhood street lights) were anywhere within eyesight. The only time I could make out that they were on would be if I were on a pitch black section of a street, in which case I could see a very faint glow that only extended maybe four-feet out. And when I parked facing the garage door at night, just about three feet from the garage door, both the running lights and the flashers were far (not just a little) brighter than the low beams.

Both headlight are dim, even change the headlight bulbs still dim. Night time driver can't see well is very danger!.

I recently purchased this vehicle used, and just drove it at night for the first time. The low-beam headlights are extremely dim, to the point that it was difficult to tell if they were even turned on. This made it very difficult to drive in the dark, and I nearly went off the road as a result. The vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer, service center, or other party, but I did confirm that the headlights were operating, but remained dangerously dim. No warning lights or messages came on to indicate any sort of problem.

Left headlight low beam has become progressively more dim over time and although it appears functional, it's not actually lighting the roadway. Have replaced bulbs and cleaned/buffed headlight assembly with no improvement. Had entire headlight assembly replaced with used headlamp assembly and replaced bulbs, but no improvement. 2014 Rdx head lamps have been recalled for the same reason. Driving at night is difficult and dangerous.

After purchasing this used vehicle from a dealership we began driving home and it got dark. It was then we noticed the headlights on the vehicle are significantly dimmer than other vehicles. I was driving in front of them and noticed this once we got out of the city and onto the freeway. Once we got home I confirmed with the person driving the vehicle that in the dark and rain it was very difficult to see and they felt unsafe. I checked to ensure the lights were turned on properly, which they were. I was hoping that replacing the bulbs would fix the issue but when I went to research this I discovered that many people online experienced the same issue and that replacing the bulbs would not fix the issue. I confirmed in the paperwork and online that the vehicle was up to dates on recall work but that this known issue was not part of any as of yet. I would like to ask that this safety issue be resolved via recall as until doing so I will not be driving in the rain or night as we believe it a potential safety hazard and likely to cause accident or injury to someone.

Low beam headlights became very dim, making it unsafe to drive at night. Only solution was to replace entire headlight housings, costing $2,285 (would have been $4,000 if purchased original vs aftermarket housings).

Low beam head lights get increasingly dim while driving despite changing the bulbs multiple times. The headlights caused the lens to get a film which I removed with a lens restoration kit just for the lens to get back the same way within days. The bulbs are getting entirely too hot. Despite the lens the bulbs are so dim on a road without street lights or another cars headlights you can not see anything. You might as well be driving with your lights off entirely. The fact is it’s dangerous and not safe to drive because of. No lights or warnings have appeared alerting me of any mechanical issues.

I recently bought this vehicle used with a current safety inspection. All fine till I drove it for the first time at night. The low beams put out very little light. I thought perhaps they were not on the road was so dark. The high beams worked fine. The lens are clear. Both low beams bulbs are illuminated . I have read that multiple owners have reported this problem. The problem is not solved by replacing the bulbs but only solved by replacing the whole headlight assembly. A very expensive repair. This car as is is not safe to drive at night unless I keep the high beams on. I suspect a defect in the reflectors inside the unit.

Have tried changing the bulbs and cleaning the outside exterior bulbs to see if the lights shine brighter cannot drive safely at night because the lights are dim regardless seems to be an ongoing issue for multiple Acura owners have to drive illegally using high beams versus low beams.