Electrical System Problems of Acura RDX - part 1

On 3/26/2026 a symbol of an engine appeared on my dash. Then several minutes later the car began running very rough and numerous warnings signs came on including check engine, check awd system, check power steering system, check uphill assist system and others. I took the car to my mechanic this morning and after checking various systems he determined the cylinder deactivation system was not performing properly. He replaced the spark plug for cylinder 3 and confirmed the ignition coil is functioning properly. He was not able to correct the problem and said I should contact the dealer as he thought Honda had issued an extended recall on the Acura 2013 Rdxs because of this problem. He said this malfunction has caused my awd system to be disabled. I called the dealer and they said there was no recall for this issue. I have an appointment on 3/31 to have them check it out. My car only has 83,635 miles on it.

See all problems of the 2013 Acura RDX 🔎.

I was at a stop light, car was stopped, the electronics on the vehicle looked like it went through a reboot, a/c blower fluctuated (turned off then back on), all displays went out and restarted like it does when you start the car. When the traffic light turned green, and I stepped on the gas, the car shuddered and hesitated, like the transmission, abs and traction control were all going haywire. Then the car drove fine. As long as I do not slow down too much or stop. Once I got home and had to back up into the garage, it went through that haywire cycle again. This was the 3rd time this has happened on this car. But after I shut off the engine, wait a little while and start it again, symptom seems to go away, until it decides to happen again. I have had this car since July of 2024, and since that time, I have had this happen to me 3 times and 2 times to my wife. I have read on the net and one of the possibilities talked about if the abs control unit, where soldered wires seems to be melting off of the circuit boards and causing intermittent connection, therefore exhibiting erratic behavior. There are even services on ebay where you can send in your whole abs unit and they will open them up, clean and re-solder the wires. This seems to be scary and concerning from a safety perspective. Please investigate the issue for us who are affected. Occurrences are getting more frequent (almost every other day) and it just happened again today 3/3/26.

See all problems of the 2017 Acura RDX 🔎.

Component failure & inspection: the rear windshield glass spontaneously imploded/shattered. This is a documented manufacturing defect involving the rear defroster grid, as detailed in Acura technical service bulletin (TSB) 22-014. The vehicle and the shattered glass are currently available for inspection. Safety risk: the glass shattered while the vehicle was occupied, spraying shards of tempered glass into the cabin. This posed an immediate risk of laceration and eye injury to the occupants, as well as a significant distraction/startle hazard that could have resulted in a collision if the vehicle were in motion. Confirmation: the failure was inspected and confirmed by mcgrath Acura of westmont on February 27, 2026. The dealership acknowledged the existence of TSB 22-014 and the defect in the defroster grid but has not yet provided a full remedy. Manufacturer inspection: the vehicle is an Acura precision certified unit. A formal case has been opened with Acura client relations (case #16209033), and photos of the failure have been provided to them. Warning symptoms: there were no warning lamps or symptoms prior to the failure. The glass imploded suddenly and without external impact while the vehicle was stationary.

See all problems of the 2019 Acura RDX 🔎.

Common problem with this year and model is the low beam projector headlight assembly dims. This is a huge hazard and makes it impossible to see at night with low beam lights. I cannot see more than 30 feet in front of the vehicle at night making the reaction time to any potential threat non-existent at freeway speed and severely reduced in neighborhoods. All options investigated are to replace assembly, not lightbulb. This is a manufacturer fault and cost should be bourn by the manufacturer. Same problem with the rlx and Acura voluntarily recalled those headlights for replacement. They should be required to do the same for these.

See all problems of the 2015 Acura RDX 🔎.

My car's original security alarm goes off randomly without any reason. When parked and locked in a parking lot next to a street, the alarm goes off intermittently. After unlocking using fob, the alarm will turn off and then goes off again in a few minutes. This will go on for hours at a time until it stops for a few days and then reoccurs again! very stressful and frustrating. The mechanic says it's caused by faulty body control module and will cost over $1,000 to fix. I see that many people are having the same issue and have to pay over $1,000 to repair. This faulty reequipment should be recalled so owners can recoup their damage.

See all problems of the 2018 Acura RDX 🔎.

Vehicle was stolen within 15 minutes due to a weak door lock cylinder on the driver's door. Once the robber was inside they used a scanner yo bypass the weak security system and erased all key fobs.

Information screen went dark no radio or audio.

See all problems of the 2020 Acura RDX 🔎.

The contact owns a 2025 Acura Rdx. The contact stated that while reversing, the vehicle stalled, and the engine seized. The contact stated that while attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that after the third attempt, the vehicle restarted. The contact stated that several days later, the message “idle stop - temporarily interrupted - system warming up or charging” was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failur,e and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 380.

See all problems of the 2025 Acura RDX 🔎.

While driving in the rain, after an hour long drive home from philadelphia back to reading, taking [xxx] and [xxx], I accelerated my vehicle while going around 50 mph and immediately was faced with a blinking check engine light and lost the ability to accelerate. My Acura essentially went into, what others call, limp mode while in sport mode. I filled my car with 93 gas around 20 minutes before this. After losing acceleration, I pulled over on the highway and the check engine light disappeared. After which, I still was unable to accelerate after leaving the car in park. After I turned the car off and turned the car back on maybe 30 seconds later, I was then able to accelerate and found no issues afterwards. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Acura Rdx alarm keeps going off; Smart power control unit (keyless access/tpms) is faulty.

While driving at highway speed, all of a sudden I lost all power steering and multiple system failure warning lights appeared on the center dashboard including power steering failure, brake system failure and collision mitigation system failure, among others. With great difficulty I was able to steer the car off the highway and was towed to an Acura dealer. The car was 5 months old with just over 3000 miles at the time and there were no prior issues and no advanced warning when this happened. The dealer (Acura of berlin in CT) stated they have seen this issues several times. The battery voltage was low (11. 98-12. 09 volts), although the car was being driven at highway speeds for at least 45 minutes before the incident. They charged and tested the battery, and their diagnostics said the battery was good. They also found a code "dtc u3000-49 eps control unit internal circuit malfunction". The dealer opened an incident with the Acura tech line, who indicated that if the problem happens again they should replace the steering rack. No repair other than battery charging was performed. This is an unacceptable safety risk waiting for it to happen again. There are many reports of this exact problem online from 2025 Acura Rdx owners. We need an immediate recall.

My car alarm starting going off at random throughout the night, last night and day today. The car also started flickering all the dashboard lights while the car was turned off completely. This seems like it’s the keyless access unit. I don’t know how the battery is not dead yet but seems like it will be tomorrow. The car has not been diagnosed by a dealership or independent service center but I’m seeing many people say they’ve had this same issue happen to them with the same year, make and model. There was no warning lights or symptoms instead I was woke up in the middle of the night to my car alarm going off. After turning the alarm off it happened again after about 5 minutes. My neighbor was outside and told me that it had actually been going off all night. I am now the villain of the neighborhood. This will definitely kill my battery as I’m watching and hearing electrical components turning on when I haven’t touched the key fob or door.

The contact owns a 2025 Acura Rdx. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30-35 mph and exiting the interstate, the power steering became inoperable. The steering wheel was difficult to turn. The power steering, low brake speed, and lane keep assist warning lights were illuminated. The message “do not drive vehicle – see dealer” was displayed. The driver pulled over safely. The vehicle was restarted, and the contact continued driving. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure; because there were no warning lights illuminated upon arrival. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.

Acuralink app was used to attempt to remote start car while at a store, however, the app reported a failed notification and car was never started through the app and only turned on manually. Two hours later, when at home, the car remote started suddenly with no prompt while it was inside of a closed garage. Our dog heard the car go off and alerted us. Had he not heard it, the car would have been running in a closed garage putting us at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning. I have done no other reporting, but I did look this up and found threads online about the same issue and was recommended to report here. There were no other warnings or messages to say that the car turned on.

See all problems of the 2021 Acura RDX 🔎.

It was raining and I was sat at a stop light. The brakes started to slip a little no matter how much I pressed then all of a sudden the entire car started shutting down. Engine, transmission, power steering, lane keep assist, collision warning, all the lights started flashing. The car was put into limp mode.

I was going around a curve at 20mph and all of a sudden my steering wheel locked up and so did my brakes and I ended up in a ditch. I took a picture of all the alerts that came up on the vehicle.

While in traffic and stopped at a light, the engine stalled and completely shut down all of a sudden. I had to restart the car and was able to drive home. The engine stalled while in traffic with two other passengers in the car and during a time with other vehicles on the road. The car stalled shortly after turning a corner and other cars potentially rear ending my car due to a sudden stalling. I’m on the way to the dealership where I purchased the 2020 Acura Rdx awd brand new for a check up. The vehicle has not yet been checked by anyone but will be later today. When the car stalled, there were no warning lamps or messages. This was the first time happening but the electrical system has turned off unexpectedly before. I’ve brought the car back to the dealership for the electrical system and it was previously repaired. The new problem includes the electrical system outage plus engine stalling during traffic. Very scary and unacceptable for any car.

Keyless access unit and security system. Random ignition flickering and alarm going on and off numerous times with or without key nearby. Said to be commonly known issue for similar years for various Acura models including Rdx.

One day last December it rained very hard for a couple of days. It about 6:30pm I got in my car to go to an appointment. There was water inside the cab, on the seats, inside of the windshield, in the dashboard and controls. . . And about 4 inches of water on the floor on both passenger and driver side. When I tried to start the car, all the electrical systems went haywire. Everything was blinking at me in the dashboard many different warnings and hazard lights. I took the car to the dealership for service. I was by service department told that drainage lines on the top where the sun visor is were clogged up and the water had backed up into the vehicle. This was no fault of my own. I have maintained this automobile with Acura only for 6 years, since I purchased it. This is serious, even though it was resolved by clearing the lines but the damage to the electrical system were extensive. Now that the lines are cleared who's to say this will not happen again? will my car flood again someday? I believe this to be a design flaw and should be corrected by Acura as a possible. I believe it should be a recall, it could affect the safety of the driver and passengers. Thanks for your attention to this matter.

The auto-stop feature on my 2019 Acura Rdx has resulted in my car abruptly shutting down twice now -- today it happened when I slowed to a stop at an intersection. Basically, rather than just shutting the engine off while idling, it shuts of the electrical (dashboard and infotainment -- all systems) and engine and then immediately restarts with the car in park. There was no warning sound or light prior to the car turning off and restarting. Obviously, it is very dangerous for a car to turn off unexpectedly, and I'm thankful that I was braking to a stop at a red light and had time for the engine to turn back on, and to put car back in drive.

Alarm kept going off.

Problem with rear back mirror defects after so long my back window shattered with no reason.

Acura Rdx headlight problem, dimming headlights, which is a known issue according to the Acura dealership service department in brentwood, TN. The Acura technician stated that this is often caused by delaminating reflector film, and flickering headlights, which can result from faulty relays or wiring. The dimming makes it hard to see while driving during sundown. Driving with the high beam on causes problems for oncoming traffic. Acura acknowledged the issue, and a recall addressed the delamination issue for some models, but not the 2014 Rdx. For my models, Acura stated the internal reflector is damaged, and replacing bulbs will not help. The most effective solution is to replace the headlight assembly or the entire projector housing, which can be a costly repair.

See all problems of the 2014 Acura RDX 🔎.

Headlights due to the lack of brightness and deterioration over time, the driver is left with a lack of visibility. Unknown if reproduced. No inspections. No warnings or messages.

Back up camera system failure.

This morning I awoke to another shattered rear windshield. I had the exact same thing happen in January of this year. This is my second out of cost rear windshield replacement due to the known problem Acura has failed to address. I have spent over 1,000 dollars on replacement glass in addition to my car being in the shop for 3 months waiting for a fuel pump. This is ridiculous, and something needs to be done.

October 30th 6pm, parked car at home and exterior lights (headlights, fog lights, rear lights) would not turn off. Car was not running. Lights finally went off when battery was completely drained. Had to jump battery to get car to dealership on October 31st. There were no previous warning lamps or messages. Dealership did a complete reinspect and were able to reproduce issue. Dealership determined that there was a leak in the sunroof. I then shared that the sunroof had been rattling and popping for a few weeks, but did not mention when dropping off for the lights since I didn't think it was related. I have spoken to Honda who states that this VIN does not have any recalls. There are known issues with the sunroofs for this year and make of car, but no recalls and the extended warranty as well as the 'certified car' warranty does not cover this issue.

Dashboard warning lights all light up at once. Flickering on and off. Lights turn on and off inside car, it unlocks and locks car on it’s own. Says key is not close to car when trying to turn on car. Alarm goes off randomly once parked and locked.

The alarm and lights keep going off for no reason. The doors can be locked and armed. Goes off even when not locked.

The car hesitates to start and while driving jerks at around 20mph. This happened a few times in the last year. When taken to dealer, because they could not reproduce incident, said it can’t be diagnosed. I told them it jerks when accelerating at around 20mph and keeps doing it every time I have to stop at light and go again.

I have a 2017 Acura Rdx all wash lights on ( check emissions, abs, brake, brake system, power steering, tpms, and hill start assist, air bags, no seatbelt). Been to 3 different dealerships nobody can figure out what's wrong because the car does not communicate with itself anymore. Unsafe to drive because some is majorly wrong. Losses acceleration and beeps at you that the whole vehicle is not working.

Drove vehicle home during daylight. At nite the low-beam lights are useless high-beam needed to be able to see. Carfax was unaware of a "safety recall" for this problem. I found numerous complaints about this on the web. There needs to be a "recall" to get this corrected. Should be addressed by mfg and not consumer.

The infotainment screen went blank 4 times. It works intermittently and reset itself. The dealer performed service bulletin s/b 24-004 on may 21, 2024. Since then it has gone out twice. I taking the vehicle in again. I seen there are issues with that system draining the battery and the car not starting. That had to me this morning.

See all problems of the 2023 Acura RDX 🔎.

Car would not turn on. All electronics started glitching, lights flickering. Had to disconnect the battery to turn off.

Vehicle began jerking while in motion, and all error messages the vehicle has ability to display rotated across the screen, including po848. Transmission was replaced by a dealer. Vehicle would not start two weeks later. Vehicle towed to dealer. Dealer stated battery and starter were bad. Both of those components replaced by Acura dealer. Within one week, alarm was sounding randomly and clicking noise coming from dash. Dealer is now replacing a control module. This is a safety issue because as it was jerking, I lost control of the vehicle. The car alarm going off for a prolonged time at high decibels puts the hearing of bystanders at risk. Seems the car poses a fire risk as well.