Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Acura RDX - part 1

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).

See all problems of the 2019 Acura RDX 🔎.

The vehicle should be included in the recall for similar makes and models with the same issue. I almost crashed on the freeway because my high fuel pressure pump stopped working.

The torque converter is defective in my 2018 Acura Rdx. I have received flashing warning lights on my dashboard in red " check transmission. " this warning light is due to Acura's defective torque converter. The torque converter affects the shifting of power during driving and cause hesitance or shuddering when attempting to accelerate. Which causes my vehicle to sometimes to have a decrease in power . This affects my safety while driving my 2018 Acura Rdx. Acura is aware of this defect and safety risk. Acura client relations informed me that Acura was mandated by the government to provide a warranty extension for the 2017-2018 torque converter. I received one of these notices and took my car for the repair. I left my car with the dealership for 6 days. The dealership decided that they will not repair my car because they have determined my car has a "branded title. " I purchased my vehicle used from an auto body shop. My vehicle was declared to be salvaged. My engine/transmission/torque converter is the original on my Acura Rdx. And was never damaged or repaired. My Rdx torque defect should be a safety recall because it affects my safety.

See all problems of the 2018 Acura RDX 🔎.

On July 12, 2025 my husband, the driver, and myself, owner of the vehicle and passenger this day, were driving on the freeway at approximately 7:00am in the middle lanes of the freeway. Without any codes or warnings beforehand, we heard the car make alarming beeps and automatically loss all power to the engine while traveling at highway speeds. This situation put my husband and my lives at risk and in a dangerous situation as there was traffic on a busy freeway and lost all power to the vehicle and made even maneuvering off the freeway a dangerous action as we had no warning beforehand there was something wrong. My husband was able to get us safely out of harms way. After being diagnosed at a mechanic, it turns out this problem happened due to a cracked cylinder head and had no previous warnings of an issue and no warning lights on the vehicle alerting to a problem, I will have the cylinder head in my possession and the mechanic I took my vehicle stated it cannot be ruled out this could be a manufacturer’s or casting defect. I tried contacting Acura corporation about this situation but was told that since I did not take it to a dealership and have a certified tech look at my vehicle, there will be no case and no type of remedy or reimbursement for this situation.

I have a 2021 Acura Rdx a-spec aw and ever since I had a brakes problem, when applying brakes will not take break promptly kept slipping like going I address this to the dealer numerous time and what they said is that they haven’t had a recall in order to know what really the problem is I think is due to my calipers and probably rotors, but I think is the cut for defect on these 2021 Acura Rdx . Also my engine been leaking oil from the top rear side and rear the valve cover this need to be addressed and I have made a complaint to Acura Honda the corp. And they said they haven’t been a recall for this. Also, I would like someone to look at this matter break and engine problem due to a leak that could cost a fire.

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.

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.

See all problems of the 2020 Acura RDX 🔎.

If the vehicle goes over 65 mph the transmission light starts blinking on the dashboard.

See all problems of the 2017 Acura RDX 🔎.

While accelerating off the entrance ramp onto the highway, the engine randomly slows down automatically…the car reduced speed drastically without applying brakes and without cars around me or in front of me.

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.

Nhta recall 23v-858 this particular recall has been active since 12-18-2023. I have checked with my local dealership, scanlon Acura in ft myers, FL, to arrange for a repair several times. Each time I have been told that they do not have the part. On Friday, 12-6-2024, a spoke to a service representative at the dealership. He advised me that they did have the part and scheduled an appointment to replace the defective part on Monday, 12-9-2024. When I arrived at the dealership, I was told that they did not have the part. Something is not right here. I suspect that the dealership does not want to replace the part because it is time-consuming, expensive, and represents an action where they do not receive enough compensation. This recall has been active for nearly a year, and NHTSA should intervene to expedite this process in order to prevent possible car crashes and injuries.

I am unable to find a dealership that will perform the repair, please help. They all say they are short or parts and are only fixing vehicles experiencing issues. I lose power when accelerating all the time but this apparently is not enough.

I started driving on the freeway for a few miles in the rain and suddenly started to hear a low rumble/rattling sound from the engine area. The car began to cycle through error messages for every one of the electronic safety systems (brake system, vehicle stability assist system, electric power steering system, adaptive cruise control system, collision mitigation braking, & road departure mitigation) the car then began to lose drive power (wouldn’t maintain/increase speed when pressing the gas pedal). I moved over to the furthest right lane/slow lane and continued to lose propulsion from the gas pedal. Being forced to such a slow speed on the freeway in inclement weather was very unsafe for me and my wife who was in the car with me. I had to drive on the shoulder in order to exit the freeway and the engine rattle got increasingly louder and worse sounding. I pulled into a parking lot and the car was not drivable. Aaa tow to a aaa certified mechanic repair shop and was told that there was metal debris in the oil pan and oil filter which was signs a faulty engine components that has now destroyed the motor. I’m currently without the Rdx and being told it is in need of a whole new motor.

Premature defective hydraulic timing belt tensioner similarly to the 2018 and 2019 Rdx under recall. The seal in the tensioner prematurely aged causing hydraulic leakage making it unable to maintain timing belt tension. If the tensioner fail at highway speed causing the timing belt to skip leading to out of timing and major engine malfunction.

On October 31, 2024, I was nearing the end of a three hour trip. I was traveling on a rural two-lane highway with a 55 mph speed limit. I had just pulled away from a 4-way stop intersection and was following a single vehicle traveling 40 mph. Once I could see there was a safe distance from oncoming traffic, I decided to pass the slower vehicle. As I moved into the opposite lane and accelerated, the engine lost power and barely made it around the car I was passing. If oncoming traffic had been closer there could have been a head-on collision. The engine light started flashing and I had to keep the accelerator pressed half way to the floor to maintain 50 mph. There was no shoulder on the road and no place to pull over, so I continued for 15 minutes with engine light blinking and struggling to maintain 50 mph. No other warning lights came on and the engine was not overheating. When I reached my destination I turned the engine off and then restarted it. The flashing engine light was gone and the car drove fine. The nearest Acura dealer was an hour away so I took the car to my dealer when I returned from my trip. They test drove the vehicle and called the Acura tech line. They could not duplicate the problem. They said they did not find any diagnostic codes so there was nothing they could do. They said if it happens again to bring it back. If it happens again I might not live to tell the story!.

See all problems of the 2023 Acura RDX 🔎.

Engine judders at 2k rpm around 60 mph. Car has 92k miles with timely documented service maintenance. Took car to the dealership and said there’s a head gasket leak on cylinder 4 and needs to be replaced. Contacted american Honda about the issue and they said they cannot cover the repair cost. They also don’t have the replacement part for the fuel pump recall for a long time as well.

My 2018 Rdx has started to jerk when I stop and then restart. I have noticed some hesitation and a bit of jerky driving but today it was very noticeable. I could barely go above 40 miles an hour after I started driving after a stop light and the car was very jerky. It seems to be either a fuel pump or transmission issue. I am going to check with the Rdx dealership where I bought the car in 2018 but I wanted to report the issue. I also looked up the VIN on my car for a recall and the system said my car had not been recalled. Not sure why my 2018 Rdx is different from other 2018 Rdx models that were recalled.

Highlight: the car was able to be started with a button press and driven away without any key inside the car. (also, some side information that the car had it's annual check-up on the Saturday before this incident). Normally my wife keeps her purse in the house on the counter (along with the spare key in a drawer under that counter). Previously, if she forgot her purse (and car keys inside the purse), she would head out to the garage and attempt to start the car (she keeps it unlocked in the garage). In a normal situation, the car would beep at her that she didn't have the key and she would go into the house to grab her purse. On 7/31, after a frazzling day, she got a call from her doctor to come to their office for a checkup (40 minutes away). She forgot her purse again; however, this time, the car started without any warning. She took the complete drive to the doctor's office shut off the car and then realized she didn't have her purse. She even tried to turn the car back on to see if the key was in the car, it did not start. She called me, I checked her purse and spare key were both in the same location they were always in. I did remotely try to start the car to see if she could drive it back with me starting it, however, it wouldn't let her take it out of park. She continued with her doctor's appointment. Inconveniently, I grabbed her purse and took my car 40 minutes to drop off her keys and back. Luckily, she was at a doctor's office and in a safe space, however, this has the potential to be very inconvenient and unsafe for others.

The contact owns a 2019 Acura Rdx. While the contact’s wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the engine seized. The contact's wife restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. Additionally, the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

My vehicle stopped in the middle of the road as I took exit from the highway. I was almost rear ended as I was entering the parking lot . The vehicle just stalled. I took it the Acura dealership for fix and they have not taken care of recall issue. I am being asked to spend money on fixing other electrical errors first before they fix the recall on my vehicle.

Interstate 10 near live oak, florida. Conditions were light fog and roads were dry. The previous day we drove about six hours, two or three times in very heavy rain. We were driving eastbound (two eastbound lanes) in the right lane. We were approaching a semi-trailer followed by a medium-sized box truck and switched to the left lane to pass both vehicles. Another vehicle was approaching from behind in the left lane and I "floored" the accelerator pedal to quickly pass the two trucks. The Rdx downshifted as expected and the engine revs increased briefly, but suddenly the check engine light started blinking and the car lost power and went into limp mode. Pressing the accelerator to the floor made little difference. Instead of quickly passing I was only able to get past the two trucks at a slow rate with a line of vehicles growing behind me. Eventually I was able to get past the trucks, switch lanes and quickly move over to the breakdown lane. If there had been heavier traffic, this could have easily resulted in a serious accident. I restarted the vehicle and resumed our trip without further incident. This is a known issue supposedly addressed by Acura via TSB 20-053 for some model years and reported on Acura enthusiast web sites. I had the same experience with my previous 2020 Rdx after having the TSB completed, I filed an report for that incident under NHTSA id number: 11522688. There are hundreds of reports for this issue for all 3rd generation Rdx model years, 2019-2024, on the NHTSA site I brought the vehicle to a dealer on July 5, 2024. Unable to duplicate. No codes stored (as has been stated on other reported incidents). No water intrusion to coil packs or plugs and no fouling or damage to plugs. I cannot trust a vehicle if I have to be concerned about whether or not I should pass another vehicle and how hard I can press the accelerator. This is an ongoing issue with the Rdx that should be investigated.

See all problems of the 2024 Acura RDX 🔎.

Drove into parking lot and as I was pulling into the parking spot next to the building, the vehicle started to surge forward as if I had my foot on the gas instead of the brake. The sudden surge caused the vehicle to plow into a brick building causing about $10k damage to the vehicle and $5k to the building. This was not the first time this sudden surging occurred. It happened at least 3 times previously, and one time since. Fortunately, the other occurrences did not lead to any damages, but just some anxious moments. I took the vehicle to the dealership to get checked out after the last occurrence, but they said they couldn't duplicate it. I thought it might be some sort of "unknown" problem, until I started reading on facebook and other internet websites of other people having the same scary "surging" engine issues. I believe there's more to it now, and an investigation is warranted.

The contact owns a 2018 Acura Rdx. The contact stated while driving 80 mph, the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated to 0 mph. The contact was able to pull over safely. The vehicle was restarted and worked as designed. The check engine and emissions warning lights were illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v858000 (fuel system, gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

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.

While driving on a freeway for about 15 minutes at 65 mph, the mil indicator started blinking. The vehicle began to rapidly shake, while the engine power decreased significantly. The engine dramatically went from 65 mph to 35 mph causing a safety hazard while driving on the freeway as we attempted to exit and pull over safely. The vehicle is a 2021 Acura Rdx and is driven approximately 10,000 miles per year. All maintenance has been performed in accordance with the manufacturer's schedule. It has not been involved in any collisions or other user risk other than normal driving in accordance with the approved use of the vehicles. Upon trying to restart the vehicle, the vehicle continues to violently shake while in park. Notification lights indicating brake failure, awd failure, check emissions system, etc. There were no other indicators that there was an issue with the vehicle prior to this instance on 4/20/2024. In fact, the vehicle was viewed by cerritos Acura for its regularly schedule service on 4/10/2024 and no issues were identified by the dealer. As far as safety, we were traveling with two young children and the location of the freeway did not have a safe place to pull over. The sudden reduction in speed also put us in risk with surrounding vehicles. This appears to be related to TSB 20-053, however, no communication have been identified or communicated by the dealers to the the owner/operator of the vehicle.

The emission light flashes and puts the vehicle in "limp mode. " the speed is drastically reduced and won't exceed 30 mph. Horrify experience. The problem seems related to rain and acceleration. Now the car is towed. No warning before it happens. But the emission light was flashing afterward.

I am writing to report a concerning issue with my Acura Rdx 2017, which I believe poses a significant safety risk and requires immediate attention from your organization. The problem I encountered while driving jeopardizes the safety of both myself and others on the road. About five days ago, while driving at approximately 20 mph, my vehicle began emitting loud, thunderous sounds, accompanied by intense vibrations that shook the entire car. Additionally, it seemed to struggle when shifting gears, particularly into second or third gear. Despite my careful and gradual acceleration, the car exhibited signs of a malfunction within its transmission system. Furthermore, at around 35 mph, the engine suddenly revved to over 3000 rpm, causing the vehicle to accelerate without any input from me. This acceleration occurred even though my foot was not on the gas pedal, making the car difficult to control and putting me at risk of colliding with other vehicles or objects. The unpredictability of these incidents is deeply alarming and could lead to serious accidents if not addressed promptly. I purchased this vehicle in December 2023 and have maintained it according to the manufacturer's recommendations. However, when I inquired about the timing belt at the dealership, I was assured that it had passed inspection. Despite this, the recent malfunctions suggest a more serious underlying issue that needs immediate attention. Crucially, there were no warning lights, messages, or other indications of a problem prior to these incidents, underscoring the sudden and unexpected nature of the issue. I urge the NHTSA to investigate this matter urgently and thoroughly. I request that you initiate a recall of affected vehicles and implement necessary repairs to address the identified defects. Swift action is essential to ensure the safety of all motorists who may be affected by this issue.

On entering the highway and accelerating quickly, engine lost power and car entered limp mode, refusing to exceed 60 mph. Also, check engine light began flashing. Very dangerous situation in heavy traffic all going over 70 mph. Exited at next exit, shut down car, then restarted with no further issues.

On a long road trip (2/11/2024-2/19/2024) from milwaukee, WI to bowling green, ky. And from from bowling green, ky to orlando, FL. While driving from bowling green, ky about 8 hours into the drive, we were in a massive rain storm which started in atlanta, GA. And did not end until we crossed into florida. About 60 miles past the border of florida traveling on i75, I needed to over-ride the cruise control traveling at about 80 mph and allow for a merging vehicle, so I pressed hard on the accelerator and the vehicle essentially shut off and the mil was flashing. I was in the left lane (two lane highway at this point) traffic was moving quickly, but fortunately I was able to merge safely across traffic to the right shoulder without causing an accident because the vehicle was slowing at a rapid rate. The vehicle came to a stop on the shoulder with my wife and two kids freaking out. I shut off the vehicle, successfully restarted the vehicle and accelerated into traffic. Fortunately this did not happen in the mountain pass where there is no shoulder to pull into.

I was passing another vehicle around 45mph when I had a loss of power in acceleration. Acceleration was limp went down to 10mph engine light came on. I had to pull off road. Shut car off then restarted. Engine light went off. But acceleration is weak. Unable to maneuver away from an emergency situation if need to. Dangerous to drive it like this. I will take it to dealership but know they' never find any issues!.

On 2-10-2024 I was driving the 2021 Rdx sh-awd on I-40w in TN with my daughter in the passenger's seat. It was raining. After about 2 hours of driving, at about 3:00 pm, I took a break at a rest area near buffalo valley. After ~20-min rest, I restarted the car and tried to merge back onto I-40w. I was accelerating towards the speed limit of 70 m/h, but suddenly, at about 65m/h, I felt the car losing power. I could not speed up anymore: the car did not respond to the gas pedal and the speed dropped to about 40m/h. The orange engine light started to flash on the dashboard. A truck nearly piled on me from behind. Cars and trucks from behind had to switch lanes quickly to avoid collision. I was able to pull over to the shoulder and stopped with my emergency light on. I turned off the engine for about 10 minutes, then I restarted the car again and got back on the road. This time, everything seemed normal, but I was so scared and worried the car might suddenly not respond again. Fortunately, I was able to get home eventually without any additional problems.

Near the first of the year 2024 I received a fuel pump recall notice for my 2019 Acura Rdx. To date, no parts for addressing this issue have been available and no timeline has been made available as to when parts would be available. I am planning my annual trip to the eastern sierra in early September where no Acura dealer is available nearby. Should the fuel pump fail during that trip it would be a significant inconvenience for me, including interruption of medical appointments, room and board expenses, pet sitting expenses, etc. , as I have been told by Honda that in such an emergency situation the car would have to be towed to the nearest dealership, with the part being specially ordered which would take 2 weeks and that I may be responsible for my room and board, and other costs during that period. I find this behavior to be outrageous. Additionally I have been told by my local dealer that it is not possible to determine possible failure beforehand as either it is working or it has failed. This is totally opposite from what I was told by Honda which was to schedule an appointment with a dealer to determine the status of the fuel pump so that they could special order one for replacement if it demonstrated potential failure. This entire issue reeks of poor and ineffective management of this situation by Honda, likely putting costs over safety putting me at substantial risk for this trip that was planned a year ago and likely will cost me my deposit and access privileges if canceled. As such, I am requesting that NHTSA hold Honda/Acura accountable for this disgraceful behavior, putting owners of their vehicles at substantial risk, and demand that they explore and take immediate actions to resolve the parts shortage in a reasonable amount of time.

Safety concerns with 2015 Acura Rdx engine. My vehicle has experienced multiple serious engine failures beginning December 8, 2023, when it suddenly lost power while driving with a flashing check engine light. Despite multiple repair attempts by mcdaniel's Acura dealership (timing belt replacement, spark plugs, front cylinder head replacement, pulley replacements), the issues have persisted and worsened. Technicians found oil in cylinders 1&3, metal debris in the oil filter, and diagnosed the engine as failing in may 2024. Current symptoms include white smoke from the tailpipe, engine rattling, and ongoing risk of sudden failure. This vehicle was leased new in 2015, purchased after lease term, and consistently maintained at Acura dealerships. Despite opening two cases with Acura client relations (#14622769 on April 29 and #14633862 on may 6, 2024), Honda financial declined assistance. The dealership only offered a trade-in "incentive" while admitting they couldn't resell my vehicle due to its condition, and would instead auction in off. I'm unable to safely use this as my primary transportation. Similar engines have had multiple recalls between 2018-2023, including a December 2023 recall of 2. 6 million vehicles for fuel pump issues and recalls for connecting rod bearings in similar engines. In November 2024, NHTSA began investigating 1. 4 million Honda/Acura v6 engines for rod bearing failures. I request NHTSA investigate whether this represents a broader safety defect affecting other Acura Rdx vehicles. Service records from December 2023-may 2024 are attached as documentation of all repair attempts and diagnoses by authorized Acura technicians.

See all problems of the 2015 Acura RDX 🔎.

I was driving on the highway and it was raining. I tried to pass another car so I started to accelerate. But during my attempt to accelerate, my 2019 Acura Rdx would not respond to throttle response. So I slowly started to loose speed the car. The engine warning light started to flash and the car came to a stop on a dangerous road construction area with no medians. I had to turn on my hazards and wait on the road at night. I quickly turned off the engine and tried to turn the engine on again. When I turned the engine on it no error codes were shown and the check engine light was gone. I started to drive again and was able to get to a service road. After a while I decided to try to keep driving so I could get home and when I was merging into the highway, it happened again. The same situation, I was accelerating when my engine decided to stop accelerating and flash the check engine light (it didn’t stall but it wouldn’t respond to throttle response). I stopped on the side of the road and turned the engine off before turning it on again. Again the check engine light was not on, and the car acted like nothing happened. It seems like accelerating to higher speed in the rain is a huge safety issue….

Fast blinking engine light, and car not able to accelerate past 40mph. Was informed by dealership that it was possible water intrusion but had no guarantee or adequate mitigation strategy to ensure the problem would not occur other than indicating it is normal behavior to expect during heavy down pour!! the following codes were presented to dealership service dept after performing diagnostic: p0300, p0301, p0304 car has 10k miles and it’s a 2023 Rdx a spec. Another issue happening with the car is an intermittent “brake failure. See dealership” message on the dashboard. Was told it’s expected behavior for this to sometimes happen and due to no permanent code present, they cannot repair or identify the issue. I guess the breaks have to fail while driving before they actually prevent an accident from happening?!!!.