Exterior Lighting Problems of Acura RDX - part 2

Headlights have grown dim. The bulbs have been replaced multiple times to find a bright enough bulb, to no avail. Approximate visual distance at night in unlit areas is less than 25'. This is a safety hazard because this does not allow enough time to avoid impacts.

See all problems of the 2013 Acura RDX 🔎.

Low beam headlights are very dim, making it difficult to see at night. I believe this puts me, as well as other drivers at serious risk of injury. I see many other reported issues with the low beam headlights being too dim, but evidently Honda/Acura has not recalled my car (yet).

See all problems of the 2014 Acura RDX 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2015 Acura RDX 🔎.

The contact owns a 2021 Acura Rdx. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front headlights and instrument panel lights started blinking off and on. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the body control module had malfunctioned due to water intrusion from the moon roof seals. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.

See all problems of the 2021 Acura RDX 🔎.

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 headlights are dangerously dim due to the oem headlightbulbs burning the reflector bowls in the projector headlights this is a problem that's been complained about by many many people.

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.

The headlights are failing. They are very dim. I am no longer driving this car at night if I can avoid it. If I do drive at night, I have to have the brights on 100% of the time to see the road effectively. It became more serious 2 nights ago when I could not see a median in the road and ran over it. I had three teens in the car with me. I had driven as a chaperone to a school competition. We were at the beginning of a 4 hour drive home in the rain. I have not taking any action to repair or replace anything at this time. There are no vehicle warnings to indicate the problem.

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.

Headlights have gradually dimmed to unsafe levels of brightness for driving in the dark. I have replaced the bulbs for brighter ones, but it did not improve at all. Looking online, this appears to be a known issue with this year, make, and model of the vehicle regarding the entire headlight housing unit. I suggest the Acura, the manufacturing company, recall the vehicle to repair this dire safety issue.

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.

The low beam on this car is unusable after a certain period of time. I haven't been driving out at night since the past 4-5 years thinking this is an issue with my particular car; but now am seeing this widely reported in the Acura community online as well as on reddit. The high beam which is the same bulb works absolutely fine.

Headlights are extremely dim even when replaced with new bulbs. Issue has progressively worsened over years. Vehicle is unsafe to drive in the dark. Was informed I need new headlights housings from my local mechanic due to internal reflector failure.

My car is undriveable at night due to headlights malfunctioning. They are so dim they barely illuminate a foot in front of the car.

I purchased a 2015 Acura Rdx used for my kids to drive. A year after owning it, I noticed the headlight output was poor. Things came to a head when my 16 year old son came home and told me he felt unsafe driving. The car currently has 120,000 miles on it. I tried multiple headlight restoration kits and several replacement bulbs but nothing helped. After digging deep into various forums, I learned the root cause is the deterioration of the reflective material inside of the headlight housing. I called multiple locations to determine the cost to have them replaced and learned it would be around $3,000. I then called Honda for assistance and was informed they would not offer any. I was ultimately forced to purchase and replace the units myself. I have never experienced this in my life and after owning 20+ cars believe this should have been a recall paid for by Honda.

Front low beam headlights are dangerously dim.

In the headlight assembly the main headlight bowls are deteriorated/defective. The amount of light that the regular low beams or high beams provide at night is insufficient. This makes driving at night with the factory assembly lights highly dangerous.

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.

The low beam headlights are so dim they cause me to practically stop when faced with an oncoming car because I am not able to see. I am not able to drive this vehicle at night because of this. I have had the bulbs replaced but there is no improvement. From all I have read online it is a defective reflector. Please do something about this. It is an extreme safety issue to drive a car without headlights or to be blinding oncomers with high beams. Thank you.

Headlights are so dim that it is a safety risk. Literally cannot see to drive at night. I see reports online from many Acura owners that say this is a known defect yet to be recalled by Acura. There were no warning signs.

The low beam headlights are not bright enough for safe driving in normal weather. They register as not on. In rain and wet pavement - they are highly dangerous and it’s very difficult to see lane markings or for any distance in front of the car. At higher speeds on the highway - it’s even more concerning. I’ve had them checked when I bought the car for alignment and replaced the bulbs with high definition bulbs. I’ve also had the lenses professionally cleaned all with no improvement. I have to drive around with my high beams on constantly and in fog and rain and this is sometimes also problematic. It’s so unsafe and you don’t think to check “if the headlights are good enough “ when you buy a car. It’s not something that should vary. It’s a clear and present manufacturing and safety issue that could end lives.

Vehicle headlights on my 2013 Acura Rdx base model have become progressively dimmer over time to the point that the vehicle is becoming unsafe/undriveable at night and in poor weather. Contacted my local dealer. They acknowledged that this was a known issue. Said the only remedy was to replace the entire headlight unit on both driver and passenger sides. Quoted me $913. 99 per unit with labor cost of $305 and tax it would come over $2344 for this "fix".

The low beams on this vehicle have been consistently getting worse even with cleaning of the outside components and changing the bulbs. This makes it dangerous for night driving.

The reflector in the headlight assembly failed and the headlights are so dim it's unsafe to drive after dark.

Headlights are too dim for safe driving. I have replacement bulbs and the housing. Honda estimate for repair for a condition that is the result of using manufacturing materials (as I understand it) that degrade over time and lead to dimming is cost prohibitive.

I purchased the car new and have maintained the vehicle in very condition. What happened is the headlights have gradually become dim as time passed, now they are not effective, creating an unsafe driving condition at night. I spoke with the dealer about this problem and I was informed that this is a common problem for the 2013 Acura Rdx. There were no warning lights or maintenance tasks that would prevent this problem. The vehicle is available for inspection.

Headlights have been too dim to see at night for many years - I was pulled over by a police office because of this. I want to sell my vehicle but cannot in my right mind do this until there has been a recall to fix the situation that will not cost me a ton of money.

The headlights have dimmed so much that I can’t even drive the car at night. We spent $80 to replace the bulbs and that didn’t help. The headlights are extremely unsafe.

The low beam lights are extremely dim, had to drive with hight beam on all the time, which would make it dangerous for the on comers, during rain or fog, high beam should not be used and low beam is of no help at all, its a prevalent with 2015 Rdx base model at least, apparently Honda does not want to care about that.

After 10 years, the low beam headlights have become very dim to the point that it’s difficult and unsafe for myself and other drivers for me to drive this car at night, especially in the fog or rain. Apparently this won’t be fixed by simply replacing the bulbs and will be a costly repair at no fault of the owners. I agree with many others that this needs to be a recall fix.

The low beam light is extremely dim, making it unsafe and dangerous to drive at night. I hope this issue can be considered for a recall.

Headlights are so dim, it is dangerous to drive in the dark. The only solution is to purchase new headlight assemblies. $1,000+. This is a known problem amongst owners of the same vehicle. Driving with the dim lights is equally as dangerous as driving without lights on.

The front headlights on this car are dangerously dim. We have replaced bulbs, cleaned lenses, but the lights eventually dim. Night driving is treacherous because we have to use high beams constantly which don't light the road immediately in front of the car. The dimming has been going on for the past 5-7 years, and it is a design flaw of this car. Acura is not offering any sort of recall/replacement for the housing to fix this issue. We are getting estimates of $2000+ from local repair shops to replace the housings. This is a safety issue that Acura should address for all affected models and I would urge the NHTSA to investigate.

The low front light is so dim that we need to turn on the high light to see at night. Having to use high lights also creates a glare problem for other motorists, but we need the high light as the low light is so dim that it creates a safety hazard for driving at night in urban areas with low lights. We changed the front low halogen bulb lights for led lights but it was not enough. People suggest to change the front light house or case, but the problem persist as the reflective materials inside the oem case becomes defective after using the lights for some time.