Service Brakes Problems of Acura RDX - part 1

While driving my 2025 Acura Rdx a-spec advance (approx. 5,000 miles) at about 40 mph through a light curve, the vehicle suddenly lost power steering mid-turn. The dash displayed: “electric power steering system problem. Steering assist not available. Do not drive. ” this was not just a loss of assist. The wheel felt like it was resisting input and was nearly impossible to turn, locking the car into an off-road path. I narrowly missed a curb and a large tree by inches, only avoiding collision by forcing the wheel with maximum effort while applying heavy brakes. If this had occurred at higher speed or on a mountain road, the result could have been catastrophic. Once stopped, five additional warnings appeared: brake system problem, lane keeping assist system problem, collision mitigation braking system problem, road departure mitigation system problem, and low speed braking control problem. After restarting, most warnings remained, though steering assist and brakes seemed temporarily normal. I cautiously drove to a nearby lot, then to the dealership. At the service center, the errors cleared only after shutting down the engine. Staff first suggested a “loose battery cable. ” when I mentioned that other 2025 Rdx owners have reported the same issue, I was told not to trust the internet. They kept the vehicle overnight under warranty. Initially no loaner vehicle was available, which forced my wife to leave work for daycare pickup. After she called management directly, a loaner was provided. At the time of this report, no diagnosis has been given. Service staff speculated it could be nothing or it could be a failed steering column, which matches reports from other owners. This sudden steering failure, combined with simultaneous warnings across multiple safety systems, created an immediate risk of serious crash. The incident occurred only two days after routine service at the same dealership.

Automatic braking system came on when the vehicle sensed another vehicle. As the breaking system turned on, the steering wheel locked and did not allow for the driver to steer in order to not avoid a collision. This happened in the streets. It is currently under investigation with insurance. The vehicle had applied the emergency breaks system a few days before, in the highway, while the driver already had the foot on the break and the steering wheel had locked, preventing the driver to change lanes. No collision on this day.

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Started vehicle in the morning and had driven about 5 miles. Lkas, adaptive cruise control and all other collision avoidance systems turned on. Acc speed set, but disengaged due to prior braking for the curve. Weather overcast but dry. While turning left around a sweeping curve at about 40mph the vehicle suddenly started emergency braking and trying to turn right into the guardrail on the side of the road. Major force required to keep vehicle in the lane and under control. Power steering went out. Collision braking warning, power steering warning, lkas warning, road departure mitigation warning, low speed braking control problem, also power steering icon glowed orange, safety system icon glowed orange, lane keeping icon glowed orange, brake system icon glowed orange. No place to pull off, continued several miles to a parking lot. Took photos of dash warnings (provided to dealer). Cycled engine power to no effect. Cycled again waiting about 1 minute and opening door to turn off nav display. Upon restart warnings all remain, power steering returned. Drove home and parked for about 1 hour. Upon restart all errors gone and functioning normally. Noted Acura link sent cmbs problem! notification. Car now at Acura of brookfield (WI) for evaluation. All notification on vehicle and Acural link cleared by time I arrived at dealer. Note vehicle defaulted back to "normal" drive mode after this event. Had been set on "comfort" which is normally retained at power cycle.

When slowing as I exited freeway the steering locked up and forced me into right lane. There were lots of warning lights, stop when safe, steering assist problem, brake system problem, low speed braking problem. I had no power steering but was able to get car into a parking lot. I turned the car off and back on. The warning message said it was a brake system problem and to see dealer. Acura link showed it was a cmbs problem. After turning the car off and on a couple more times the warnings went away and I was able to drive car to dealership. There were no warnings prior to steering lockup. Dealer told me it was a power steering malfunction. The vehicle is available for inspection at the dealership in fresno, CA. This happened on [xxx]. Parts have been ordered but not expected to arrive until Monday, Jul 7th, 2025. If there had been a car in the right lane this would have caused an accident. I researched this issue on the internet and have found several reports of the same problem. Some people have had it happen multiple times. I purchased the car [xxx] and there were 4,523 miles on the odometer. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Picked up the vehicle. On [xxx]. . . On the way home I was going around a curve on a highway with a semi-truck to my right, when the car suddenly braked autonomously, and the power steering stopped working. I struggled to steer into the curve and then allowed the semi to move ahead so I could safely pull to the side of the road. I had several alarms go off that I had to cycle though to turn off. I fully powered down the car, and when I turned it back on I had 2 alarms that stayed on. Lane keep assist warning, and braking system problem. I returned to the dealership the following morning [xxx] and they could not diagnose nor replicate the issue. I'm being asked to roll the dice by picking up the car today 6/30/25, and gamble with mine and my families safety. This problem need to be fixed! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While driving approximately 35 mph and exiting the highway, the brakes locked up and 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. If a vehicle had been behind me it definitely would have hit me. I got to a parking lot and shut off the car. I turned it on and the messages were still there. I called for roadside assistance for a tow. 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 and has no concerns. I am afraid to drive this car as it is on the highway every day.

For the third time now, my steering has locked up and sent my 2025 Acura Rdx into limp mode. It is a major safety concern because the car steering locks up and or tries to turn. The first time it occured I almost went into a field because the car was trying to turn right while in the middle of a lh corner at 55mph. The second time was on a country road at around 40-50mph with no shoulder, and this most recent time on a straight country road at 50mph. Two times it has been towed to the nearest dealer and Acura has made major component replacements, including the engine wiring harness, and steering system twice now. I have opened a case with Acura stating the severity of safety concerns I have for myself, my family and other drivers on the road. If someone is not prepared to fight the steering and or strong enough it could very likely cause a crash and injuries. At this point, I don't believe Acura knows exactly what the issue is, since they are making the same repair as they did the first time. There are also other reports of this exact issue being reported online, specific to the 2025 model year.

Driving 45mph. In a slight curve. Steering wheel power steering stops working. Car pulls to right into other lane of traffic. Brakes seem to apply like car is avoiding something. Multiple warnings come on. Like steering problem , lane keep assist failure. Brake system problem road departure problem. Car barely will steer. Limped along to stop. Cut off car and back on and steering came back in. Start driving and braking problem notification comes back on. Braking seems ok other than the wearing. Could have been real bad if other car was coming in other lane.

As this car was being driven by my mother, she was going approximately 40 mph around a turn on a road she drives every day and for now reason the car starting saying she had been in a crash, the steering stopped working and the brakes locked and she was no longer in the car. She was able to manuever it into a ditch, which fortunately wasn't very deep to avoid any other cars. We took this to the dealership who indicated they had never seen this type of issue there however when I researched, there had been several reports of this type of incident, 4 in va alone. The car was at the dealership for over two weeks to be repaired as the dealership had to work with technicians at Acura to determine cause/replacement; however they indicated they can not guarantee it won't happen again. My mother lost my father two years ago and this was the first car she purchased on her own and now she is terrified. We asked Acura to help assist changing her out of this car and they simply refused through the manager of the dealership indicating they did nothing wrong and they have replaced the $8k part. Since she bought the vehicle in April 2025 and this happened just 6 weeks later, that does not give us comfort. The dealership was helpful and we were able to get her into a different kind of vehicle although she had to pay $8k more and she is on a fixed income. She has had multiple Acuras however this is a safety issue and likely a potential recall simply from numbers I have seen from research and the potential harm this could cause occupents of the car and anyone else that may be near them on the road. We are very disappointed in Acura. We may have to go back to dealership to get repair info as we didn't accept this car back, they gave my mother a loaner and then we bought a new one. Crown Acura of richmond is where it was repaired.

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.

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I was going from an on ramp to the hwy traveling approx 55 mph and my Rdx lost power, the steering wheel either locked up or lost all power steering and warning beeps started and so did lights and brake warning systems. I was able to get it a few feet onto the shoulder of the hwy. After calling roadside assistance and turning the car off and back on I was able to get the steering wheel to turn freely again and pulled my car further off the hwy to safeth warning messages that popped up brake system - "brake system problem. Brake performance may be reduces see your dealer lane keeping assist system problem- see your dealer collision mitigation braking system problem- see your dealer low spped braking control problem. In googling this issue its a known issue on 2025 Rdx and had caused some accidents. Some people have had it happen to them in 2 2025 Rdx's since Jan and their loaner did it to them. There needs to be a reall on this.

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. It is not just my year model car, but it includes Honda branded and different Acura and Honda model cars too. Thank you.

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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.

As I was turning a corner, my steering wheel completely locked up on me. I was stuck in the middle of the street trying to get my car to turn into our driveway. Thankfully, I was able to alert incoming traffic through my horn that I was there and stuck. This could’ve been a near death experience and I am uncomfortable driving any Acuras at this time.

As I was navigating a turn onto a highway on-ramp, the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated or attempted to brake autonomously, accompanied by a sudden loss of power steering assist. This created a hazardous situation, nearly causing a collision with the guardrail. After safely bringing the vehicle to a stop, the dashboard illuminated with numerous warning lights and messages such electric power steering system problem. Steering assist not available. Do not drive. Brake system problem. Brake performance may be reduced. See your dealer. Lane keeping assist system problem. See your dealer. Collision mitigation braking system problem. See your dealer. Road departure mitigation system problem. See your dealer. Low speed braking control problem. See your dealer. The power steering light and brake system lights came on. This incident occurred on April 12, 2025 and then occurred again on April 20th. The dealer took the vehicle in on may 9th and told me they can not reproduce the problem. This has the potential to cause life threatening injuries or even death.

I was driving down the street at about 35mph and brakes engaged.

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My 2022 Acura Rdx has premature wear at 22,000 miles for its front rotors and back rotors. The vehicle creates unusual vibration and noise when braking and I cannot drive it due to this noise . When I contacted the Acura/ technician they told me that new model of Acura Rdx has this problem especially during cold weather and its rotos wears due to new ceramic brake pads. The cost of replacing the front rotor and ceramic pad is about $1000 as per Acura and I cannot drive it unless I replace them all . Even if I replace them . The same problem will come again as the rotor and its pad are defective . I request you to solve this problem as the cost to maintain this vehicle is high due to this problem . Most rotors need replacement only after 70,000 miles. Thank you for hearing me.

I bought this car from a Honda dealership 1 month ago and my brakes are squeaking very loud when reversing my car. It happens every morning and is very frustrating. I would like this fixed for it being such an expensive car.

The breaks did not work while in a parking lot right after switching into drive. No major risk of any injury where this occurred. Not reported to the dealer, not inspected. No injury, no property damage. I left my wife in the vehicle with the car in park and went into the store. I came out 15 minutes later, car was running. I got in, put my foot on the break, and switch to drive? the car started rolling forward on its own. I repeatedly tried the breaks, but no response. I had steering. I gave it a little gas, and the engine reved like it was in neutral. I looked down and that point the car indicated it was in neutral. My wife said that none of the drive indicators were on while I had the issue. At some point the breaks started working, after I gave it a little gas? I got the car into drive, and tested it before moving on to verify it was behaving correctly. The forward motion of the vehicle was probably due to the slope it was parked on, rather than the car's idle power. This also matches the car then reporting it was in neutral. The biggest issue was no breaks at the point it started rolling forward. My comment was that was weird, but it scared my wife, so I am reporting it. I was operating the vehicle.

On July 21st, 2024, the electronic parking brake on our 2021 Acura Rdx seized and would not release. The vehicle had not sustained any damage and only had 63,270 miles on the odometer. The vehicle was in the garage but the brake seizure rendered the otherwise functioning vehicle unusable. The vehicle is available for inspection. There was nothing to indicate a problem prior to failure on the 21st. An Acura dealer replaced the gear unit motor that actuates the parking brake but the brake did not disengage as per the repair invoice attached. It was determined the parking brake switch circuit connection did not match specs and the parking brake switch was replaced. The parking brake worked at the time we retrieved the vehicle from the dealership but currently do not engage the brake as we are unsure if this will fail again. This issue put us and owners of like vehicles in danger due to the fact that a simple switch malfunction seizes the rear brakes of the car. Fortunately the vehicle was in our garage at the time but if failure occurs at speed, rear locked brake(s) could no doubt lead to a serious crash. At best, a parked disabled vehicle leads to very costly inconvenience as it did for us. Whether a failed switch or a poor connection my concern is the problem replicates while in motion while driving and losing control of the vehicle. From internet searches it appears failed switches are a growing problem with Honda vehicles equipped with electronic parking brakes. There exists no override ability to disengage the parking brake apart from the electronic switch. Again, an otherwise functioning vehicle can be disabled as the rear wheel(s) are seized.

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 rear brakes squeal as though they are constantly on, brake pads (rear) have not gone down from 4-5 mm in over 10 months whole front pads have been replaced twice and rotors once within the same time period. The constant squealing has shown to overheat the brake system, which in turn overheats the transmission/transfer casing, causing the at hot warning light to engage temporarily at high speeds (over 60mph only) as well as minor transmission leaks. Seized calipers have been determined by an Acura dealership service mechanic to be the cause of these issues, and has said it is a common problem. This needs to be recalled if it’s so common.

The contact leased a 2024 Acura Rdx. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal travelled to the floorboard and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact pumped the brake pedal, and the brake pedal responded as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring intermittently. The contact stated while pulling out of a parking lot and depressing the brake pedal, the failure recurred. The contact pumped the brake pedal several times; however, the failure persisted, nearly causing a crash. The contact stated that upon engaging the electric parking brake, the vehicle stopped as needed. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times; however, the dealer informed the contact that the failure could not be duplicated. The dealer advised the contact to pump the brake pedal and to engage the electric parking brake during the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.

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The front brakes and possibly the rear as well judder when applied at moderate and higher speeds. The sensation is disconcerting as though the brakes are prematurely failing. Malfunctioning brakes are obviously a safety issue. This is an ongoing problem and shouldn't be happening on a gently used, well maintained vehicle. It has been happening consistently and worsening for at least the past year. It is very reproducible but when I contacted the closest Acura dealer, they denied any known issues affecting this vehicle. No warning lamps or other errors were set but I doubt this issue is monitored by the vehicle's sensors.

I’ve had this happen 4 times now with my 2019 Rdx. The latest is on 12/10/23. Low speed braking and the tac revels to over 5000. Vehicle lurches forward with both feet on the brake peddle nearly hit a car broadside that was moving perpendicular to me. , three times under warranty to the dealer who could find anything. They even had the factory rep , in who after keeping the car for 5 days replaced an abs sensor. Now that the warranty is up they want 120. 00 an hour to diagnose the problem that they couldn’t before . . But this is a dangerous vehicle that. I’m scared to drive. After reviewing several forums this appears to be a know problem Acura won’t address.

The brakes failed at 17,649 and all brakes needed to be replaced.

Since buying this car I’ve had a few occasions where the car has not slowed down and feels like the transmission is pushing the car more than it should under hard breaking.

The brake on the right and rear side of the car makes a lot of noise, as if something has come loose. Around 3 weeks ago the brake on the left and rear side of the car started to make a low frequency hum. The vehicle is taking longer to stop and I am afraid to brake hard since I think something will get disarmed on my rear wheels. I did some research online and several automotive industry testers and researcher mention and report this issue. . Read more...

See all problems of the 2020 Acura RDX 🔎.

Upon entering the cross driveway at a mall parking lot, car suddenly veered right, accelerating & unresponsive to stepping on brakes pedal, steering wheel locked, gear buttons did not respond, seat belts tightened, but air bags did not deploy. Speed was slowed when car ran over a large rock and crashed into the wall of small store front. I, the driver, have not been in any accidents, had not taken any medication of any sort.

On April 18, 2023 driving thru shopping center parking lot, without warning car suddenly jerked right, accelerated, while brakes, steering wheel, gears locked. Ended crashing thru the wall of a structure. Airbags did not deploy but seat belts tightened firmly keeping us from going thru windshield. Episode of "unintended acceleration" was reported to Honda motors whose agent, jason, checked the car 8/1/23 and found no defect. We had driven the car for almost 49,000 miles without incident yet, their agent drove it for less than 10 miles and concluded nothing wrong with the car. Twelve days later while stopped at a red light, dashboard lights suddenly flashed and engine came to a complete stop. Dead. Conclusion was damaged sensor to gas tank since husband had run over tanker truck tire debris on fwy earlier in the day. Point is, this 2020 Acura Rdx with <50k miles has had two major incidents : unintended acceleration and unintended deceleration. Feel betrayed by Honda motors corp at conducting a superficial, inadequate inspection for the defects mentioned and fear for our safety and those of others we share on the road. There's a class action lawsuit in florida for similar complaints but we live in California and have been unable to procure legal representation. . . . . Apparently, not cost effective. My driving record is clean.

While sitting in a long row of stopped vehicles at a traffic light for an extended amount of time due to an accident I had the automatic brake hold feature activated { I did not have to have my foot on the brake while sitting still) as well as the auto idle stop off button meaning {the engine shuts down when you come to a stop. } apparently, the brake hold feature timed out with no warning whatsoever and because the vehicle moved forward the auto start stop feature activated at the same time and the vehicle lurched forward rear ending a new expensive SUV in front of me. The impact was hard due to the quick lurch of my vehicle. I have damage to the front of my vehicle and all of the electronic features started flashing including the emission control. The driver advised she was very shaken up and if a pedestrian or bicyclist had been in front of us it could have been very tragic. The vehicle is being towed to a local Acura dealer for evaluation and I have a case number assigned by Honda with no case manager assigned yet. There were no warning lights/lamps at all prior to the vehicle brake hold timing out and further searching through the manual only says it times out after 10 minutes but does not advise what happens when that happens or what warning will be used.

2021 Acura Rdx sh-awd purchased brand new. Rear brakes squeak very bad. Have taken car back to the dealer and contacted Acura several times, but still have yet to receive any resolve/resolution. Brakes started squeaking very loud when car was moving @ low speeds. & when vehicle was coming to a stop. Brakes started squeaking when the car was only a few weeks old and continue to presently squeak. Afraid this is compromising wear of the brakes. I, as a consumer don't want to be financially responsible for a manufacturer's error that they won't resolve.

The contact owns a 2016 Acura Rdx. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 mph a deer had jumped in front of his vehicle. The contact stated that he depressed the brake pedal with force, however the pedal did not respond and depressed to the floor board with no resistance. The contact stated that he was pumping the brake pedal, however he crashed into the deer. The contact stated that the vehicle continued forward for several hundred yards before he was able to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that he was able to drive the vehicle to a dealer, it was an out of state dealer since he had been traveling when he crashed into the deer. The contact stated that the damage was to the front bumper and to the hood of the vehicle which had been deformed due to the crash with the deer. The contact stated that the out of state dealer repaired the crash damage and replaced the brakes with new pads and rotors. The contact observed that the vehicle was having a failure of the tire pressure monitoring system light which was constantly illuminated, the windshield wiper motor was failing intermittently and the brakes continued to feel "mushy. " the contact took the vehicle to a local dealer who determined that the vehicle failures described by the contact were not duplicated following a diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

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5 different occasions where the car enabled the emergency braking system for collision when there were no possibility of collision. This has occurred twice on the freeway, where all of a sudden, the vehicle slams down on the break, coming to a screeching halt. No vehicle or other object in front, side or back of vehicle that should cause this. The other instances happened on city roads and similar to the freeway instances. Hard braking for no reason, jolting me and passengers forward and causing vehicles behind me to not understand why we stopped randly and took so long to get going forward again as the emergency system doesn’t have a quick override.

Rear brakes: rear brakes and rotors make odd noise or extraordinarily high pitched screeching sounds coming from outside the car when your brakes are applied. When using brakes in reverse the noise is very load. This happens when all the time wither the vehicle is cold or warm. Driver must use additional force to stop vehicle while in reverse. I have made numerous complaints to the dealership, they are aware of the ingoing problem with the 2021, but they currently do not have fix for the problem. I have concerns that the brakes will fail while reversing out of parking spaces and leaving my home daily.