What breaks most · 2007 to 2026 model years
Acura RDX problems by year
Owners have filed 2,141 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Acura RDX across model years 2007 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2019 for wipers and visibility complaints, 2015 for exterior lighting complaints and 2020 for wipers and visibility complaints. The quietest years are 2024, 2009 and 2012.
- Years to check closely: 2019, 2015, 2020
- Fewest complaints: 2024, 2009, 2012
- Complaints on file
- 21412007 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2019434 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 5711 fires · 47 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 29kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 47Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | 7 | 3 | Air bags (22) | |
| 33 | 1 | 3 | Air bags (20) | |
| 15 | 1 | 2 | Air bags (10) | |
| 22 | 1 | 2 | Air bags (13) | |
| 16 | 1 | 2 | Air bags (10) | |
| 15 | 0 | 2 | Air bags (6) | |
| 162 | 6 | 3 | Exterior lighting (89) | |
| 242 | 2 | 3 | Exterior lighting (162) | |
| 409 | 7 | 3 | Exterior lighting (337) | |
| 40 | 3 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (9) | |
| 75 | 7 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (22) | |
| 77 | 5 | 1 | Fuel system (17) | |
| 434 | 3 | 5 | Unknown or other (139) | |
| 344 | 4 | 5 | Unknown or other (102) | |
| 111 | 3 | 3 | Unknown or other (30) | |
| 31 | 4 | 2 | Unknown or other (11) | |
| 21 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (4) | |
| 11 | 1 | 2 | Unknown or other (4) | |
| 29 | 1 | 1 | Steering (23) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (1) |
What fails on the 2019 Acura RDX
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown or other | 32% |
139 | 0 | — |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 22% |
96 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 21% |
89 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2019 Acura RDX |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 9% |
38 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2019 Acura RDX |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 9% |
37 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 7% |
31 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2019 Acura RDX |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 5% |
22 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2019 Acura RDX |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 5% |
22 | 0 | Shop brakes parts for the 2019 Acura RDX |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Came out to parked car, rear window was shattered with no damage to the rear area of the car. it was spontaneous without any apparent contact
-
Reflectors on low beam headlights have completely failed. Provides almost no illumination and is very dangerous to drive at night. Changing bulbs, cleaning outer lens makes no difference, the entire housing needs to be replaced.
-
Rear windshield shattered upon closing the driver door to start and drive the car. No impact from a random object or use of defroster.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Acura RDX years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2019, 2015, 2020 carry the most filings on the Acura RDX. The 2019 alone has 434 complaints, led by unknown or other.
What is the most common Acura RDX problem?
On the 2019 model year, the most-reported component is unknown or other with 139 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Acura RDX problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Acura RDX complaints that include mileage is about 29,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.