7.0
pretty bad- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 8,417 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
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-??
- Dallas, TX, USA
My car has been shaking on acceleration but no engine light or any warning popped up. When I called an Acura dealership, they said they would have trouble diagnosing the problem without a light on. A few days later, while accelerating on the highway, my car started shaking violently and lost power. The engine light started flashing. I could have gotten into an accident because I could no longer accelerate on the highway. I had to slowly pull off to a safe stop. This could have been a dangerous and life-threatening situation. Someone could have crashed into me behind me and I could not quickly get into a safe area. I brought it to an Acura dealership and they could not find anything. The engine light had turned off. Though, when I took the car again, the car was still shaking on acceleration. I was afraid to drive at normal speeds since it is extremely safe. I took it to another personal mechanic and he was able to reproduce the problem. He saw there is a service bulletin out for just this problem. The possible cause is -??humid air within the intake tract May condense and accumulate excessive moisture during steady driving.-?? I would have to replace the intercooler system and get the PGM-Fl software updated. This is a safety issue, and Acura has not released any recalls on this. The dealerships are also saying it will not be covered by warranty for me.
- Rosenberg, TX, USA
The contact owns a 2019 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning light suddenly illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power and started to decelerate. After pulling off the roadway and restarting the vehicle, the failure was self-corrected, and the vehicle operated as designed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 57,000.
- New Britain, CT, USA
Once again, 3 weeks after the first time it happened, my 2019 ACURA RDX lost ALL power and I had to drift to the side of the road. This occurred on the Baldwin Beach Express and luckily there is not a lot of traffic this time of year so I could get on the shoulder. Car would not restart, all lights around the speedometer had come on. I had to have it towed to the Acura dealership in Mobile where it was towed the first time when this happened. At that time the told me they could not duplicate the problem. Three weeks later it has happened again. The tow truck driver tried to start the car and said " you're not getting any fuel" and asked if the fuel pump had been checked. Supposedly it has been replaced when it was first recalled. Could it be another faulty fuel pump" My question....how dangerous would this be if this happened in the I-10 Mobile tunnel?????? The first time it happened I tried to call Acura but the complaint department is not open on Sundays. This time it happened on a Friday and I was able to file my complaint. Will I get a response to this event now that it has happened a second time"
- Metairie, LA, USA
While driving on interstate 65 headed towards Mobile, Al. My 2019 Acura RDX lost ALL power. Every light surrounding the speedometer was lighted. No power, nothing.. was able to coast from the right hand lane to the shoulder of the interstate.. No power steering and I was moving slower and slower because I was on a hill. Frightening to say the least. If I had been in the left hand lane I-€™m not sure I could have made it to the shoulder. And if a truck had been behind me an unable to change lanes I would have been smashed. Car towed to dealership.
- Metairie , LA, USA
On July 24, 2022, while driving from Champaign-Urbana, Illinois back to our home in Lisle, IL, in a heavy rainstorm, our RDX suddenly started flashing the engine light and lost power on Interstate 57. We were fortunate to be able to maneuver it to the side of the road, and off the nearby ramp at Bradley, IL. We -€˜googled-€™ the circumstances on our iphone, to learn that this is considered a serious, potentially life-threatening situation, and that Acura recommended immediate Service Bulletin 20-053, dated May 25, 2021, states the symptom as -€œThe MIL is flashing with loss of power.-€ It indicates -€œCorrective Action-€ for the RDX as -€œUpdate the PGM-FI and replace the intercooler, the intercooler outlet pipe assembly and the intercooler outlet hose.-€ Affected vehicles include -€œALL-€ 2019-2020 RDX models.-€ Despite the Service Bulletin that was issued, many RDX owners, noted the same response from their local Acura dealer. They note that the dealers -€œplayed dumb, -€ claim they could not locate a Service Code, nor -€œreplicate the conditions and response-€ in the shop-€¦. precisely my experience! In fact, the Service Receipt, indicates the car was driven less than one mile, hardly sufficient to replicate conditions. Acura Client Relations has refused to assist. I contacted the CEO Jon Ikeda but his office has not responded. I fear driving the car in wet conditions.
- Lisle, IL, USA
On 9/22/22 travelling on I-290 near Boylston, MA I was passing a large tractor trailer in the far left lane going up a hill. It was and had been raining very hard for at least the previous hour. When I stepped on the accelerator to increase speed, the car suddenly decelerated to about 20 mph and the check engine light began flashing. I was able cross all three lanes in very heavy traffic to the shoulder. I then slowly made my way off the interstate to a gas station right beyond the exit. My passengers and I were very concerned about the suddenness and the abrupt reduction in speed on an extremely busy roadway. A call to the nearest Acura dealer service department confirmed he had seen nearly the same symptoms the prior week under similar road conditions and the same model car as mine. He found no codes on the other car. I also notified Acura customer service who confirmed the existence of a Service Bulletin on precisely this issue (flashing light with loss of power).
- Wilton, CT, USA
on 2/3/22, after only 12 hours of owning the vehicle, I merged onto 287 South and upon speeding up and merging into the center lane, I lost all acceleration and my dash lit up like a Christmas Tree. An 18 wheeler was coming behind me in the middle lane at 65 mph while my car slowed down to 25 mph. I was thankfully able to get over to the side of the road without being hurt or even killed. Upon bringing it into the dealer, the codes showed that it was a bad engine coil and spark plug. This was repaired under warranty. Fast forward to 5/16/22, I exited the highway, came to a complete stop at a red light. Upon the light turning green, I went to accelerate and limp mode activated again. I have video of the incident and dealership is unable to find any issues with the vehicle. Both times it was either raining or had just stopped. I have asked that the Intercooler be replaced as part of Bulletin 20-053 however the dealership states my vehicle is not part of this bulletin although it lists the model and year. This is a serious problem that requires a recall. I hope Acura is not waiting for someone to get hurt before they take action!
- Pompton Lakes, NJ, USA
Was driving on the interstate with slight rain and trying to accelerate but then the check engine light started flashing and the car would not accelerate. Speed on the interstate is 70mph, but the car immediately dropped down to 35mph. Traffic behind me had to slow down to avoid an accident as I had to move the car to the side of the road. Restarted the car and the check engine light disappeared.
- Lake City, FL, USA
I was driving for approx. 3 hours on the interstate and exited to return home. After stopping at the red light my car would not excel. The rpm where moving up to 4 plus but the car wouldn-€™t go over 20 miles an hour when pressing the excelerator. No warning lights came on but I pulled over and turned the car off trying to decide what to do. I couldn-€™t get back on the road driving 20 miles an hour because it wouldn-€™t be safe. I decided to restarted the car then I drove 2 miles home without incident. I will take the car to the dealer after the holidays because I-€™m scared to drive it. I bought the car with 25,000 miles and it now has 32,000 miles on it.
- Smyrna, GA, USA
2019 RDX with 20k miles. Was accelerating to go over a rise from low speed to passing speed and power cut out and had to pull to shoulder. Was slightly raining when occurred and 44 degrees out. Check engine light came on. Had to stop vehicle on side of road as power was lost. If wasn-€™t 0600 in the morn and during busier hours it could-€™ve caused an accident since I was accelerating to merge. Dealer couldn-€™t find any codes since vehicle goes into essentially protection mode from just accelerating. Going from 15-55mph. Told me to bring it in again if it happens. I may be injured the next time it happens. Is extremely unsafe where all power is cut when you need it the most. Had vehicle for 1000 miles and has happened once already. Very scary feeling.
- Dalton, MA, USA
I was driving and all of a sudden the car started to slow down and wouldn-€™t accelerate. After a couple pushes on the pedal it just completely shut off. Every mechanical light was on or flashing. I was in the middle of the road terrified but was able to steer over to the side of the street. I called 911. 2 gentlemen tried helping push it out of the way of traffic but we couldn-€™t get the car in neutral. I was able to get a tow to the dealership and they claimed nothing was wrong. My safety and other drivers were out at risk because I was blocking an entrance lane to a busy shopping center and a police officer had to park behind me. There was no warning, it came out of nowhere. I know there is a class action suit regarding this issue. I refuse to drive the car.
- Matthews, NC, USA
While driving on a two lane road at app 60 mph, we accelerated to pass a slower car, Our 2019 Acura RDX lost power and coasted down to about 20 mph and the check engine light was flashing. we had no control over the speed of the vehicle (limp mode), which was very scary and could have caused a serious accident. It was raining earlier but not at the time of the incident. This should be a recall and not just a Acura Service Bulletin 20-053 since it can be life threatening.
- Alpharetta, GA, USA
For the second time, while accelerating in rainy conditions, the engine lost all power and went into limp mode. The check engine light came on and blinked. I was able to pull over and turn the car off and then back on the the check engine light was gone.
- Cumming, GA, USA
The contact owns a 2019 Acura RDX. The contact stated that upon exiting a highway and coming to a stop light, the vehicle would not accelerate above 25 MPH without warning. The contact was able to reach his destination and after explaining the failure to a friend; he was informed that his vehicle had gone into limp mode. Upon restart of the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal driving operation. The contact hooked up his vehicle to a scanner and no fault codes were found. The contact then called the manufacturer where he was informed that this failure was a known issue and that he would have to take the vehicle to the dealer three times after experiencing each failure. The contact was not informed as to what would happen after the third visit to the dealer. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where it had yet to be diagnosed and remained in their possession. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.
- New Berlin, WI, USA
I was driving in the rain on a dark desolate road. The engine began to malfunction, suddenly losing most power. The car would only go up to 20mph. I believe this condition is known as -€œlimp mode-€. Simultaneously the -€œcheck engine-€ light was illuminated. When I pulled off the road I shut the car off. I waited a couple of minutes and restarted the car. The condition miraculously disappeared. This was a very frightening experience because it happened on a major highway in the middle of the night.
- Merrick, NY, USA
Today, when accelerating on an onramp, merging into interstate traffic, the vehicle suddenly decelerated to about 30mph. Traffic, including a semi, was approaching at a higher rate of speed. I was able to get off the into the emergency lane but was concerned about being struck from behind. I stopped the engine, restarted it, and had no further problems. I tried to reproduce the problem but was unable. I contacted the dealer but was told it would be hard to repair if it wasn't reproducible and was advised to see if it recurred.
- Kingsport, TN, USA
My wife purchased this car about one month prior to this incident. It was presented as a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle. While traveling on the PA turnpike, the car suddenly and with no warning went into "limp mode", with only enough power available to maintain about 20 mph. The "check engine" light came on, and we continued at about 20 mph on the shoulder, hoping to come to an exit. After a few minutes and no exit in sight, we stopped and turned off the engine while considering what to do next. When the air inside of the car became uncomfortably warm, I turned on the engine so we would have a/c. Immediately, it became apparent that the engine was working normally: no "check engine" light, plus other positive indications. We resumed our trip, arriving home safely. Our safety was at risk since the engine lost power with no warning whatsoever, and occurred while we were in a travel lane. As of this report, the car has not been taken to a dealer.
- Ellicott City, MD, USA
I exited a highway, decreasing speed to merge with local traffic, tried to accelerate and car revved but would not go over 30 mph. Drove home with safety flashers on, then tried to back into driveway to keep front of the car accessible, but the car would not shift into reverse. Toggled back and forth between drive and reverse and it finally shifted and I back in. Had the car towed to the dealer, they had it for 2 days but could ot duplicate the problem, and told me it was probably a communication error among the various car computers. I have since learned that this has happened twice to my neighbor who also has the same model/year vehicle. I have not gotten any satisfaction from the dealer.
- Columbia, MD, USA
- Norwalk, CT, USA