Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2021 Acura RDX, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Unknown or other31
- Engine23
- Service brakes15
- Power train13
- Air bags11
- Visibility/wiper10
- Structure10
- Electrical system10
- Vehicle speed control7
- Seats6
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 1 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 16 2021 RDX vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 8 people died inside them, and 3 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2021 Acura RDX failed the safety check 0.32% of the time — 66% less often than the average 2021 passenger car (0.95%). Median odometer at inspection: 21,762 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 2 variants; 2 of 2 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 Acura RDX SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | 15.0 % |
| 2021 Acura RDX SUV FWD | ★★★★★ | 16.5 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Standard
- Lane departure warning
- Standard
- Best overall rating
- 5 / 5
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 9.9–10.3 L/100 km (about 23–24 mpg US), CO₂ 232–242 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| RDX SH-AWD · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Premium gasoline | 11.0 | 8.6 | 9.9 |
| RDX SH-AWD A-SPEC · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Premium gasoline | 11.3 | 9.1 | 10.3 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
3 Transport Canada recalls for the 2021 Acura RDX.
| 2026251 21 May 2026 | Seats And Restraints Issue: On certain vehicles, the weight sensor for the front passenger seat may not have been manufactured properly. As a result, the passenger-front airbag an… |
| 2024059 1 Feb 2024 | Airbag Issue: On certain vehicles, the weight sensor for the front passenger seat may not have been manufactured properly. As a result, the passenger-front airbag an… |
| 2021731 3 Dec 2021 | Powertrain Issue: On certain vehicles, the left-front axle shaft was not properly heat-treated. As a result, the axle shaft could fail and cause a loss of power to the w… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021 Acura RDX and 2022 CR-V Hybrid vehicles. A component in the right or left front driveshaft may have been improperly heat-treated, which could result in driveshaft failure.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Acura told its dealers about the 2021 Acura RDX: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11008048 | Owner Notification Letter - A coaxial cable terminal was not manufactured to proper specifications. An improperly manufactured terminal may lead to poor communication in the media-oriented system (MOST) bus network which can potentially affect the audio sound quality. |
| 11005523 | Service Bulletin - A coaxial cable terminal was not manufactured to proper specifications. An improperly manufactured terminal may lead to poor communication in the media-oriented system transport (MOST) bus network which can potentially affect the audio sound quality. |
| 11005521 | Dealer Message - A coaxial cable terminal was not manufactured to proper specifications. An improperly manufactured terminal may lead to poor communication in the Media Oriented System Transport (MOST) bus network which can potentially affect the audio sound quality. |
| 11005193 | Service Bulletin - The front and/or rear brakes make a high-pitched squeal when the brakes are lightly applied at 24 km/h (15 mph) or less, with ambient temperatures below 10C (50F). |
| 11000272 | Service Bulletin - The front and/or rear brakes make a high-pitched squeal when the brakes are lightly applied at 15 mph or less, with ambient temperatures below 50 F. |
| 10253294 | Service Bulletin- The front and/or rear brakes make a high-pitched squeal when lightly applied at 15 mph or less. The front brakes stop squealing when they are warmed up.For the front brakes, the brake damping force of applied shims is insufficient at colder temperature. For the rear brakes, there is not enough dampening between the rear brake pads and shims. |
| 10252481 | Service Bulletin - During engine start in cold conditions, a miscalculation in the PCM causes the air-fuel ratio to exceed DTC rich criteria. |
| 10251896 | Service Bulletin - The MIL is flashing with a loss of power. This is most common in hot, humid regions, or after a period of rainfall. Humid air within the intake passage may condense and accumulate moisture during steady driving which enters the engine and may cause a misfire and a flashing MIL. |
| 10250736 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2019-2024 RDXs with a client complaint of the front wipers inop. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10249207 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2019-2024 RDXs with a client complaint of the front wipers inop. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10249203 | Service Bulletin - A pop noise from the rear roof area occurs when turning into driveways, bumps, or on an incline. It was determined that, in some cases, the panoramic roof frame mounting bolts are unable to maintain the necessary clamp force. This can allow shifting, which may lead to a pop noise. |
| 10248681 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2019-2024 RDXs with a client complaint of the front wipers inop. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10246412 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2019-2021 RDXs with a client complaint of moisture/condensation in the headlights. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10246411 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2019-2023 RDXs with a client complaint of the front wipers inop. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10245279 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2019-2023 RDXs with a client complaint of the front wipers inop. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10244668 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2019-2023 RDXs with a client complaint of the front wipers inop. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10244664 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2019-2021 RDXs with a client complaint of moisture/condensation in the headlights. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10244302 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2021-2022 RDXs with a client complaint of the front wipers inop. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10244192 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2021-2022 RDXs with a client complaint of the front wipers inop. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10242569 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2021-2022 RDXs with a client complaint of the front wipers inop. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10241882 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2021-2022 RDXs with a client complaint of the front wipers inop. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind. |
| 10240776 | Service Bulletin - Pop noise from the rear roof area when turning into driveways, bumps, or on an incline due to panoramic roof frame mounting bolts unable to maintain the necessary clamp force. This can allow shifting, which may lead to a pop noise. |
| 10239706 | Service Bulletin - The client may notice a loss of auto function, or no function, of the sunroof glass/sunshade due to a Motor-Control Unit error code in the clock frequency check falsely detecting a failure. |
| 10239510 | Service Bulletin - The client notices loss of auto function, or no function, of the sunroof glass/sunshade due to a Motor-Control Unit error code in the clock frequency check falsely detecting a failure. |
| 10238818 | Service Bulletin - There is a popping or crackling from the speakers, a blank display, or no sound from the audio system due to a loose connection in the MOST bus network. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)