Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2003 Acura RSX, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Power train8
- Air bags7
- Engine and engine cooling5
- Vehicle speed control3
- Service brakes, hydraulic3
- Visibility1
- Equipment1
- Electrical system1
- Steering1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 4 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 12 2003 RSX vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 10 people died inside them, and 4 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 2003 Acura RSX failed the safety check 1.24% of the time — 41% less often than the average 2003 passenger car (2.11%). Median odometer at inspection: 154,428 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 3 variants: combined 9.0–9.8 L/100 km (about 24–26 mpg US), CO₂ 207–225 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSX · Subcompact · Regular gasoline | 10.0 | 7.8 | 9.0 |
| RSX · Subcompact · Regular gasoline | 11.0 | 7.8 | 9.5 |
| RSX · Subcompact · Premium gasoline | 11.1 | 8.2 | 9.8 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
No recall campaigns cover the 2003 Acura RSX.
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 2003 Acura RSX: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10211608 | Special Tool Loan Program: Under TOOLS AVAILABLE FOR LOAN, the list has been updated. |
| 10193392 | Sending vehicle data to tech line. |
| 10128558 | Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, Acura announced three recalls for various 2002-06 Acura models. As of July 23, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and service bulletins 14-023, Safety Recall: Front Passenger?s Airbag Inflator Can Be Over-Pressurized, 14-029, Recall: Front Driver?s Airbag Inflator May Produce Excessive Pressure After Long-Term Exposure to High Absolute Humidity Recall, and 14-030, Recall: Front Passenger?s Airbag Inflator May Produce Excessive Pressure After Long-Term Exposure to High Absolute Humidity have been posted to ISIS. However, due to the large number |
| 10128529 | Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, Acura announced three recalls for various 2002-06 Acura models. As of August 4, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and VIN status inquiry has been updated. |
| 10037486 | ACURA: THERE ARE GUIDELINES FOR VARIOUS SITUATIONS AND PROCEDURES INCLUDING: TIRE PRESSURE VALVE STEM INSTALLATION, TRAILER STABILITY MALFUNCTION LIGHT IS ON, ENGINE OIL APPLICATION GUIDE, NEW SOFTWARE, NEW TRANSMISSION FLUID, NOTCHY STEERING FEELING. *RM |
| 10032775 | ACURA: WARRANTY EXTENSION: VEHICLE WARRANTY MILEAGE. A FEDERAL COURT PROVIDED FINAL APPROVAL OF THE SETTLEMENT OF A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT ALLEGING THAT THE ODOMETERS ON CERTAIN MODELS WERE OVERSTATING MILEAGE. VEHICLES AFFECTED BY THIS SETTLEMENT INCLUDE CERTAIN 2002-2006. ON AFFECTED VEHICLES, THE SETTLEMENT REQUIRES YOU TO HONOR A 5 PERCENT INCREASE IN THE MILEAGE COVERAGE PERIOD FOR ALL WARRANTIES. NO MODELS WERE LISTED. *PE |
| 10026204 | ACURA: 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION GRINDS WHEN SHIFTING INTO 3RD GEAR, POPS OUT OF 3RD GEAR, OR IS HARD TO SHIFT INTO 3RD GEAR. TRANSMISSION HAS A FAULTY 3RD GEAR SYNCHRONIZER OR 3-4 SHIFT SLEEVE. *PE |
| 10025524 | LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY REDUCED LABEL FOR ALL ACURA VEHICLES. *PE |
| 10024561 | ACURA SERVICE CAMPAIGN: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. WARRANTY EXTENSION: OPDS UNIT OR OPDS SENSOR TRIGGERS SRS DTC'S 15-1, 15-2, 15-3. CSC WAS RECEIVED. *NJ |
| 10021971 | WARRANTY EXTENSION: VEHICLE WARRANTY MILEAGE. *KB AFFECTS 2002 THROUGH 2006 ACURA MODELS. UPDATED 8/15/08. *PE |
| 10018865 | TRANSMISSION GRINDS AT SHIFTS, SKIP SHIFTING. *TT |
| 10018335 | HARSH OR NOISY DOWNSHIFTS WHEN SLOWING DOWN. ACURA SERVICENEWS. *TT |
| 10018241 | REAR WINDOW WIPER IS NOISY OR DOES NOT WORK. *TS |
| 10018108 | A LOOSE TIMING CHAIN, A DEFECTIVE AUTO TENSIONER, A LOOSE TIMING CHAIN SPROCKET, LOW ENGINE OIL PRESSURE OR A MOMENTARILY SEIZED CAMSHAFT CAN CAUSE AN INTERMITTENT DTC. *JB |
| 10018046 | POWER DOOR LOCKS WON'T LOCK OR UNLOCK. ACURA. SERVICENEWS. *TT |
| 10016260 | CRANKS WON'T START, IMMOBILIZER LIGHT FLASHES. *TT |
| 10014549 | HARSH 3-2 AND OR 2-1 DOWNSHIFT. *EH |
| 10014344 | ATF (AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID) LEAKS FROM COOLER LINE BANJO BOLT. *SC |
| 10014342 | ENGINE IDLE PROBLEMS CHECK THE IAC VALVE. *EH |
| 10014160 | UPDATING REPLACEMENT ECM/PCM SOFTWARE. *NM |
| 10014075 | SRS WARNING LIGHT ON AFTER BODY SHOP REPAIR. *NM |
| 10014071 | ODOMETER ACCURACY. *NM |
| 10014061 | TROUBLESHOOTING ABS OR TCS DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE 51 AND/OR 53. *NM |
| 10014058 | FRONT CAMBER ADJUSTMENT. *NM |
| 10014045 | DASH LIGHTS INOPERATIVE WITH AFTERMARKET RADIO. *NM |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)