← New search

2016 Acura Rdx

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2016 Acura Rdx do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 36.5.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
Compare all Rdx years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

26 reports with mileage · 14 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

3 crash reports2 fire reports2 injury reports

What owners actually said

40 reports
Mileage unknown · Jun 16, 2026
EnginePower TrainSteering

On May 25, 2026, while driving my 2016 Acura RDX AWD on the interstate at highway speed, it suddenly began running rough and felt as if I was driving over low, spaced-out speed bumps. The check engine light started flashing, and multiple safety-system warnings appeared, including AWD System Problem, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA…

Read full complaint

On May 25, 2026, while driving my 2016 Acura RDX AWD on the interstate at highway speed, it suddenly began running rough and felt as if I was driving over low, spaced-out speed bumps. The check engine light started flashing, and multiple safety-system warnings appeared, including AWD System Problem, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) Problem, Hill Start Assist Problem, Electric Power Steering (EPS) Problem, and lane-keeping warnings. The vehicle lost normal performance, and I was concerned about safely continuing in interstate traffic. The interstate shoulder was narrow, and the shoulder was ending where traffic was merging onto another busy interstate. I pulled over as soon as I could safely do so. The vehicle was then towed to the dealership for diagnosis. The Acura dealership diagnosed internal engine damage, cylinder misfires, and broken piston rings and advised that the engine required replacement. The vehicle had approximately 170,526 miles at the time of failure. Prior to this incident, the vehicle was operating normally, had been regularly maintained, and had not been involved in any collision. There was no indication that an engine failure was imminent. After researching the issue, I learned that Acura and Honda have issued technical service bulletins and warranty extensions involving certain J35 V6 engines equipped with Variable Cylinder Management (VCM), addressing conditions including excessive oil consumption, piston ring problems, spark plug fouling, and cylinder misfires. I am submitting this complaint because a sudden engine failure while operating at highway speed presents a potential safety risk. The failure also caused multiple vehicle systems and warning messages to activate simultaneously. The vehicle is currently available for inspection.

NHTSA ODI #11744363

Mileage unknown · May 11, 2026
Electrical System

On several occasions, the car alarm starts randomly sounding. When my son went to the vehicle, the lights on the dash board were flashing on and off and there was a clicking sound. We replaced the batteries in the key fobs. The battery was low so we had that recharged but the problem continued. We replaced the car battery and th…

Read full complaint

On several occasions, the car alarm starts randomly sounding. When my son went to the vehicle, the lights on the dash board were flashing on and off and there was a clicking sound. We replaced the batteries in the key fobs. The battery was low so we had that recharged but the problem continued. We replaced the car battery and that appeared to solve the problem for about 6 months. The same problem occurred again. The only way to stop the alarm from going off is to disconnect the battery. Leaving the door unlocked does not stop this from happening. When we searched online, it is clear this is a common problem with this car, but there have been no recalls or TSB issued. This is a safety issue because we need to disconnect the battery and leave the car unlocked when we leave the vehicle. This has not been inspected by any service center. Based on our research, Acura will recommend replacing the smart power control unit at a cost of up to $1500 or more. We are hoping that others have reported this as well.

NHTSA ODI #11737153

Mileage unknown · Sep 19, 2025
Air BagsCrashInjury

The driver side airbag. And yes, it can be inspected. I was involved in a low impact accident, where I struck a minor curb. The airbag deployed in my face, causing a loss of consciousness and ongoing concussion. No warning signs at all. Not yet, the vehicle is being looked at on Monday. The vehicle was inspected by the p…

Read full complaint

The driver side airbag. And yes, it can be inspected. I was involved in a low impact accident, where I struck a minor curb. The airbag deployed in my face, causing a loss of consciousness and ongoing concussion. No warning signs at all. Not yet, the vehicle is being looked at on Monday. The vehicle was inspected by the police.

NHTSA ODI #11688510

Mileage unknown · May 29, 2025
SteeringSuspension

The contact owns a 2016 Acura RDX. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle while turning to the left or the right. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to function as intended. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the deale…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2016 Acura RDX. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle while turning to the left or the right. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to function as intended. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering gear and suspension had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI #11663715

55,495 miles · Jan 16, 2025
Power TrainSuspension

The contact owns a 2016 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 25 MPH, there was a loud clicking sound coming from underneath the vehicle on the front passenger side of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact’s wife took the vehicle to the local independent mechanic to be diagnosed. Th…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2016 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 25 MPH, there was a loud clicking sound coming from underneath the vehicle on the front passenger side of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact’s wife took the vehicle to the local independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the front passenger’s side axle was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 55,495.

NHTSA ODI #11636287

Mileage unknown · Jan 9, 2025
Power Train

A judder from the torque converter is felt when driving between 20 and 60 mph

NHTSA ODI #11635085

Mileage unknown · Dec 23, 2024
Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness

Please see attached photos regarding unsafe issue with our Britax 1 for life clicktight carseat purchased 2021 and utilized from the end of 2021 to Dec. 2024. The harness strap would not tighten with ease, so I tugged with light force and the bolts that held the button to loosen the harness popped out. The harness then would not…

Read full complaint

Please see attached photos regarding unsafe issue with our Britax 1 for life clicktight carseat purchased 2021 and utilized from the end of 2021 to Dec. 2024. The harness strap would not tighten with ease, so I tugged with light force and the bolts that held the button to loosen the harness popped out. The harness then would not tighten at all. We threw the seat away but wanted to report the issue to you out of concern for others who are still utilizing this seat.

NHTSA ODI #11632077

100,000 miles · Nov 22, 2023
Service BrakesTiresVisibilityCrash

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 floorboard with no resistance. The contact stated that he was pumping the bra…

Read full complaint

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 floorboard with no resistance. The contact stated that he was pumping the brake pedal when 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.

NHTSA ODI #11556426

Mileage unknown · Jul 20, 2023
Unknown Or Other

The transmission is Jerky and has a rough up and down shift. Vehicle has stalled and shut off without warning. My wife says the vehicle acts as though its about to die when ac compressor/blower kicks on.

NHTSA ODI #11533499

Mileage unknown · Jul 20, 2023
Power Train

While driving in the left of I20 East's two lanes on a descending hill with 5 cars ahead and an unknown number of cars behind at 70+ mph and all cars packed in close to the car ahead, I saw the lane had no real shoulder before a drop-off and the right lane had a narrow shoulder before it dropped off into woods and brush. The rig…

Read full complaint

While driving in the left of I20 East's two lanes on a descending hill with 5 cars ahead and an unknown number of cars behind at 70+ mph and all cars packed in close to the car ahead, I saw the lane had no real shoulder before a drop-off and the right lane had a narrow shoulder before it dropped off into woods and brush. The right lane was packed with 18-wheelers. In order to avoid constantly breaking the full length of the hill, I shifted into manual mode and a lower gear, but the car ahead began to brake suddenly and hard. Just a second before that car broke, I unlocked the shifter and was moving it forward to Drive. As the car ahead was drastically slowing, I had to hit the brakes hard to avoid rear-ending him, and the momentum of sudden braking threw my hand and the shifter all the way forward into Park. The transmission immediately produced a harsh grinding sound, I no longer could disengage the transmission from Park, and the only controls I now had were brakes and steering. Alarmed I knew I had to get to the right shoulder but I couldn't look back to see how close trucks were behind the one to my immediate right, but by braking that truck slowly moved ahead of me, providing a brief opening behind him in the right lane. As I cautiously moved into that opening, I could see an 18 wheeler approaching but still a short distance back. I continued slowly drifting into the right lane with blinkers on, when suddenly the approaching truck behind veered partially into the right shoulder in anticipation of passing me in the narrow shoulder lane. In the split second of his veering, I slowly continued into the shoulder lane causing him to veer back into the right lane, his rig full of new cars jerking back left. As I gradually slowed to a stop, the truck was approaching so fast that in my rearview mirror it looked like he might not miss me. As he shot by, he cleared me by not much more than a foot, his draft shaking my car. AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION GOING INTO PARK @ 70MPH

NHTSA ODI #11533433

Official recalls

2

19V182000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Mar 6, 2019

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.

16V061000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Feb 3, 2016

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2011-2015 CR-Z, 2010-2014 FCX, and Insight, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013-2014 Fit EV, 2007-2014 Ridgeline, 2013-2016 Acura ILX, 2013-2014 Acura ILX Hybrid, 2007-2016 RDX, 2005-2012 Acura RL, 2009-2014 Acura TL, and 2010-2013 Acura ZDX vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are JY0, JY1, and JY2.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

EA21002 · Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

Opened Sep 17, 2021 · No close date supplied

Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module; Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=EA21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=EA21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.

Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=EA21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.