2019 Acura Rdx

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.

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.

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 “limp mode”. Simultaneously the “check 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.

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.

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.

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.

On July 20 2021, I was driving at 45 mph when I pressed the accelerator and the car did not accelerate while making a loud sound. I pressed it again and it repeated the behavior. Meanwhile the car became slower and slower. There were no warning lamps or messages. I stopped the car and after about five minutes, I restarted it and it worked as usual. However, the technicians at the dealership were unable to confirm the issue with the vehicle losing power while driving through a DTC check. They mentioned that there were no PGM-FI DTCS present and are not sure what component may have malfunctioned. It was so scary, I am afraid to drive this car. This issue is extremely dangerous because the car rapidly decelerated in the middle of the road. This could have easily caused a potentially fatal crash in traffic. It unsafe to drive this car knowing that this issue could repeat at any time without warning.

Vehicle went into limp mode while I was accelerating up to speed onto a highway crossing lanes and driving uphill. All acceleration stopped, and the vehicle quickly decelerated due to being on a steep hill. It was not raining at the time. I had moved into the leftmost lane, and luckily there was a left shoulder to pull the car onto. The check engine light came on and was flashing. I turned the car off and back on, and it started. There could have been a very bad accident.

Driving on the highway ~ 70mph in a rain the vehicle had a loss of engine power and went in to limp mode. It was a harrowing experience in the bad weather with traffic and no place to safely pull to the side of the road. Vehicle would only crawl @ ~ 5mph. This is the second incidence in a year. Its a major safety issue. Acura says it cannot be fixed unless they can duplicate the problem with my vehicle. Highly unlikely that will happen. I pointed out that other owners of the RDX have had the same issues. Acura stated that they do not listen to online forums. This is a serious issue in my opinion that will one day or perhaps already has caused loss of life.