Acura
Acura RDX years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2015, 2019 and 2020. Best years: 2016 and 2024.
The 2015, 2019 and 2020 Acura RDX draw the most owner complaints for their age: 2015 has 410 complaints (34 for each year on the road), 2019 has 438 complaints (55 for each year on the road) and 2020 has 345 complaints (49 for each year on the road), against a median of 9 a year across the 11 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2019 is rear window shattering (177 reports).
- 1,540complaints
- 10recall campaigns
- 5model years with a page
Newest report Sep 28, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2015
Most reported: headlights (335 reports, median 80,000 miles) and airbag (33 reports).
2019
Most reported: rear window shattering (177 reports, median 63,000 miles) and windshield (98 reports, median 54,000 miles).
2020
Most reported: rear window shattering (145 reports, median 55,000 miles) and windshield (89 reports, median 55,000 miles).
Best years
2016
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2024
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid. Too new to judge: 2025.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- The 2019 has the most complaints of any Acura RDX year here: 438 of 1,540 (28%).
- Problem across the years
- The top problem changes over time: headlights from 2014 to 2015; rear window shattering from 2019 to 2020; brake wear in 2021. Pooled across the years, half of the 102 owners who gave a mileage for headlights were under about 80,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 2% of Acura RDX complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The highest share is on the 2021, 4 of its 113 complaints.
- Recalls on the top problem
- None of the 2 model years where owners report headlights has a recall on the same system.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2024 at 301 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 233. So far in 2026, 177 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
Photo: Mr.choppers, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Kevauto, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2016 (41), 2017 (77), 2018 (77), 2022 (31), 2023 (23), 2024 (11), 2025 (30).
Year by year
2021 Acura RDX
113 owner complaints, 19 for each year on the road (2.2 times the model median). Most reported: brake wear (16 reports), rear window shattering (16 reports) and windshield (14 reports). 3 reports involved a crash and 1 person was hurt. 3 recalls, including 26V-332 on the airbags and 24V-064 on the airbags.
2020 Acura RDX avoid
345 owner complaints, 49 for each year on the road (5.8 times the model median). Most reported: rear window shattering (145 reports, median 55,000 miles), windshield (89 reports, median 55,000 miles) and stalling (38 reports, median 9,500 miles). 4 reports involved a crash and 4 people were hurt. 5 recalls, including 26V-332 on the airbags and 24V-064 on the airbags.
2019 Acura RDX avoid
438 owner complaints, 55 for each year on the road (6.4 times the model median). Most reported: rear window shattering (177 reports, median 63,000 miles), windshield (98 reports, median 54,000 miles) and stalling (59 reports, median 8,300 miles). 3 reports involved a crash and 5 people were hurt. 5 recalls, including 26V-332 on the airbags and 23V-858 on the fuel system.
2015 Acura RDX avoid
410 owner complaints, 34 for each year on the road (4.0 times the model median). Most reported: headlights (335 reports, median 80,000 miles) and airbag (33 reports). 7 reports involved a crash and 4 people were hurt. 3 recalls, including 19V-500 on the airbags and 19V-182 on the airbags.
2014 Acura RDX
234 owner complaints, 18 for each year on the road (2.1 times the model median). Most reported: headlights (161 reports, median 80,000 miles) and airbag (41 reports). 1 report involved a crash and 3 people were hurt. 3 recalls, including 23V-858 on the fuel system and 19V-182 on the airbags.
Recalls that cover several model years
The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
A manufacturing issue with the front seat belts may cause the seat belt buckle channel to interfere with the release button, preventing the seat belt buckle from latching.
The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
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.
Questions
What Acura RDX years should you avoid?
The 2015, 2019 and 2020 Acura RDX draw the most owner complaints for their age: 2015 has 410 complaints (34 for each year on the road), 2019 has 438 complaints (55 for each year on the road) and 2020 has 345 complaints (49 for each year on the road), against a median of 9 a year across the 11 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2019 is rear window shattering (177 reports).
What are the best years for the Acura RDX?
The 2016 and 2024 draw the fewest complaints for their age: 2016 has 41 (4 a year) and 2024 has 11 (4 a year). Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Acura RDX?
Headlights, with 496 reports across the 5 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2014 and 2015.
How many recalls does the Acura RDX have?
10 recall campaigns cover the Acura RDX model years 2014 to 2021 on this site. The widest, 23V-858 on the fuel system, covers 3 model years.
How many Acura RDX complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
2% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The 2021 has the highest share.
Is there a recall for headlights on the Acura RDX?
No. None of the 2 model years where owners report it has one on the same system.