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Acura · NHTSA safety record

2013 Acura RDX

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 162 safety complaints about the 2013 Acura RDX with the US government. Of those, 6 describe a crash, 2 mention a fire, 4 people were injured and no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the air bags and the power train.

The most complained-about system is the exterior lighting, named in 89 complaints, 55% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 47,500 miles, the median across the 39 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers November 2012 to July 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

162 complaints on file

162

Complaints

6

Describe a crash

2

Mention fire

4

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

Complaints fell 44% year on year: 10 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 18 in the twelve before.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year. A further 1 defect investigation is open and unresolved.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 89 · 55%
AIR BAGS 36 · 22%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 8 · 5%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 · 4%
POWER TRAIN 7 · 4%
SUSPENSION 6 · 4%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 · 4%
SEATS 3 · 2%
ENGINE 2 · 1%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 1%
STEERING 2 · 1%
STRUCTURE 2 · 1%
0 38 77

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 162.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2016 at 32.

36 27 18 9
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2012 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2013 Acura RDX. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

3 on file

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

19V182000 · March 6, 2019

The defect
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.
The risk
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.
The 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.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 1,101,534 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

16V061000 · February 3, 2016

The defect
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.
The risk
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.
The 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.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 2,232,187 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

13V143000 · April 15, 2013

The defect
Honda is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 CR-V, Odyssey, and model year 2013 Acura RDX vehicles. During sub-freezing temperatures, the brake-shift interlock blocking mechanism may become slow and allow the gear selector to be moved from the Park position without pressing the brake pedal. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
The risk
If the gear selector is moved from the park position without pressing the brake pedal it can allow the vehicle to roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Honda or Acura dealer. The dealer will install an updated brake shift interlock blocking mechanism free of charge. The recall began on May 13, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009. Honda's campaign recall numbers are S96, S97, and S98.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 204,169 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations

1 on file

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

EA21002

Still open engineering analysis · opened September 17, 2021

the air bags

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.

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 67,400 miles

TAKATA RECALL. AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AFTER A FRONT END COLLISION BY HITTING A CONCRETE BLOCK LIGHT POST WHICH OCCURRED ON A CITY STREET WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. RESULTING IN SEVERE DAMAGE TO VEHICLE

NHTSA complaint 11044919. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured · crash · 63,000 miles

OUR PARKING PAWL MAYBE DEFECTIVE. WE ALWAYS ENGAGE OUR EMERGENCY BRAKE WHEN PARKING IN OUR DRIVEWAY; TODAY WAS NO DIFFERENT, BUT WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO RE-ENTER MY CAR IT STARTED ROLLING BACK BY ITSELF EVEN WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ENGAGED. I TRIED TO STOP THE CAR FROM ROLLING BACK OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY IN FEAR FOR MY 2 YOUNG CHILDREN STILL IN THE CAR. IN THAT ATTEMPT, I ENDED UP BREAKING MY HAND AND HAD TO GO THE THE ER. EVENTS: 1. PULLED UP INTO DRIVEWAY AND STOPPED COMPLETELY 2. ENGAGED EMERGENCY BRAKE 3. PUT SHIFTER IN PARK POSITION 4. STEPPED OUT TO OPEN GARAGE 5. ATTEMPTED TO RE-ENTER VEHICLE 6. IT STARTED TO ROLL BACK 7. I TRIED TO KEEP IT FROM ROLLING BACK

NHTSA complaint 11020009. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

1 injured · 1,300 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 ACURA MDX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO CHECK THE TRANSMISSION FLUID BUT BURNED HIMSELF IN THE PROCESS. THE CONTACT NOTIFIED THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED THAT WAY AND THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,300.

NHTSA complaint 10512592. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS

1 injured

MY TRUCKS HEADRESTS ARE TILTED SO FAR FORWARD THAT IT CAUSES SIGNIFICANT PAIN IN MY NECK. THEY CAME THIS WAY FROM THE FACTORY. I HAVE TO TURN THE HEADREST AROUND TO RELIEVE THE PAIN, WHICH THEN EXPOSES ME TO AN EVEN HIGHER RISK OF WHIPLASH. YOU IDIOTS AT NHTSA WHO CHANGED THE REGULATIONS SO THAT CAR MANUFACTURERS HAD TO BUILD THEM THIS WAY NEED TO REPEAL THE LAW.

NHTSA complaint 10824984. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
NHTSA Safety Complaint – Acura RDX Driver-Side Airbag Module Availability Vehicle: 2013 Acura RDX VIN: [XXX] Component: Driver-Side Airbag Module Part Number: 77810-TX4-A40ZA-MOD My 2013 Acura RDX was vandalized in January 2026, and the driver-side airbag module was stolen. My mechanic contacted Rallye Acura to obtain the required replacement OEM part. The required component is the Driver Side Air Bag Module, Part No. 77810-TX4-A40ZA-MOD. The replacement part was ordered, but it has remained on critical back order for more than six months. Acura opened Case No. XXX; however, despite repeated communications, Acura has been unable to provide any estimated availability date or a timeline for

NHTSA complaint 11751750, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The headlight housings on this generation of 2013 Acura MDXs completely fail due to a design flaw that causes the housing to overheat and dim the lights to a dangerous level. At night, you would be safer if you were driving with flashlights taped to the hood of the vehicle. I’m sure this has caused numerous wrecks for 2013-2015 MDX owners as it is a widely reported issue that needs to be fixed asap before more people perish. Please do something about this as it is not just a select few lemons but it is nearly every 2013 Acura MDX out there with the same OEM housings. Lives could depend on fixing this issue. Please hear this out.

NHTSA complaint 11742536. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
I have a code on my Acura regarding the driver side airbag. The code is 11-10, covered under service bulletin: 18-020, noting defects in the driver side air bag module. I brought my vehicle in to Hall Acura in November 2025 where this was officially diagnosed and a order was placed for a part on back order (Part Number: 77810-tx4-a40za). To this date, the part continues to be on "critical back order". I have escalated this to Honda Corporation and opened up a case with their office (Case Number: XXX). I receive weekly emails stating that they are working on this but the part is still on critical back order. I have pushed to escalate this further and they state this is all that can be done.

NHTSA complaint 11735888, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
On 3/26/2026 a symbol of an engine appeared on my dash. Then several minutes later the car began running very rough and numerous warnings signs came on including Check Engine, Check AWD System, Check Power Steering System, Check Uphill Assist system and others. I took the car to my mechanic this morning and after checking various systems he determined the Cylinder Deactivation system was not performing properly. He replaced the spark plug for cylinder 3 and confirmed the ignition coil is functioning properly. He was not able to correct the problem and said I should contact the dealer as he thought Honda had issued an extended recall on the Acura 2013 RDXs because of this problem. He said

NHTSA complaint 11727590, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The headlights do not produce enough light to see the road. Every time the car is driven at night it is extremely dangerous.

NHTSA complaint 11720747. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Headlights are very dim due to degradation of the reflective projection surface. Internet searches indicate this is a common problem for the 2013-2015 Acura RDXs. The only solution is to replace the entire headlight assembly.

NHTSA complaint 11718495. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Acura RDX

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 30 1 —
2024 11 2 —
2023 23 2 —
2022 31 2 —
2021 113 3 —
2020 346 5 —
2019 438 5 —
2018 77 1 —
2017 77 1 1
2016 41 2 —
2015 412 3 —
2014 243 3 —
2012 15 2 —
2011 16 2 —
2010 22 2 —

Other 2013 Acura models

ILX 66 TL 62 TSX 33 MDX 30

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Acura on this site — 73 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst