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Acura · NHTSA safety record

2015 Acura RDX

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

Owners have filed 412 safety complaints about the 2015 Acura RDX with the US government. Of those, 7 describe a crash, 4 people were injured and no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the air bags.

The most complained-about system is the exterior lighting, named in 340 complaints, 83% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 55,000 miles, the median across the 63 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers December 2014 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

412 complaints on file

412

Complaints

7

Describe a crash

0

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 27% year on year: 38 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 52 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 340 · 83%
AIR BAGS 33 · 8%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 20 · 5%
STRUCTURE 10 · 2%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8 · 2%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 8 · 2%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 6 · 1%
POWER TRAIN 4 · 1%
ENGINE 3 · 1%
STEERING 3 · 1%
SUSPENSION 3 · 1%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 · 0%
0 138 277

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 412.

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 2023 at 106.

112 84 56 28
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 2014 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 crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2015 Acura RDX, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 15.5% 16.4%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

3 on file

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

19V500000 · June 27, 2019

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013 Acura ILX, 2015 RDX, 2005-2010 and 2012 RL, 2009-2014 TL, 2010 and 2012 ZDX, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2011-2013 and 2015 CR-Z, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013 Fit EV, 2010-2011 and 2013 Insight and 2007-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
The risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp 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 driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are S5B and W59.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 1,558 vehicles across all model years covered

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

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

2 injured · crash · towed · 78,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 ACURA RDX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE LANE ON THE HIGHWAY, THE VEHICLE WAS REAR-ENDED WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO A CONCERT DIVIDER. THE VEHICLE ENDED UP IN THE LEFT LANE, WHERE IT WAS HIT HEAD-ON BY A BUS. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AN UNKNOWN LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE DRIVER AND THE FRONT PASSENGER SUSTAINED NECK, BACK AND LEG PAINS THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND THERE NO DECISION ON THE STATUS OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURE WERE NOT CALLED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 78,000.

NHTSA complaint 11337663. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 13,000 miles

TAKATA RECALL. THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED WHILE MY RIGHT HAND WAS ON THE 2 O'CLOCK POSITION. I WAS GOING ABOUT 30 MPH ON A CITY STREET, AND HIT A CAR THAT STOPPED SUDDENLY IN FRONT OF ME. IT WAS LIKE A BOMB BLAST ONTO MY WRIST, FORCEFULLY BLASTING OUT ACID AND AIR OR WHATEVER'S IN THAT AIRBAG. I HAVE A TRAUMA INJURY AND CHEMICAL BURNS ON MY WRIST. THERE ARE CHEMICAL BURN HOLES ALL OVER THE DASHBOARD AS WELL. AT FIRST I THOUGHT MY BEADED BRACELET HAD PUNCTURED MY WRIST. ONE BURN LOOKED LIKE A CIGARETTE BURN, AND WITHIN 2 HOURS THE BURN HOLE SKIN TURNED PITCH BLACK. OTHER BLISTERS FORMED AS THE HOURS WENT BY. THE NEXT MORNING (THANKSGIVING) I WENT TO URGENT CARE AND THEY REFERRED ME TO THE EMERGENCY

NHTSA complaint 10928053, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

1 injured · crash

My 16 year old son was at a church function until after dark because daylight savings time means it is dark earlier. When he began to drive home he could not see the roadway because the low beam headlights provided close to zero illumination. He lost visibility and drove off the road into someone’s yard. There were children outside and they could have been killed. Only minor damage to the grass and yard occurred and fortunately no damage to the vehicle. He called me and I instructed him to engage the high beams and drive home which caused several oncoming vehicles to swerve and react menacingly because he didn’t dim his lights. The oxidation of the reflective coating is a known defect that

NHTSA complaint 11556158, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

crash · towed · 24,000 miles

PUT MY CAR IN PARK IN DRIVEWAY WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING, STEPPED OUT OF MY VEHICLE AND IT STARTED MOVING FORWARD, HITTING THE GARAGE. THE CAR HIT THE GARAGE AND I TRIED TO PUSH IT BACKWARDS, IT MOVED BACKWARD AFTER HITTING THE GARAGE AND STARTED ROLLING AWAY FROM THE GARAGE. MY BABY WAS IN THE CAR, SO I GOT IN THE OPEN DOOR OF THE CAR AND ATTEMPTED TO MOVE THE GEAR SHIFT OUT OF P TOWARDS D, THINKING THIS WOULD HELP STOP THE CAR AS I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE PAD. DURING THIS ENTIRE PERIOD, THE CAR WAS MAKING A GRINDING SOUND, WHICH I ASSUME WAS THE BRAKES. THE CAR FINALLY STOPPED ROLLING AND CAME TO A STOP AS I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE A SECOND TIME. THE DRIVEWAY IS ON A DOWNWARD SLOPE SO THE CAR WAS

NHTSA complaint 11024543, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The deteriorating chrome in the headlight projector is impossible to see. I just miss head on collision. And weeks before. I have purchased all and every headlight bulb and nothing works. Either I’m going to die in a wreck or kill somebody. Due to this ongoing problem with the projector. Please recall 2015 Acura RdX projectors so know one gets hurt.

NHTSA complaint 11767257. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
My low beam headlights have not been giving off enough light to see at night. Upon further investigation, I found several complaints regarding the same problem with the year and make of my car. I went yesterday, 9/21/26 and had the bulbs replaced with LED for $190 and the problem still exists. I have to use my high beam headlights to see at night, which is unsafe and illegal. Acura should be held accountable for faulty equipment and not their loyal customers.

NHTSA complaint 11766073. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The component that failed is the low-beam headlight system, specifically the internal projector lens housings of both the driver and passenger side headlight assemblies. The reflective chrome coating inside the projector bowls has degraded, delaminated, and burned away due to heat from halogen lightbulbs. This failure severely compromises nighttime driving safety. Because the reflective backing inside the headlights has deteriorated, the low-beam bulbs cannot project light onto the road ahead. This creates a critical lack of forward visibility, preventing the driver from seeing pedestrians, debris, road signs, or upcoming turns in the dark. The problem was physically inspected and confirmed

NHTSA complaint 11764096, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Reflectors on low beam headlights have completely failed. Provides almost no illumination and is very dangerous to drive at night. Changing bulbs, cleaning outer lens makes no difference, the entire housing needs to be replaced.

NHTSA complaint 11755291. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The HID low beam headlamps are not putting out enough light to drive the vehicle at night. This is dangerous, and I drive home from work at night. The inner low beam lens has degraded and become hazy. This would require the entire headlight housing to be replaced, which are very expensive - about $1,700. I believe this is the same problem that 2015 Acura RLX are experiencing, and recall JN2 was created. I don't understand why the 2015 Acura RDX models weren't included in that recall.

NHTSA complaint 11754106. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
There is a defect in my headlights, too dim to drive at night, have to engage high beams to see. This is a safety hazard. I believe this should be repaired by the manufacturer

NHTSA complaint 11751826. 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 —
2014 243 3 —
2013 162 3 —
2012 15 2 —
2011 16 2 —
2010 22 2 —

Other 2015 Acura models

TLX 342 MDX 71 ILX 19 RLX 11

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