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Acura · NHTSA safety record

2018 Acura RDX

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

Owners have filed 77 safety complaints about the 2018 Acura RDX with the US government. Of those, 5 describe a crash, 3 people were injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the gasoline fuel system.

The most complained-about system is the gasoline fuel system, named in 17 complaints, 22% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 6,500 miles, the median across the 19 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers January 2018 to August 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

77 complaints on file

77

Complaints

5

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

3

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 halved year on year: 10 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 26 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.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 17 · 22%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 17 · 22%
POWER TRAIN 12 · 16%
ENGINE 11 · 14%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8 · 10%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 7 · 9%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 7 · 9%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4 · 5%
SERVICE BRAKES 4 · 5%
AIR BAGS 3 · 4%
LANE DEPARTURE 3 · 4%
STRUCTURE 3 · 4%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 77.

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 2024 at 28.

32 24 16 8
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 2018 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 2018 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

1 on file

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

23V858000 · December 18, 2023

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
The risk
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 2,490,460 vehicles across all model years covered

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.

STRUCTURE:BODY

1 injured · crash · towed · 23,000 miles

MY VEHICLE WAS PARKED, RUNNING AND UNOCCUPIED ON THE STREET. MY WIFE ENTERED FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE REACHING IN TO RETRIEVE SOMETHING FROM THE CENTER CONSOLE. SHE PRESSED THE START/STOP ENGINE BUTTON TO SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE. THE CAR STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS DOWN A HILL, KNOCKING MY WIFE TO THE GROUND CAUSING INJURY. CAR CONTINUED TO ROLL UNTIL IT STRUCK A TREE.

NHTSA complaint 11322456. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS

1 injured · crash · towed

1. I suffered a seatback failure in my 2018 Acura RDX when I was rear-ended at a high speed. The car is currently with my insurance company but I'm sure it's available for inspection. 2. The seatback failure made a big enough gap between my seat and seatbelt for me to slip completely under my seatbelt. I landed on the backseat floor after I smacked my head on the side rear airbag. I have multiple injuries from the seatback failure and my children would have been hurt from this failure had they been in the car with me. 3. N/A 4. The vehicle was totaled. The insurance adjuster said all seats "had shifted". I asked if that was another word for "broken". He said "yes". 5. No warnings appeared.

NHTSA complaint 11420981, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

1 injured · towed · 6,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 ACURA RDX. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING AND PARKED ON AN INCLINE, THE CONTACT EXITED THE VEHICLE, OPENED THE TAILGATE, AND THE ALARM SOUNDED. THE CONTACT WALKED OVER TO THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR, WHICH WAS AJAR, BUT THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ROLL AND KNOCKED THE CONTACT OVER. THE VEHICLE STOPPED WHEN IT WAS ON LEVEL GROUND. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE RIBS AND A FRACTURED PELVIS, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALER (PRIME ACURA, 395 PROVIDENCE HIGHWAY, WESTWOOD, MA 02090, (508) 921-1900), BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER

NHTSA complaint 11111014, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed · 10,000 miles

A WESTBOUND DISTRACTED DRIVER SWERVED INTO MY LANE AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED AND MY AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM SLOWED ME TO THE POINT THAT I COULD NOT GET OUT OF THE WAY OF THE ONCOMING VEHICLE CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO ROLL OVER FOLLOWING IMPACT (SEE ATTACHED HSMV CRASH REPORT NUMBER 87263383).

NHTSA complaint 11175016. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The light comes on due to an emission system warning, shaking, and a lack of power; the engine is severely misfiring. This is the second time I have complained about this to the NHTSA

NHTSA complaint 11757690. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

89,000 miles

The contact owns a 2018 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the driver’s side air bag needed to be replaced; however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.

NHTSA complaint 11750607. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Vehicle Information: 2018 Acura RDX AWDAffected System: Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Torque ConverterAssociated Code/Bulletin: DTC P0741 / Acura TSB B23-029Complaint Description:The vehicle is experiencing a documented manufacturer defect covered under Acura Warranty Extension TSB B23-029, where the internal torque converter lock-up piston cracks, causing hydraulic fluid pressure to bleed down. A professional diagnostic scan confirmed active Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) P0741 alongside a flashing transmission "D" indicator on the dashboard.This mechanical component failure creates a severe, immediate safety hazard. Because the cracked piston allows the torque converter clutch to

NHTSA complaint 11746842, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
The transmission went into limp mode one day after coming to a stop. When I safely got home, I turned the car off. Upon restarting, the issue was gone, but this has now happened several times. Each time, putting the car into park, shutting it off, and restarting it "resets" whatever was going on. Eventually the CE light came on, got the code, and it came back as P0873. The CE light was off after once again shutting the engine off and then restarting. I've purchased the necessary materials to complete the repair, but I've read on many forums this is a common issue, with some even reporting it recurring even after replacing the pressure switch. Acura should issue a recall and absolve all

NHTSA complaint 11746062, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Was driving down the hwy with the sunroof open tucked inside the headliner when a loud sound startled me and when I shut the sunroof glass rained down All over me

NHTSA complaint 11741418. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
When steady idle at 65 on the freeway the blind spot and check transmission light goes on flashes and stays on but when I shut off the vehicle and start it back up the light goes away.

NHTSA complaint 11739120. 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 —
2017 77 1 1
2016 41 2 —
2015 412 3 —
2014 243 3 —
2013 162 3 —
2012 15 2 —
2011 16 2 —
2010 22 2 —

Other 2018 Acura models

MDX 168 TLX 95 ILX 23

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