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Acura · NHTSA safety record

2019 Acura RDX

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

Owners have filed 438 safety complaints about the 2019 Acura RDX with the US government. Of those, 3 describe a crash, 5 people were injured and no death is recorded. 5 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is visibility and the wipers, named in 96 complaints, 22% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 11,161 miles, the median across the 129 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

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

What is on file

438 complaints on file

438

Complaints

3

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

5

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.

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
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 142 · 32%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 96 · 22%
ENGINE 89 · 20%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 39 · 9%
POWER TRAIN 37 · 8%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 31 · 7%
STRUCTURE 23 · 5%
SERVICE BRAKES 22 · 5%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 17 · 4%
VISIBILITY 17 · 4%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 12 · 3%
AIR BAGS 11 · 3%
0 58 115

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 438.

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 88.

96 72 48 24
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 2019 Acura RDX, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test 4 DR AWD 4 DR FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 15.0% 16.5%
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

5 on file

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

26V332000 · May 21, 2026

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
The risk
Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 98,892 vehicles across all model years covered

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

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

23V158000 · March 9, 2023

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2020 CR-V, 2018-2019 Accord and Accord Hybrid, 2018-2020 Odyssey, 2019 Insight, and 2019-2020 Acura RDX vehicles. 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 risk
An unlatched seat belt cannot properly restrain the seat occupant during a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger seat belt buckle release buttons or the buckle assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 18, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are NDA, QDB, BDC, MDD, LD9. TDF, FDG, ODH, YDI, ZDE.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 448,613 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

21V215000 · March 25, 2021

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 CR-V vehicles. The low-pressure 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
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 18, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-314.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 624,552 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

20V314000 · May 28, 2020

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Acura NSX, 2019 Acura RDX, RLX and RLX Sport Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R and HR-V, 2019-2020 Insight and 2019 Fit vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
The risk
If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Honda will notify owners and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 22, 2020. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 135,995 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.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed

My 2019 Acura was involved in a front end collision which resulted in the car being deemed a total loss. Not one of the airbags deployed at any point during the collision, despite hitting head on. The collision resulted in me having severe neck and shoulder pain and stiffness as well as my foot and arm. There was no warning indicators on the dash prior to the collision. The car did however contact emergency services and was able to give the coordinates of the crash. I have searched for recalls on the 2019 Acura and none of which identify the airbags being faulty.

NHTSA complaint 11578850. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

1 injured · crash · towed

While driving on a congested highway, my steering wheel lost power making it impossible to control the truck's steering. The truck spun around multiple times before crossing lanes of traffic and hitting a guardrail head on. Thankfully, others avoided hitting my vehicle which would have caused more serious injuries. As of yet, the issue hasn't been reproduced or confirmed. The insurance company will conduct the Inspection. There were no warning lamps, alerts or symptoms prior to the steering wheel losing power. The insurance company has possession of the truck.

NHTSA complaint 11693705. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY

1 injured · 600 miles

WHILE LOADING ITEMS IN THE REAR OF THE SUV, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE TAILGATE ACTIVATED AND CLOSED, PINNING ME BETWEEN THE BODY AND THE TAILGATE. ADDITIONALLY, THE TAILGATE ON THE CAR UNEXPECTEDLY CLOSED AT A DIFFERENT TIME, STRIKING MY WIFE IN THE HEAD. ON BOTH OCCASIONS THE TAILGATE FAILED TO REVERSE ITS CLOSING MOTION WHEN ENCOUNTERING INTERFERENCE.

NHTSA complaint 11122852. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER

1 injured

Got into my car started it and the back window burst I might add it was not to cold out but the rear window wiper was on due to the rain sensor

NHTSA complaint 11654272. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The front sunroof glass on my vehicle shattered without warning while the vehicle was in motion and without any impact, collision, or contact from an outside object. I had the vehicle inspected at AutoNation Acura [XXX]. The dealership's own service advisor confirmed in writing that the remaining glass "seems to be facing upward, which is an indication that it may have shattered due to pressure, as opposed to any outside influence," and stated explicitly that there was "no evidence of mistreatment/accident found during inspection." I am enclosing a copy of that email. Despite this documented finding, Acura denied my warranty/goodwill claim for the repair telling me the glass had been broken

NHTSA complaint 11764856, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
I own a 2019 Acura RDX that I purchased new in 2018. It has now experienced three separate major water-intrusion events. The first two occurred while I lived in [XXX], including an incident in approximately 2021 that required an insurance claim, extensive repair, and about a month without the vehicle. The current incident occurred in [XXX]. Because the same issue has occurred in two different states and multiple times, I do not believe it is an isolated environmental event. In the current incident, I discovered pooled water beneath the front passenger-seat carpet and in the rear cargo area where the vehicle’s audio-system equipment is located. The audio system has stopped working. Before I

NHTSA complaint 11763186, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The factory-installed LED Daytime Running Light (DRL) system on my 2019 Acura RDX has failed. The passenger-side DRL is completely inoperative, and an authorized Acura dealership documented that the driver's-side DRL is beginning to fail as well. The affected components are available for inspection upon request dealership has declined to provide further documents and American Honda Moto Daytime Running Lights are a safety-related exterior lighting system designed to improve vehicle visibility to other motorists. The failure of one DRL and the developing failure of the second DRL may reduce vehicle visibility and create a potential safety concern. On July 3, 2026, Cerritos Acura inspected

NHTSA complaint 11762633, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2019 RDX Rear Windshield Glass Shattered. The car was parked and not started. There was no impact or reason for it to shatter.

NHTSA complaint 11762419. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The center infotainment display went completely black, with only the backup camera feed still functioning. There was no audio output at all (radio, navigation prompts, or Bluetooth). The dealer diagnosed and replaced the FAKRA service cables under Acura TSB B23-025, which addresses this exact display-blank/audio failure. After the cable repair, the screen remained black and audio remained completely non-functional. The dealer then determined the tuner/AV control unit had failed, confirmed by swapping in a working unit from another RDX which restored function. Acura Client Relations was contacted and declined to provide any coverage for the tuner unit replacement, stating the TSB only covers

NHTSA complaint 11754516, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Premature valve cover gasket oil leak and rear shock absorber oil leak at 43,818 miles At 43,818 miles on 04/25/2026, Acura dealer documented on RO XXX: "Valve cover gasket leaking - Recommend replacement $500+Tax" and "Rear Shock/Strut starting to leak oil residue $435.64". This is premature failure. Valve cover oil leak can cause engine fire hazard - oil leaking onto hot exhaust. Rear shock oil leak causes loss of stability and increased stopping distance. Dealer quoted over $3,500. Repaired at independent shop with OEM parts for $1,670. Honda Case #XXX denied goodwill citing out of warranty. VIN: [XXX], 44k miles, well maintained. Request investigation for 2019 RDX premature oil leaks.

NHTSA complaint 11752557, quoted in part. 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 —
2018 77 1 —
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 2019 Acura models

MDX 188 TLX 92 ILX 36 MDX Sport Hybrid 8

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