10 of the
161 complaints about the 2021 Acura RDX are about the
electrical system — 6% of everything
reported for this model year.
Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before
30,000 miles.
Two low-speed sudden unintended acceleration events while parking a 2021 Acura RDX. Incident 1 (July 2026): While parking at low speed, the car unexpectedly surged forward. Flew up the curb and hit a restaurant window, causing massive undercarriage damage. Active braking did not help and seemed to make acceleration worse. It only stopped when it wanted to. Incident 2 (August 2026): Two weeks after getting the car back from repairs, under identical low-speed parking conditions, a second sudden acceleration event occurred. Slamming on the brakes did nothing. It stopped after scraping a car wash vacuum pole, destroying the entire passenger side. Prior to these, the car exhibited erratic safety software behavior, including multiple phantom braking incidents where it slammed on its brakes violently with no obstacles present. I bought the car Certified Pre-Owned two years ago. The dealership repaired a known "popping sound" from the panoramic sunroof frame three times. This required extensive cabin/pillar teardown work, which may have disturbed internal wiring harnesses or grounding points linked to the electronic throttle control system. In both events, it felt like an uncontrolled amusement park ride—the engine loudly revving and taking over with zero driver control. I initially assumed pedal confusion during the first crash, but since it happened again under identical circumstances, there is clearly a systemic electronic/software defect in the Throttle Actuator or Powertrain Control Module. The vehicle is at an insurance network body shop awaiting forensic evaluation of the throttle system, pedal sensors, and a Bosch EDR black box download.
NHTSA complaint #11758797 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Merced, CA
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2021 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while at a complete stop at a stop sign or traffic light, the engine auto stop-start system was inoperable upon depression of the brake pedal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The dealer initially suggested that the battery might require replacement. However, another dealer determined that the battery was functioning properly and exhibited no defects upon inspection. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.
NHTSA complaint #11743690 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Parma, OH
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The Auto High-Beam system activates the high beams inappropriately during operation. The system triggers the high beams directly into the eyes of oncoming traffic and activates during early dusk conditions. The sudden, intense illumination blinds oncoming drivers. This creates an immediate glare hazard and significantly increases the risk of a head-on collision. I reported this specific failure to the authorized dealership on three separate occasions, engaging three distinct service advisors during the active warranty period. The service department omitted these complaints from the formal repair orders. The first advisor stated the system was functioning normally. The second advisor stated the technicians completed an inspection and verified the system as fully operational. The third advisor acknowledged experiencing the exact same malfunction on their personal vehicle and instructed me to manually disable the safety feature. The system fails silently, displaying zero warning lamps or error messages prior to or during the malfunctions. The attached service invoices document a severe, underlying instability within the vehicle's electrical and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) network, culminating in a complete VSA modulator replacement. These records establish a confirmed administrative pattern of the dealership dismissing intermittent safety faults, officially logging statements such as "unable to verify issue" and "no problem found" on subsequent visits. This evidentiary paper trail substantiates the dealership's systemic suppression of my specific, repeated verbal reports regarding the Auto High-Beam safety hazard. The vehicle and the Auto High-Beam system remain available for inspection upon request.
NHTSA complaint #11737515 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Odenton, MD
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Infotainment system fails on occasions. Sceen goes completely blank causing distraction while driving. There is currently a recall for this issue for 2019-2020 RDX.
NHTSA complaint #11713768 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
St Johns, FL
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
AcuraLink App was used to attempt to remote start car while at a store, however, the app reported a failed notification and car was never started through the app and only turned on manually. Two hours later, when at home, the car remote started suddenly with no prompt while it was inside of a closed garage. Our dog heard the car go off and alerted us. Had he not heard it, the car would have been running in a closed garage putting us at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning. I have done no other reporting, but I did look this up and found threads online about the same issue and was recommended to report here. There were no other warnings or messages to say that the car turned on.
NHTSA complaint #11666634 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Staten Island, NY
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
It was raining and I was sat at a stop light. The brakes started to slip a little no matter how much I pressed then all of a sudden the entire car started shutting down. Engine, Transmission, Power Steering, Lane Keep Assist, Collision warning, all the lights started flashing. The car was put into Limp mode.
NHTSA complaint #11659951 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 30,000 milesEmmaus, PA
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE/BCM
The contact owns a 2021 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front headlights and instrument panel lights started blinking off and on. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the body control module had malfunctioned due to water intrusion from the moon roof seals. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.
NHTSA complaint #11653202 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Bethesda, MD
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Acura RDX 2021.Faulty seat weight sensor front passenger seat. My wife is petite, [XXX] " and weighs [XXX]. When she sits in front passenger seat, at times, the seat weight sensor doesn't register that she's sitting in the seat and the air bag is not engaged. intermittently, the SRS light illuminates but many times it doesn't. I've taken the vehicle into the dealer (Chevy Chase Acura, Bethesda, MD) and they say there is nothing they can do when the SRS light is not on. I've brought the vehicle into the dealership several times. They say that parts are limited and not generally available and are expedited only when the SRS light is illuminated. I've called and spoken with American Honda Customer service and they refuse to help stating the same thing the dealer says. But this is definitely a safety issue. NHSTA Recall # 24V-064. Service Bulletin # 24-015. Please help. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11616293 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Indianapolis, IN
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I have a 2021 RDX. Was on the interstate moving at about 70 MPH coming back from Missouri. Raining. Lots of semis creating huge following misty, hard to see rain. Decided to accelerate to pass a couple. Car nearly stalled and acted like it had lost a cylinder's worth of power. Turned on hazards, slowed, pulled over and lifted the hood hearing all kinds of unusual noises. Shut the car off and restarted. All was well. Turned all lane-keeping, etc. off including cruise. Drove the last 100 miles or so without incident. Called dealer and was told likely didn't pull a code. Don't worry and keep driving. Said to make sure front of car was clean. Duh!! I keep my ride spotless (unless driving in the rain). Called CA's Acura line. Absolutely no help. 2 different females had no idea what limp mode was. Read quite a bit since then finding out it could be the result of many things including problems that could damage the motor and/or tranny. WOW!!! Had never heard of "limp mode" before. Nice that no info on this possible problem was anywhere in any user manual. Car has performed flawlessly ever since. So far, I guess the rain had interfered with the "radar" system and confused the computer. I'm thinking about buying a 40 year old car that doesn't have any of the modern computers etc. Later found info regarding TSB 20-053 which explains the problem and proposed solution. 06-26-2022 06:52 PM
NHTSA complaint #11495022 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
South River, NJ
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
When using my apple phone in the car I cannot answer, hang up, talk using the hands free option at certain times
NHTSA complaint #11433296 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.