Hey guys,

Got my RDX yesterday. Today I got a message from the monitoring system that my airbags would not work because there was a problem with the voltage. Guess I have to call my dealer tomorrow and see what I have to do.

Has anyone else had a similar message?

Bryan

 

Wow, only 1 day and you've already had a problem that relates to safety. That's not a good sign at all. I was planning to purchase this as a family vehicle, but now I will need to reconsider my plan.

 

Me too!

 

The dealer just called me back. They claim that the battery died when they were checking out the car before I got there and that's the cause of the message. They are checking with the service department to make sure.

b

 

Don't be so quick to jump to conclustions. Things like that can pop up due to a poorly done PDI (that's pre delivery inspection, in case you aren't familiar with the acronym) where the dealer prep team messed something up. I would be more concerned if someone said they had the engine seize up or if the SH-AWD stopped working. An airbag message, especially one like the one he got, isn't necessarily the result of poor assembly at the plant.

Plus, one isolated incident isn't necessarily something to worry about either. If this starts popping up with more and more people, then it's time to be concerned.

So in them meantime, let's all just take a deep breath and keep our eyes open.

 

good thing I gave up on buying 1st year car (plus possiblity of negotiationg power if I wait a bit longer)

 

Yeah really... Now you'll have to reconsider? He has an air bag error message due to one of many possible numerous problems with a fix likely just being a battery disconnect for 30 seconds... If his turbo blew up... Than you may, just may, have a valid argument.

Mike

 

I'm assuming if the problem was more than what the dealer said, I would get the message again right?

 

Probably, but it's hard to say how the system is set up. It may not appear again until the previous message has been addressed.

 

Different customers have different expectations. Like I said, I am planning to have this as a family vehicle, so safety is one of the top priorities. Reconsideration does not mean that I've decided not to purchase the vehicle based on 1 single incident on its first-year model. But the incident created a doublt in my mind.

I'm not even going to respond to that "... turbo blew up ..." comment.

 

Did you honestly believe before this that no RDX would ever have a safety related problem?

Cars break. I *assume* that any car I buy is going to have problems, even a Honda product. One person having one problem, even on a brand new vehicle, doesn't give me any reason for concern at all.

If 10 more people join in and say "Hey, mine did that too!", then I would start to wonder.

 

FYI the dealer says he confirmed that the battery died when they were testing some of the features and that the issue should not happen again.

I'll let you guys know if anything happens or I find out anything else.

b

 

So Bryan, are you enjoying your new ride?

 

Very good question! Now that you've had it for a few days, how about some more in depth details. Things you like/don't like that you didn't notice right away. Perhaps that's best left to a new thread, though.

 

This is what the whole system is for...The RL for instance sends you service messages when you do all kinds of stuff. It was just alerting you that your airbag had been disabled because of the lack of voltage. The situation was temporary,

When you set off the opds in the RL it sends you a message too.

 

I think this is a good thing since it actually TOLD you what you needed. And nothing failed mechanically, it was the dealer's fault for running out the battery.

 

right, be happy the car notified you. most cars would give you no notification.

 

Obviously it's a good thing that the car notified me. It's just a bit upsetting to see something like that on day 1.

b

 

It's probably nothing serious. Honda's overall quality is getting worse every year, but the first year quality is still among the best. I never hesitated to buy a first year Honda.
But again.....you never know......what a useless post....I think I'm just bored.

 

Exactly!! The car worked flawlessly. It was some moron at the dealership that ran the battery dead. If anyone has reservations, it should be with the dealership in question and not the RDX itself. Unfortunately, not even Honda can engineer a car to be completely immune to the stupid things that some stupid service technicians are capable of.

 

lol at the faggotry of people not buying becuase of one message on one persons car the stupidity is strong in the age bracket i think i need to go back to my TSX boards

 

ok, see ya.

 

Low volts do crazy things like throw airbag and ABS faults... no biggie or reason for concern. Car probably sat with the radio and nav turned on without the engine running as people were playing with it prior to PDI.

When the new RL was released, there were some that failed to have their rear differentials filled- talk about a bad unveiling as the rear end started smoking on people who had just spent near $50K!

 

Look at my post please (Memphis Acura). What ever came of your problem? I'd like to know what I might expect. Thanks!

 

Nothing really. My message appears to have been a one time thing related to the battery being run out. I think yours is a constant message showing right? Mine was just left as a message in the system messages folder.

Bryan

 

I bought mine last week and had the same message. I noticed the message at the dealer and asked about it and was really frustrated that the salesmen tried to blow off my concern. Said something to the effect of: "that's just because your husband is leaning forward in his seat -- the message will go away." I insisted that the message was not related to that since it clearly reads that the battery voltage was too low and that "the airbags will not deploy in an accident -- see your Acura dealer immediately." So they humored me and we took it over to service. The service guy said that the battery probably wore down while the car was sitting on the lot -- they had brought it from a dealer in another state and the message was dated May 12. With only 17 miles, it seemed reasonable to me that the car had not been driven in a while. So they said that it would go away in 80 to 100 miles after the battery had fully charged.

200 miles later, it has not gone away. I'm planning to take it in. Probably nothing wrong, but the message will not go away and I'm not comfortable with something that suggests the airbags will not deploy in an accident.

 

That is totally unacceptable for a dealer to let you drive off the lot with that message being displayed, especially with a brand new vehicle.

1. They should test your battery to make sure it is OK
2. they should make sure it is fully charge before you take delivery.
3. if you happen to get in an accident and you are injured or worse because your air bags did not deploy, and the dealer knew about but still sent you on your merry way, you could sue the pants off them.

I do two things if I were you. I'd go to a different dealer to get my vehicle serviced because obviously safety is not the primary concern there, and I'd also call the Acura customer care line and let them know about your experience.

 

I too was a victim of the low voltage message monster, the only difference is that mine came from leaving my headlights and stereo on while cleaning my RDXturbo one night. This is an issue concerning low battery power, not faulty design; after you drive again the battery charges back up and even though the message stays in your message box everything "should" be ok. So everyone can relax and leave the mechanical gremlins to rest, its just the price of being so tech savvy... :gheywave:

 

>Car probably sat with the radio and nav turned on without the engine running as people were playing with it prior to PDI.

My thoughts exactly. No big deal, nothing to do with the car itself. Human error. No need to be concerned, bryanb. Nav will drain the batt and fast if the car is not running.

But to the other poster: yeah, get thee to a new dealer asap and alert Acura to the careless safety (and service) attitude of that first dealer. Totally unacceptable.

 

In your original reply you said "...a problem that relates to safety. That's not a good sign at all. I was planning to purchase this as a family vehicle.." After all the exchanges on this topic that phrase is still the one I don't get. If it was a vehicle just for you, then safety is not an issue? Why is safety related only to family? Or, am I not understanding you?

 

Excellent idea!

 

Not buying a vehicle because the Airbags don't work for ANY period of time in some RDX's strike a very valid concern, they could have easily gotten in an accident or worse, and the Airbags would not have functioned properly because they were shut off. It IS a valid concern, one that could have been fixed easily, though.

 

Have no fear lamster, I have experienced zero issues in the 6000 miles that I have had in the first 4 months of ownership. This is the best quality of any of the Acuras that I have owned.

Also, check the IIHS ratings for info on safety, not a discussion group. People tend to rant here when they have an issue. Plus, in this area, most of the RDXs that I have seen in this area are being driven by women, who probably do not surf this forum.

 

Only the RDX Tech Package would show this error message? I guess I got shafted with the base model...