Hey everyone, was wondering if you could help me with this very bad problem I've been having.
My 2007 RDX randomly shuts off while i'm driving, which is very very bad obviously.
A month ago the dash would occasionally go black and then everything would come back in a second, but recently it's been happening more and more, to the point where the engine shuts off and the brakes and steering wheel lock up. I would have to turn the keys off and back on to restart the car.

Thanks for the help!

 

Sounds like you have a primary electrical supply interruption. It started out small and it's obviously getting worse.

A dealer or independant Honda shop can hook it up to an HDS (Honda Data System) and they may be able to read more detail on what happened during the events.

One can't rule out yet, that it might be something as simple as a weak battery or bad battery connection, as OEM batteries have been trouble on the RDX. It may also be related to the alternator. Fortunately, the whole battery/charging system can be tested easily.

I hope you get it in and tested with no delay!

 

Yeah sounds like a loose/bad battery terminal!

 

I have to add that i believe it happens during idling at a light or in traffic.
Happened today at a light driving home from work.

 

Could be lose connection but..

Judging by what you said look at the alternator like xlr8r said the possibility of worn belts or a malfunctioning Alt may give you some serious grief. If that happens in a super busy road you could cause an accident. TG it hasn't!

Follow xlr8r's advice get it tested at auto zone or oreily's etc. They do it for free iirc.

 

Hi Penguins. Did you/or shop determine the cause of the stall. Mine has been doing the same thing. It happened once a few months ago and now it has happened twice in a week. It would be great to get some feedback before I take it into the shop this week. Last time I took it to the dealer they had to repair the same issue 3 different times!

 

My name is Gus I have a 2009 rdx that I just bought one month ago it shut off completely while I was driveing on the highway has anybody experience this

 

i had a problem with my 1999 Accord where it would shut off while driving and I would have to restart it. The third time it happened I thought I have to buy a new car because this is just unsafe. I called my mechanic and he told me to bring it in right away--he replaced the ignition switch and it cost $140. They get worn over time. Hopefully it is something simple like that.

 

I was reading the forums and my rdx is having the same problems. It started by just the radio/navigation going black and having to be reset. But not the car stalls and the nav has to be set every time.

The first couple times it seemed like the immobilizer kicked in because I couldn't unlock with the remote and the car wouldn't start. Put the key in the door and unlock and it would start.

Any ideas what could be going on?

 

Please list the specific checks, as listed above in this thread, that you have already done. And any other checks you have done. Then additional suggestions can be made.

 

Wow, sounds like a battery issue.

 

Well I took a look at the negative terminal and there was some corrosion. I cleaned that up and had no problems for a week. Then last night it didn't stall, but while coming to a stop light the radio/Ect flickered. Car stayed on and radio came right back on. Getting the voltage on the alternator checked today. They said battery is reading good.

 

Any updates?

 

Any updates? This happened to me this morning.

 

Happened to me today and I have a 2011 RDX. Was slowly braking when I was coming upon a light in the left turn lane then everything shut off. Couldn't brake and the wheel was stiff. I panicked and threw the car into "Park". Attempted to turn the key over to start but that didn't work. I have to fully turn the key to "OFF" then back to "START" to get it running again.

I changed the battery last year so I dont think its a battery issue. I'm wondering now if it's an idling issue or if the engine just stalled.

 

So this happened to my wife while she was on a road trip last week. She got super stressed out, but it turned out that the connection at the positive battery terminal had a lot of corrosion on it and it started screwing with the electrical connection. This is easy to miss because the terminal has a giant plastic cover over it. A mechanic cleaned it out, replaced the nut and bolt that tightens it, as the old one was no longer effective due to the corrosion). 40 bucks later it was good as new ($1 parts, $39 labor...heh). Get under the hood and check it out!

 

Glad it was easy (would have been close to $150 at most shops in my area).

I wonder if some it was the same fix for others with this issue. I hate it when people don't report back!

 

Keep in mind they didn't replace the actual terminal, only the tiny bolt that keeps it tight. The shop *should* have charged like 10 bucks, but whatever. I wasn't there and the wife was with 3 female friends. Shop could have charged whatever they wanted so in the end I'm ok with 40 bucks. lol

 

Around here, they'd charged for a full hour of labor (in the $150/hour range).

 

I have a 2007 AWD BaseRDX with 120K. Serviced only at the dealer.
Twice this week while idling at the stop lights the engine almost shut off. Engine stumbles, and the ABS/TPMS lights come on, but then it continues idling ok on its own. It happened while engine was still cold, 5 min after starting.
I got a new battery last year, so no corrosion at the terminals, and still cranked 530amps at the service 4 months ago. I thought it may have been some crud in the fuel tank. But it wouldn't have happened twice.
If you got any resolution let us know.

 

Have you replaced the spark plugs yet? Also, check the air filter.

 

Yes, I've done all required service at the dealer.
I got this issue 3 times now, and only when engine is still cold.
Today I poured a couple of injection cleaners into the tank, just in case there's some crud in there. I hope this works.

 

Not that I have any better suggestions, but I doubt that's it.


What type of cleaner did you use? Most are bunk. You want one with a high polyether amine concentration (that's the stuff that does the actual cleaning). I believe that would currently be Redline's fuel system cleaner.

 

I only use chevron prem fuel and add one bottle of techroline every year in all our vechs.

Hook up a data logger to see what conditions exist when it stumbles.

Rule out the easy stuff first.

Double check the terminals to see that they are clean and tight.

Maybe fuel filter or pump?

 

I used the cheap cleaner stuff, O'Reilly's. I use 2 or 3 bottles in a tank. I have used the expensive STP and Lucas in the past. Hard to say which one makes a difference.
I don't have a code scanner, but I bet it will probably log a 'misfire cylinder x'. I know this already, that's what caused the shudder. But it wont say the root problem. It might not even log anything, since it didn't shut off, only shudder.
The battery is new and the terminals tight and lubed.
I will monitor and see. My next oil service is coming up soon.

 

The cheap stuff just isn't going to do anything.

Again, you're looking for the highest PEA concentration.

At one time it was (iirc);

1. Redline
2. Techron
3. Amsoil

Chevron changed the formulation of their Techron cleaner, and last I checked, the PEA level was unknown.

3M also makes/made a high PEA concentration cleaner, but it's somewhat elusive (think it had to be ordered from 3M).

I really like Redline's cleaner. While somewhat expensive, one bottle is more than enough to treat a tank. I don't know about their current formulation, but Chevron's Techron cleaner used to require two bottles (for most vehicles).

 

So today the whole thing is dead. Seems that the entire positive battery cable/harness will need to be replaced as the terminal is not at all loose like last year. Anyone ever do this on the RDX? I see some DIY threads from other Acura vehicles - doesn't look terrible. Just curious if the RDX will be a similar procedure.

 

If just the battery end of the cable is bad you can replace the lug (from local auto part store) if there is enough slack. The bad part (dull/burnt) of the cable has to be cut back enough to expose only bright, shiny copper. If there is not enough slack left you can use a large butt splice connector to add cable. Crimp and solder the splice connections.

 

i have same problem on my RDX. It happens when im idling or at red light or if I stop in traffic. Did you find out what issue please?



Hey! Did you find out what the problem?


Hi! Any uodates? Did dealer found out?

 

I used to have this problem. Turns out my battery connector was loose and the battery was disconnecting. The next time it happened it turned out my battery had gone bad because of my alternator acting up. Replaced both and no problems since.

 

​​​​​​I had a bad alternator that made my battery go low and it went through the same thing, plus it went into limp mode.