Here goes- 2017 RDX fwd Advanced package. Car was locked and in garage on Friday evening. Sometime that evening, I went to the garage to get something and thought I heard some clicking sounds coming from the car. Turns out the interior dome lights were on and the dashboard cluster was flickering. Did that for a few seconds and then repeated after another 10-15 seconds. At some point, the alarm also started going off. Unlocked car, shut off lights and locked. Soon after, the alarm went off again and instrument cluster lights were flickering. I had no clue as to what to make off it. We kept one door slightly ajar so that alarm did not go off again. Next morning, I had battery checked at Autozone and it is in good shape (12.8V). Also, fob battery was replaced as a precaution. The car has not acted up again last 48 hours and I have had it locked like I normally do. So, what exactly could have happened to trigger all those lights/alarms? Is something failing/going bad or was it some random circuit issue? Any insight is much appreciated. Thanks!

 

Typically, these problems occur when water gets into computers or connections. Have you bought a new or used car? Were there any accidents? It also happens when a damaged wiring starts a short circuit. Do you have an aftermarket remote start or alarm system? Possible poor contact at the connection points of the remote starting which leads to false triggering of the systems. It cannot be left like that, one day everything will die and there will be a very very expensive repair.

 

Had the same thing happen to my wife's 2017 RDX. She noticed the lights flashing on the dash and the relay cycling noise sounding from the front of the car. This happened 3 or 4 times in a couple of months. She was able to take a video with her phone. The battery was two months old and reading 12.7 volts right after one of these episodes so I knew it was good. Also, the car alarm would sporadically go off.

I took it to the dealer and showed the video. Their tech checked it out and got DTC code B12D3. This is a code for the Smart Control unit which has something to do with the keyless access and other stuff. He replace this unit. He also said the drivers door lock actuator was faulty and could also have been causing the alarm. He replaced this although I'm not sure this was really causing any problems. The faulty smart control unit can give false car alarms by itself.

Wife's car was purchased CPO so it has a warranty up to 100K miles. All this work was done under the warranty. The paperwork I have says Acura authorized the dealer 477$ for the smart control unit replacement and 483$ for the latch replacement. The smart control unit part # is 38320-tx4-a31. I have no idea where this unit is located on the car. The latch is part #72150-tro-a11. It is not that hard to replace yourself if you are comfortable with taking the interior door panel off and working in tight places. I replace all 4 door lock latches on my 2012 TL. I hope you are still under warranty with your car.

These repairs were made 3 months ago and we have not had a problem since. Hope this gives you a starting point.

 

Typically when the alarm goes off randomly the source usually is the driver's door look actuator. Why the driver's door lock actuator, it gets used the most and wears out early than the other actuators causing false alarms.

 

Thanks for your detailed reply. That pretty much describes what we observed. Car was bought new and no aftermarket alarm etc. Luckily, we did buy extended warrenty on this last year. Will call the local dealer service shop and discuss this. Like you said, this is a good place to start and you have provided the diagnostic code etc.
Cheers!

 

This behavior and the defective unit has been reported on other Honda products that have the smart entry/starting systems. I think Honda got a bad batch of units.
Some folks have reported replacement units backordered, also an indication of a common issue.

 

Update- Had the car checked out by dealer and the remote access unit is defective. Unfortunately, unit is backordered so it will be few weeks atleast before they get the part in. Till then, no locking the car. Good thing is that we decided to get extended warranty on this last year and we are covered!

 

Kst, If you still want to lock your car but have the alarm disabled, (so it spuriously won't go off), do the following:

Open your hood, and disconnect the wire connector going to the hood latch. After doing this, your car alarm will be disabled because the car thinks the hood is open. You can still lock and unlock the doors on the car with the key fob as usual. You won't get the double beep when press the lock button on the key fob twice which is indicative of the alarm arming.

This will keep your stuff.safe in the car until you can get the keyless entry module replaced. No one but you knows the alarm won't go off. Just connect the hood latch wiring back up prior to taking to the dealer for the module replacement.......just an option..

 

@kst123, I suspect I'm having the same issue: . You mentioned the remote access unit was faulty...you happen to recall the part number for this?

 

^^^ That looks like an almost dead battery to me.

 

I had a "possession issue" with the alarm once. As i just parked the car, turned the ignition off and locked the doors from the outside the alarm went off and wouldn't stop no matter what i do. I finally disconnected the battery to silence it, but when i reconnected it the alarm continued to scream and then stopped by itself after a minute or so!. Never found out what happened that day, but I am glad it is fixed by itself.

 

Did replacing the Smart Control module solve the issues? That’s exactly what my wife’s 2017 RDX is doing but it’s not under warranty any more. Thanks.

 

Yes Kasam, this issue occurred on my wife's car in mid 2021. We had the parts replaced by the dealer late summer of 2021 and have not had any problems since....yes we still have the car and it is running well with no issues (129K miles). From what I have read on-line, this isn't really a DIY. You can find the the part on-line for ~350$. But the I'm not sure where the module is. The only video I found showing how to replace it was for a 2019 MDX and the glove box had to be removed to get to it. Also, I think that the replacement unit needs to be programmed to both your key fobs and the dealer will need to do this. Since Acura paid my local dealer 477$ two and 1/2 years ago to do it under warrenty, I suspect it will cost you over 500$ to get the dealer to fix it now. Good luck.