Rdxfan2020

So I purchased my RDX about a month and a half ago, never really noticed any noises since I drive mainly with the ac and stereo going. Well, the other day going to work early in the morning I heard a howling from the front left brake side as I was stopping.. basically like the cars ABS was kicking in and the tire is catching. First thought it was another car until I heard it again. Got to work and left it be. Got out of work and of course now because I’m listening for everything, notice that I can hear the front left rotor/brake every time I brake at slow speed, almost like the rotors grinding, but the sound is smooth, along with the crazy noise I’m getting as I brake at faster speeds too.. took it to the dealer and they said nothing is wrong, said the rotors are loud... makes no sense considering all im hearing is the front left....am I just being paranoid? Everything I read on the brake issue talks about brake squeaking, but I don’t read anything on what I’m hearing. Thanks everyone.

NooYawkuh

When I first got the car, for the first month or so, I heard some surfaces noise coming from the left front rotor. It varied with the rotation of the wheel. I thought it was a warped rotor.

But it came and went. Eventually, it went away entirely. It was noise only and barely perceptible at that. No problem with the feel or performance.

Rdxfan2020

Thanks, I hope these noises go away.

SCWinner

I have the exact same thing happening on my 2020 RDX Tech. 2000 km's, front left. I would describe it more as a "whistling" than howling, when I do light braking as you do. And then yes, when you brake on the highway it sounds insane.

Rdxfan2020

I have a video on my phone, i don’t get the howl sound unless I’m braking slightly harder... but nothing drastic to cause lockup. Mines def not a whistle tho. I have a video on my phone I’ll try to upload. Give me a minute i

Rdxfan2020

heres the video, it’s short but sweet

Ludepower

I'm getting the same noise with my 2020. It's like the brake is slipping. I also think the brakes are little mushy. Not impressed so far.

Rdxfan2020

Other than these couple quirks I hope either resolve themselves or I get them fixed, I love this car!

Rdxfan2020

My pedal isn’t mushy at all, it’s nice and firm. But ya, that’s a good description, of the brake slipping. Idk, maybe the rotor was glazed? Idk... other than these couple dumb issues of this noise and the grinding noise at low speed,
, I’m loving the car tho.

Rdxfan2020

well thanks to the few people that responded to the post. Appreciate it.

leomio85

What car are you coming from? I hear this complaint a lot on people coming from cars like Toyota who like to synthetically overboost their masters. People think Honda brakes suck because it doesn't launch them into the steering wheel with the slight touch of the brake pedal. In emergency braking, the RDX seems very capable. What I don't like is that the pedal feels inconsistent. It's very hard to brake smoothly when coming to a stop with this car, and the "harsh" downshifts makes the matter even worse. Probably my biggest dislike about the car.

Ludepower

2017 Lexus is300. Solid car I'm gonna greatly missed. Acura still has a ways to go in terms of luxury compared to their counterparts.

I love my RDX and maybe I'll.get use to the braking but I feel when pushing on the brake the first inch does absolutely nothing. That's why I describe it as "mushy". IMO as soon as i push down there should be some sort of initial slowdown.

leomio85

Yep, exactly. It's varying opinions. I personally like the extra bit of travel for braking. I can't stand when cars immediately bite down at the slightest touch of the brakes. JMO

Rdxfan2020

Personally I have no complaints about the brakes. I like the pedal feel and how it brakes, my issue is the noise I’m getting... I’ve had a 9k car that was junk not sound like this car that’s way way more expensive... idk, I’ll keep complaining st the dealer and see what happens.

formerCRVowner

I have a 2020 Tech spec with approx 2000 miles. I have not heard any braking noises until the last couple of days. In fact I only heard it after I had wash the car with a wash and wax solution. The noise was really noticeable right after the wash, especially when applying the brakes on a down hill stop. Sounded almost like the ABS is applying ? I know that my CRV and Accord use to make noise right after a rain and the car had been sitting idle and was due to rust build up on rotor. I see no rust on the RDX rotors, they are smooth. I did "ride" the brakes and heard no noise. I'll let it go a few days and if continues will bring to dealer.
Had 98000 miles on my CRV and never put a penny into it other than normal service requirements. I was looking to "upgrade", hope I didn't make a mistake

BTW, the informatix system has frozen twice in 6 weeks.

leomio85

This issue just developed on my A-Spec. One decently firm brake and it wipes the rotors. No re-occurrence and only happens after sitting overnight. Likely has to do with the compound of the pads and/or rotors. Braking performance is not effected.

leomio85

Likely has to do with a build up of the wash chemicals and the braking surface. I got it all the time with my old Honda CR-V. Very loud groan the first time I braked after a wash. Once the rotors and pads dried, absolutely no noise. If it continues to make noise, grease points may need re-lubrication. If not, it could be defective brake components that need replaced and should be covered under warranty. But, I'd bank on the noise going away once dry.

Rdxfan2020

Unfortunately my noise doesn’t ever go away and actually seems to have gotten louder, wether I drive 5 miles or 100 the sound is still there, doesn’t go away. Very annoying with as much as I spent on this car.... hell, years ago I bought a brand new car for 10 grand and that car was silent... I also have recently with the cold weather also developed the squeaky brakes. But that goes away within the first 5 minutes of driving, which I can live with... but the other noise I find completely unacceptable... I have to bring it in soon for it’s first oil change and I will complain again.. I love the RDX, but I am almost starting to wish I had bought the Genesis G70 like I originally was going to... but I went with the RDX for the added room.... hopefully Acura or the dealer can fix this.

Rdxfan2020

With my car it doesn’t matter, washed, not washed, sitting, not sitting. It’s there... when I brought the car in with it at 700 miles they said the brakes were “needing in”... i called BS since it’s never experienced this with any brake job I’ve done.. but I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt. As for the infotainment system, I’ve had zero issues with it.

leomio85

Interesting. Could just be the compound of the pads being noisy ... AKA cheap semi-metallic. Seeing as the car is only a couple months old, I can't see it being wear related. Give this a try as a last ditch effort. Next time you take the car out (by yourself), each stop you come to brake hard. Heavy braking will help wipe the rotors. Do not drag the rotors after coming to a complete stop. That means don't inch up while letting up on the brakes a little bit. Stay put until you go again. This should be held true for all braking situations regardless. You don't have to do it at every stop, but do it periodically during an extended drive or through the course of the day. This should help clean off the rotors and re-bed the pads. If that doesn't help, I don't have anything else for ya ... replace the pads with a high quality ceramic pad, lol.

Rdxfan2020

i have actually tried that. Did a bunch of hard stops, did not help at all. The dealer claimed it was the brakes bedding in... but what I found more odd than anything is the fact that it seems to be isolated to the front left side.... the rotor/pad normal braking noise I get at low speed 8mph and below and the louder sounds in the video... I mean, if it was both sides I can maybe think it was something material related, but it’s so odd it’s only my front left... sometimes I like driving in silence when I go to work, but if I don’t want to hear this crap, I am forced to drive with the radio on. At this point I’m going to tell them they need to replace the rotors and pads on this thing.. it’s unacceptable. Again, I love this SUV, but this one thing alone is driving me crazy

rfbarry19

I had the same problem with my 2019 Aspec. The dealer replaced the pads and rotors about two months ago. Everything was quiet for about a month. Now all the squeaks and intermittent grinding noises are back. I'm hoping that they'll have a pad update soon. If not, I'll probably replace them myself (w/ high quality ceramic pads).

formerCRVowner

Thanks leomio85, will try. Noise still present today, only happens with somewhat firm braking. Does not appear with making a gradual stop.

I love the car, it's comfortable, more than enough power (for me), handles great for a SUV. Sports+ mode a lot of fun. I actually like the touchpad interface now that i'm use to it and the information system freezing will get resolved with updates at some point, but this breaking issue is putting a damper on the enjoyment.

leomio85

It could just be you're unable to hear the right side due to insulation or a number of other factors, leading you to believe it's only coming from that side. Drive with someone in the passenger seat and see if they can hear it (don't tell them which side its coming from). If they say they hear it on their side, you know it's both sides making noise. It would be peculiar if there's a re-occurring issue with only one side even after replacing braking components. Keep taking it to the dealer. Maybe with enough complaints, Acura will release a TSB and change their pad compound.

jm21093

Any luck with this getting fixed by the dealer? I've noticed this noise on my 2020 rdx aspec as well. My car is only a month old with 1700KM on it. I'm taking it to the dealer and see what they say.

Rdxfan2020

I have 2800 miles and the sounds haven’t gotten any worse, but haven’t gotten any better. I was gonna bring the car in for it’s first service but the service writer told me wait till I’m at 20 percent on my oil... I’m not gonna wait that long, but it’s documented and I’m gonna demand them do something about it. I have also developed an annoying rattle in the sunroof and the tailgate. But overall, I still love the car. Once I bring it in for service and leave it, I’ll let you guys know what’s the update.

konyo1

This is a known problem with 19/20 RDXs... There is a TSB on this and the dealers are waiting on replacement pads and rotors.

Call your local dealer and ask if the replacement parts are in

TSB 19-053

russianDude

this TSB is removed for 2020.

konyo1

Had an appointment to bring in my 2020 A-spec with 2,000km on it this Friday to have them inspect the brakes (again) and order replacement pads/rotors... After thinking about it, it makes sense to wait as long as possible to do this so that I can hopefully avoid having to replace the parts due to normal wear before returning off lease. If I can wait until 30,000 km, I might be able to avoid replacing the parts when I return the car if I am only going to do approx 60,000 at lease end.

Does anyone know how long the TSB is open until? I am worried that they will make you fix it now versus waiting a year or so.
thx

RDX-Rick

A TSB is a Technical Service Bulletin.

A TSB is just a set of instructions for a mechanic to solve a commonly occurring problem, The purpose of a TSB is to save the mechanic time, and save the dealership money.. Rather than changing unnecessary parts, he can follow the the TSB instructions, and resolve the problem on the first attempt.

If there is not a TSB released for the 2020 brakes, the dealership is still obligated to fix the problem. The mechanic may take longer to find the problem without a TSB, but he is still required to fix it. In this case I think a smart mechanic would assume the 2020's have the same problem as the 2019's and he would just follow the TSB instructions to save time

The TSB is open forever. However the repairs are only free when the vehicle is covered by the appropriate warranty. For example if there is a TSB that explains how to fix a noise in the engine, and I only develop the noise after the warranty expires, I can't expect the repairs to be free. Remember, a TSB is just a document of instructions for a mechanic to follow. It does not mean that there is an extended warranty on that component.

Another thing to remember, is that the existence of a TSB does not mean that you can have the work performed if you don't have the problem. If my brakes are working normally, and quietly, I can't walk into the dealership and demand that a TSB be performed. it would be stupid for Acura to replace all the components and send me on my way in the same condition I went in.

If you have the squeaky brakes now, you might want to get it repaired now, That is for 2 reasons. The first reason is that you will enjoy a quiet RDX more than a squeaky one. The second reason is that as the brakes get more worn, the squeak may stop by itself in 3 years and then the TSB would not be performed for free because you don't have a problem at that time.Keep in mind that they would still follow the TSB document (repair instructions), but you will pay for the work.

Don't mix up TSB's with "Recalls". A recall is issued for safety related items. For example if the manufacturer finds out that the wheel studs break easily which would cause an accident, or the headlight switch overheats and starts fires, then a "recall" is issued. A recall letter will be sent to all the registered owners of the vehicle, with instructions to bring it into the dealership for repairs. The repairs will be done at no cost, even if the New Car Warranty has expired. There is no expiry date on a recall. If the dealer has trouble locating the vehicle owner, they will keep a record of this vehicle and try to catch it, if it is ever brought into an Acura dealer for repairs.

Rick

jm21093

just to update, the dealer told me that this was a known issue and the noise is due to the material of the brakes that acura used. the dealer replaced the front rotors and rear brake pads and they told me that they have very high success rate. i guess we will see..

russianDude

Why there is no TSB for 2020? Does it mean that 2020 has newer pads&rotors?

jm21093

Mine is a 2020 and they still did the replacement when i complained about the noise

russianDude

Mine has little noise the first time I break in the morning, than it goes away. Does not really bother me, and I am not sure its a problem. Will see how it goes. I am more annoyed by squeaky suspension over speed bumps, did you check yours?

jm21093

I don't have any problems with the suspension.

russianDude

No noise whatsoever when you go over speed bumps in cold days? thx

jm21093

None so far.

dwenz09RDX

I bought a 2020 RDX in late August 2019 to replace a 2009 RDX. Weeks after buying the car the brakes started squeaking, and it's continually gotten worse. Currently an all out loud squeel that can be easily heard inside the car with the windows closed and stereo playing. We generally like the RDX, but this brake issue is ridiculous. I've spoke to several local dealers who basically admit a known issue in the 2019/2020 RDX, but there isn't a whole lot they can do because repairs would be at their expense. Called Acura corporate's client service and was basically told they are aware of the problem (a known issue in 2019/2020 RDX), but there is no fix or service bulletin yet from Acura. When I ask "so what do I do about this problem", I'm told sorry...we know that's not a good answer, but nothing. Really...Buy a premium vehicle for $43K+ and you get nothing but a "good luck with that"??? WTF

wmkim

My 2020 SH-AWD Advance I got back in December had brake noise also...the dealer told me Acura was aware of the issue on some of the RDXs and replaced rotors (front)--under warranty--seems to have solved the problem for me.

darrena

As others have noted this is an issue with me as well, my dealer followed the published TSB but it did not help and as dwenz09RDX did I escalated and am being told they are working on it but there is no ETA for a long-term solution. My dealer said that replacing the brakes and rotors as the TSB instructed did fix it on /some/ of the cars they have worked on it hasn't worked for all and Acura will only authorize one replacement. The service manager was thinking that in the cases where it resolved the issue that it was still there just not bad enough for the driver to notice or car.

Like many of you I am pretty annoyed, I like the car but the constant small irritations and Acura's slow response is adding up. I cannot imagine why Acura cannot find a solution to this after 18 months, it isn't like brakes are new technology. At least we finally have Android Auto and (at least for me) the infotainment glitches are gone...