As I get serious about buying a CPO RDX I’ve done a search on common problems. I didn’t find anything too major other than the “limp mode” issue. It’s hard to tell how common that is. From my reading it seems like it happens during hard rain and that there is a potential fix with replacing the inter cooler?

Aside from that there are complaints about rattles/noises. Anything I am missing? I’ve always regarded Honda as one of the more reliable automakers. Maybe second to Toyota.

 

With pre refresh cars --

Many experience glitchy infotainment so if you are a heavy user of that, it could be an issue. Unfortunately very hard to debug although there is a TSB and I think they provided an extended warranty for certain parts.

The parking sensors sometimes act up in bad weather since the front ones are embedded in the honeycomb grill. This can get annoying as the car beeps randomly when driving slowly in the rain.

Acura is no longer a leader in reliability. I think they have been getting rated in the bottom half of auto brands.

 

Zero issues with a my 2021 RDX Aspec SHawd after 20k miles. She is built like a tank, pretty tough. Zero rattles and no turbo issues even in the pouring rain. Paint is very hard and durable. Interior materials are robust - regardless of climate (mine has been from 110 digress to -10, snow, rain and all the other nasty conditions. Never one hiccup. Never experienced "limp mode", but did experience that in my Mini JCW and Jeep Grand Cherokee several times - reasons why I sold both!

 

No issues with our 2021 either. It's our second RDX.

 

Here's a statement from JD Power for the 2023:
"The 2023 Acura RDX has a predicted reliability score of 81 out of 100. A J.D. Power predicted reliability score of 91-100 is considered the Best, 81-90 is Great, 70-80 is Average, and 0-69 is Fair and considered below average."

However, I never took JD Power as a good indicator.

Here's something called Repair Pal - I've never heard of them but they rank the RDX as #1 out of 11 for CUV. Even higher than Lexus.
https://repairpal.com/reliability/acura/rdx

This sites lists RDX problems and does mention "limp mode"!
https://www.carparts.com/blog/acura-...mmon-problems/

They state "There is currently a class-action lawsuit against Acura because of the RDX’s tendency to incorrectly activate its limp mode." - Is this true?

 

The MY 2022 and 2023 are much better as they have addressed a lot of the issues. Even the infotainment works better. But you were asking about CPO so I pointed out issues with those. So I think they are improving but had a lot of problems with the 2019s and 2020s. This is a list of issues I had with my 2019:

Crackling speakers: Intermittent problem that I noticed since the car was new. Not fixed.
Squeaky tailgate: Happened around 5000 miles. Fixed under warranty.
Whistling when engine starts or shuts: Happened around 7000 miles. Fixed under warranty TSB.
Infotainment will prompt for update even though no update is available. Fixed in D1.2.1.
Rubber lining near the tailgate lock has a gap. Fixed under warranty by adjusting the lining.
Ticking sound when starting the engine. Intermittent problem. Fixed under warranty by adjusting the PCM bracket.
Numerous rattles all over the interior started to appear after about a year. Not fixed.
When starting on a trip from home the infotainment system booted up and threw an error "Unfortunately, AcuraLauncher has stopped". Did not happen again on the return trip. Not fixed.
Received recall notice from Acura to replace the fuel pump motor.
Clock doesn't automatically adjust for daylight savings even though all clock settings are auto (detect time zone, set time, etc.). Fixed by changing to manual mode for settings and, after some time, switching back to auto. (Update: Continuing to occasionally see problems with the clock being off by an hour.)
Intermittently started to get a warning for "Drive mode change unavailable" at the bottom of the infotainment display. Not yet fixed.
Parking sensors are being triggered in rain without any reason. See video. Not yet fixed.
Transmission stuck and car wouldn't gain speed. Had to shut and restart car. Not reproducible at the dealer, no error codes, and not fixed.
Leaking rear shock at around 40K miles. Replaced under extended warranty.

 

Putting another trouble free entry into this thread. 2020 purchased new with ~28k miles now. Love getting in to go for a drive every time.

 

Definitely fun to drive and the best value (when new) in this segment which is why I bought a 2023 despite all the problems with the 2019. Can't speak for CPO because of wildly fluctuating used car prices.

 

I'm starting to get cold feet over the 2020 Tech CPO I'm considering after reading the posts on the infamous "limp mode" issue.

I wonder if I should try to find a late MY 2021 where they supposedly changed the intercooler and programming?

 

For the right price, you can acquire my pristine, original owner - 2021 RDX Aspec SHawd with 20K miles, always garage kept and a bunch of accessories (+ PPF and ceramic window tint) Never an issue or hiccup, just had it serviced and always at the Acura dealer.

 

I'm not aware of these changes but that's good to know.

 

There is a service bulletin that covers it (20-053): B20-053.PDF (urvi.net)

 

The more common problem I saw discussed here was transmission getting stuck. So that appears to be a different problem and I don't know if it's a solved problem.
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-rdx-...em-new-993642/
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-rdx-...-stuck-998722/

 

I had the TSB done and still experienced the limp mode issue. See my report on the experience here. Acura has not found a resolution to the issue in my opinion.

Having been the victim of a serious rear-end collision in the past (our car was totaled), the idea that our RDX went into limp mode at the most inopportune time and may do it again causes some concern for us. We love the car, but under wet driving conditions have to keep that thought in the back of our minds.

Ron

 

I notice in your follow up visit to the dealer after the limp mode (post TSB) that did a software update. Did you ever find out what that was for and whether it had something to do with fixing this issue?

 

Unfortunately, no. I suspect it was just a case of, "A new update was available, so just do it and hope for the best." I asked the Advisor if he had any reason to believe I should have any confidence that this addressed the issue. I believe his response was, he didn't know.

I will reach out to him and see if I can get some clarification on what was addressed in the PGM-FI update they applied.

Ron

 

I would strongly dissuade you from ruling out the RDX because of the limp mode thing. Hundreds of thousands of RDX sold and I can honestly say I’ve seen less than 10 firsthand accounts of this online from owners. IMHO, this is one of those issues where a couple affected owners were very loud about it and flooded the internet with remarks. I’m frankly surprised how often I see posts from used RDX shoppers asking about this. After the initial buzz from the release of the TSB, it’s not really been a topic of frequent discussion among owners.

A couple options if you’re still concerned:

1. If you find a CPO that you like, ask to review the service records. Some dealers will say you can’t, but that’s BS. You’re completely within your rights to know the service history of a car you’re purchasing. For the salespeople who try to hide behind some bogus privacy excuse, I’ve had success asking to look over their shoulder. If the RDX has been brought in a bunch for limp mode that “could not be replicated,” that’d be a red flag for me. You can also confirm whether the inter cooler was ever replaced.

2. Track down some Acura technicians and privately ask them how often they’ve had someone come in with limp mode to get some real info about how common it is.

 

I’d disagree with that statement. The only lists where they’ve fallen are those who put in-car technology quirks on the same level as mechanical breakdowns. I don’t think people should be conflating annoyances with reliability.

In the traditional sense of reliability, the RDX has one of the best powertrains out there. Honda still makes some of the most durable engines. So for shoppers who want a car they won’t need to repair very often, the RDX should be near the top of lists.

 

We are on the same line of thinking. I always insist on seeing the service records for any used vehicle I buy. No records, no sale. And yesterday I called the largest Acura dealer in the country and talked to their service Dept. They said that their experience is that the limp mode issue is extremely rare. I also called my local Acura dealers service Dept and the manager there has only worked there about 10 months but in that time he hasn’t seen any RDXs with this issue.

I recognize this is not a real statistical sampling and anecdotal but it is what it is.

 

I am also in the market for a CPO RDX and honestly the limp mode thing was never really on my radar. I've been on this forum long before the 3G even existed and in my time here over the past few years I've only ever seen maybe 2 threads on the limp issue. You have to remember a couple things, first off forums are a place where people come to complain. Very rarely does anyone make a post to say "I love my car, the end". Secondly if this was a more widespread issue the IIHS would come down on this hard and force a recall. They have forced recalls for far lesser reasons.

With that being said, you can not go wrong going newer, 2022+ would be ideal for the software/hardware updates. Or at the least a 2020/2021 model vs a first year 2019 model.

 

Just speaking to my own experience with the 3rd gen RDX, I'd suggest steering clear of the 2019 variety. That was my 10th Acura and it singlehandedly wrecked my many years of fondness for the brand, which included ownership of multiple NSXes, TLs and TLXes, amongst others. Glad to see from other posters that the refreshed versions have gotten better.

 

Absolutely beautiful collection of vehicles you have owned/currently own. Well done sir.

 

Only one issue with my 2022 RDX PMC, otherwise flawless: Would not unlock once after a remote start. Had to uae the physical key. Others on this forum have said they have also seen this but extremely rarely. For us it was only once in a year of daily driving.

 

I had a 2019 that experienced limp mode a couple times. A TSB was issued and the fix was done. Had zero issues after that. Just make sure all TSB’s are current. I would request proof just to be sure.

 

Would service records and TSB fixes show up on the Carfax that all dealers now provide? Looking at a 2021 CPO A-Spec and its at 17,xxx miles and only shows being serviced twice (6k and 12k) on the Carfax which makes sense for your regular oil change, etc.

 

I don't trust dealer Carfaxes (bring your own).

It's probably due for differential fluid change if it wasn't done before.

 

While I could look up my own I dont want to fork over almost $50 for something I might have a free copy of.

Diff fluid done at 12k according to the records. Is it really that frequent for a RDX? I dont want to change that twice a year! I would let my subie diff go lets say, 60k+ before changes.

 

That's just according to Acura (you can do whatever you want). I skipped it on the TLX because:

1) I don't tow anything.

2) I'm not constantly going up/down mountains while towing something.

In my mind, the frequency for changing out on an RDX is justified over a TLX due to extra load, etc.

 

I think one of the biggest differences between the Subaru and Acura diffs is that the Subaru is literally just the differential as the transfer clutch is in the transmission. Acura has not 1, but 2 different sets of clutches in the rear diff housing. The from what I gather on there the first diff fluid change is due around 15k with any following ones every 30k after that. A little more maintenance than a Subaru, but not horrible in the grand scheme of things. I guess cheap insurance what would def be an expensive part to replace.

 

So the answer is it depends on the dealership and what they report to carfax. Some dealers will report nearly everything, some not so much. I’ve compared the carfax to the actual service records on a number of cars from different dealerships. Some matched one to one, on others most of the entries matched but the carfax was missing a couple of things. I would ask the dealership if they report all of the service that occurs, or better yet, get the actual service records for the car from the dealership.