I have a 2020 RDX that developed a dash rattle earlier this year. It sounded like it was coming from the area where the HUD is located. I took it to the dealership several times to attempt to fix it. They replaced the HUD but it did not solve the rattle.

On the third or fourth attempt to repair, the dealership called and said that the motor needs to be replaced! The technician said the stabilizer (balancing?) shaft had a broken part so it was no longer offsetting the vibrations in the engine, causing the dash rattle. Is this a known issue, am I just unlucky, or is the dealership trying a Hail Mary because it’s getting close to a lemon law situation?

 

The dash rattle near the HUD is not uncommon. I have it and several others here have mentioned it. I was thinking of just living with it rather than having them tear the dash apart to fix one rattle and cause 2 or 3 more. But I've decided I can't live with it and I plan to bring it up at my next service. Someone else here had it corrected.

Engine replacement sounds extreme. Why would they replace the engine unless there was something wrong with the engine itself? Even if a mount or stabilizer was broken or bent, it should be replaceable by just shifting the engine. Why put in a whole new one? Which isn't really new. It's a factory rebuild.

My rattle only occurs when I go over bumps or rough roads. If there's something wrong in the engine, it would happen all the time or at least when accelerating or slowing down or at a particular RPM, etc.

 

I also had this same dash rattle near the HUD....2020 Advance / March 2020 build.

Turned out to be a broken wiring harness which necessitated pulling the dash to effect the repairs.

Took 3 days but technician was extremely careful and he also installed some additional foam tape in certain areas. Rattle is gone.

Now if I could only isolate the annoying “buzz” coming somewhere from the front passenger side over rough roads at highway speed......

 

Internal engine vibrations resulting from a bad balance shaft can lead to the failure of other components. If the car has been driven extensively without a functioning balance shaft, the technicians are probably concerned other damage has already been done.

 

The balance shaft in an internal part in the engine. It serves to counteract engine vibrations. If something is wrong with it, it could lead to some more serious engine damage.

 

I know people hate me for it, but I still maintain that the build quality on these new Acura’s, at the very least in the interior, is garbage. More and more complaints of rattles on almost brand new cars ranging from suspension components, to the pano sunroof, to all sorts of areas around pillars and the dash. Come on. You can love Honda/Acura while still being critical of them. Let’s face it, these things were put together like shit.

Does it almost seem like it’s coming from where the windshield meets the dash? I had the same thing that got progressively worse. After doing everything around that area, I was finally able to pinpoint it to actually the area under the dash, coming from the footwell area behind the plastic cover under the glovebox. I haven’t torn into it yet. Waiting for the summer when things are nice and toasty to minimize the possibility of breaking a clip.

Another possibility is the sunroof wind guard. This one is easy to eliminate. Open the sunroof shade, but keep the sunroof itself closed. While driving a stretch of road that you get this buzzing, take a hand and shove it past the rubber seal and feel for the plastic frame of the wind guard. You’ll feel it vibrating like crazy. Press and hold it down and see if the “buzzing” goes away. If so, you can either remove it or try to remedy it.

Rattles and NVH are so annoying. They’re also tough to figure out since where you think the noise is coming from may not necessarily be where the noise is actually coming from. Good luck.

 

Build quality is not what I expected (hoped for?) in a Honda product.

 

I hope they put it right, its a big job that requires skills

 

The build quality is somewhat disappointing for an Acura. The funky software issues can be attributed to a first year model but build quality should be the as good in the first year as it is in the final year of the generation. The Ohio assembly plant should do better.

 

At least these cars weren’t built at the Alabama factory. The threads on Piloteers and Odyclub about fit and finish and build quality are pretty bad.

 

My only real gripe with rattles is when the car is stationary but in Reverse, especially on cold start. It’s got a pretty rough idle in reverse gear but is perfectly fine in D and at stop lights. Also once it’s warm, no rough idle in Reverse.

 

My 2003 Pilot (first year for the Pilot) was built in Toronto. 16 years and 186K miles, the car was so solid and reliable it was almost freaky. The woman I sold it to still has it and last I heard, it's still going strong.

 

HotRodW and markAZ seem to be correct. Dealership will have the car even longer than originally anticipated because they are now replacing the turbocharger as well as some gaskets and other parts. The car only has 8k miles, but it must have caused some extensive damage.

 

I don't know if this would apply to your car but have you seen these TSB's.

http://www.urvi.net/forumfiles/SB/B18-062.PDF

​​​​​​http://www.urvi.net/forumfiles/SB/B18-063.PDF

 

I saw these but it only mentions 2019s and ours is a 2020. I’ll just have to live with it for a few months until I can mention to dealer at the 10k service. Hopefully the car doesn’t blow up by then