rossr

Hey fellow Acura members. I have a 19 RDX with about 7500 miles on it. I’m out in the Midwest region and I noticed an gas odor that comes through the ventilation system when the heat is on. If I have the circulation button on I don’t get the gas odor. I find this very frustrating for a new vehicle. I brought my vehicle in to the dealership and they didn’t find any oil leaks. Although my concern is more of a gas smell coming into the cabin... Anyone else have the same issue and was there anything diagnosed that causes this? It reminds me of the issue the current Honda CRV is having. Also I heard the Honda Accord 2.0 T has similar issues. Any advise would be helpful. Thank you

russianDude

Dead mice??

NooYawkuh

Unless you always drive behind another car that has a gas leak, you have a gas leak. You should not smell raw gasoline. It doesn't take much of a leak for it to smell but there should not be any. Take it to another dealer.

rossr

I don’t believe I have a gas leak. I don’t have any loss in gas mileage either. There’s no sign of gas while it’s parked in the garage. I only smell it occasionally while driving only if the heater is on.

rossr

Definitely not. 😂

leomio85

Do you often top off when filling the car with gas? If so, how much?

NooYawkuh

Yeah, don't do that. It's not worth it.


And you might still smell a gas leak that's so small it won't affect the mileage.

elchili

Since you "only" noticed the smell when the heater is on, I'll adventure to say that might be some debri left inside the air ducts or during manufacturing that is reacting or melting with the heat when heater is on reacting and causing the gas like smell... it might be a tricky one to fix, but if I'm right it will go away by itself with time...

hans471

I would open up the glove box and pull out the cabin air filter and smell it and see if anything was in it. Just a quick easy check.

NooYawkuh

I wouldn't bother. That's a HEPA particulate filter. I can't see that being the source and it wouldn't be a solution. It won't filter out fumes or vapors.

I'm taking the OP's account on face value. That he is actually smelling raw gas and not something he thinks smells like gas. The only place there should be gas fumes is in the fuel system. And the smallest leak - so small it would never create a drip on the ground because it evaporates - can create enough fumes you can smell. And, I'm also assuming it occurs consistently only when the heat is on. So the vents are configured to capture it. In any other state (a/c, defroster, recirc, etc.) the odor dissipates elsewhere.

It all depends on how bad it is. If it's strong, I'd bring it back to the dealer and take the tech for a drive and show him. If it's minor and you can live with it for a bit, take it to another dealer for your next service and complain about it. Hopefully, you'll get a tech who will look a bit harder.

hans471

Well, you missed my point.....I did not think the HEPA filter was the SOURCE of the odor! I would pull the filter because all air for the HVAC system goes through it. If the smell is being drawn into the system from "outside" then the filter would likely catch it and be saturated. Its a quick and easy check to see how bad this smell is and if it is coming in with the air OR is the smell coming from something else. (As is he is smelling something else and thinking it is gasoline.)

Whatever the case I have one comment for this...... W-A-R-R-A-N-T-Y let the dealer fix it. If they stay there is no problem make sure they put that in writing on the repair odor. Make sure the repair order clearly states "Customer smells gas like odor when defroster is turned on" and that it lists what the dealer did, or did not do, about it. Always get a repair order for any problem on a new car that clearly states the problem as you explained it to them and lists what they did, including when they state "normal operation or normal condition". There are legal reasons to do this.

Acure4RDX

OP: Are you actually smelling "gas" as in gasoline fuel or an exhaust odor? I experience an exhaust odor from time to time after aggressive acceleration.

Hhurk

I notice a gas smell if I top up the gas tank when I fill up. I don’t see how the smell can enter the vehicle from topping up but may have something to do with the cap less fuel filler. I no longer top up and no further odor?

Wander

FWIW, the fresh air intake is at the base of the windshield.

But yeah, don't top off the tank. The evaporator canister will overflow if it gets swamped with raw fuel, and I think it's about under the front passenger's feet. Also, the fuel filler has an overflow that will dump excess fuel right at the fueler's feet. And it doesn't take much gasoline on a shoe to really stink up a car.

jackson5

Thought I would weigh in on this. I had this problem with my first 2020 RDX I purchased in January of 2020. It wasn't so much of a gas smell but oil/gas smell. Could smell it inside the cabin and when the car was in the garage. Also noticed I couldn't get my mpg over 21. That RDX had so many issues as noted in a previous thread and replaced with what I have now thanks to the dealer, 2020 RDX AWD/w tech. I have had this RDX since May and have around 8500 miles on it. First thing I noticed that gas mileage can actually be over 21. Didn't think it was possible since that is all I ever experienced. Typically in the 24-25 range with the new one. I was so happy that all the problems I had with the other RDX did not plague this one. Well I spoke to soon because a few weeks ago, I noticed the gas/oil smell again and the mpg drop. This was the first of many problems I experienced the first go around. Here we go again. I have an appt with the dealer next week but I am not expecting them to find anything as they couldn't find anything wrong with the first one. Very disappointed and will not go down the same path I did with the first one. If I can get out of this RDX, I will but certainly will not be another Acura.

leomio85

Oil dilution by fuel. Ensure you're getting to operating temps when you take the car out. Check your dipsticks. They're probably "overfilled" and have a gasoline smell to the oil. It's been a documented problem by Honda, though they don't admit that it's a problem, and generally happens in colder climates. I usually take longer trips with the RDX and give it a nice romp every so often to remedy this. 13.5k miles and not even a hint of gasoline smell, nor does the dipstick show a blip over the "Full" line.

jackson5

I would have to disagree with you. All of my trips are at least 20-30 miles so temp shouldn't be an issue. Also this car has been fine since May, no issues. No smell when the cold hit a few months ago. Haven't touched the oil, have not even had the first oil change. Problem started out of the blue. My first RDX, the issue was present from day 1

leomio85

Pull the dipstick and check the level. Take a whiff of the oil and smell for gasoline. If that’s not the case, and you’re not topping off during fuel ups like a madman, then it’s off to the dealer to let them figure it out.