I bought my car in March 2019, first car I've ever bought brand new. I had a great experience early on, and I attribute that to barely driving it. But it's getting frustrating.

September 2020
- Rear hatch starts making a noise. Dealer replaced broken spring under warranty.

December 2020
- Passenger side radiator fan started making excessive noise. Replaced fan and fan motor under warranty.

March 2021
- Seat upholstery started separating on rear seats. Dealer was able to re-attach it under warranty.
- USB cord for Android Auto/Apple Carplay randomly disconnects to the point of being unusable. Dealer replaced under warranty 2 months later due to backordered part.

August 2021
- Infotainment error. Random switching from day to night, drive modes unavailable. Dealer fixed under warranty "fakra connections."

September 2021
- Parking sensors start randomly detecting things that aren't there when stopped. Not often enough for me to bring it in.

November 2021
- Adaptive cruise control randomly brakes with nothing in front of the car. Dealer unable to replicate at this time.
- Rear hatch is making another noise. Dealer stated broken strut (?) and replacing under warranty.
- USB cord for Android Auto/Apple Carplay randomly disconnects again to the point of being unusable. Dealer is replacing under warranty. I'm sure it will happen again.
- Volume on infotainment randomly goes up/down a few levels. Dealer unable to replicate at this time.

Unrelated to mechanical problems but adding to my frustration:
- Dealer scratched the hood when installing OEM equipment 3 days after purchase. Had to wait a week for it to get repainted.
- While getting repainted, shop had overspray from another vehicle get on my car. Had to wait a week for overspray to get removed.
- Massive chip on windshield 3 months after purchase, luckily able to be patched. 1 year later, windshield cracked and replaced for $1100.
- Pinhole leak on sidewall of one tire on an AWD model. So small that dealer said it's probably okay for now.

This is nearly 3 years and 25,000 miles. The dealer has been great; fixes everything asked when/if they can. It's getting frustrating to have what seems to be the same or similar problems repeat themselves. I've owned a Chevy, a Subaru, a bunch of Toyotas, an Infiniti, and an older Acura. All of those cars combined did not have as many problems as this Acura. I'm hoping all the gremlins get worked out before the warranty expires.

 

I am always sorry to hear someone has problems like this with a low mileage vehicle.
I too have a 2019 Advance but almost feel guilty as mine has been so trouble free.
I use to work for GM. I drove GM cars while working there. My God what pieces of crap they were! Bad differentials, exploding transmission, wipers that would work only when it was NOT raining, front ends that needed new ball joints every 18,000 miles, the five month old Astro van that my wife was backing out of the driveway when the left front wheel broke off in the street, the Dexcool that rusted up the cooling system so badly it plugged up the heater core in a year. The list went on and on with those cars. My "fix" was once I left GM I NEVER will own another of their vehicles. So, I know the pain of having car problems and can share your disappointment. Maybe after owning POS GM cars my Acura seems so wonderful? Its all relative to our personal experiences I guess.

Best of luck with your car. Hope they get it sorted out for you.

 

Had many issues wit my third gen rdx as well.
1) squeaky suspensions & brakes (dealer fixed it) 2) fuel pump recall/limp mode (dealer fixed) 3) entertainment screen kept flashing on and off; auto dimming by itself (dealer fixed i guess this was a wire harnessing issue) 4) random rattles across the car can’t pinpoint to where - one is coming from the front right of the vehicle by the windshield area; sunroof rattling as well and somewhere in the trunk

 

I have only 24,000km on my 2019 and my wife made the comment the other day of "The car isn't aging well, it feels older than it should".

Like you my experience with the quality of the car has not been great - this is definitely far from Honda's best work.

My list:
- Squeaky brakes (twice replaced)
- Squeaky tailgate (springs replaced)
- Control arms replaced
- Driver seat bottom replace
- Infotainment crashes regularly particularly with CarPlay.
- Pano roof squeaking (will address next service)
- Key fob is unreliable, have had car broken into twice cause car didn't lock. Driver's seat goes to the wrong member setting.
- Lots of squeaks
- Flaky parking sensors.

 

forgot to mention the both lower control arms on the front or my vehicle were replaced to fix the squeaky/metal brushing sound everytime I went over a bump or pothole. This made me even miss my 2019 TLX even more. Thing was solid, no complaints. I guess because it was based on a model that was been around for a while vs. the RDX’s completely new platform. I’m hoping the 2022 RDX’s will be better as Acura/Honda had a couple years to work out the kinks.

 

You guys reminded me that I had the squeaky brake problem and the rotors were replaced under warranty from a TSB.

 

Sorry to hear about all the problems. I feel really blessed as my 2019 Aspec SHAWD has been totally mostly trouble free other than the limp mode intercooler replacement which resolved that issue and the Infotainment system intermittent issues which still persists and has new ones now since the current update.

 

I’m a new to me 2019 owner since i bought cpo and havent had any issues other than squeezinf brakws at startup but will be upgrading to a bbk or aftermarket rotors and pads

after all your complaints u didnt mention the one positive of if u go to trade it in how you’d basically be out only 3-5k over almost 4yrs

i’ll take small issues that are covered under warranty all day

 

Amen to that. I get the frustration from people who perhaps live far away from a dealer. But I just raise any issues during scheduled maintenance visits and its no sweat off my back. That being said, my RDX has been nearly flawless @ 13k miles.

I always recommend that people lurk on other car brand forums to calibrate their expectations. Mainstream new cars aren't built that great and everyone feels it, no matter the make. But as long as they fix it for free, I'm satisfied.

 

yep.
i’ve had 12 brand new honda/acuras since 1999 and only two CPO’s one being the rdx since i wanted a fun car.
ive NEVER been upside down on a car or had any major issues. I dont slander people for issues since some people are more sensitive than others.

again others issues on the same model dont effect me so 🤷🏻‍♂️

Even reading all the issues here i shopped for my rdx knowing if anything occurs its warranteed PLUS in nj theres a dealer every 20 min each direction lol

only negative of a cpo for me since im ocd is making it look brand new haha original order scratched up some trim so after about $150 in parts its all brand new!

 

I don't have the tolerance for those numerous small issues. My time is more important than spending it going back and forth to the Acura dealership where workmanship was a foreign concept.

 

I looked at their cars for sale at my local dealer and they're selling used 2019 models with 10k miles for $400 more than brand new 2021 models. Makes no sense to me. Keep toying with the idea of trading it in and getting a 2022 SHAWD ASpec Advance, but I don't like the new front bumper.

 

I don't live far from the dealer and most of my visits have been scheduled but the extra work caused by these problem is an annoying inconvenience that shouldn't be happening - it's many hours of my time.

I'm calibrating my expectations on prior Honda/Acuras and Mazda that I've owned or my family has owned - the RDX is the most unreliable car we've had since our 1985 Plymouth Voyager. Our 1993 Mazda 6 comes in as 3rd worst. There's plenty of data whether it's Consumer Reports or JD Power or Honda's very own CEO that shows Honda/Acura quality has gone downhill and cars like the RDX are the most obvious examples. I'm sure Honda will fix this just as Toyota had their slump but I just don't enjoy being part of the slump especially when this is one of the last cars I'm likely to own.

 

Same here. Most unreliable car I have owned.

• 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.

 

Sorry to hear of your troubles, but lets be reasonable adults about this.You have a car you clearly hate. The used car market is super hot and someone would love to buy that car. Rather than piss and moan about this "piece of junk" do the manly thing, stand behind your words and sell the darn thing then buy something you like. It does no good to piss and moan about hating your car, its all cheap talk. Sell it and move on. Years ago I had a Chev Blazer that was a POS. I did not bitch and moan about it. I fixed the broken transmission (just barely out of warranty) so it would drive well and dumped that POS and went back to driving Japanese vehicles. That was twenty years ago I have never looked back. Talk is cheap.....actions speak louder than words.

 

There's a difference between not liking a car and being disappointed with its reliability.

 

Absolutely. The latter is much more expensive, especially when it’s out of warranty. And this is what is important for everyone here.

 

If you notice all cars in the similar price range have taken a plunge in build quality. Everything is getting cheaper made.

 

I think this is generally true for the European brands. Is it true even for Lexus?

 

I dont know if quality has gone down......just more avenues for people to complain about it.....so it seems like there are a lot of issues. But when it happens to you, frustrating none the less.

 

I have 2012 lexus es350, its of decent build quality. Maybe lexus is trying to keep up their flagship quality, but I suspect its also on decline. Its difficult to compete in the same price range without sacrificing on quality.

 

Lexus is seems to pricier than Acura and about the same price as the Europeans. So they charge more than Acura for the quality, and they focus on quality instead of features and performance when compared to the Europeans. At least that is how I view them.

 

I fall into the category of quite liking the RDX, tolerant of its relatively poor reliability but frustrated and disappointed with its build quality. My 2007 TSX's build quality was great during the 13 years I owned it - it felt new or like new for the first 10 years and I didn't notice squeaking or creaking till deep into my ownership. My in-laws now have the TSX and I still drive it from time to time and that thing is screwed together great - it's EVERYTHING that Honda has ever promised its customers. OTOH, the RDX creaked and squeaked from day 1 which led to my wife's comment that it was aging poorly (again we're only 24,000km in). The Germans, by and large, do not squeak from day one.

 

yep, lexus technology might be lagging behind, but stuff is well made and with precision. None of that crap with misaligned panels, interior is solid and of high quality. I just dont like how lexus rx350 drives compared to rdx, but if u just care about build precision, lexus definitely wins. And yeah, similarly equipped lexus is always more $$

 

Most Lexus are made in Japan

 

not anymore, my 2012 es350 was made in japan. Its outdated, and boring to drive, but they built these cars really well to last a life time