Intermittently I've been having a problem with the key fobs not working in my 2020 RDX. The symptoms include some variety of the car not detecting me when I walk up to it, The car not unlocking and response to the key fob buttons, the car not starting despite the key fob being inside, The walk away automatic locking not working because it doesn't recognize a key fob, and the car not recognizing the key fob when I get out of it while it is running and get back in such as getting the mail from the mailbox.

None of these things occur all at once but it is a intermittent mess of these problems occurring most days that I drive the car. Other times the key fob works fine without issue. I do not have any key fob low battery warnings on the dash.

I took it to the dealership and their diagnosis which they claim is supported by some documentation from Acura is that I have too many USB power cables plugged in and it is generating too high of an RF interference level. They claim that they have unplugged all of the charging cables and not had a problem again in their testing.

I actually don't think this is a bad diagnosis. But it's absurd that the design of the car could result in that as the explanation. Don't actually use the charging ports because then your key fob might not work. Ridiculous.

I'm coming to the end of my warranty and as much as I love driving this car and listening to the audio system I think I'm ready to sell it.

 

not a definite solution but I recently noticed that if I have my key in my pocket and my phone is between the key and the car, the car will not detect the key....

 

For sure, and good call. I definitely am aware of that conflict and don't keep anything in the same pocket as my keyfob. I do have my phone on my body somewhere else almost always but at least in another pants pocket. I also have a titanium wallet. All of that said, I've never had this problem on another car or any rental cars.

 

It is a strange issue and unacceptable explanation by the dealer (even if valid).

What would you get next?

 

Likely the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid. I was on the fence but now that it's confirmed to have native Google services in-dash instead of Sync, I think that seals the deal for me. It won't be a comparable driving experience but the automated driving tech and electronics/software experience should be better. And the audio system should be comparable.

 

Is this the one being built in China? I'm sure they make fine cars but they haven't quite reached the reputation of the Japanese/Korean brands yet as far as I'm concerned.

 

Yes, it is. It's doubtful that I'll keep the Lincoln past the 4 yr / 50K warranty. I look at it as a bridge vehicle to a future EV purchase, once everyone gets their Tesla plug standardizations done, and I better understand the impact of solid-state batteries' around 2026. There have been enough things wrong with my RDX that my calculus is pretty simple: I'd rather own a Lincoln in-warranty than my RDX out of warranty. The origin of the build is not a high concern for me with this particular purchase. The Japanese reputation did nothing for me on my RDX. It's been tolerable, but still the most unreliable vehicle that I've ever owned, without a doubt. Part of it also is that my only Acura dealer is a Lithia-owned shop that is "fine" but that's about it. It just seems like there is always friction in the service experience when dealing with them. Honestly, my first choice is to pick up a Genesis but unfortunately despite living in a market of 800K people, we don't have a dealership.

 

I thought all Hyundai dealership had Genesis vehicles too? All of the ones I visited do.

 

Perhaps they can order them, I'm not sure but there are no vehicles and not even any signs for the brand at my Hyundai dealership.

 

Most of the dealer I’ve been to have no signs either. That’s ineffective marketing for their high end brand.