Jeremy Tallman

I'm in the market for a '21 Advance but while reading about them I'm seeing many concerns about reliability with below average expectations (US News, Consumer Reports). Are lots of folks having problems? Seems like brakes and "limp mode" issues plague many owners, but it's not clear to me how many people are not having or experiencing issues. Across the wider audience are these (or other problems) happening often or are they a small number amongst owners?

JB in AZ

I've had my 2019 Advance for just under 2 years, and over 25,000 miles. I have not had any of the problems you mentioned...or any real problems other then some early infotainment issues (resolved with an over the air update from Acura), then an Android Auto issue that was 100% resolved with a new phone (my old phone was "ancient", almost 4 years old!) I did have the dealer replace the front brake rotors and pads all around based on a TSB that Acura published to resolve brake squeal, but I never really heard any squeal. I kind of mentioned it in passing when I had it in for the last service, figuring if Acura wanted to do a brake job for me at 25,000 miles, why not? I have not experienced any limp mode, and while I suspect it was a real problem for some, I also suspect that it gets rehashed and rehashed over and over again on forums like this. NOT to minimize the experience for those who have experienced it.

russianDude

Many owners? Dont think so. Brake noise issue is BS and TSB will likely resolve it for most people.
limp mode is a serious issue, no kidding. I had a car for over a year, but did not experience it. It happens likely in heavy rain and acceleration. We dont know if it impacts all cars or some. There is also rumor that Acura is working a recall/fix for it, but nothing official. I think 2021 should be pretty solid which will have most TSBs addressed.
its not #1 quality, but its decent/good in my opinion. If you only want quality and reliability, Lexus wins in this category...

jeffcarp94

Consumer Reports hates the touchpad interface and they seem to have a problem with the difference between an opinion and a problem. If you look at the details of Consumer Reports' reliability ratings, everything subsystem category for the RDX is rated high except for the infotainment/touchpad. That one category is rated low, yet their entire reliability rating is low. It makes no sense given how they rated every other subsystem.

There were tons of problems with the infotainment software that were mostly fixed in the D1.2.1 firmware last year. Consumer Reports has never changed their ratings after D.1.2.1 firmware update.

There are certainly a few common issues with the RDX that require warranty work. In my opinion, the things that are great about this car, are indeed great.

JD Power is another resource to use. It rates the 2020 RDX at 75 / 100. That's not great in the compact SUV category (25th) but the high score in the category is only 82 (Lexus has the 3 highest).

​​​​ If you have a good dealer with convenient service, I wouldn't hesitate to consider the RDX. It's a great vehicle overall.

russianDude

thats the key, good service dealwr that is close to your home. Btw, I bought my car far away because my dealer sucks at sales, but their service is excellent. They dont care I bought it somewhere else, they even dont mind me changing my own oil.

markAZ

We bought our Advance a couple months ago and so far it's been fine, no issues at all. Then again, we have only about 500 miles on it. Still getting used to all the doo-dads but overall like the car.

My concern is reliability of all the doo-dads down the road, say in five or six years. Lots of cameras and sensors and electronics. Will there be replacement parts available for all that stuff in seven or eight years? And how expensive will it be to replace them? I'm seriously considering getting AcuraCare for that reason.

jmhumr

I bought a 2021 A-Spec a week ago after months of research. I also discovered the issues you mentioned but decided it wasn't enough to deter me for these reasons:

1. As a 3rd year car, most early kinks should be worked out by now; most complaints were from early 2019 owners/reviewers/surveys

2. I don't really care what goes wrong as long as I'm under warranty; statistically speaking, most QC issues emerge under warranty

3. The RDX (and MDX) is Acura's best-selling car and they're not going to sink the brand by letting them turn into lemons

4. The most troubling issue is the "limp mode," but the odds of experiencing it appear extremely remote and it's something I expect Acura will eventually resolve

5. It's an amazing value and nothing compares in terms of size/performance/looks/features for the price

No regrets so far!

JB in AZ

Thank you for posting this. It is well thought out and well presented. I agree, and I have a 2019, built 11/2018 without many of the issues.

DiceF

I am having the passenger airbag light issue, front camera, front right sensor...