Wow. That is a great piece of evidence which Acura will probably just ignore when it comes to being proactive on this issue. But now it's out there for all to see. Thanks for catching that and posting it!

 

The tailgate probably has a metal plate between the outer painted metal and the inner plastic trim, it will be very difficult to get to the glass pieces in between those 2 pieces of metal.

 

I expect that the trapped glass can only be accessed, and poorly at that, when the glass is not installed. I have read (must have been on this site or maybe reddit Acura forum), that it needs to be tediously vacuumed out with something like a 1/4" diameter rubber hose -- latching onto one piece at a time and fishing it out. Even then, it will not all be gotten.

 

Yep .... so my car is going to rattle for ever now ... awesome.

 

My rear glass shattered 2 weeks ago and I'm still trying to get Acura Canada to get back to me about whether they'll cover the repair or not - I'm out a few months out of warranty and they're staying they only cover it if it's under warranty and under 80,000km. I'm at 40,000km so am asking for a review of my case, initially was promised an answer in 3-5 business days and it's now 2 weeks and they're telling me it's going to be another week because of their backlog. Considering they acknowledge the problem is due to their failure and it's clearly pretty frequent I'm not sure why it's even a question of them extending coverage for people.

 

Possible fix for rattling? Drill a couple of 1/4" holes in the inner panel of the tailgate, couple inches up from the bottom. Inject some silicone caulk through the holes. Plug the holes with trim buttons.

 

Acura does not need an evidence for this, they already identified this as an issue and have TSB. However, it still unacceptable that this is not fixed as part of recall.

 

Does this issue only impact models before the refresh (2022) ?

 

I thought about that.... or spray foam.

 

Just 2019 and some 2020 cars from what I know.

 

Thanks. I wonder what they did to fix..(if anything)

 

There has been at least one 2021 and one 2022 and one 2023. These are just the ones reported to NHTSA:

https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2021/ACURA/RDX/SUV/AWD
https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2022/ACURA/RDX/SUV/AWD
https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2023/ACURA/RDX/SUV/AWD

There are also quite a few reports there for sunroof spontaneously shattering.

 

there is an updated glass that does not have that issue.

 

Just happened to my 2019 RDX. After putting kids in the back, I closed my door on driver seat and it shattered. Gonna call Acura tomorrow and see what they say. In Kitchener/Waterloo Ontario area

 

The process is straightforward but long - have photos to send in and, assuming your warranty is expired, you'll have to ask them for a review. I'm at 2 weeks and still waiting for an answer. We were able to tape ours up so it's usable for now, very little glass (if any) has gotten into the hatch. If I don't get an answer in another week I'm just going to pay out of pocket - it's about $850 per the dealer - if you do this and Acura Canada decides to cover it after you repair it then they'll only issue service credits for you.

 

my 2019 exploded. Moderate temps. Highway speeds. Could have been deadly. Had a kayak strapped on to Acura crossbars but Acura would t cover it. $3,500 luckily insurance did. Still have zero confidence that it won’t happen again so keep your sun shade closed!

 

A wild ride. I am past warranty by 4 months. I got comprehensive extended warranty as well, due to hilariously large number of issues I have had in 4 years, but this is not covered under that
Called Acura Canada and they opened a case and told me it will be 3-5 business days while they look into it.
The dealership stepped up and will replace it for free while they work it out with Acura canada. Thankfully the part is in stock so hopefully a quick turn around on this. Overall Schlueter Acura has been very helpful with all the issues I have had, very unhappy with how many issues I have had with 3G RDX

 

so to be clear...is it the rear glass that shatters or the sunroof glass ? Either would suck, but the sunroof glass would be far more dangerous.

 

Picked up my vehicle today. Awesome service from the dealer. While picking up the car, I mentioned it's good on them for keeping the part in stock. They said it is a common enough occurrence that they keep ordering as they get used up, and that there is one getting towed in tomorrow with the same issue.
I hear no rattle in the hatch either, as I did mention that some glass fell in there while dropping off the car.

Rear glass.

 

Both have happened. Rear seems to be more common.

 

Hey bud going through the exact same thing. Except mine just happened this morning shitty because I am just over the 4 years. Just wondering if you heard anything back or if you were able to pull through. I went through nightmare at Pickering Acura today. I also put a complaint in to Transport Canada.

https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transpo...hild-car-seats

would recommend other go ahead and put in these complaints. It’s ridiculous they haven’t issued a recall for a known issue. Anyway pics of my shattered glass.

also would really appreciate if anyone else had to wait for Acura Canada to approve this out of warranty replacement. If so how was your experience? Did they approve?

 

Acura Canada got back to me yesterday and agreed to cover the repair and I’ve been booked in for next Wed to get it fixed so 3.5 weeks from the it broke and was reported to Acura to get it addressed.

 

Thanks for the reply appreciate it. But damn 3.5 weeks is a drag. Were you driving your car with the broken glass for that time period? Because I definitely do not feel safe driving my car with glass debris flying around.

 

We taped ours up with packing tape to hold it together and it was ok to drive for the most part. The hole wasn’t huge for us but rearward visibility wasn’t so great. A very few bits of glass did come off after the tape job but it was otherwise tolerable (we don’t drive a lot as well)

 

Acura Canada does know about the issue and is well aware of the problem.
Mine exploded on a Friday afternoon and I couldn't bring it in for inspection till the following Tuesday (this was a few months back). The service advisor told me that they had replaced several already and even had 1 rear glass in stock for emergencies. 24H later I picked up my RDX with zero out of pocket expenses fully fixed with no glass rattling in the back hatch. I specifically asked them about rattling glass and the SA assured me that they would clean it out properly. I drive a 2020 A-Spec that is still under warranty btw.

Thanks for the transport Canada complaint link huncho. I'll make sure to file one also as it was absolutely terrifying to my wife when it happened.

 

My dealer was able to get me in today to get the glass replaced and my advisor thinks the issue is going to eventually be turned into an extended recall. He was putting in a claim for another customer right after mine for the same issue.

In the meantime, they gave me a MDX loaner with 970km on it. Drives so much better than the RDX - that V6 never should have left and the shift logic is much better. Same with the infotainment, it's actually usable now. Turns in a lot smoother and ride quality is pretty spot on.

 

Update to my story. Had safelite replace my glass because they could do it soonest. The glass they inserted is totally distorted. Safelite came out and admitted its all distorted, but the other one they had in stock had the same defects. They weren't able to get good glass and after about 10 unreturned calls to the safelite manager I gave up and submitted an AMEX claim for the price of the repair. They still haven't responded. From the other side I talked to the local Acura dealers service manager. My car was in today, for what I thought was a replacement and getting the glass out of the hatch. Apparently Acura only approved the shop time to remove all the glass from the hatch, but not to replace the glass itself. Sigh.... The claim is apparently submitted to Acura and pending with no ETA or timeline for getting non-defective (either safelite wavy glass defect or acura exploding glass defect) glass installed. It seems to me that removing all of the glass from the hatch should have been done AFTER the glass was replaced since I have a feeling it may shatter trying to get it out of there. At least they did a good job getting the glass out.

Now I am waiting to see if Acura will admit its a problem and replace the window considering they already admitted it was a problem (kind of) when they paid for removing the glass.

 

Just happen to me too, rear windows suddenly just shattered 2 days a go.

 

2019 or newer year?

 

2019

 

Sorry but welcome to the club....

 

Just happened to me tonight. Was getting ready to leave for work and I was like "WTF" when I saw my rear hatch. I had gone out for lunch and everything was good at that time. Thanks to some googling my BIL did for me he found the threads here and also the service bulletin for USA. I spoke with my local dealer (I am in Ontario/Canada too) and they said that the service bulletin just applied for the USA. I am out of the standard warranty too (since I have a 2019 model). I will call Acura tomorrow but I really hope they don't drag this out as it is a known issue. I hope they step up and cover it without too much of a hassle. I put some tape across the back (Guerilla Glass tape) but I will use some packing tape to maybe put it across the inside back as well. I don't want to drive around with it but I will need to bring it to the dealer. Luckily I have a spot to store it inside for now since raining today.

 

Here is my 'engineering' take on the shattering of the rear window.

Background: I have not had mine shatter, but have had the rear hatch 'adjusted' in the first year of my 2019 ownership. It took my dealer 2 visits to align it properly. The symptom was being noisy -like rubbing- when opening and closing. The rubber strip at the top was not seating correctly, it was flipping up instead of a natural seal. it was obvious with close inspection.
My take: the rear hatch is composite. Not metal. It can bend and torque. If the hatch is misaligned, and it is closed, the hatch will not sit completely even and will have some 'twist' or 'bend' on the hatch, and it is held there by the latch. Depending on how the glass is mounted, it can torque (twist) the glass. It would not take much, over time, and especially when driving would weaken the structure. If something is going to give, it is not going to be the the composite hatch. It will be the glass. This reasoning also explains why many have seen the glass break while the car just sits there, like in a garage. Thats because you cannot tell when the glass is finally going to give in. It is not the cold or hot either, as noted by other confused owners.
What to do: If you hear any rubbing or strange sounds when opening or closing, if you see the strip at the top not seat perfectly, bring it in and have them adjust it.

 

Latest statement by Honda on the HR-V glass shattering, tells all about the RDX issue and Honda / Dealers refusing pay for replacement
https://www.motortrend.com/news/hond...tsa-complaint/

 

How similar is the rear glass and tailgate in a HR-V to the RDX glass and tailgate?

 

 

Refusing to pay? The article says Honda acknowledged fault and will start a voluntary product update campaign this spring after it stockpiles parts.

 

Interesting. They paid to have the dealer remove all the glass, but not for the new glass.... I can't get an answer on that.

 

Other folks (for the HRV and RDX) have reported cases where their dealer refused to cover the work under warranty, despite how "Honda issued a dealer communication published by NHTSA acknowledging the problem as early as May 2023." I think that's what he's referring to. I know my local Acura dealership would have refused to cover it too (if they were still in business that is, good riddance).

 

Solid reasoning, ty for this.
How would you know if the strip at the top is not seated perfectly if it is closed ?
I would imagine the rear hatch is composite(perhaps) and not steel to make it lighter...