quantum7

I think that the point people are making is that the RDX, although clearly a very good vehicle, has some issues that Acura will not acknowledge or will pass off as user error. Therefore a chart that shows Acura not at the top of reliability is not surprising. That is how I see it. Again, my biggest complaint is that they use the standard line of "we have not seen that issue" when you know damn well that you have a problem. And also again, you do not have to own an Acura RDX to have an informed opinion. I will probably end up buying one next year if I can milk my TL for one more year, but I do not want to give Acura a pass on some of the problems with the RDX. The only way that Acura will feel pressure to fix problems is to complain about them publicly....this is one of the many reasons that I love this site. Not just fanboys with heads in the sand.

DriverOne

But is that what reliability means? And btw, the survey we're talking about isn't even a "reliability" survey. It's an "initial quality" survey. Which is a term that JD Power just made up. They created a definition, made a survey with their parameters in a time frame they determined, and then released it and then asked Acura for a response. Then people didn't like the response and so they took the side of JD Power. Which is fantastic. BTW, JD Power bribes people to take their survey with an entry to win $100,000. That's not even a valid way to take a survey.

mathnerd88

I understand what your point is. However how meaningless JD Power may be, it can cause changes in public awareness in how they value brands. Years ago, I remember Volvo and Jaguar being the lowest rated brands. Nobody wanted one and they were predicted to go out of business. Nowadays, those brands are now highly rated by the public. Volvo SUVs are now one of the top rated by US News, causing many people to purchase them. Heck I’m not sure what the appeal of Jaguar is. They’re owned by an Indian company now. I would much rather own a car built by a South Korean company brand over an Indian brand, but somehow a lot of people love Jaguar and it is rated even better than Acura RDX.

In the early 2000s Audi was not doing well. People preferred BMW and Benz over Audi’s. Once Audi started designing more beautiful cars with the front LED DRLs it’s sales has risen dramatically and is now regarded on similar level to its competitors.

Another prime example is Hyundai/Kia. They used to be such horrible cars that fell apart and had ugly designs. However, once they started introducing the 10 year 100k mike warranty and started gaining public trust they’re doing much better. I’ve driven the Elantra and Azera and although I’ll admit I still won’t buy a Hyundai over a Honda, I’ve been impressed with their cars. I’m willing to bet the younger generation won’t care.

Infiniti G was regarded years ago as an amazing vehicle that would compete closely with the BMW 3 series and also won Wards top ten engine awards for many years. Once they changed everything over to the Q models their cars have started to go downhill in sales. Don’t get me started on the CVT transmission on the new QX50 and it’s outdated interior design. Infiniti really needs to step up and its brand perception has gone downhill.

The problem is that if Acura continues down this path and not making improvements to satisfy customers then people’s perception of that brand will change. Acura RDX is supposed to be one of Acura’s best selling models, and if they continue to make half baked infotainment issues compared to other manufacturers what do you think will happen? Although Acura is Honda’s luxury division, it is still not regarded as good as Lexus or Infiniti from who I’ve talked to.

quantum7

JD power, CR, anyone......I am just saying that Acura not at the top of any survey, initial quality or reliability or customer satisfaction....is not surprising to me....which is sad. Reliability is my wife's 4Runner. 9 years old, 177,000 miles. Oil changes and gasoline.

mathnerd88

Reliability is my 2007 Honda Odyssey, 12 years old, 241k miles. All it got were oil changes, gasoline, two battery replacements, brake pads, and tire changes/rotations. It had its timing belt changed once. Nothing else was done for the vehicle. The van never even got a car wash (maybe once when it was in the dealer getting timing belt changed!) The oil changes were done at a mom and pop store, with the cheapest dino oil/filter they have. OCI's were probably around 7-8k miles when the MM lights up. The engine has never seen synthetic oil. I'm hoping it's the same with the Acura RDX.

None of my old Toyotas or Lexus's have lasted this long. However, the problems I experienced from them have perhaps due to dealers messing up the car maintenance. My LS was destroyed after the dealer installed the timing belt incorrectly. My ES 350 was recalled due to oil pipe bursting issue. My Toyota Cressida from 1992 had constant engine overheating issues. So far, my luck with Lexus and Toyota haven't been good.

My girlfriend's Rav4 from 2015 has 55k miles, and so far no issues whatsoever. Let's hope it keeps it that way.

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

Honda and Acura aside, this poll lost all credibility for me when I saw Dodge above Lexus and Toyota

quantum7

Current TL has 289,000 miles. It has had a few of the common problems with the 3G TL but overall an awesome car. I have done all of the maintenance for the past 175,000 miles....oil (conventional), brakes, and a radiator. BTW, my infotainment has always worked perfected (Navi with a disc in the trunk) and cassette player, and even one of those modern CD players. I keep on meaning to get a new car, but this one just keeps running.

HotRodW

All manufacturers seem destined to go through a bad period as they roll out more advanced technology. BMW and Ford were both really early to take infotainment interfaces to the next level, and they both got hammered for it in owner surveys and media reviews. It took some time, but they learned from it. Today iDrive and Sync3 are two of the more reliable, user friendly systems available.

Mechanically speaking, Toyota probably still offers the most reliable hardware, but they're going through a bit of a rough patch themselves. The Lexus mouse-type interface is particularly awful. The only surprise to me is that Lexus hasn't suffered more from it - especially considering their buyer demographic.

Speaking of rough patches, Subaru, who historically has had a reputation for keeping things simple, is building cars that aren't so simple any longer. The influx of technology combined with too-rapid growth is creating all sorts of problems for them. It's not just the hit to the reputation, it's the cost of repairs and recalls. Fortunately, Subaru acknowledges their struggles and seems to be committed to address them. And they need to do just that ... if the Outback launch doesn't go any better than the Ascent's launch, they're going to be in real trouble.

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/20...ontrol-issues/

mathnerd88

I have no idea what Toyota and Lexus are doing. Lexus especially has awful spindle-grill designs that should be removed immediately. Toyota is trying to make all their cars angular which creates for an ugly vehicle. The new Rav4 to me looks awful, and the rear and front looks too much like a platypus. Acura thank god has gotten rid of its shield grill design.

Wander

Careful what you wish for, in terms of hardware. There is a history of Acura infotainment system hardware being orphaned and cut off from future ( needed ) software upgrades.

IMO the likelihood of Acura recalling the infotainment hardware and swapping it for a new version, is precisely zero. On a case-by-case basis for individual systems that are crashing, maybe.

DriverOne

I know, but that's my issue with it. The fact is that people are generally swayed by things like JD Power because people don't care to look into anything. They just see a commercial that has JD Power and they go "woah!" But it's like "uh ...who actually made JD Power the authority on anything?" It's a total scam. JD Power gives out awards on everything to basically everyone. Everyone has at least one JD Power award. It's like the Zagat awards for restaurants. They just suddenly appeared out of nowhere, where they just had really great marketing and somehow became accepted as the ultimate authority on where to dine.

I don't think a lot of people know that Jaguar was sold off. It's sometimes tough to remember who has acquired what car companies. I didn't know that Volvo was sold off. I did look at the Jaguar XJ at one point. That's a really nice-looking car, in my opinion. If it wasn't so expensive, I would definitely have gone for it.

The thing I never understood about them is that their initial cars were garbage. But they had a full 10 year warranty that impressed people. I was always like "how do they do that? They must be losing their entire company over that. But, apparently, it worked to a degree. I still think that most people don't think much of either brand, though. They're sort of the off-brand of the car world.

quantum7

I just mean get more processing power. Seems that the system is running Android OS but an older version. I have no expectations of a recall of hardware....was hoping the 2020 model might get an upgrade, but would not even expect that.
I thought that I read that the current system in the Accord works very well. No touchpad....just touchscreen which is fine with me. Supposed to be quick, run CarPlay well, and it works. There are vehicles out there that have decent infotainment.

Honestly I think that big problem is that these cars have too much crap going on. I would prefer a basic system that is fast and work versus being a beta tester on a new system. Two items that (although they seem to work ok) Acura has included which I fail to see the need for are automatic windshield wipers and auto high beams. When it is raining I twist the knob, and when a car comes, I flip the switch (still prefer the button on the floor).

JAB00

The infotainment system is buggy. I have had the infotainment system freeze. Now my Carplay port has intermittent connectivity. Bluetooth works fine. I would have liked to wait to buy the 2020 to flush out some of these bugs but I needed a car sooner rather than later when I was leaving my 05 TL so I made the plunge in November. No other issues so far. Sometimes I feel turbo lag or some gear shifting confusion.

Overall I am happy with the car. The Carplay issue has not been a terrible inconvenience because I use the Bluetooth for audio and the built in Navigation is surprisingly decent at least where I live (metropolitan Baltimore area). I'll take the car in to the dealer to see if they can fix the connectivity issue. Some here said resetting system back to factory settings works. However I suspect it's the actual port because I have to hold the cord and it doesn't lose connectivity. If it needs to be replaced I want dealer to do that.

Wander

Try replacing the USB cable with a new one. Acura suggests a genuine Apple cable.

Not saying the system isn't buggy, but flakey cable is top of the troubleshooting list for connectivity issues.

ceb

See my comment in bold above. Hyundai imported some awful stuff initially - almost rivaling Rover with bits falling off. Once Hyundai figured out that they needed to get their act together, they tried selling better quality stuff, but sales were awful because people remembered how horrible they were. It wasn't until then that Hyundai instituted their long warranty - which increased sales but did little for resale value - want a deal? A Equus that's a couple of years old or a Genesis.

Tony Pac

Reliability is a very vague and ambiguous term used in the car industry. This is a huge issue.

I have my 2010 TL. I have done nothing beside, oil changes, spark plugs and battery. It’s flawless!! People complain about oil consumption but I never had that issue.

Now let me ask you a question: Is TL 2009-2014 is the most RELIABLE vehicle??? If you ask me, the answer is yes! If you ask someone else they might say no.

So, with all the techs and features that we have today, there is no doubt that we will get an issue here and there and we can’t call the vehicle unreliable.. My cousin’s Q5 is having tailgate issue since week 1. Audi can’t figure it out. He made at least 10 dealer trips and no help. So he finally gave up. Does it mean Q5 is the most unreliable car?? My cousin hates Audis and he can’t wait for his lease to be over. I still don’t believe it justifies to say Q5 is unreliable. I am sure many people drive Q5 with zero issue.

012TL-GLM

Initial Quality Survey?

Hmm, seems every car should get a perfect score or why did the person buy it? You can typically spot any issue from the factory during a test drive - I know, I'm being a D!@$

If you haven't been paying attention Dodge/Jeep/RAM have upp'd their game. Easily some of the best interiors and fun vehicles to drive on the road. I think one of the studies from Consumer Reports last year discussed how Fiat products tend to score low for reliability, but customer satisfaction was incredible. I think the Charger was one of the top scoring vehicles.

Acura is being crucified because they are no longer living up to the reputation they built for themselves. Any Acura fan is sorely mistaken if they think a new Acura is going to last and perform like the early/mid 2k's.