2021 Acura RDX problems and complaints

Owners have filed 111 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Acura RDX. The most-reported areas: Unknown Or Other (30), Engine (20), Service Brakes (16).

Key takeaways

  • 111 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
  • 3 involve a crash, 0 a fire, 1 reported injury.
  • Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
Complaints by component
ComponentComplaintsShare
Unknown Or Other3027%
Engine2018%
Service Brakes1614%
Power Train1312%
Air Bags1110%
Electrical System109%
Structure109%
Visibility/Wiper98%
Vehicle Speed Control76%
Forward Collision Avoidance65%
Seats65%
Visibility55%

One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

NHTSA 5-Star crash ratings
VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
2021 Acura RDX SUV FWD5/54/55/54/5
2021 Acura RDX SUV AWD5/54/55/54/5

Latest complaints, as filed

Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.

Electrical System,unknown Or Other,service Brakes - filed 2026-08-22

Two low-speed sudden unintended acceleration events while parking a 2021 Acura RDX. Incident 1 (July 2026): While parking at low speed, the car unexpectedly surged forward. Flew up the curb and hit a restaurant window, causing massive undercarriage damage. Active braking did not help and seemed to make acceleration wo...

Fuel/Propulsion System - filed 2026-08-20

Fuel Pump is having to be replaced. I have had issues accelerating and my car also stalled once on the freeway. It put me in a dangerous situation and I almost got in an accident because my speed quickly decreased. The same part was recalled on the previous year’s model.

Power Train - filed 2026-07-30

I own an Acura RDX that experienced a sudden failure of the transfer case. Prior to the failure, there was little or no warning that a major drivetrain component was about to fail. When the transfer case failed, the vehicle lost its normal all-wheel-drive operation and required expensive repairs. I believe this is a s...

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More for the 2021 Acura RDX

Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.