2021 Acura Rdx problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (12) · Power Train (11) · Visibility/Wiper (10)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Acura Rdx model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger 2026-05-21 · campaign 26V332000 · 98,892 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor ma
Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger 2024-02-01 · campaign 24V064000 · 750,114 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
Risk: An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.
Power Train:driveline:driveshaft 2021-12-02 · campaign 21V939000 · 279 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021 Acura RDX and 2022 CR-V Hybrid vehicles. A component in the right or left front driveshaft may have been improperly heat-treated, which could result in driveshaft failure.
Risk: Driveshaft failure can cause a sudden loss of drive power, or cause the vehicle to roll away when parked if the parking brake is not applied. Either condition can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the right or left front driveshaft as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 24, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BBY, NBW, and OBX.
Service bulletins (194)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Electrical System 2026-05-18 · B21673 · Over The Air
over the air update - vehicles equipped with the system updates application are capable of downloading and installing over the air system updates. system updates contain upgrades that fix a variety of operational errors and/or enhancements that add new functionality. information for the various soft
Structure:body 2025-10-17 · B23-004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
"service bulletin - a pop noise can occur from the rear roof area when turning into driveways, bumps, or on an incline due to, in some cases, the panoramic roof frame mounting bolts are unable to maintain the necessary clamp force. this can allow shifting, which may lead to a pop noise."
Engine 2025-09-17 · B25-049 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - oil leak at the cam chain tensioner inspection cover due to and insufficient sealant adhesion on the inspection cover.
Service Brakes 2025-05-30 · B19-053 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - the front and/or rear brakes make a high-pitched squeal when the brakes are lightly applied at 24 km/h (15 mph) or less, with ambient temperatures below 10°c (50°f).
Service Brakes 2025-05-16 · B19-053 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - the front and/or rear brakes make a high-pitched squeal when the brakes are lightly applied at 24 km/h (15 mph) or less, with ambient temperatures below 10°c (50°f).
Structure:body 2025-05-10 · BTI&05092025901 · Other
dealer message - american honda motor co., inc. (ahm) is searching for certain 2019-2025 rdxs and 2022-2025 mdxs with a client complaint of a pop noise in the rear sunroof area. clients may describe a single pop noise heard while driving over a bump or turning in and out of driveways. to better unde
Showing the 6 most recent of 194 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-29 · Engine“my 2021 acura rdx a-spec awd had approximately 89,000 miles when this incident occurred on [october 23rd] on i-10 in tempe arizona]. my wife was driving when the vehicle displayed emissions and brake-system warnings, lost power and slowed unexpectedly. she was unable to restart it at that time. the unexpected loss of power in freeway traffic creat…”
2026-10-21 · Seat Belts · 42,000 mi“the contact owns a 2021 acura rdx. the contact stated that the front passenger’s side seat belt retractor failed to retract as needed. the vehicle was taken to a dealer and was inspected and repaired. the failure mileage was 42,000…”
2026-10-12 · Visibility/Wiper“rear window shattered spontaneously twice. 9/12/24 & 10/11/26…”
2026-10-07 · Fuel/Propulsion System“2021 acura rdx has cold start, uses coolant and will stumble, limp mode approaching 2000 rpm. vehicle will flash check engine light and then will go away when vehicle is restarted. using search criteria noted tsb issued for same make model and year with an extended warranty being offered through tsb, 10 year 150,000 miles. vehicle has 103,000 mile…”
2026-10-01 · Unknown Or Other“acura sunnyside in new hampshire denied to repair my recall on my 2021 acura rdx.…”
2026-09-25 · Engine“engine was replaced 12/13/25 due to cracked cylinder head causing oil to leak into exhaust and fill cylinder 2 and 3. 09/21/26 new engine replacement done in december 25, has now blown cylinder head gasket seal in under 12,000 miles. causing coolant to leak into cylinders 2 and 3.…”
2026-09-23 · Engine“head gasket blown known problem with honda and acura 2.0t i didn’t know of this issue until it occurred to loi me in 2025 my acura dealership told me it’s a huge problem with the acura rdxand it should be a warranty extension similar to the warranty extension for other honda products done in august 27, 2026 i was lucky and my head gasket did…”
2026-08-22 · Unknown Or Other · 💥 crash“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 worse. it only stopped when it w…”
2026-08-20 · Fuel/Propulsion System“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. …”
2026-07-30 · Power Train“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 safety defect because the trans…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.