2021 Acura RDX
Complaints about this year name case far more often than the other years of this generation — 15% of them, about 5× the usual rate of 3.2%.
Generation 3 of the Acura RDX, which began in 2019. Everything below compares this year against the others in that generation, not against a different car wearing the same name.
NHTSA opened a defect investigation into this model year.
| Complaints filed | 109 |
|---|---|
| Median for this model | 33 |
| Involving a crash | 2 |
| Recalls | 3 |
| NHTSA crash rating | 5/5 |
| EPA combined | 23.5 mpg |
What the complaints were about
- windshield — 11.9% of this year's complaints, against 2.5% across the other years of this generation (4.8×). Owners wrote it as: windshield, car moving, car cannot, said covered.
- window — 11.9% of this year's complaints, against 3.8% across the other years of this generation (3.2×). Owners wrote it as: window, rear window, window shattered, suggested.
- old — 11.9% of this year's complaints, against 3.8% across the other years of this generation (3.2×). Owners wrote it as: old, issue said, brakes started, price.
Words owners used for the same problem are counted together, so a fault written four different ways is measured once. Grouped by which complaints they appear in, not by a list anyone wrote in advance.
Also unusual this year
- sunroof — 13% of complaints, 5× usual
- sound — 7% of complaints, 18× usual
- panoramic sunroof — 7% of complaints, 18× usual
What owners wrote
The panoramic sunroof makes popping sounds when I drive the car up or down ramps or curbs at angles that twists the chassis. This could potentially break and shatter the glass on top of the driver and passengers or worse dislodge from the mounting bracket and…
Since purchasing this vehicle new in August, 2020, I have noticed intermittent loud "popping" noises coming from the sunroof. This typically happens when driving over an uneven portion of the road and sounds like the glass is going to break. I am reporting thi…
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint filings, with identifying details removed.
Recalls for this year
- 21V939000 POWER TRAIN Fixed free of charge.
- 24V064000 AIR BAGS Fixed free of charge.
- 26V332000 AIR BAGS Fixed free of charge.
How this was worked out
Every year of the Acura RDX was compared against its own history rather than against other cars, which removes popularity and age from the answer — a common car draws more complaints at equal reliability, and an older one has had longer to accumulate them. A year is flagged when it drew at least 2.5× this model's median and at least 50 complaints.
This is a fault record, not a review. Nobody files a federal complaint to say the car was fine, so it shows what tends to go wrong — not whether owners liked it, and not whether it is a good car.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations, retrieved . Look this vehicle up directly on NHTSA's site to check anything here.
Own a 2021 Acura RDX? What happened to yours?
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