Acura RDX Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Acura RDX model year from 2007 to 2026, benchmarked against each other with 2,645 federal complaints, 17 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2015, 2019–2020. These years top the RDX's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 2007–2008, 2016, 2022 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the RDX's own worst year — full methodology.
Under investigation. Federal regulators currently have an open defect investigation on the Acura RDX.
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…
An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Electrical tops the Acura RDX file with 754 complaints, concentrated in the 2015 model years, most often reported around 87,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Few reports | 1 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | Too early to call | 67 | 1 | Steering | 12 |
| 2024 | Few reports | 15 | 2 | — | 5 |
| 2023 | Few reports | 26 | 2 | — | 4 |
| 2022 | Better year | 42 | 2 | Visibility & wipers | 12 |
| 2021 | Typical | 157 | 3 | Other | 29 |
| 2020 | Avoid | 427 | 5 | Other | 80 |
| 2019 | Avoid | 568 | 5 | Other | 100 |
| 2018 | Typical | 105 | 1 | Fuel system | 22 |
| 2017 | Typical | 108 | 1 | Transmission & drivetrain | 28 |
| 2016 | Better year | 56 | 2 | — | 14 |
| 2015 | Avoid | 441 | 3 | Electrical | 80 |
| 2014 | Below average | 261 | 3 | Electrical | 49 |
| 2013 | Below average | 180 | 3 | Electrical | 38 |
| 2012 | Few reports | 19 | 2 | — | 3 |
| 2011 | Few reports | 21 | 2 | Airbags | 5 |
| 2010 | Few reports | 26 | 2 | Airbags | 7 |
| 2009 | Few reports | 16 | 2 | Airbags | 3 |
| 2008 | Better year | 39 | 3 | Airbags | 8 |
| 2007 | Better year | 70 | 3 | Airbags | 19 |
Technical service bulletins
Beyond complaints and recalls, 1,922 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Acura RDX. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Browse the Acura RDX TSB list by year →
Questions buyers ask
What Acura RDX years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2015, 2019–2020 as the Acura RDX years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Acura RDX problem?
Electrical tops the Acura RDX file with 754 complaints, concentrated in the 2015 model years, most often reported around 87,000 miles.
What are the best Acura RDX years to buy used?
The quietest Acura RDX years in federal records are 2007–2008, 2016, 2022 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Acura RDX only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.