2014 Acura RDX problems & reliability
240 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2014 Acura RDX, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
3 complaints report injuries (4 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2014 Acura RDX vehicles were involved in 12 fatal crashes with 2 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting | 161 | 67% |
| Air Bags | 41 | 17% |
| Unknown OR Other | 12 | 5% |
| Visibility/wiper | 10 | 4% |
| Electrical System | 8 | 3% |
| Suspension | 8 | 3% |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 1% |
| Structure | 3 | 1% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 1% |
| Engine | 2 | 1% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 60,000 miles (middle 50% between 24,000 and 88,000 miles), based on 53 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2014 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver’s and passenger’s side headlights were very dim. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the headlight bulbs…”
Exterior Lighting · filed Aug 4, 2026
“The low beam headlight projector lens has degraded to the point of being extremely unsafe and therefore unable to drive at night. Repair for the defective headlight is costly and should be addressed by Honda/Acura as it is a HUGE safety concern. Acura recalled/replaced the defective lens on the 2014-2015 RLX model but…”
Exterior Lighting · filed Jul 6, 2026
“Dear National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, I am submitting a formal safety complaint regarding an unresolved airbag system failure in my Acura vehicle, and the lack of a timely or safe remedy despite the issue being acknowledged and covered under a manufacturer warranty extension. The airbag system in my…”
Air Bags · filed Apr 28, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open
Technical service bulletins
133 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2014 Acura RDX. The 10 most recent:
Service Bulletin - Warranty Extension: Customer Support Program For Driver's Airbag Inflator for 2013-14 ILX Hybrid and Other Listed Years and Models.
B18-020 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 28, 2026
Dealer message - American Honda is investigating a potential quality concern with RDX Accessory Cross Bar kit. Due to this investigation, American Honda is requesting all dealers to return any uninstalled inventory to…
BPO05022022901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 2, 2022
Service bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects…
B18-020 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 8, 2022
Service Bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects…
B18-020 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2022
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2013-2017 RDXs with a client complaint of paint peeling on the rear roof panel. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would…
BTI&09072021903 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 7, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2013-2017 RDXs with a client complaint of paint peeling on the rear roof panel. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would…
BTI&08192021903 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 19, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2013-2017 RDXs with a client complaint of paint peeling on the rear roof panel. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would…
BTI&07302021905 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 30, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2013-2017 RDXs with a client complaint of paint peeling on the rear roof panel. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would…
BTI&06012021901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2013-2017 RDXs with a client complaint of paint peeling on the rear roof panel. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would…
BPaS03252021907 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 25, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2013-2017 RDXs with a client complaint of paint peeling on the rear roof panel. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would…
BPaS02262021908 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 26, 2021
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2014 Acura RDX has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2014 Acura RDX?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 60,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.