2017 Acura RDX problems & reliability
73 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2017 Acura RDX, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. 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.
4 complaints report injuries (6 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2017 Acura RDX vehicles were involved in 18 fatal crashes with 10 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train → | 21 | 29% |
| Electrical System → | 17 | 23% |
| Engine → | 11 | 15% |
| Service Brakes → | 11 | 15% |
| Unknown OR Other | 8 | 11% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 8 | 11% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 4 | 5% |
| Air Bags | 3 | 4% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 4% |
| Lane Departure | 3 | 4% |
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 19,000 miles (middle 50% between 7,312 and 48,252 miles), based on 26 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2017 Acura RDX. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle loss automotive power while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning lights were illuminated. The failure occurred on several different occasions. A dealer was contacted and made aware of the failure and…”
Power Train · filed May 12, 2026
“The contact owns a 2017 Acura RDX. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact's wife enabled the parking brake. The contact stated that at a later while, the vehicle independently accelerated. No warning…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Apr 27, 2026
“The contact owns a 2017 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly sputtered, and the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and DTC: P0741 was retrieved. The mechanic determined that the torque converter clutch…”
Power Train · filed Mar 24, 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
120 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2017 Acura RDX. The 10 most recent:
Owner Notification Letter - Under certain circumstances, the torque converter lock-up clutch cannot provide adequate holding force due to pressure bleeding down through a crack in the lock-up piston. The reduced lock-up…
ONL6T806032025 Acura Form · Other · issued Jun 4, 2025
Owner Notification Letter - Under certain circumstances, the torque converter lock-up clutch cannot provide adequate holding force due to pressure bleeding down through a crack in the lock-up piston. The reduced lock-up…
ONL6T806032025 Acura Lett · Other · issued Jun 3, 2025
Service Bulletin - The lock-up clutch cannot provide adequate holding force due to pressure bleeding down through a crack in the lock up piston. The reduced lock-up clutch capacity results in the transmission indicator…
B23-029 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 18, 2025
Dealer Message - Torque converters may not have been manufactured to proper specifications. As a result, the torque converter lock-up clutch cannot provide adequate holding force due to pressure bleeding down through a…
BEBM04182025901 · Other · issued Apr 18, 2025
Service Bulletin - The lock-up clutch cannot provide adequate holding force due to pressure bleeding down through a crack in the lock up piston. The reduced lock-up clutch capacity results in the transmission indicator…
B23-029 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 26, 2024
Service Bulletin - The lock-up clutch cannot provide adequate holding force due to pressure bleeding down through a crack in the lock up piston. The reduced lock-up clutch capacity results in the transmission indicator…
B23-029 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 17, 2023
Service Bulletin - The lock-up clutch cannot provide adequate holding force due to pressure bleeding down through a crack in the lock up piston. The reduced lock-up clutch capacity results in the Malfunction Indicator…
B23-029 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 31, 2023
Dealer Message - Torque converters may not have been manufactured to proper specifications. As a result, the torque converter lock-up clutch cannot provide adequate holding force due to pressure bleeding down through a…
BBOM08312023901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 31, 2023
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
Dealer message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2016-2020 MDXs, RDXs & TLXs with a client complaint of the Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) on with the DTC P030X (Cylinder Misfire…
BTI&04132022901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2022
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 2017 Acura RDX has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — 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 2017 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 19,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.