2018 Acura RDX problems & reliability
76 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 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.
3 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2018 Acura RDX vehicles were involved in 6 fatal crashes with 1 occupant death. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel System, Gasoline → | 17 | 22% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 16 | 21% |
| Power Train → | 12 | 16% |
| Engine → | 10 | 13% |
| Electrical System | 8 | 11% |
| Unknown OR Other | 7 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 7 | 9% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 4 | 5% |
| Service Brakes | 4 | 5% |
| Air Bags | 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.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2018 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the driver’s side air bag needed to be replaced; however, the part to do the recall…”
Air Bags · filed Jul 15, 2026
“Vehicle Information: 2018 Acura RDX AWDAffected System: Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Torque ConverterAssociated Code/Bulletin: DTC P0741 / Acura TSB B23-029Complaint Description:The vehicle is experiencing a documented manufacturer defect covered under Acura Warranty Extension TSB B23-029, where the internal…”
Forward Collision Avoidance · filed Jun 26, 2026
“The transmission went into limp mode one day after coming to a stop. When I safely got home, I turned the car off. Upon restarting, the issue was gone, but this has now happened several times. Each time, putting the car into park, shutting it off, and restarting it "resets" whatever was going on. Eventually the CE…”
Power Train · filed Jun 23, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
56 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2018 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 MIL comes on during vehicle operation due to variations in the purge control solenoid valve spring, the valve wears unevenly and intermittently sticks. This may result in setting DTC P0441…
B23-035 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2024
Service Bulletin - Due to variations in the purge control solenoid valve spring, the valve wears unevenly and intermittently sticks. This may result in setting DTC P0441 (Evaporative Emission (EVAP) System Purge Flow…
B23-035 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 15, 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 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
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 2018 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 2018 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.