Open safety recalls, the components owners report failing most often, crash-test results and running costs for the 2016 Acura RDX, assembled from NHTSA and EPA records.
Everything on this page applies to the model as a whole. Run its VIN to decode that exact car, its engine, trim, assembly plant and factory equipment, alongside these records.
Open a VIN recordRecalls and complaints are filed against a specific model year, so figures differ from one year to the next even within a single generation. See every Acura RDX year.
NHTSA lists 2 recalls for this make, model and year. Recalls apply to the model, so some may already be fixed on this specific car. A dealer can confirm from the VIN.
Issue: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.
Risk: An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.
Campaign 19V182000
Issue: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2011-2015 CR-Z, 2010-2014 FCX, and Insight, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013-2014 Fit EV, 2007-2014 Ridgeline, 2013-2016 Acura ILX, 2013-2014 Acura ILX Hybrid, 2007-2016 RDX, 2005-2012 Acura RL, 2009-2014 Acura TL, and 2010-2013 Acura ZDX vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are JY0, JY1, and JY2.
Campaign 16V061000
No EPA fuel-economy match for this model. Naming may differ, or it predates EPA records.
The parts named most often across 41 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this make, model and year.
2 crashes · 3 injured
1 fire
1 fire
Complaints are self-reported and skew toward problems people find alarming, so read this as where to look rather than as a defect rate.
UNKNOWN LKAS SYTEM LIGHTS CAME ON AND WILL NOT GO OUT. ALL OF THEM. 3 WEEKS AGO EVERYTHING LOCKED UP AND I HAD TO TAKE TO A DEALER, THEY REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR BUT THE SYSTEM STILL MALFUCTIONING AND NOW THE EMISSIONS CONTROL LIGHTS STAY ON WITH A P0443 CODE, REPLACED THE EVAP CONTROL VALVE AND THE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON..
On May 25, 2026, while driving my 2016 Acura RDX AWD on the interstate at highway speed, it suddenly began running rough and felt as if I was driving over low, spaced-out speed bumps. The check engine light started flashing, and multiple safety-system warnings appeared, including AWD System Problem, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) Problem, Hill Start Assist Problem, Electric Power Steering (EPS) Problem, and lane-keeping warnings. The vehicle lost normal performance, and I was concerned about safely continuing in interstate traffic. The interstate shoulder was narrow, and the shoulder was ending where traffic was merging onto another busy interstate. I pulled over as soon as I could safely do so. The vehicle was then towed to the dealership for diagnosis. The Acura dealership diagnosed internal engine damage, cylinder misfires, and broken piston rings and advised that the engine required replacement. The vehicle had approximately 170,526 miles at the time of failure. Prior to this incident, the vehicle was operating normally, had been regularly maintained, and had not been involved in any collision. There was no indication that an engine failure was imminent. After researching the issue, I learned that Acura and Honda have issued technical service bulletins and warranty extensions involving certain J35 V6 engines equipped with Variable Cylinder Management (VCM), addressing conditions including excessive oil consumption, piston ring problems, spark plug fouling, and cylinder misfires. I am submitting this complaint because a sudden engine failure while operating at highway speed presents a potential safety risk. The failure also caused multiple vehicle systems and warning messages to activate simultaneously. The vehicle is currently available for inspection.
On several occasions, the car alarm starts randomly sounding. When my son went to the vehicle, the lights on the dash board were flashing on and off and there was a clicking sound. We replaced the batteries in the key fobs. The battery was low so we had that recharged but the problem continued. We replaced the car battery and that appeared to solve the problem for about 6 months. The same problem occurred again. The only way to stop the alarm from going off is to disconnect the battery. Leaving the door unlocked does not stop this from happening. When we searched online, it is clear this is a common problem with this car, but there have been no recalls or TSB issued. This is a safety issue because we need to disconnect the battery and leave the car unlocked when we leave the vehicle. This has not been inspected by any service center. Based on our research, Acura will recommend replacing the smart power control unit at a cost of up to $1500 or more. We are hoping that others have reported this as well.
The driver side airbag. And yes, it can be inspected. I was involved in a low impact accident, where I struck a minor curb. The airbag deployed in my face, causing a loss of consciousness and ongoing concussion. No warning signs at all. Not yet, the vehicle is being looked at on Monday. The vehicle was inspected by the police.
The contact owns a 2016 Acura RDX. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle while turning to the left or the right. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to function as intended. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering gear and suspension had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2016 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 25 MPH, there was a loud clicking sound coming from underneath the vehicle on the front passenger side of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact’s wife took the vehicle to the local independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the front passenger’s side axle was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 55,495.
A judder from the torque converter is felt when driving between 20 and 60 mph
Please see attached photos regarding unsafe issue with our Britax 1 for life clicktight carseat purchased 2021 and utilized from the end of 2021 to Dec. 2024. The harness strap would not tighten with ease, so I tugged with light force and the bolts that held the button to loosen the harness popped out. The harness then would not tighten at all. We threw the seat away but wanted to report the issue to you out of concern for others who are still utilizing this seat.
The contact owns a 2016 Acura RDX. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH a deer had jumped in front of his vehicle. The contact stated that he depressed the brake pedal with force, however, the pedal did not respond and depressed to the floorboard with no resistance. The contact stated that he was pumping the brake pedal when he crashed into the deer. The contact stated that the vehicle continued forward for several hundred yards before he was able to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that he was able to drive the vehicle to a dealer, it was an out-of-state dealer since he had been traveling when he crashed into the deer. The contact stated that the damage was to the front bumper and to the hood of the vehicle which had been deformed due to the crash with the deer. The contact stated that the out-of-state dealer repaired the crash damage and replaced the brakes with new pads and rotors. The contact observed that the vehicle was having a failure of the tire pressure monitoring system light which was constantly illuminated, the windshield wiper motor was failing intermittently and the brakes continued to feel "mushy." The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer who determined that the vehicle failures described by the contact were not duplicated following a diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
While driving in the left of I20 East's two lanes on a descending hill with 5 cars ahead and an unknown number of cars behind at 70+ mph and all cars packed in close to the car ahead, I saw the lane had no real shoulder before a drop-off and the right lane had a narrow shoulder before it dropped off into woods and brush. The right lane was packed with 18-wheelers. In order to avoid constantly breaking the full length of the hill, I shifted into manual mode and a lower gear, but the car ahead began to brake suddenly and hard. Just a second before that car broke, I unlocked the shifter and was moving it forward to Drive. As the car ahead was drastically slowing, I had to hit the brakes hard to avoid rear-ending him, and the momentum of sudden braking threw my hand and the shifter all the way forward into Park. The transmission immediately produced a harsh grinding sound, I no longer could disengage the transmission from Park, and the only controls I now had were brakes and steering. Alarmed I knew I had to get to the right shoulder but I couldn't look back to see how close trucks were behind the one to my immediate right, but by braking that truck slowly moved ahead of me, providing a brief opening behind him in the right lane. As I cautiously moved into that opening, I could see an 18 wheeler approaching but still a short distance back. I continued slowly drifting into the right lane with blinkers on, when suddenly the approaching truck behind veered partially into the right shoulder in anticipation of passing me in the narrow shoulder lane. In the split second of his veering, I slowly continued into the shoulder lane causing him to veer back into the right lane, his rig full of new cars jerking back left. As I gradually slowed to a stop, the truck was approaching so fast that in my rearview mirror it looked like he might not miss me. As he shot by, he cleared me by not much more than a foot, his draft shaking my car. AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION GOING INTO PARK @ 70MPH
The transmission is Jerky and has a rough up and down shift. Vehicle has stalled and shut off without warning. My wife says the vehicle acts as though its about to die when ac compressor/blower kicks on.
From the time purchased there has been a hesitation/sputtering during acceleration. I took the car in during the warranty period and they said nothing could be found. It has continued for 6 years. I have read of similar problems with this model and year.
Showing 12 of 41 complaints.

NHTSA frontal crash test
1 open NHTSA investigation into this model. Investigations come before recalls, so these are potential defects not yet covered by one.
Rated configuration: 2016 Acura RDX SUV AWD