AutoUtility currently tracks 40 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Acura RDX. Powertrain & Transmission issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 9 complaints (22.5% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 3 filings cite a crash, 2 cite a fire, 2 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 40 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Powertrain & Transmission (9 reports • 22.5% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Electrical System (8), Engine & Cooling (6)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 3 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 2 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 2 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2016 Acura RDX
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Powertrain & Transmission
Electrical System
Engine & Cooling
Brakes & Traction Control
Steering System
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Acura RDX
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"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..."
"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..."
"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..."
"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..."
"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..."
Complaint History for Acura RDX
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Acura RDX | 409 | 7 | 3 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Acura RDX Current Page | 40 | 3 | 2 | Current |
| 2017 Acura RDX | 75 | 7 | 1 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Acura RDX | 77 | 5 | 1 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Acura RDX | 433 | 3 | 5 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Acura RDX | 342 | 4 | 5 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Acura RDX | 111 | 3 | 3 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Acura RDX | 31 | 4 | 2 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Acura RDX | 21 | 0 | 2 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Acura RDX | 11 | 1 | 2 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Acura RDX | 29 | 1 | 1 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Acura RDX | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2026 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2016 Acura RDX
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 26 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| CHEST CLIP, BUCKLE, HARNESS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY,TIRES,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
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, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.