AutoUtility currently tracks 111 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Acura RDX. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 17 complaints (15.3% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 3 filings cite a crash, 1 reports one or more injuries.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
17 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
16 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
14 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
14 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
9 complaint narratives describe this symptom.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"Two low-speed sudden unintended acceleration events while parking a 2021 Acura RDX. Incident 1 (July 2026): While parking at low speed, the car unexpectedly surged forward. Flew up the curb and hit a restaurant window, causing massive undercarriage damage. Active braking did not help and seemed to..."
"Fuel Pump is having to be replaced. I have had issues accelerating and my car also stalled once on the freeway. It put me in a dangerous situation and I almost got in an accident because my speed quickly decreased. The same part was recalled on the previous year’s model."
"I own an Acura RDX that experienced a sudden failure of the transfer case. Prior to the failure, there was little or no warning that a major drivetrain component was about to fail. When the transfer case failed, the vehicle lost its normal all-wheel-drive operation and required expensive repairs. I..."
"I own an Acura RDX that experienced a sudden failure of the transfer case. Prior to the failure, there was little or no warning that a major drivetrain component was about to fail. When the transfer case failed, the vehicle lost its normal all-wheel-drive operation and required expensive repairs. I..."
"I own an Acura RDX that experienced a sudden failure of the transfer case. Prior to the failure, there was little or no warning that a major drivetrain component was about to fail. When the transfer case failed, the vehicle lost its normal all-wheel-drive operation and required expensive repairs. I..."
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 | 40 | 3 | 2 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 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 Current Page | 111 | 3 | 3 | Current |
| 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 → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 39 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEATS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEATS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,STRUCTURE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SEAT BELTS,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES, AIR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2021 Acura RDX
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2021 Acura RDX is Engine & Cooling, appearing in 17 records (15.3% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Brakes & Traction Control (16) and Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (14).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 111 consumer defect complaints and 3 safety recall campaigns for the 2021 Acura RDX.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Acura RDX, 3 filings cite a crash, 0 cite smoke or fire, and 1 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.