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2018 Acura RDX Electrical Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Electrical reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
8
Latest Jun 23, 2026
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
11%
of 76 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2018 Acura RDX submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming electrical

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

ElectricalPowertrain (other)
Filed Jun 23, 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 light came on, got the code, and it came back as P0873. The CE light was off after once again shutting the engine off and then restarting. I've purchased the necessary materials to complete the repair, but I've read on many forums this is a common issue, with some even reporting it recurring even after replacing the pressure switch. Acura should issue a recall and absolve all consumers of costs incurred. URLs provided below from Reddit threads and an Acura discussion forum regarding similar issues all over. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11746062
Incident
Jun 17, 2026
Electrical
Filed Dec 21, 2025

My car's original security alarm goes off randomly without any reason. When parked and locked in a parking lot next to a street, the alarm goes off intermittently. After unlocking using FOB, the alarm will turn off and then goes off again in a few minutes. This will go on for hours at a time until it stops for a few days and then reoccurs again! Very stressful and frustrating. The mechanic says it's caused by faulty Body Control Module and will cost over $1,000 to fix. I see that many people are having the same issue and have to pay over $1,000 to repair. This faulty reequipment should be recalled so owners can recoup their damage.

NHTSA ID
11706350
Incident
Dec 18, 2025
ElectricalFuel system
Filed Sep 20, 2024

The car hesitates to start and while driving jerks at around 20mph. This happened a few times in the last year. When taken to dealer, because they could not reproduce incident, said it can’t be diagnosed. I told them it jerks when accelerating at around 20mph and keeps doing it every time I have to stop at light and go again.

NHTSA ID
11615565
Incident
Sep 12, 2024
ElectricalFuel system
Filed Mar 27, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Acura RDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that several attempts were needed to start the vehicle. In addition, the console features were inoperable. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11579709
Incident
Dec 27, 2023
ElectricalEngine
Filed Jun 26, 2023

Vehicle began hesitating when starting, but not all of the time. One day after refueling it would not start. Lights on the dashboard flashed and flickered and the keyless start button made a clicking sound, but the vehicle would not start. Vehicle was towed to the nearest mechanic. The next morning the mechanic started the vehicle and found nothing wrong. Mechanic kept the vehicle for a couple days and the problem reoccurred. Vehicle will not start. Computer diagnostics shows the 2018 Acura RDX Control Unit part number 38320-TX4-A31 is faulty. This part is backordered and likely will not be available in the near future. The intermittent starting failure poses a safety risk and could leave a driver stranded.

NHTSA ID
11529033
Incident
Jun 6, 2023
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Apr 3, 2023

The vehicles adaptive cruise control is unreliable. Guidance system goes haywire and cannot stay on track to destination. Carplay becomes inoperable. Have had Tameron Eastern Shore Honda who sold car to me check problem on multiple occasions and they cannot find problem.

NHTSA ID
11515283
Incident
Feb 1, 2023
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Apr 15, 2022

The car kept stalling while I was trying to accelerate on the highway. I pulled over and turned it off and the problem resolved itself

NHTSA ID
11460877
Incident
Apr 14, 2022
Electrical
Filed Apr 3, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 ACURA RDX. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, RODENTS ENTERED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND CHEWED ON THE BATTERY CABLE AND SEVERAL WIRING HARNESSES LOCATED UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ACURA OF OCEAN (909 NJ-35, OCEAN TOWNSHIP, NJ 07712, (732) 776-5200) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE AFFECTED WIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS CURRENTLY BEING REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,000.

NHTSA ID
11083108
Incident
Mar 26, 2018
Mileage
3,000 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

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