2018 Acura RDX Engine Problems

The torque converter is defective in my 2018 Acura RDX. I have received flashing warning lights on my dashboard in Red " Check Transmission." This warning light is due to Acura's defective torque converter. The torque converter affects the shifting of power during driving and cause hesitance or shuddering when attempting to accelerate.which causes my vehicle to sometimes to have a decrease in power . This affects my safety while driving my 2018 Acura RDX. Acura is aware of this defect and safety risk. Acura Client Relations informed me that Acura was mandated by the government to provide a Warranty Extension for the 2017-2018 Torque Converter. I received one of these notices and took my car for the repair. I left my car with the dealership for 6 days. The dealership decided that they will not repair my car because they have determined my car has a "branded title." I purchased my vehicle used from an Auto Body Shop. My vehicle was declared to be salvaged. My engine/transmission/torque converter is the original on my Acura RDX. and was never damaged or repaired. My RDX torque defect should be a safety recall because it affects my safety.

NHTSA ID

11689762

Incident

Sep 1, 2025

[XXX] on [XXX], traveling 70mph on busy highway, blind spot monitoring failed, gear display failed, and check transmission message flashed across display. Had to guide car safety off road and into parking lot. This was first time ever happened. Did not know what was going on or what was happening; safety features like blind spot monitoring (especially after becoming accustomed to) failing all of sudden could have caused a major accident by inadvertently cutting someone off, decrease in speed, etc. Turned vehicle off and all lights disappeared. Had car looked at by Honda Dealership next morning; notified it was a P0741 code and failed torque converter. These systems apparently always go down with this code. Told it was associated with known issue of SB23-029 after they consulted with a local Acura dealership. They were told Acura sees this all the time and a torque converter would repair issues I had. Stuck with almost $5k repair bill for a global issue because out of mileage extended warranty. Spoke with Honda representative Naomi (claim#[XXX]) advised of situation, was asked to provide a bunch of personal information not containing to claim over nearly two weeks, and then told I was denied assistance because system wouldn't take, I was not original owner, and out of mileage. This should not be a SB; THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL! I'm seeking legal representation and looking at options to recover losses from Honda negligence. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11657039

Incident

Apr 9, 2025

I am unable to find a dealership that will perform the repair, please help. They all say they are short or parts and are only fixing vehicles experiencing issues. I lose power when accelerating all the time but this apparently is not enough.

NHTSA ID

11628999

Incident

Dec 5, 2024

My 2018 RDX has started to jerk when I stop and then restart. I have noticed some hesitation and a bit of jerky driving but today it was very noticeable. I could barely go above 40 miles an hour after I started driving after a stop light and the car was very jerky. It seems to be either a fuel pump or transmission issue. I am going to check with the RDX dealership where I bought the car in 2018 but I wanted to report the issue. I also looked up the VIN on my car for a recall and the system said my car had not been recalled. Not sure why my 2018 RDX is different from other 2018 RDX models that were recalled.

NHTSA ID

11618876

Incident

Oct 9, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Acura RDX. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated to 0 MPH. The contact was able to pull over safely. The vehicle was restarted and worked as designed. The check engine and emissions warning lights were illuminated. 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 local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11598263

Incident

May 5, 2024

Mileage

140,000 mi

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

Hard, jerking shifting at approximately 20 mph. Potential problem moving in close traffic such as from traffic light or entering traffic. No diagnostic warning/error lights. I’ve taken my car to Crown Acura 14080 Brookpark Rd, Cleveland, OH on July 11, 2022 for diagnosing and servicing the problem. It’s an intermittent problem so they couldn’t replicate so they couldn’t diagnose the problem. They flushed and changed the transmission fluid, bc and did a complete servicing. The service report does not show the transmission fluid filter was cleaned or replaced. I’ve found the problem mentioned a on the internet a number of times., but the mechanics were not aware of any transmission problems. I find it hard to believe Acura isn’t aware of the problem and how to fix it. The problem is intermittent and has been happening for over a year. The problem still hasn’t been diagnosed. I’m concerned my transmission will be damaged if the problem isn’t fixed. Most recent shifting problem was 4 times in about 30 min starting at ~9:30pm on July 21, 2022

NHTSA ID

11475216

Incident

Jun 5, 2021

The contact owns a 2018 Acura RDX. The contact stated that the vehicle intermittently hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The failure also recurred while switching lanes or passing other vehicles. The contact also stated that the vehicle would lunge forward soon after hesitation without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where they were unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 34,700.

NHTSA ID

11425838

Incident

Mar 1, 2021

Mileage

34,700 mi

HAVE HAD THIS CAR A YEAR. WITHING 6 MONTHS SHIFTER WOULD NOT SHIFT BACK TO PARK AND COULDNT TURN CAR OFF. DEALER FOUND ACORNS JAMMED IN TRANSMISSION SOMEWHERE FELT TO BE DUE TO SQUIRRELS OR OTHER RODENTS. THIS MONTH EMISSONS LIGHT CAME ON. FOUND FUEL LINE LEAKING DUE TO ANIMALS CHEWING ON IT. NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. $1100 TO FIX. I FEEL THE ENGINE HOUSING IS NOT WELL SEALED ALLOWING THIS TO HAPPEN HAVE NEVER HAD THIS ISSUE WITH ANY OTHER CARS WHICH HAVE BEEN PARKED IN SAME PLACE FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. FEEL IT SHOULD BE FIXED UNDER WARRANTY TO PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. VEHICLE SITS OUTSIDE DRIVEN TWICE A WEEK.

NHTSA ID

11171119

Incident

Jan 10, 2019

Mileage

8,500 mi

WHILE CORNERING THE CAR STALLS/HESITATES WITH NO POWER. OCCURS AT LOW SPEED.HAS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES ON CITY STREET SINCE PURCHASE OCT.5,2017. DEALERSHIP COULD NOT SIMULATE BUT FAILED TO DO ANY TESTING ?

NHTSA ID

11120380

Incident

Oct 10, 2017

Mileage

50 mi