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2020 Acura RDX Brakes Problems

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

Data refreshed

Brakes 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.
23
Latest May 30, 2024
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.
7%
of 339 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.
2
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 service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2020 Acura RDX submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 23 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 brake

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

BrakesDriver assistance
Filed May 30, 2024

The contact owns a 2020 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the brakes were unintendedly activated. Additionally, the contact observed an orange warning light which stated “Brakes” illuminated and then went off. The vehicle was taken to a dealer twice however, the dealer was unable to replicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

NHTSA ID
11591556
Incident
Jul 15, 2020
Mileage
10,000 mi
BrakesDriver assistanceSteering
Filed Sep 23, 2023
Crash reported

On April 18, 2023 driving thru shopping center parking lot, WITHOUT WARNING car suddenly jerked right, accelerated, while brakes, steering wheel, gears locked. Ended crashing thru the wall of a structure. Airbags did NOT deploy but seat belts tightened firmly keeping us from going thru windshield. Episode of "UNINTENDED ACCELERATION" was reported to Honda Motors whose agent, Jason, checked the car 8/1/23 and found no defect. We had driven the car for almost 49,000 miles without incident yet, their agent drove it for LESS than 10 miles and concluded NOTHING WRONG with the car. Twelve days later while stopped at a red light, dashboard lights suddenly flashed and engine came to a complete STOP. DEAD. Conclusion was damaged sensor to gas tank since husband had run over tanker truck tire debris on fwy earlier in the day. Point is, this 2020 Acura RDX with <50K miles has had TWO MAJOR INCIDENTS : UNINTENDED ACCELERATION and UNINTENDED DECELERATION. Feel betrayed by Honda Motors Corp at conducting a superficial, inadequate inspection for the defects mentioned and fear for our safety and those of others we share on the road. There's a class action lawsuit in Florida for similar complaints but we live in California and have been unable to procure legal representation.....apparently, not cost effective. My driving record is clean.

NHTSA ID
11546195
Incident
Apr 19, 2023
Brakes
Filed Sep 4, 2023

The brake on the right and rear side of the car makes a lot of noise, as if something has come loose. Around 3 weeks ago the brake on the left and rear side of the car started to make a low frequency hum. The vehicle is taking longer to stop and I am afraid to brake hard since I think something will get disarmed on my rear wheels. I did some research online and several automotive industry testers and researcher mention and report this issue. For example: - Consumer Report: [XXX] - Kelly Blue Book: [XXX] - Car and Drive: [XXX] : [XXX] Thank you very much for reading this assessment. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11542484
Incident
May 1, 2023
AirbagsBrakesDriver assistance
Filed May 8, 2023
Crash reported

upon entering the cross driveway at a mall parking lot, car suddenly veered right, accelerating & unresponsive to stepping on brakes pedal, steering wheel locked, gear buttons did not respond, seat belts tightened, but air bags DID NOT deploy. Speed was slowed when car ran over a large rock and crashed into the wall of small store front. I, the driver, have not been in any accidents, had not taken any medication of any sort.

NHTSA ID
11521064
Incident
Apr 19, 2023
BrakesEngineFuel system
Filed Mar 31, 2021

BRAND NEW WITH 4000 MILES. IT WENT LIMP, STALLED AND WENT TO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING, HAD TO STOP BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND RESTART TO RESET. AND IT WENT LIMP ON HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH, CONTINUE TO DECELERATE RAPIDLY AND DID NOT RESPOND TO GAS AND WENT LIMP, ENGINE DID NOT REV UP WITH ANY AMOUNT OF GAS. IT ONLY RESPONDED WHEN I SET THE CRUISE AND HAND ACCELERATE THAT WAY. DANGEROUS AND SCARED TO DRIVE IT

NHTSA ID
11405857
Incident
Mar 26, 2021
Mileage
3,900 mi
Brakes
Filed Mar 19, 2021

I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW 2020 ACURA RDX. AFTER A FEW MONTHS, AT 1210 MILES I STARTED HEARING A SQUEALING, GRINDING NOISE WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES UNDER MODERATE USE .THE BRAKES HAVE BEEN SERVICED OR REPAIRED 5 TIMES AT TWO DIFFERENT ACURA SERVICE CENTERS. THE NOISE SEEMS TO GO AWAY FOR A BIT BUT ALWAYS COMES BACK. ACURA CORPORATE HAS ADVISED FOR THESE MAKES AND MODELS THAT CAME OFF THE PRODUCTION LINE AT A CERTAIN TIME ALL HAVE THIS SAME ISSUE. THEY ARE SUPPOSEDLY WORKING ON A SERVICE BULLETIN TO FIX IT. THEY CLAIM THE NOISE IS NOT AN INDICATION OF ANY SAFETY CONCERN. MY NEW PREMIUM VEHICLE IS SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY AS I HAVE CONCERNS DRIVING IT DUE TO CONTINUAL BREAKING NOISES. ACURA WAS WELL AWARE OF THESE ISSUES AND CONTINUED TO SELL THE VEHICLES TO CONSUMERS.

NHTSA ID
11403881
Incident
Apr 14, 2020
Mileage
1,210 mi
BrakesVisibility
Filed Mar 15, 2021

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 ACURA RDX. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AND WHILE SCRAPING ICE OFF THE REAR HATCH WINDSHIELD, THE WINDSHIELD FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO JOE RIZZA ACURA (8150 W 159TH ST, ORLAND PARK, IL 60462) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH THE REAR HATCH WINDSHIELD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THIS WAS A DESIGN DEFECT AND REPLACED THE HATCH DOOR AND THE WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WAS REPLACED, BUT THERE WAS STILL PIECES OF BROKEN GLASS LEFT INSIDE THE HATCH. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE BRAKES MADE A LOUD SCREECHING SOUND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SAME DEALER WHERE THE FRONT AND REAR DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER THAT THE BRAKE PADS ON THE VEHICLE WERE THE WRONG SIZE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT BACK TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 28,500.*DT

NHTSA ID
11403144
Incident
Feb 15, 2021
Mileage
28,500 mi
Brakes
Filed Dec 4, 2020

TYPICALLY ONLY IN COLD MONTHS, BRAKES SQUEAL EXTREMELY LOUDLY AND FEEL LIKE THEY ARE GRABBING, ESPECIALLY IF DOWNHILL (AND IT CAN BE AT LOW SPEEDS AND MINOR DECLINES). THE OCCURRENCE HAPPENED WITHIN 2-3 WEEKS OF PURCHASE AND WAS REPORTED TO DEALER. DEALER FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF ISSUES. TOLD TO REPORT TO CLIENT SERVICES AND WAS TOLD WORKING ON SOLUTION. NOW TOLD DEALER WILL NEED TO RESOLVE IF THERE'S ISSUES. ISSUE OCCURS AT ANY RATE OF SPEED AND DISSIPATES, FOR MOST PART, AFTER DRIVING AWHILE BUT WILL RETURN WITHIN 30 MINUTES OF CAR-BEING TURNED OFF.

NHTSA ID
11377880
Incident
Oct 15, 2019
Mileage
100 mi
Brakes
Filed Dec 4, 2020

TYPICALLY ONLY IN COLD MONTHS, BRAKES SQUEAL EXTREMELY LOUDLY AND FEEL LIKE THEY ARE GRABBING, ESPECIALLY IF DOWNHILL (AND IT CAN BE AT LOW SPEEDS AND MINOR DECLINES). THE OCCURRENCE HAPPENED WITHIN 2-3 WEEKS OF PURCHASE AND WAS REPORTED TO DEALER. DEALER FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF ISSUES. TOLD TO REPORT TO CLIENT SERVICES AND WAS TOLD WORKING ON SOLUTION. NOW TOLD DEALER WILL NEED TO RESOLVE IF THERE'S ISSUES. ISSUE OCCURS AT ANY RATE OF SPEED AND DISSIPATES, FOR MOST PART, AFTER DRIVING AWHILE BUT WILL RETURN WITHIN 30 MINUTES OF CAR-BEING TURNED OFF.

NHTSA ID
11377878
Incident
Oct 15, 2019
Mileage
100 mi
Brakes
Filed Nov 24, 2020

THE FRONT AND/OR REAR BRAKES MAKE A HIGH-PITCHED SQUEAL WHEN LIGHTLY APPLIED AT 15 MPH OR LESS. MY VIN DIDN'T MAKE IT ON THE PUBLISHED LIST BELOW, BUT I AM EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUES. PLEASE UPDATE THE SERVICE BULLETIN TO INCLUDE MY VIN: HTTPS://STATIC.NHTSA.GOV/ODI/TSBS/2019/MC-10168081-0002.PDF

NHTSA ID
11376228
Incident
Nov 1, 2020
Mileage
5,000 mi
Brakes
Filed Oct 11, 2020

CAR CAME TO SUDDEN STOP WHEN CROSSING A INTERSECTION WITH TRAIN TRACKS IN THEM COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM CAME ON THEIR WAS NO OTHER CAR AROUND ME EXCEPT FOR METAL TRAIN RAILS TO MAKE SENSOR REACT. THEIR WAS NO ONE BEHIND ME BUT COULD HAVE CAUSED MAJOR ACCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS IN A METROPOLITAN AREA AND ON CITY STREETS WITH NO BAD WEATHER.

NHTSA ID
11363788
Incident
Sep 16, 2020
Mileage
5,500 mi
Brakes
Filed Oct 8, 2020

PURCHASED BRAND NEW. AT 100 MILES BRAKES MAKE NOISE AND I CAN FEEL ABRASIVE RUBBING/GRINDING. AT WET CONDITIONS, NOISE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE AND GENERATE VIBRATIONS WHEN APPLYING BRAKES. DEALERSHIP REPLACE BOTH FRONT BRAKES AND ROTORS ONLY TO HAVE TO THE SYMPTOM RE-OCCURRENCE ABOUT 20 MILES LATER. SUBMITTED COMPLAINT TO ACURA CLIENT RELATIONS AND WAS TOLD IT IS COMMON ISSUE WITH HONDA BRAKES AND THERE IS NO FIX FOR THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID
11363429
Incident
Sep 11, 2020
Mileage
1,860 mi
Brakes
Filed Sep 24, 2020

ACURA RDX FRONT BRAKES MAKING GRINDING NOISE TOOK TO DEALER WITH 1000 MILES ON VEHICLE THEY CHANGED FRONT PADS GRINDING NOISE RETURNED ,BACK TO DEALERSHIP THEY CHANGED FRONT BRAKE ROTORS AT 1200 MILES. I AM AFRAID FOR MY WIFE WHO DRIVES THE VEHICLE THAT IT'S UNSAFE

NHTSA ID
11360969
Incident
Mar 15, 2020
Mileage
1,000 mi
Brakes
Filed Sep 1, 2020

PURCHASED BRAND NEW. AT TWO THOUSAND MILES THE BRAKES ARE SCRUBBING AND GRINDING. TOOK IT BACK TO DEALER AND THEY'VE THEN INFORMED US IT IS AN ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL. AT 4 THOUSAND MILES THEY ARE MAKING THE SAME NOISE. NOW WE ARE TOLD IT WILL DO NO GOOD TO REPLACE THEM. IS MY VEHICLE SAFE TO DRIVE?

NHTSA ID
11352546
Incident
Sep 1, 2020
Brakes
Filed Aug 2, 2020

FRONT BRAKES MAKE NOISE AND YOU CAN FEEL THE ABRASIVE RUBBING. I HAVE HAD BOTH THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS REPLACED AR APPROX 2500 MILES ONLY TO HAVE THE SYMPTOM REOCCURRENCE ABOUT 500 MILES LATER. DEALER SAYS A TICKET HAS BEEN OPENED WITH ACURA TO REMANUFACTURE BRAKE PADS BUT I HAVE NOT HAD AN UPDATE IN OVER TWO MONTHS I THINK. HAPPENS WHEN APPLYING BRAKES GOING ABOUT 40-45 MPH

NHTSA ID
11342852
Incident
Jun 10, 2020
Mileage
2,500 mi
Brakes
Filed Jul 9, 2020

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE CAR SLAMED ON ITS BRAKES BY ITSELF TO A COMPLETE STOP NOTHING WAS IN FRONT OF ME AND ALMOST GOT HIT FROM BEHIND. I CALLED DEALERSHIP SAID WAS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH NO FIX AT THIS TIME.

NHTSA ID
11338347
Incident
Jul 7, 2020
Mileage
7,325 mi
Brakes
Filed May 31, 2020

RDX FWD WITH 1300 MILES. NOTICED CLICKING AND GROUNDING METAL NOISE WHILE APPLYING BRAKES. AFTER RESEARCHING INFORMATION PROVIDED ON LINE THIS IS ONGOING PROBLEM WITH RDX'S THAT ACURA IS ALLEGEDLY WORKING ON THE PROBLEM . I AM AFRAID THIS IS SERIOUS BRAKES SAFETY ISSUE . IT'S A ON GOING PROBLEM WHEN DRIVING AND APPLYING BRAKES.

NHTSA ID
11326677
Incident
May 4, 2020
Mileage
1,000 mi
Brakes
Filed May 1, 2020

BRAKES DEFECTIVE. NEW 2020 ACURA RDX AT APPROX 1100 MI BRAKES STARTED LOUDLY GRINDING/SQUEALING DURING STOPPING. TOOK IN FOR SERVICE AND WAS ADVISED IT WAS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH 2020 RDXS AND THEY WOULD PERFORM A 2019 TECH BULLETIN FIX. AUTO WAS FINE FOR 2 MONTHS AND STARTED AGAIN AT 2100 MI. RETURNED TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD THEY WERE AWARE OF ISSUE AND THERE WAS NO FIX BUT IT WASN'T A SAFETY ISSUE. THEY WOULD CALL IF ACURA EVER DETERMINED THE PROBLEM AND A FIX. CAR NOW ONLY HAS 2400 MI BECAUSE WE ARE AFRAID TO TAKE ON A HIGHWAY GOING OVER 40 MPH BECAUSE OF SAFETY. CAR WAS SOLD BRAND NEW WITH A KNOWN BRAKE DEFECT. CLAIM WAS FILED DIRECTLY WITH ACURA AND THEY ADVISED THEY DON'T HAVE A FIX BUT ENGINEERS ARE WORKING ON IT. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE BECAUSE WE HAVE A $49,000 CAR SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY BECAUSE WE ARE AFRAID TO DRIVE IT FURTHER THAN A FEW MILES. ACURA DID NOT TELL US WHAT THE PROBLEM IS BECAUSE WE DON'T THINK THEY KNOW OR THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE A FIX.

NHTSA ID
11322948
Incident
Jan 3, 2020
Mileage
1,100 mi
Brakes
Filed Mar 10, 2020

VEHICLE HAS A HIGH PITCH SQUEAL FROM BOTH THE FRONT BRAKES AT LOW SPEED.

NHTSA ID
11317340
Incident
Jan 6, 2020
Mileage
3,021 mi
Brakes
Filed Feb 7, 2020

BRAKES MAKE A CONTINUOUS HIGH PITCH SQUEAL NOISE WHEN ENGAGED FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES EVERY TIME I START DRIVING MY CAR REGARDLESS OF WEATHER. STERLING ACURA REPLACED THE BRAKES AND ROTORS BUT THE ISSUE REMAINED. HONDA SAYS THEY ARE AWARE OF THE ISSUE BUT DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING IT. THEY REASSURED ME THIS IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE WHILE TELLING ME THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING IT OR HOW TO FIX IT. I FEEL UNSAFE DRIVING MY BRAND NEW 2020 ACURA RDX ASPEC.

NHTSA ID
11307687
Incident
Aug 19, 2019
Mileage
300 mi
Brakes
Filed Jan 8, 2020

WE HAVE A 2-MONTH OLD 2020 ACURA RDX. WE PURCHASED THE CAR ON OCTOBER 21ST, 2019. IT HAS APPROXIMATELY 1,500 MILES ON IT AT THIS TIME. WE WERE TRAVELING SOUTHBOUND AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MILES PER HOUR. WE WERE ON A 4-LANE ROAD. AS WE APPROACHED A RAILROAD CROSSING, OUR CAR CAME TO AN ABRUPT AND FORCEFUL HALT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. THE RAILROAD TRACKS ARE NOT ROUGH AND WE HAD NOT APPLIED THE BRAKES AT ALL. THE LIGHTS WERE NOT FLASHING AND THERE ARE NO GATES AT THIS RAILROAD CROSSING. WE WERE SHOCKED AS THIS WAS COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED. WE ARE WORRIED THAT SHOULD THIS HAPPEN WHEN WE'RE DRIVING IN SNOW OR RAIN, WE MAY LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. ALSO, IF THIS SHOULD HAPPEN WHEN WE'RE BEING FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER CAR, IT WILL CERTAINLY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. WE HAVE PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE AND ALSO A DASH-CAMERA VIDEO OF THE INCIDENT AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

NHTSA ID
11297905
Incident
Jan 4, 2020
Mileage
1,500 mi
Brakes
Filed Dec 23, 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 ACURA RDX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED FOR AWHILE, THE BRAKES WOULD SQUEAK WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED THE DAY AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE CONTACT DRIVING IN A WET ENVIRONMENT. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER DUE TO THE SOUNDS COMING FROM THE ROTORS. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT RECORDED THE SQUEAKING SOUND AND PLAYED IT FOR THE DEALER TO HEAR. SINCE THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE NOISE, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CALLED AND DIRECTED THE CONTACT BACK TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 780. *DT CURRENT STATUS CONSUMER STATED ROTORS AND BACK BRAKES WERE REPLACED, BUT NOISE STILL REMAINS. DEALER IS WORKING ON FIXING THE NOISE DUE TO SURFACE GLAZE.*JB

NHTSA ID
11290869
Incident
Nov 27, 2019
Mileage
780 mi
Brakes
Filed Oct 16, 2019

BRAKES WERE MAKING A SCRAPING NOISE WHEN APPLIED. VEHICLE HAD 2,679 MILES. TOOK IT TO FOUNTAIN ACURA IN ORLANDO FOR INSPECTION. DEALER REPLACED PADS AND ROTORS ON FRONT NO CHARGE. DEALER ALSO STATED THAT THERE WAS A POSSIBLE MATERIAL DEFECT AT THE FACTORY.

NHTSA ID
11268890
Incident
Oct 16, 2019
Mileage
2,679 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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