2020 Acura RDX Driver assistance Problems

System warning light stating Electronic Parking Brake Error, that the system would not engage and to contact a dealership.

NHTSA ID

11719630

Incident

Feb 5, 2026

The car was just purchased Turning left going about 5 to 10mph in a 25 mph zone it hit the brakes. Then about 100 yrds later at a stop light, the car was turning left with traffic going onto a 45mph road. It slammed on the brakes, saying "brake", on the Display, causing whiplash, and almost a major accident. After calling Acura, they mentioned these driver assistance systems were tied into cruise control. When the car was tested on the highway a couple days before and used cruise control, the collision and another warning system were faulty. It said "sensor is covered or..." I do not remember the 2nd part. They specifically said if these systems are problematic with warning lights, you should not use cruise control. These cars should not be on the road. No shortage of people complaining about this online.

NHTSA ID

11646308

Incident

Mar 3, 2025

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

In sudden, hard braking situations, the engine is disabled for between 3-4 seconds. On the highway, when hard braking from 70 mph to 20 mph, the engine is disabled and cars from behind are forced to veer off the road to avoid hitting my vehicle as it is basically stalled and cannot resume the speed. At intersections, when hard braking from 35 mph to 15 mph , the engine is disabled and the car is left in the middle of an intersection, blocking side and from-behind traffic.

NHTSA ID

11588015

Incident

Apr 6, 2024

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

My car transmission light came on...check engine. Then said blind spot warning not working. See dealer. My car transmission warning message appears every time I accelerate to 60mph. It switches to sport mode on its on and I am unable to switch it back. My cameras malfunction for blind spots. The car sound is louder and usually it's quiet. I take my car in regularly for servid3 with the dealer. This is very strange. I am scared to go past 60mph.

NHTSA ID

11523569

Incident

May 21, 2023

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

While accelerating on the highway the vehicle lost power. Pressing the gas did nothing. Engine light blinked

NHTSA ID

11500659

Incident

Jan 7, 2023

On September 6, 2022, at 7:45 AM I was traveling from my home to work in my 2020 Acura RDX. As I was merging on to an interstate in heavy, high-speed traffic, my RDX suddenly lost power and started to decelerate with absolutely no warning at all as high-speed traffic was approaching from behind. My vehicle decelerated to a speed of about 20mph on an interstate in the midst of heavy, high-speed traffic. The malfunction indication light began flashing in the instrument panel. I was able to drive at slow speed of about 15-20 mph, with 4-way lights flashing, until I could exit the interstate. I turned the car off for a few minutes and then was able to proceed. This created an extremely dangerous situation.

NHTSA ID

11483039

Incident

Sep 6, 2022

11/6/21: Mid way home from a trip from Washington to Connecticut on the New Jersey turnpike in the left-hand lane the car lost all ability to accelerate. Concurrently the engine like came on and multiple warning signals came on regarding traction control, breaking, and steering. One can imagine how unsettling that could be but at that moment. Being in the left lane it was apparent I needed to get off the road. With cars traveling at 65+ mph and my car decelerating continuously changing lanes was nearly catastrophic and the last lane I needed to move over to nearly resulted in a multi car accident 11/8/2021 I was contacted by the service manager at the towed to acura dealer. They informed me that the evaluation determined a need for an “intercooler" This breakdown of my car with less than 20,000 miles on it was under warranty . More importantly, my understanding of this problem is that the car is engineered to power down under these circumstances to protect the engine and or transmission. I would have imagined that when a warning like comes on it would not result in an instantaneous power down action. Put quite simply it appears the car was more interested in protecting itself than the occupants. This is egregious. Acura has failed to address my concern or help now about 1 month out

NHTSA ID

11442220

Incident

Nov 6, 2021

Last week I was driving the 2020 Acura RDX on the Massachusetts Turnpike during very wet weather. Three hours into a planned four hour drive, while accelerating up a hill, the car power cut out. Engine was running, but no oomph. Check engine light, and other lights, flashing on dashboard. Car kept slowing, and there was no place to pull over at that point on the pike (mile 68). Finally, car made it to crest of hill (at that point going 15 miles an hour in the right hand lane and still slowing), and a pull out spot appeared. Pulled over, but a very harrowing experience. Had the car towed to the closest Acura dealer (this was clearly an issue that would be covered by warranty...). They checked out car, and said that they had seen the same problem before, and that fix was to replace the "intercooler kit", which required a part that was on a long back order. Researching other threads, I find that this has happened to others... and that a "fix" can be to turn off the car, and restart after a few minutes. Car seems to drive fine again... In any case, I later moved the car to the dealer where we bought it, and they had the part in stock. Apparently, when it is very wet and a driver accelerates hard, the old part lets some water enter the turbo charger, at which point the car goes into "limp" mode. Apparently, Acura has an outstanding service bulletin on this issue. The reason for my filing... I think that this a recall issue. I love the car, and am glad that it is fixed (at least, I hope it is!), but this is a very bad problem and should not happen. Any questions, please let me know. But I would encourage Acura to do a formal recall...

NHTSA ID

11439887

Incident

Oct 28, 2021

The contact owned a 2020 Acura RDX. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle inadvertently slowed down and without warning a strange noise came from the engine compartment and a sudden jerk to the wheel when the vehicle accelerated without warning up to approximately 100 mph. The contact was able to exit the highway where the vehicle made another strange noise from the engine compartment and the wheel jerked when the vehicle accelerated without warning again which resulted in the contact crashing into a group of 3 vehicles. There were 2 confirmed injuries which were the occupants of the contact's vehicle the driver and front seat passenger. The contact sustained a broken sternum, internal bleeding, decompression of lower back, and swollen right side foot. The contact's son sustained a lumbar fracture and a contusion. The contact does not know if anyone in the other vehicles were injured. A police report was taken and the vehicle was towed to an insurance lot. The vehicle was then towed to a salvaged lot and deemed a total loss. The contact stated she does not know if warning lights were illuminated. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and told the contact that they were unable to assist. The failure mileage was approximately 5,040.

NHTSA ID

11427232

Incident

Mar 20, 2021

Mileage

5,040 mi

IT WAS MILDLY RAINING AND I WENT TO ACCELLERATE ONTO THE HIGHWAY AND ALL A SUDDEN WITHOUT WARNING THE CAR STARTED TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE AND STUTTER AND THE CAR LOST ALL POWER AND I WAS ALMOST HIT BY ANOTHER CAR BECAUSE I LACKED POWER. THE VEHICLE THEN REFUSED TO ACCELERATE AND I HAD TO DANGEROUSLY GLIDE OFF THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT POWER AND THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED. EVERY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I THEN HAD THE VEHICLE FIXED AND THEY SAID IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH AN ENGINE COIL. THREE WEEKS LATER IN THE SAME SITUATION IN THE MILD RAIN THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN. I WENT TO GET ON THE HIGHWAY IN A MILD RAIN THE CAR BROKE DOWN THE EXACT SAME WAY. I AM WAITING FOR IT GET DIAGNOSED AGAIN.

NHTSA ID

11414777

Incident

Apr 26, 2021

Mileage

13,000 mi

FAILURE DATE 4/15/21. CLIENT DRIVING A 2020 ACURA RDX AT 75MPH AT NIGHT WITH LIGHT RAIN RETURNING HOME ON US281, SOUTH TEXAS. VEHICLE SUDDENLY BEGAN DECELERATING TO ABOUT 45MPH, WITH NO RESPONSE THROUGH THE GAS PEDAL TO MAINTAIN SPEED. VEHICLE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND WAS FLASHING. VEHICLE PULLED OVER TO OFF RAMP AND IDLED TO A GAS STATION THAT WAS NEAR.. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER THE NEXT DAY. DEALER INITIAL RESPONSE WAS THAT NO ISSUE WAS FOUND AND ATTRIBUTED IT TO "BAD GAS". VEHICLE OWNER DID NOT ACCEPT THIS ANSWER AND ASKED DEALER TO SEARCH SERVICE BULLETINS. THE NEXT DAY, IT WAS FOUND THAT THERE HAD BEEN SEVERAL INCIDENTS REPORTED ON THIS FAILURE MODE, AND THE REPAIR/REPLACEMENT OF PN# 19710-6B2-A01 WHICH INCLUDES AN INTAKE INTERCOOLER KIT PN# 06198-5YF-305, AND LUBRICANT PN# 08734 WAS THE FIX OF THIS ISSUE. THE FIX PREVENTS MOISTURE FROM ENTERING THE INTAKE INTERCOOLER ASM AND CAUSING THE VEHICLE ENGINE TO DECELERATE INTO "LIMP MODE". NOTE: ALSO, VEHICLE PGM SOFTWARE WAS UPDATED. .

NHTSA ID

11413286

Incident

Apr 15, 2021

Mileage

26,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 ACURA RDX. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH IN THE RAIN, THE VEHICLE LOSS MOTIVE POWER AND DECELERATED WITH THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT GUIDED THE VEHICLE OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROADWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES AND SLOWLY DRIVEN TO GAS STATION PARKING LOT. THE CONTACT CALLED ACURA OF COLUMBUS (6549 WHITTLESEY BLVD, COLUMBUS, GA 31909, (706) 576-6700) WHO DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE OVER THE PHONE, STATING THAT THE TURBO CHARGER INTER COOLER SYSTEM HAD ALLOWED MOISTURE INTO THE SYSTEM WHILE IT WAS RAINING AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SHUTDOWN. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED TO SLOWLY DRIVE THE VEHICLE AROUND THE PARKING LOT ONCE IT STOPPED RAINING FOR THE MOISTURE TO DISSIPATE FROM THE SYSTEM. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE WOULD RESET ONCE THE INTER COOLER WAS CLEAR OF MOISTURE. THE CONTACT FOLLOWED THE ADVICE AND WAS THEN ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ACURA COLUMBUS (4340 W. DUBLIN GRANVILLE RD, DUBLIN, OH 43017) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE INTER COOLER KIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,300.

NHTSA ID

11405617

Incident

Mar 27, 2021

Mileage

7,300 mi

MY SUV HAS BEEN IN SERVICE OVER 15 TIMES STEMMING FROM ELECTRICAL ISSUES WITH THE DASH HARNESS, MULTI TIMES FOR LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING, LOSS OF INFOTAINMENT SYSTEMS, AND PIPING NOISE COMING FROM THE SPEAKERS. THE LOSS OF POWER AND 'LIMP MODE' HAS HAPPENS 3 TIMES. ONCE AT HIGHWAY SPEED AFTER AN OUT OF STATE TRIP, AND TWICE ON MY WAY TO WORK DURING HUMID CONDITIONS. THE ELECTRIC ISSUES HAVE HAPPENED MULTI TIMES DURING ALL DRIVING CONDITIONS. I WAS ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK TODAY, AND I STARTED TO SMELL SOMETHING BURNING. I WORKED MY WAY OUT OF THE MAIN HIGHWAY WHEN SMOKE STARTED POURING OUT OF THE AC VENTS. A FEW MOMENTS LATER I COULD SEE FLAMES COMING OUT OF THE DASH BEHIND THE INFOTAINMENT SCREEN.

NHTSA ID

11404771

Incident

Mar 24, 2021

ON 2 OCCASIONS WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A COMPLETE STOP, THE VEHICLE WOULD BARELY ACCELERATE BEYOND 5 MPH EVEN WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REACH NORMAL SPEED OF 35 MPH. THE VEHICLE RPM'S WERE AT 6,000 - 7,000 INDICATING THE ACCELERATOR WAS TELLING THE ENGINE TO PRODUCE PROPULSION, YET THE ONLY WAY TO CORRECT THE ISSUE WAS TO PARK, TURN OFF THE VEHICLE, AND RESTART THE ENGINE. THIS APPEARS TO BE A RE-OCCURRING ISSUE WITH THE TRANSMISSION / DRIVETRAIN / SOFTWARE THAT HAS BEEN KNOWN WITH ACURA TRANSMISSIONS SINCE 2016. DEALER COULD NOT FIND A FAULT CODE, DROVE THE VEHICLE FOR OVER 150 MILES AND COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE ISSUE. HOWEVER, THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINS ONLINE SHOWING THE SAME ISSUE INCLUDING A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT THAT WAS FILED IN 2020. YET ACURA HAS ISSUED NO RECALL ALERT OR PERMANENT SOLUTION (CONFIRMED BY DEALER). ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE QUICKLY DEACCELERATING AND ENTERING "LIMP" MODE HAVE ALSO BEEN REPORTED WHICH APPEARS TO BE SIMILAR IN NATURE AND ROOT-CAUSE BEING THE TRANSMISSION / SOFTWARE RELATED ISSUE. THIS PROBLEM CAN RESULT IN UNEXPECTED ENGINE FAILURE OR INABILITY TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE IN A HIGH-RISK SITUATION SUCH AS HIGHWAY DRIVING, CROSSING AN INTERSECTION, CAUSING A VEHICLE PILE-UP, OR WORSE. AFTER 4+ YEARS AND THOUSANDS OF REPORTS OF THE SAME ISSUE, A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE INITIATED BEFORE A LARGER WIDESPREAD EVEN OCCURS SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENED WITH TOYOTA.

NHTSA ID

11396339

Incident

Feb 10, 2021

Mileage

2,700 mi

NOVEMBER 22, 2020 10:15 PM ROUTE 287 (IN ROUTE TO EDISON RTE 1 EXIT). 2020 ACURA RDX A-SPEC - A FEW MINUTES AFTER ACCELERATING SAFELY ONTO A MERGING LANE (WITH TRUCKS) THE ENGINE PERFORMANCE LIGHT STARTS BLINKING AND CAR STARTED TO SLOW DOWN ALMOST TO A ROLL. AS THE TRUCK'S HEADLIGHTS GOT CLOSER, IT MANAGED ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER CARS TO SWITCH LANES AS I TURNED HAZARD LIGHTS ON AND STEERED THE CAR INTO THE SHOULDER. I TURNED THE CAR OFF (HAZARD LIGHTS STILL ON) WAITED A FEW MINUTES AND WHEN I TURNED IT BACK ON THE ENGINE PERFORMANCE LIGHT WAS OFF AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME. ACURA NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS BEFORE SOMETHING TRAGIC HAPPENS. CAR WAS PURCHASED IN JUNE AND WAS UNDER 6700 MILES WHEN THIS HAPPENED. IT WAS ALSO SERVICED WITH MAINTENANCE B A WEEK PRIOR TO MY TRIP.

NHTSA ID

11376106

Incident

Nov 22, 2020

Mileage

6,630 mi

ON TWO OCCASIONS THE ACURA COLLISION MITIGATION BRAKING SYSTEM "CMBS" ENGAGED ERRONEOUSLY AND AGGRESSIVELY. 1)WHILST TRAVELING ON AN INTERSTATE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AT A SPEED OF ABOUT 50 MPH, THE CAR WE WERE FOLLOWING MOMENTARILY BRAKED THEN QUICKLY ACCELERATED. ACCORDINGLY OUR VEHICLE WAS BRAKED, AND UPON RELEASING THE BRAKE TO CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC, THE RDX'S SYSTEM MISREAD THE CLEAR ROAD AHEAD AND AUTOMATICALLY BRAKED, HARD, FULLY STOPPING THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE BEHIND US SKIDDED TO THE SHOULDER TO AVOID HITTING US, AND IT ALMOST CAUSED A MULTI-CAR PILE UP. 2) WHILE DRIVING ON A TWO-WAY TWO-LANE ROAD THE SYSTEM ENGAGED WHILE ROUNDING A BEND OF ABOUT 30 DEGREES AT ABOUT 25 MPH. A VEHICLE WAS COMING AROUND THE APEX OF THE BEND IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION (OTHER VEHICLE BENDING TO THE LEFT) JUST AS OUR VEHICLE ALSO REACHED THE APEX OF THE TURN (BENDING TO THE RIGHT RIGHT); THE CMBS FLASHED "BRAKE", BUT AS NO BRAKING WAS WARRANTED NOR APPLIED, THE CMBS SYSTEM FLASHED "BRAKE" ON THE DASH AND SUBSEQUENTLY BRAKED ABRUPTLY, AGAIN STOPPING THE VEHICLE IN A TRAFFIC LANE WITH A CLEAR ROAD AHEAD. WE CURRENTLY HAVE TWO OTHER VEHICLES WITH FORWARD COLLISION MITIGATION SYSTEMS AND HAVE HAD THAT FEATURES IN THREE OTHER VEHICLES SINCE 2015. I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR.

NHTSA ID

11373896

Incident

Aug 31, 2020

Mileage

8,000 mi

CAR LOST ALL ACCELERATION AND WENT INTO LIMP MODE ATTEMPTING TO OVERTAKE SOMEONE ON THE FREEWAY, ACCELERATING FROM 60 TO 70 MPH (IN A 70). I HAD TO NAVIGATE FROM LEFT LANE TO RIGHT SHOULDER ACROSS 3 LANES OF TRAFFIC. TERRIFYING. CAR WAS REMEDIED AFTER TURNING OFF FOR A FEW MINUTES. OF NOTE, THIS WAS A LONG (3+ HOUR) TRIP IN THE RAIN. A QUICK SEARCH REVEALED A TON OF OTHER ACURA OWNERS WITH A SIMILAR ISSUE' NOTING SPECIFICALLY THAT IT DOESN'T GENERATE AN ERROR CODE THATS STORED THAT HONDA/ACURA CAN USE TO TROUBLESHOOT. MY CAR WAS CPO, UNDER A WEEK SINCE PURCHASE, 6,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. CRAZY THERE ISN'T A RECALL. VERY DANGEROUS

NHTSA ID

11363869

Incident

Oct 11, 2020

Mileage

6,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING NORTHBOUND ON I-75 THROUGH THE LEADING EDGE OF THE REMNANT OF HURRICANE SALLY ON 9/16/2020 MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST SPEED CONTROL AND THE CHECK ENGINE ICON STARTED FLASHING. I MANAGED TO SAFELY PULL OFF THE INTERSTATE ONTO THE SHOULDER AND STOPPED THE ENGINE. AFTER REVIEWING THE OWNERS MANUAL I VERIFIED THAT THE GAS FILL DOOR WAS CLOSED. STARTED THE ENGINE AND HAD NO ICONS OR WARNINGS. I THEN GOT BACK ON THE INTERSTATE BUT ABOUT TWENTY MILES LATER THE CAR AGAIN LOST SPEED, 9 MAINTENANCE WARNINGS AND MULTIPLE ALARM ICONS LIT UP. THIS TIME THE MAX SPEED OBTAINABLE WAS ABOUT 20 MPH. I MANAGED TO DRIVE ON THE SHOULDER TO AN EXIT AND STOP. I CALLED ACURA AND THEY HAD AAA SEND A TOW TRUCK TO TAKE CAR TO THE DEALER IN MACON, GA. THE DEALER SAID TWO CYLINDERS WERE NOT FIRING AND NUMEROUS CODES WERE REPORTED. THEY WERE ABLE TO RESET THE COMPUTER TO ELIMINATE THE ALARMS AND TAKE IT OUT OF "LIMP MODE" BUT THEY COULD NOT SAY WHAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM OR WHAT THE PERMANENT FIX WOULD BE. MY VEHICLE HAD 4314 TOTAL MILES AND HAD ONLY BEEN OWNED FOR LESS THAN 3 MONTHS WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A MULTIPLE VEHICLE WRECK RESULTING IN INJURIES OR DEATHS TO MY FAMILY AND OTHER MOTORISTS.

NHTSA ID

11359997

Incident

Sep 16, 2020

Mileage

4,314 mi

WHEN ACCELERATING ON THE EXPRESSWAY, THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST PROPULSION WITHOUT WARNING. THE CAR WOULD NOT MAINTAIN A SPEED OR ACCELERATE. AFTER THE CAR STARTED TO SLOW DOWN, I HAD TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER OF THE EXPRESSWAY AND POWER CYCLE THE CAR. AFTER RESTARTING THE ENGINE AND TWO ATTEMPTS, THE CAR WOULD STILL NOT ACCELERATE.

NHTSA ID

11355570

Incident

Sep 12, 2020

Mileage

811 mi

THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND RELATED SYSTEMS SPORADICALLY FAIL TO OPERATE AND IN SOME CASES ATTEMPT TO TAKE OVER CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE MAKING IT EXTREMELY UNSAFE WHILE DRIVING. WHEN THE DEALERSHIP (SPITZER) WAS ALERTED THEY SHOWN NO INTEREST IN EVEN LOOKING AT THE VEHICLE. THE PROBLEMS PERSIST ON A DAILY BASIS.

NHTSA ID

11349867

Incident

Aug 17, 2020

Mileage

4,372 mi

WHILE DRIVING AT A CONSISTENT RATE OF SPEED ON A 65 MPH HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING LOST ENGINE POWER. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO RAPIDLY DROP SPEED AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD BLINK WHEN THE ACCELERATOR WAS DEPRESSED. I WAS FORCED TO ABANDON THE HIGHWAY AND PULL OVER ONTO THE SHOULDER - NOT IN AN EMERGENCY LANE - IN BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH BOUND TRAFFIC BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 20 MPH OR EXCEED 2,000 RPMS. AFTER 3 HOURS OF WAITING IN THIS DANGEROUS LOCATION ACURA ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE A TOW TRUCK. I TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND BACK ON AND NOTICED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CEASED BLINKING. I THEN PROCEEDED TO RETURN HOME AND THE PROBLEM RETURNED A SECOND TIME, THIS TIME ACCOMPANIED WITH NUMEROUS INDICATOR LIGHTS (E.G., AWD PROBLEM, ABS PROBLEM, ETC). THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO POHANKA ACURA IN CHANTILLY, VIRGINIA. I WAS TOLD THE FIRST TIME THEY CLEARED THE CODES THEY RETURNED, BUT AFTER A SECOND TIME THEY DID NOT. THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM, DID NOT FIX ANYTHING, AND SAID IT WAS CAUSED BY FUEL CHOICE. THIS IS SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM AND SAFETY RISK KNOWN TO ACURA. THERE IS A PATENT HISTORY OF ACURA CHOOSING TO NOT IDENTIFY THE ROOT CAUSE, ASSOCIATE THIS ANOMALY WITH FUEL CHOICE, AND RETURN THE VEHICLE TO THE OWNER. IN MY OPINION THIS IS A NEGLIGENT BUSINESS PRACTICE AND ACURA SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INJURIES OR DAMAGES ASSOCIATED WITH THESE UNEXPECTED, UNANNOUNCED "LIMP MODE" EVENTS.

NHTSA ID

11343575

Incident

Jul 30, 2020

Mileage

4,900 mi

- 2020 ACURA RDX ASPEC PURCHASED APR2020 NEW - ~2,800 MILES WHEN INCIDENT OCCURRED ON SAT, 4JUL2020 - WAS TRAVELING ON I-10 WEST AT ~70 TO 75 MPH - ATTEMPTED TO PASS A VEHICLE (ON THE LEFT) WHEN CAR LOST ALL ABILITY TO ACCELERATE AND ORANGE ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN TO BLINK IN LOWER LEFT CORNER OF DASHBOARD - I WAS PUSHING ACCELERATOR TO THE FLOOR BUT NO ACCELERATION, NO ENGINE REVVING - VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN TO ~20 MPH BY THE TIME I WAS ABLE WAS ABLE TO GET OVER TO SHOULDER SAFELY - TURNED CAR OFF WAITED ~30 SECONDS TURNED CAR BACK ON AND CAR APPEARED TO FUNCTION PROPERLY - I REPORTED ISSUE TO ACURA DEALERSHIP - SERVICE REP ADVISED THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE, BUT SERVICE MANAGER SAID HE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THIS ISSUE - I RESEARCHED ISSUE AND DISCOVERED THAT MY VEHICLE APPEARS TO HAVE EXPERIENCED "LIMP MODE" - AS HAVE MANY OTHER 2019 AND 2020 ACURA RDX MODELS - AT TIME OF INCIDENT WAS USING ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL WITH ONE BAR SPACING BETWEEN VEHICLES, START/STOP WAS ON, COMFORT MODE, ALWAYS USE PREMIUM (93) FUEL, GAS TANK WAS ~1/2 FULL, WEATHER WAS CLEAR ~90 DEGREES - AFTER RESTARTING CAR REALIZED THAT HAD CHANGED TO SPORT+ MODE - AT THIS POINT, I NO LONGER TRUST THE SAFETY OF THIS VEHICLE - THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT HAD THERE BEEN A FAST MOVING VEHICLE (E.G. 18 WHEELER) BEHIND ME - UP TO AND INCLUDING DEATH - VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT DEALERSHIP FOR ANALYSIS

NHTSA ID

11339164

Incident

Jul 4, 2020

Mileage

2,800 mi