2020 Acura RDX Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2020 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH in inclement weather, moisture entered the turbocharger, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over, restarted the vehicle, and drove to a local dealer. A technician confirmed that the failure was caused by moisture entering the turbocharger and referenced an unknown Technical Service Bulletin associated with the repair for the vehicle. The dealer stated that the vehicle was safe to operate. There were no further issues with the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ID

11751030

Incident

Jun 22, 2026

Mileage

65,000 mi

Grubbs Acura in Grapevine TX has all the information

NHTSA ID

11744256

Incident

May 1, 2026

This is a well known problem that when water gets into the intercooler, the car goes into limp Mode. This happens to my daughter, while driving 85 miles in the fast lane in the highway. Her check engine light started flashing, she was unable to accelerate, and she was scared! She had to pull over in the left lane, against the median.This is a safety hazard! I am paying over $1000 to have this fixed. TSB 20-053 this should be a recall!!

NHTSA ID

11740311

Incident

May 24, 2026

My 2020 vehicle lost all power when I was attempting to pass an 18-wheel trailer on the expressway. I took it to the dealership which was less than a mile away. They told me I needed a head gasket replacement @$6500. They replaced the HG and it ran great for 5-6 months. Then exact same thing happened again on expressway. It was another head gasket. After searching online I found a lot of history on my vehicle where the 2.0L turbo engine was failing prematurely.

NHTSA ID

11723432

Incident

Mar 5, 2026

While in traffic and stopped at a light, the engine stalled and completely shut down all of a sudden. I had to restart the car and was able to drive home. The engine stalled while in traffic with two other passengers in the car and during a time with other vehicles on the road. The car stalled shortly after turning a corner and other cars potentially rear ending my car due to a sudden stalling. I’m on the way to the dealership where I purchased the 2020 Acura RDX AWD brand new for a check up. The vehicle has not yet been checked by anyone but will be later today. When the car stalled, there were no warning lamps or messages. This was the first time happening but the electrical system has turned off unexpectedly before. I’ve brought the car back to the dealership for the electrical system and it was previously repaired. The new problem includes the electrical system outage plus engine stalling during traffic. Very scary and unacceptable for any car.

NHTSA ID

11655137

Incident

Apr 13, 2025

Re: NHTA recall 23V-858 This particular recall has been active since 12-18-2023. I have checked with my local dealership, Scanlon Acura in Ft Myers, FL, to arrange for a repair several times. Each time I have been told that they do not have the part. On Friday, 12-6-2024, a spoke to a service representative at the dealership. He advised me that they did have the part and scheduled an appointment to replace the defective part on Monday, 12-9-2024. When I arrived at the dealership, I was told that they did not have the part. Something is not right here. I suspect that the dealership does not want to replace the part because it is time-consuming, expensive, and represents an action where they do not receive enough compensation. This recall has been active for nearly a year, and NHTSA should intervene to expedite this process in order to prevent possible car crashes and injuries.

NHTSA ID

11629639

Incident

Dec 9, 2024

Engine judders at 2k rpm around 60 mph. Car has 92k miles with timely documented service maintenance. Took car to the dealership and said there’s a head gasket leak on cylinder 4 and needs to be replaced. Contacted American Honda about the issue and they said they cannot cover the repair cost. They also don’t have the replacement part for the fuel pump recall for a long time as well.

NHTSA ID

11626720

Incident

Oct 21, 2024

The emission light flashes and puts the vehicle in "Limp mode." The speed is drastically reduced and won't exceed 30 mph. Horrify experience. The problem seems related to rain and acceleration. Now the car is towed. No warning before it happens. But the emission light was flashing afterward.

NHTSA ID

11581533

Incident

Apr 4, 2024

On a long road trip ([XXX]) from Milwaukee, Wi to Bowling Green, Ky. and from From Bowling Green, KY to Orlando, FL. While driving from Bowling Green, KY about 8 hours into the drive, we were in a massive rain storm which started in Atlanta, GA. and did not end until we crossed into Florida. About 60 miles past the border of Florida traveling on [XXX], I needed to over-ride the cruise control traveling at about 80 mph and allow for a merging vehicle, so I pressed hard on the accelerator and the vehicle essentially shut off and the MIL was flashing. I was in the left lane (two lane highway at this point) traffic was moving quickly, but fortunately I was able to merge safely across traffic to the right shoulder without causing an accident because the vehicle was slowing at a rapid rate. The vehicle came to a stop on the shoulder with my wife and two kids freaking out. I shut off the vehicle, successfully restarted the vehicle and accelerated into traffic. Fortunately this did not happen in the mountain pass where there is no shoulder to pull into. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11573292

Incident

Feb 22, 2024

I was passing another vehicle around 45mph when I had a loss of power in acceleration. Acceleration was limp went down to 10mph engine light came on. I had to pull off road. Shut car off then restarted. Engine light went off. But acceleration is weak. Unable to maneuver away from an emergency situation if need to. Dangerous to drive it like this. I will take it to dealership but know they' never find any issues!

NHTSA ID

11572004

Incident

Feb 14, 2024

We experienced loss of power in heavy interstate traffic. We had been driving in the rain for some time on I-10 in Florida. We were in the right lane behind a vehicle that was traveling much slower than other vehicles. There was a gap in vehicles in the left lane so I signaled and pressed the gas pedal significantly so I could quickly get up to a matching speed for the left-lane vehicles. At this point the engine stumbled a couple of times and the Check Engine light began flashing. No matter how hard I pressed the gas pedal, my vehicle would not accelerate. Cars behind us had to brake quickly to avoid hitting us from behind. I turned on my emergency flashers and made my way to the right-side breakdown lane. After stopping, I turned our vehicle off and restarted the engine. No warning lights were lit and I was able to resume our drive. This is a known issue with our vehicle and other Acura/Honda vehicles. There is an existing Acura Technical Service Bulletin (TSB), 20-053, that addresses this issue. This TSB was applied to my vehicle in March of 2021. Apparently, the TSB has not resolved the issue. This is a serious safety issue. At the very least, the car behind us could have hit us and this could have caused a multi-vehicle accident. If a semi had been behind us and couldn't stop quickly, we could have been killed. In online discussions there are a number of people that have experienced this issue. This is not an isolated incident and should be investigated.

NHTSA ID

11522688

Incident

May 17, 2023

Driving about 75 (local speed limit) from College Station Texas to Plano, Texas over the Easter weekend and vehicle suddenly lost all power, check engine light illuminates, and I have to pull over. After several minutes, light is extinguished. Restarted vehicle and service engine light illuminates (B17). Had not been on before. I drove about 65 the remainder of the trip and took it to the Dealership in town. The incident can not be replicated per the shop. 22K miles.

NHTSA ID

11516259

Incident

Apr 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

The contact owns a 2020 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle went into limp mode and experienced unintended deceleration to 5 MPH with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 18,986.

NHTSA ID

11480177

Incident

Aug 6, 2022

Mileage

18,986 mi

While driving on I-95 north, the check engine light began flashing on and off. We had been driving in a thunderstorm for approximately 100 miles, when it began flashing. Then suddenly the car began slowing down. There was no response to repeatedly stepping on the gas pedal. As the car slowed down I was able to get over to the shoulder, and put the car in park. Again trying to get a response by stepping on the gas pedal, but there was no response. I shut the engine off, then restarted the car. The car ran fine, after I restarted it. I continued my drive from Florence SC to NY, and then returned from NY to Florida without any further incident.

NHTSA ID

11475426

Incident

Jul 13, 2022

Upon rapid acceleration, pushing the gas pedal down, the engine light started blinking and the car went into limp mode losing all power. This was a serious concern because we had just got off the interstate and if we had been full speed attempting to pass a vehicle, we could have been in a serious accident due to failure of power.

NHTSA ID

11474824

Incident

May 23, 2022

Under heavy acceleration, the vehicle began "bucking" and then lost all power. The check-engine light began flashing. The engine was still running but did not provide power. I Had to pull off the road, shut the engine off and then restart to clear the problem. This has happened twice in two days. The Acura dealer says it is an issue with moisture entering the turbo-charger but did not have any suggestions to correct or prevent this from happening again.

NHTSA ID

11469015

Incident

Jun 9, 2022

I was driving at 65 MPH on the highway in the left lane during a rainstorm. Suddenly the engine shuttered and began to shut down. I could not accelerate the engine. The engine light came on and was flashing. I was fortunate enough to maneuver through traffic to the shoulder of the road - sitting there where other drivers would not be expecting to see a car. I turned the car off and sat there in a rainstorm for 15 minutes hoping not to get hit. I started the car and it seemed to work fine for the remained of the trip with no issues or engine light flashing. Very dangerous situation for me - I shutter to think what might have happened if my wife was driving with the kids and this happened. She would make me sell the car today.

NHTSA ID

11456476

Incident

Mar 12, 2022

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

This car has 21,000 miles, while accelerating the car lost power and the engine light came on, almost caused a severe crash with semi truck. There are numerous articles post about this exact same problem with 2019 and 2020 Acura RDX and some information indicates it was due to solvents used in the manufacturing process of the in tank fuel pumps. It is more pronounce in warmer climates and rain. Acura needs to issue a recall before people get killed from this deficiency in their product.

NHTSA ID

11430220

Incident

Aug 22, 2021

While driving, the engine suddenly lost power and started blinking the engine light and went into the "limp mode" mentioned here: https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/consumer-products/auto-news/nhtsa-report-2020-acura-rdx-lost-power-while-driving/ I was forced to pull over without power and wait with the engine off until it resumed normal function. This could have caused a crash without the power to drive on the highway.

NHTSA ID

11421788

Incident

Jun 22, 2021

This is the second complaint I have filed with the NTSB. The transmission in my 2020 Acura RDX feels as if it is slipping. From a complete stop to trying to advance the call forward, the engine will act as if it cannot find first gear and then will "jump". This does not happen all the time but is frequent enough to garner my attention. This problem started immediately after I purchased the car. I have brought it to the attention of the Acura dealer multiple times but the refuse to deal with it because they say the NTSB has not issued any recalls for this particular problem.

NHTSA ID

11419451

Incident

Feb 5, 2020

While traveling to my dealer on interstate 69 in Indiana, in the rain, I had to accelerate to avoid a conflict with a truck. When I pushed the accelerator to the floor, the Check Engine Light came on and the car went into limp mode. I had to pull to the shoulder and restart the car to continue. The dealer provided me a loaner 2021 Acura RDX, VIN #5J8TC2H5XML023677 with 740 miles on the odometer, which experienced the same phenomena, Check Engine Light coming on in the rain under acceleration, when I was attempting to merge onto Interstate 69 at Illinois road in Indiana. Pulling over to restart the engine allowed me to continue.

NHTSA ID

11418724

Incident

May 26, 2021

Driving 70 mph down interstate and all of the sudden the check engine light started flashing and the vehicle lost all power. Had to make an emergency move to the shoulder. The check engine light remained flashing and when car shut off and turned back on the engine light was not on and vehicle operation seemed to turn to normal. Have seen other reports of this specific model of vehicle losing power at highway speeds and is very dangerous situation.

NHTSA ID

11418434

Incident

May 25, 2021

- 2020 Acura RDX Aspec - my 2nd one of this model!!!!! - Tue, 18May2021 - travelling at ~65 mph on the Houston Hardy Toll Road and lost all ability to accelerate and MIL (engine light) came on - I was able to pull over 4 lanes to the right shoulder safely - I turned the car off, waited ~30 seconds and then turned the car back on - I drove to the dealership, Gillman Acura, which is ~21.4 miles, and delivered the car - Gillman Service Rep advised that they were applying the intercooler replacement fix associated with Acura Service Bulletin 20-053 - issued 21Apr2021 - Dealership replaced intercooler, I picked up the car on Thu, 20May2021 - drove ~22 miles home and the very next day, Fri, 21May2021, when i was ~3 blocks from my house, the VSA - vehicle stability assistant light came on - 21May2021 and the car is back at the dealership for repair - The RDX is a rolling death trap and I pray that it doesn't take one or more fatalities and/or serious injuries to Acura owners and/or others before Acura does the right thing - a recall - In Apr2021, I purchased the first 2020 RDX Aspec, VIN: 5J8TC1H6XLL014219, and experience the "limp mode" issue on 4Jul2020 while traveling on I-10 west from Tallahassee to Houston - vehicle had 2.8K miles and experienced limp mode - see NHTSA complaint > 11339164 - Dealership exchanged the first car and now I've experienced "limp mode" with the second car

NHTSA ID

11418040

Incident

May 18, 2021