2020 Acura RDX Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2020 RDX most often describe a sudden loss of power or limp mode while accelerating, frequently in rain or damp conditions, usually with the check engine light flashing and often gone once the vehicle is restarted. A second large group reports the rear hatch glass shattering without any impact, often while the vehicle is parked. Brake noise at low mileage and fuel pump concerns tied to a recall also appear repeatedly in the complaints.

1. 1
   Engine

   Sudden loss of power / limp mode while accelerating

   • 57 complaints (16%)
   • median 5,600 mi at 1.0 yrs old (31 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2019–2026

   Owners describe pressing the accelerator and feeling the engine give way, with the check engine light flashing and the vehicle dropping to 20-30 mph or idling despite the pedal being down. Many say it happened while merging or passing at highway speeds, often during or shortly after rain; turning the car off and restarting usually restored normal power. Several report dealers could not reproduce the fault, while others had the fuel pump replaced or pointed to a service bulletin about moisture in the intake. Mostly under about 15,000 miles, and often reported during or after rain or in humid conditions.

   Recall 23V858000Recall 21V2150008 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether any check engine light or limp mode events have been logged, and have a dealer check for stored codes for fuel pressure and misfire. Confirm whether the fuel pump recall work has been completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was accelerating to approximately 55mph to pass a vehicle. As soon as I completed the pass,the engine decelerated to 20 MPH and the check engine light was flashing. Fortunately for us we were able to get the car safely off of the road. We then shut the engine off. Waited about 5 minutes restarted the engine and it ran fine the rest of the way home.”

   NHTSA complaint #11362096, filed 2020-09, 9,100 miles

   “I was driving on a freeway at 4:30am when I suddenly lost all power from the engine and it went into limp mode. The check engine light was flashing and fortunately there was no traffic so I was able to pull off the road. I shut off the car and sat for a few minutes and when I restarted the car everything was working fine. I had a 12 hour drive ahead of me and I never stopped thinking of how that could have ended up so badly. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11376675, filed 2020-11, 12,000 miles
2. 2
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Rear hatch glass shatters without impact

   • 96 complaints (28%)
   • median 47,524 mi at 4.7 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • filed 2021–2026

   Owners report hearing a loud pop and finding the rear window broken, often while the vehicle was parked and unoccupied, after closing a door, or after scraping ice. Glass is described inside the cargo area and on the rear seat. Some say the glass was replaced and the failure recurred; dealers and glass shops sometimes replaced the glass and sometimes could not determine a cause. Several owners point to a service bulletin on rear window shattering. Reported from low mileage up to about 100,000 miles, with many cases in the 20,000-80,000 mile range, often in cold weather.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Inspect the hatch glass edges for chips or cracks and ask whether it has ever been replaced; note that a service bulletin describes this symptom for some vehicles.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2020 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while the vehicle was turned off and unoccupied, the rear glass exploded. The contact stated that there was a video of the failure showing that the windshield was not impacted by any objects for the rear glass to shatter. The vehicle was taken to a glass specialist, where the rear glass was replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 25,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11650474, filed 2025-03, 25,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2020 Acura RDX. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, there was a popping sound coming from the rear of the vehicle and the contact became aware that the rear window glass had shattered. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The VIN was not under recall for the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11636069, filed 2025-01, 55,000 miles
3. 3
   Brakes

   Brake squeal and grinding at low mileage

   Mentioned in 7 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe loud squealing or metal grinding when braking, sometimes within the first few hundred to few thousand miles and often in cold weather or on mild downhill grades. Several say pads and rotors were replaced by the dealer but the noise returned shortly afterward, and some were told the condition was known with no fix available yet. Typically within the first few thousand miles, more often reported in cold weather.

   What to check: Listen for squeal or grinding on a cold start and light braking, and ask whether pads or rotors have already been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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 complaint #11342852, filed 2020-08, 2,500 miles

   “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 complaint #11326677, filed 2020-05, 1,000 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Automatic braking engages with nothing ahead

   Mentioned in 5 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report the collision mitigation braking system applying the brakes hard on its own when no obstacle was present, at times bringing the vehicle to a full stop in traffic or near railroad tracks. Some describe a brake warning light appearing briefly, and several say the dealer could not replicate the event. Reported at low mileage, generally under about 15,000 miles, at various speeds.

   What to check: Ask whether the forward collision system has ever braked unexpectedly, and check that the windshield area in front of the camera is clean and undamaged.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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 complaint #11363788, filed 2020-10, 5,500 miles

   “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. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11373896, filed 2020-11, 8,000 miles

Buying note. A pre-purchase inspection should include a scan for stored engine and fuel-pressure codes, a check of the hatch glass, and confirmation that open recalls have been completed. A road test in wet conditions and a cold-start brake check will help surface the two most commonly reported symptoms.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.