2015 Acura RDX Exterior Lighting
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
Low Beam headlight are very dim at night and very unsafe to drive. I have to drive with high beams so I can see which makes it unsafe for other cars. I replaced bulb with no improvement. I read many cases of this online. Acura needs to have this recalled to replace headlight assembly.
Headlights do not reflect more than 3 feet. The headlights “pass” inspection but provide no use.
The headlights are very dim. The bulbs have been replaced and still are dim. This isn't due to oxidation on the headlight cover they are clear. Based on similar reports it seems to be a component in the low beam assembly that oxidizes the reflector and as a result replacement bulbs don't fix the issue. The problem keeps getting worse to the point that the headlights are almost useless for seeing where you are going. The actual part appears to cost about $60 but Acura won't replace that they will only replace the entire headlight assembly which cost about $700 each.
The headlights are very dull and fail to illuminate the road at night. Thus, night driving is a hazard and using high beams blind other drivers.
The cover of front headlights are all foggy. This makes it difficult to see at night and does not put out the light like it use to. This is on both headlights and the vehicle is under 9 years old and kept in the garage. There are several posts like this with same issue for the 2015 Acura RDX. This is a material flaw and should be recalled. Issue started happening in 2019.
Notice 2-3 years ago the low beam headlight is so dim, you cannot safely see at night. Even changing to new light bulb does not fix the problem. Dealer says this is normal but if you drive at night this is not normal. I found out this is well known issue with this generation of RDX that everyone is having the problem with. And I was told changing the entire light assembly housing is the only solution as OEM housing has a problem with reflector going bad overtime. I'm considering selling the car because of this safety issue but this will only put future buyer at risk and not resolving the safety issue.
The daytime running light is dangerously dim on one side. Changing the headlight doesn't fix the issue. The housing is defective it's failing to reflect the light outward causing dangerous visibility issues.
The low beam headlights are so dim that it is dangerous to drive at night. We must drive with high beams on in order to be safe on the road. It is unsafe for the car, us and other drivers to have the RDX on the road using low beams. In 2021, we had the vehicle inspected by the dealership, they informed us that the fix would be a $1200 replacement of the headlights. They offered to clean the lenses at a reduced cost, which we had already done, but this did not fix the problem. There are no warning lights or other indicators of the problem except that we cannot see at night.
LOWBEAM HEADLIGHTS: I have noticed myself and others have told me my RDX headlights do not light your driving as much as other cars. I been told this for couple year but I rarely drive at dark these days. On Monday Oct 2 I was driving home in Naples Florida at 8p and realized I could hardly see the road if there wasn't street lights aiding my view. Then on one stretch of road where there are not street lights and no other cars driving beside, I realized I cannot see the road at all unless I drive with my HIGH beams on . So I drove home on HIGH beams the entire distance and made it safely. I'm not sure of whether other cars could see me or not at night, so I know that this is a safety issue. After researching this problem online I quickly found conversations regarding how common this problem is on the RDX around 100k miles. Well, now it seems I'm hearing and reading this everywhere the more I research. I called the dealer service and they want about $1500 to replace my 2 entire headlight kits. This is ridiculous price gouging when I don't have that kind of money and I have to drive unsafely or with high beams on at night which could result in a traffic ticket for doing so. I definitely believe my low beams are unsafe to drive at night and that they got worse overtime, not just overnight.
The low beam lighting has been dimmed even replacing with new light bulb doesn’t fix it it’s hard to drive at night
From initial purchase, the headlights never seemed bright enough and often at night it appeared as though they were not turned on at all. Nearly 3 years after owning the vehicle, research online revealed a systemic issue with the headlights. Local dealership quoted replacement cost at over $3,000. Safety impact was reduced visibility in low light situations, and pedestrians/other drivers were unable to clearly see the vehicle approaching in low light situations. Other owners indicate the same issue: https://www.carproblemzoo.com/acura/rdx/2015/headlights-problems.php Manufacturer issued a very limited recall for this issue which did not include my model: https://hondanews.com/en-US/releases/statement-by-acura-regarding-headlight-recall-2014-2015-acura-rlx A class-action suit is pending regarding this issue: https://chimicles.com/acura-rdx-dim-headlight-class-action-investigation/ There were no warning lamps nor messages in the vehicle to indicate the malfunction.
My low beam headlights barely put out any light.
We have been having issues with very dim headlights in our vehicle that has presented numerous safety issues. From our research this seems to be a global problem with these headlights and something needs to be done about it. It is not safe for us or those around us to have to drive with our dim lights or with our high beams on to compensate. We have also filed into a class action lawsuit for resolution to this issue as stated below this is why we are contacting you. Thanks for your assistance with this matter. You previously contacted us about dim headlights in your Acura RDX. Thank you for contributing to our investigation. Our law firm is continuing our investigation of the defect and potential class action claims. Because dim headlights present a significant safety issue for drivers and pedestrians, we suggest that you may want to submit a safety complaint to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem#index, if you have not done so already. Doing so will help create a record of safety complaints about this issue, and help ensure that Acura is aware of the scope of the problem. We will keep you apprised of any significant developments in our efforts to achieve a resolution for consumers. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. [XXX] LLP [XXX] Direct: [XXX] Fax: [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Main head lights are not giving enough brightness to see the road. Visibility while driving during night is very hard and can’t see clearly an object which is at 5 to 6 feet distance also. It’s a 2015 Acura RDX AWD base and there are many complaints online in different forums also about head light visibility issue. I gone to Acura dealer but their suggestion is to cleanup external plastic headlight cover and change lights which is not resolving the issue. Head light brightness is detoriating day by day. Please take action appropriately as there are many 2015 Acura RDX with the same issue and without proper head light brightness leads to improper driving which leads to accidents and it’s a safety related issue.
Around 80,000 miles my headlights seemed to have become quite dim. I have changed out the head lightbulbs twice, 2nd time to the brightess bulbs available to buy. No change in brightness. I bought a kit to clean the outer surface lens still no change in brightness . They headlights are so dangerously dim it doesn’t look like I have headlights on. Also anyone who gets in the car with me always says “you need to turn your headlights on” & I say “ they are on! “ Basically I have to drive around with my brights on in order to see at night and my brights look like everybody else’s regular headlights when I’m next to other cars . I took my car to the Gillman Acura dealership in Houston where I purchased my car to have them look at the lights and they told me that the lens cover is degraded and cloudy over the lightbulbs and the whole headlamp would need to be replaced. I was told the light lens has degraded and become cloudy because of the sun light reflecting into my headlights and also because of sun reflecting off of buildings into my headlights where I park for long periods of time, to which I replied” I park in the garage and where I work, there’s no reflection coming off of the building! I’ve had many cars throughout my life and this is has never happened before ….they told me it would cost $2200 to replace both of them ! I recently decided to look online to see if other people were having this problem and I read where many people have complained of the same problem with their 2015 RDX ! Also, I found out that there was a previous recall on the 2014-2015 RLX because of the same issue! Which states HID is getting around 100,000 miles because of the reflector or Fresnel lens degrading because of aluminum film glued to headlight inner reflector. I hope there is a recall issued for my model of car too to it sounds like the same exact problem and & $2,200 to fix them is more than I can afford currently! Thank You
The headlights on this vehicle are defective. They do not project light and over time deteriorated to a point where you cannot see when driving in the dark. NOTE, this is not a result of the bulb as we went to great expense to twice change it out with new bulbs. The first time we used an OEM new bulb matched what was originally installed with no improvement. After that, we tried a newer style LED bulb with about a 10% improvement but we still could not see to drive at night. After extensive online research, we found a significant group of posts of many people having the exact same problem. And then we learned what the actual problem was. The lens coating, that reflects and focuses the light from the bulb was defective and failed, thus changing the bulb to a new one had no positive results. After contacting Acura as I know many others did from reading online, they still refused to take responsibility for the defect. Our only solution was to replace both lighting assemblies with brand new, non-OEM ones at significant expense. Adding up the cost of new bulbs, labor, new light housings, and more labor, we had over $1,000 of costs involved.
The lights on my 2015 Acura RDx became so dim it was no longer safe to drive. I took it to my mechanic and he agreed saying he also felt it was a safety issue. I contacted the dealer as well as Acura and they were aware of the issue but said it was not covered under our extended warranty. The car has limited miles and we decide to replace the lights at a cost of $1859.42. The replacement of the lights has made a significant difference in the safety of the vehicle. The lights were so dim that cars coming in the other direction were flashing at me and I started to avoid driving it at night and took my husbands car. I have the lights available if they need to be inspected.
The headlights on the car are dangerously dim. The lights have been frustratingly dim for years (at least 5+ years since I’ve owned the car) but now I’m genuinely concerned for my family’s safety—they’ve continued to get dimmer and dimmer. The only way I can make it home at night is by using my brights. And even the brights present a dangerous situation for me and other cars on the road. I’ve been told by dealers that this is a known issue but they will not repair it for free without a recall — the fix is not as simple as replacing lightbulbs, it is easily $3,000-4,000 of labor and parts (the entire headlights need to be replaced). How can Acura / Acura dealers know about faulty, dangerous parts and refuse to do anything about it? Please intervene for the safety of my family. Further, I’ve read online about others in the exact same situation. This needs to be fixed and is tremendously dangerous. It’s only getting worse. Also, while the date on this complaint is today (4/16/2023), this has been an issue for YEARS.
Low beam headlights do not provide enough light for night driving. Just purchased a used Acura RDX with 100k miles for my daughter and I do not feel that it's safe to let her drive after dark. This appears to be a known issue with the RDX ranging 2013-2015 and I'm surprised to see there have been 0 recalls for this obvious safety issue. Hope this writeup is the one that tips the scales to force a recall.
Low beam headlights have become dim to the point where they offer no visibility. This has been a progressive decline in the low beam lights. I now use high beams as much as possible for safe travel. This is a problem experienced by many Acura owners with no help from Acura except to offer a costly replacement of headlight assemblies.
Low beams have dimmed to an unsafe level due to oxidation of the reflector. Replacement of bulbs with the brightest option made little difference. Dealership acknowledged it is a common problem.
The headlights on my vehicle became extremely dim. I kept changing the bulbs and there was no improvement. It was very dangerous at night and my wife wouldn't drive the vehicle because she was unable to see the road as the lighting was so dim. I scrubbed the exterior lenses with clarifying kits. I changed the bulbs again and again. Finally I went online and found a forum that said this was a common problem due to age of the headlight components. I still don't understand the science behind what happened but when I bought and installed two new headlights for $483 (purchased on Amazon) it was literally like night became day. Serious to God, I'd say my headlights are now 10x-20x brighter. WHAT I BOUGHT -Evan-Fischer EVA1350809140651 Features: Pair, Halogen, With bulb(s), Clear Lens, Driver Side and Passenger Side -Direct Replacement Headlight Compatible with 2013-2016 Acura RDX -Replaces OE Number: 33100TX4A11, 33150TX4A11 & Replaces Partslink Number: AC2503123, AC2502123
The dim lights are horrible with about 20% of the correct or new car illumination of the street. I have replaced the low beam 3 times and I am not able to see the road with the low beam. This forces me to use my bright beams which is not safe. I have had a high energy bulb replace as suggested by the dealer and they are not helping. When you go the the service dept. at Acura and they l say, yes we hear this a lot. This is a real issue for safety. I have a case with Honda / Acura and they asked that I take my car to the local dealer for an evaluation. I did that and they kept my car for almost a month. No fix or repairs were made. The fix is a total replacement of the lights, wire system and lens cover. That is about $2000 and I should not need to pay due to this quality issue. I have a case number from Honda which can share with you if you want it. If you do an internet search you will see that this is a national problem and a recall from Honda / Acura need to be forced as they are not willing to fit the problem on their own.
Headlight low beam becomes very dim - almost not be able to drive at night. Went to the dealership. They quote me $1500 to replace both headlight assembly because the old ones are "not working". It failed state safety inspection!
LOW BEAMS VERY DIM. DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AFTER DARK WITHOUT USING HIGH BEAMS. MANUFACTURER STATES THAT THE REFLECTIVE COATING IN THE LOW BEAM HOUSING LOSES IT'S ABILITY TO PROPERLY REFLECT LIGHT FROM HEADLAMP OVER TIME. REPLACEMENT QUOTE FROM BRADSHAW ACURA (GREENVILLE SC) WAS $2,400. VEHICLE AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. DEALER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT ACURA RDX 2013-2015 HAVE THIS DEFECT.
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Quick Summary
The 2015 Acura RDX has 307 Exterior Lighting complaints on file. 3 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.