2019 Acura RDX Engine

Completed 100,000-mile service work at the dealership, 1 month following the work, while driving, all engine codes went off and the car went into "limp mode". I was unable to drive at normal speeds while on a major highway and going through a busy intersection. After multiple assessments at the same dealership, a "software update", a replaced spark plug (that was previously replaced during service work a month prior), it was found to have a warped head gasket with coolant leaking into the engine. It has not been inspected by police or insurance agents. It has been inspected by Shottenkirk Acura of Huntsville (Alabama) and a secondary mechanic with the same findings of engine failure. This should not occur at 116,000 miles in a Honda motor!

I started driving on the freeway for a few miles in the rain and suddenly started to hear a low rumble/rattling sound from the engine area. The car began to cycle through error messages for every one of the electronic safety systems (Brake system, vehicle stability assist system, electric power steering system, adaptive cruise control system, collision mitigation braking, & road departure mitigation) The car then began to lose drive power (wouldn’t maintain/increase speed when pressing the gas pedal). I moved over to the furthest right lane/slow lane and continued to lose propulsion from the gas pedal. Being forced to such a slow speed on the freeway in inclement weather was very unsafe for me and my wife who was in the car with me. I had to drive on the shoulder in order to exit the freeway and the engine rattle got increasingly louder and worse sounding. I pulled into a parking lot and the car was not drivable. AAA tow to a AAA certified mechanic repair shop and was told that there was metal debris in the oil pan and oil filter which was signs a faulty engine components that has now destroyed the motor. I’m currently without the RDX and being told it is in need of a whole new motor.

The contact owns a 2019 Acura RDX. While the contact’s wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the engine seized. The contact's wife restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. Additionally, the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2019 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning light suddenly illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power and started to decelerate. After pulling off the roadway and restarting the vehicle, the failure was self-corrected, and the vehicle operated as designed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 57,000.

2019 RDX with 20k miles. Was accelerating to go over a rise from low speed to passing speed and power cut out and had to pull to shoulder. Was slightly raining when occurred and 44 degrees out. Check engine light came on. Had to stop vehicle on side of road as power was lost. If wasn’t 0600 in the morn and during busier hours it could’ve caused an accident since I was accelerating to merge. Dealer couldn’t find any codes since vehicle goes into essentially protection mode from just accelerating. Going from 15-55mph. Told me to bring it in again if it happens. I may be injured the next time it happens. Is extremely unsafe where all power is cut when you need it the most. Had vehicle for 1000 miles and has happened once already. Very scary feeling.

While driving on a two lane road at app 60 mph, we accelerated to pass a slower car, Our 2019 Acura RDX lost power and coasted down to about 20 mph and the check engine light was flashing. we had no control over the speed of the vehicle (limp mode), which was very scary and could have caused a serious accident. It was raining earlier but not at the time of the incident. This should be a recall and not just a Acura Service Bulletin 20-053 since it can be life threatening.

For the second time, while accelerating in rainy conditions, the engine lost all power and went into limp mode. The check engine light came on and blinked. I was able to pull over and turn the car off and then back on the the check engine light was gone.

The contact owns a 2019 Acura RDX. The contact stated that upon exiting a highway and coming to a stop light, the vehicle would not accelerate above 25 MPH without warning. The contact was able to reach his destination and after explaining the failure to a friend; he was informed that his vehicle had gone into limp mode. Upon restart of the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal driving operation. The contact hooked up his vehicle to a scanner and no fault codes were found. The contact then called the manufacturer where he was informed that this failure was a known issue and that he would have to take the vehicle to the dealer three times after experiencing each failure. The contact was not informed as to what would happen after the third visit to the dealer. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where it had yet to be diagnosed and remained in their possession. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

I was driving in the rain on a dark desolate road. The engine began to malfunction, suddenly losing most power. The car would only go up to 20mph. I believe this condition is known as “limp mode”. Simultaneously the “check engine” light was illuminated. When I pulled off the road I shut the car off. I waited a couple of minutes and restarted the car. The condition miraculously disappeared. This was a very frightening experience because it happened on a major highway in the middle of the night.

Today, when accelerating on an onramp, merging into interstate traffic, the vehicle suddenly decelerated to about 30mph. Traffic, including a semi, was approaching at a higher rate of speed. I was able to get off the into the emergency lane but was concerned about being struck from behind. I stopped the engine, restarted it, and had no further problems. I tried to reproduce the problem but was unable. I contacted the dealer but was told it would be hard to repair if it wasn't reproducible and was advised to see if it recurred.

My wife purchased this car about one month prior to this incident. It was presented as a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle. While traveling on the PA turnpike, the car suddenly and with no warning went into "limp mode", with only enough power available to maintain about 20 mph. The "check engine" light came on, and we continued at about 20 mph on the shoulder, hoping to come to an exit. After a few minutes and no exit in sight, we stopped and turned off the engine while considering what to do next. When the air inside of the car became uncomfortably warm, I turned on the engine so we would have a/c. Immediately, it became apparent that the engine was working normally: no "check engine" light, plus other positive indications. We resumed our trip, arriving home safely. Our safety was at risk since the engine lost power with no warning whatsoever, and occurred while we were in a travel lane. As of this report, the car has not been taken to a dealer.

I exited a highway, decreasing speed to merge with local traffic, tried to accelerate and car revved but would not go over 30 mph. Drove home with safety flashers on, then tried to back into driveway to keep front of the car accessible, but the car would not shift into reverse. Toggled back and forth between drive and reverse and it finally shifted and I back in. Had the car towed to the dealer, they had it for 2 days but could ot duplicate the problem, and told me it was probably a communication error among the various car computers. I have since learned that this has happened twice to my neighbor who also has the same model/year vehicle. I have not gotten any satisfaction from the dealer.

On July 20 2021, I was driving at 45 mph when I pressed the accelerator and the car did not accelerate while making a loud sound. I pressed it again and it repeated the behavior. Meanwhile the car became slower and slower. There were no warning lamps or messages. I stopped the car and after about five minutes, I restarted it and it worked as usual. However, the technicians at the dealership were unable to confirm the issue with the vehicle losing power while driving through a DTC check. They mentioned that there were no PGM-FI DTCS present and are not sure what component may have malfunctioned. It was so scary, I am afraid to drive this car. This issue is extremely dangerous because the car rapidly decelerated in the middle of the road. This could have easily caused a potentially fatal crash in traffic. It unsafe to drive this car knowing that this issue could repeat at any time without warning.

I HAD MOVED TO THE LEFT LANE TO PASS A SLOW MOVING TRUCK ON TH PA NORTH EAST EXTENSION. WHEN I HAD ALMOST PASSED THE TRUCK MY ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING AND MY CAR STARTED TO DECELERATE. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO GET OVER TO THE SHOULDER. I HAD TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND RESTART IT TO GET THE LIGHT TO STOP FLASHING AND GET THE CAR TO ACCELLERATE. FORTUNATELY IT HAPPENED BEFORE I ENTERED THE TUNNEL.

Driving on the highway ~ 70mph in a rain the vehicle had a loss of engine power and went in to limp mode. It was a harrowing experience in the bad weather with traffic and no place to safely pull to the side of the road. Vehicle would only crawl @ ~ 5mph. This is the second incidence in a year. Its a major safety issue. Acura says it cannot be fixed unless they can duplicate the problem with my vehicle. Highly unlikely that will happen. I pointed out that other owners of the RDX have had the same issues. Acura stated that they do not listen to online forums. This is a serious issue in my opinion that will one day or perhaps already has caused loss of life.

I WAS DRIVING DOWN AN EXPRESSWAY AND HAD STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC SIGNAL. AS THE SIGNAL TURNED GREEN, I ACCELERATED AND AS SOON AS THE CAR WAS OUT OF THE INTERSECTION, IT WENT INTO THE SO CALLED 'LIMP MODE' WITH ALL POWER GONE. THE CAR STARTED TO FLASH ALL LIGHTS LIKE CHECK ENGINE, BRAKE SYSTEM, ACC SYSTEM ETC. AND I HAD TO STOP ON THE SHOULDER. CALLED EMERGENCY SERVICES AND GOT THE VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. IT IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AND I COULD HAVE BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND BY OTHER CARS.

TRAVELING 70 MPH DOWN INTERSTATE IN LIGHT RAIN WENT TOO ACCELERATE TO PASS A SEMI AND THE CAR NOT WOULD NOT RESPOND IT STARTED SLOWING DOWN AND THE ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION TO GO FROM 70 TO 40 . VERY LUCKY WE WERE NOT IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT, THE LEFT SHOULDER WAS CLOSED DUE TO CONSTRUCTION. TURNED ON HAZARD FLASHERS AND MANEUVERED TO AN EXIT AND PULLED OVER. WE LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD WAITED A FEW MINUTES AND RESTARTED. SEEMS FINE NOW BUT READING ONLINE THIS IS A COMMON AND DANGEROUS OCCURRENCE. IT SEEMS THAT A HIGH NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS MENTION RAIN IN THEIR EXPERIENCES. ACURA NEEDS TO BE FORCED TO DO SOMETHING BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED (MAY HAVE ALREADY HAPPENED).

6 HOURS INTO A CROSS COUNTRY DRIVE, MY WIFE WENT TO PASS A LINE OF SLOWER MOVING CARS IN A DESIGNATED PASSING AREA ON US45 IN MS. AS SHE PUSH DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR AT 55 MPH, THE CAR DROPPED INTO A LOWER GEAR AS IT ACCELERATED TO 60 MPH, THEN BUCKED AND WHEN INTO LIMP HOME MODE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING, WITH SPEED DROPPING RAPIDLY TOWARDS 20 MPH. SHE WAS ABLE TO GET SAFELY TOWARDS THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHERE SHE SWITCHED OFF THE ENGINE. A MINUTE LATER, SHE RESTARTED THE ENGINE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS OUT, AND THE CAR RESPONDED AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED FOR THE REMAINING 2 HOUR.DRIVE HOME. I WAS ABLE TO PULL 4 CODES FROM THE OBDII SYSTEM: P0300, P0301, P0304, AND C1555. THE FIRST THREE ARE FOR MISFIRE OF THE IGNITION SYSTEM, WHILE THE LAST IS FOR AN INCOMPATIBLE SCAN TOOL. THE CAR HAD HALF A TANK OF 93 OCTANE GAS, TEMP WAS AROUND 90 WITH HIGH HUMIDITY. THE CAR HAS 25000 MILES. THIS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A SERIOUS MISHAP IF THERE HAD BEEN SOMEONE BEHIND HER ATTEMPTING TO PASS ALSO. THERE ARE SEVERAL REPORTS OF THE SAME THING HAPPENING TO OTHER 2019 ACURA RDX'S ON THIS REPORTING SITE, AS WELL AS ON AN ACURA RDX FORUM. SOMEONE AT THE NHTSA NEEDS TO GET ACURA TO GET ON THE BALL AND FIX THIS ISSUE BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED.

DRIVING AT HWY SPEED, RAINING AND ACCELERATED PAST SLOW SEMI TRUCKS, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND VEHICLE WENT IN TO LIMP MODE ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT

WE HAVE HAD THE RDX FOR 18 MONTHS AND HAVE PUT 5,000 MILES ON HER. DURING THIS TIME THE ENGINE HAS STALLED ON US PERHAPS 6 TO AS 8 TIMES; THE STALLS HAVE BEEN AND WORRISOME, COUPLE SECONDS. THE STALLS HAVE OCCURRED MERGING ON THE FREEWAY, AT INTERSECTIONS WHILE MAKING A LEFT OR JUST PUSHING DOWN THE PEDAL WHEN YOUR CRUISING. WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL CLOSE CALLS. YOU DON'T WANT TO BE AROUND HEAVY TRAFFIC WHEN THE STALL HAPPENS. IT IS DANGEROUS.

MY 2019 ACURA RDX EXPERIENCED A TOTAL, UNEXPECTED LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PASS A TRUCK ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY. ALL PROPULSIVE POWER SUDDENLY DISAPPEARED JUST AS I EXPECTED THE TURBOCHARGER TO KICK IN FOR SAFE PASSING. I FIRMLY DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR A COUPLE TIMES WITH ZERO RESPONSE FROM THE ENGINE. THIS WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A SENSE OF THE ENGINE MISFIRING. MY BELIEF IS THAT THIS PROPULSION FAILURE IS RELATED TO A TURBOCHARGER ACTIVATION ISSUE. PLEASE NOTE THAT WHILE MY DEALER HAS FOUND NO ONGOING ENGINE PROBLEM IN MY CAR, THE DEALERSHIP HAS ORDERED TURBOCHARGER RELATED PARTS AND INTENDS TO INSTALL THEM NEXT WEEK. ALSO, WHILE STRANDED, WE SEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND REFERENCES TO SEEMINGLY SIMILAR ACURA FAILURES THAT OCCURRED IN WET AND RAINY CONDITIONS. WE WERE DRIVING IN COOL AND RAINY CONDITIONS AT THE TIME OF THIS FAILURE. FORTUNATELY, WE AVOIDED A CRASH AND COASTED TO A STOP ON THE LEFT SHOULDER. ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING AND THE CAR PUT ITSELF INTO CREEP MODE, WHICH ALLOWED MOVEMENT TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER. A VERY DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY FATAL ACCIDENT WAS LUCKILY AVERTED. THE VEHICLE WAS HAULED 130 MILES TO MY LOCAL ACURA DEALERSHIP WHICH REPORTED AN ENGINE MISFIRE INDICATION FROM THE CAR'S COMPUTER BUT NO FURTHER INDICATION OF PRIOR OR SUBSEQUENT ISSUES.

ON TWO OCCASIONS, WHEN DRIVING IN WET WEATHER AT 50-60 MILES AN HOUR ON A 2 LANE ROAD, I ACCELERATED TO PASS A VEHICLE AND THE ENGINE SUDDENLY LOST POWER, WENT INTO "LIMP MODE" AND THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO COMPLETE THE PASSING MANEUVER SAFELY DUE TO LOSS OF ACCELERATION. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FLASHED CONTINUALLY AS THE VEHICLE COASTED TO AN EVENTUAL STOP. PULLED OFF ROAD, TURNED VEHICLE OFF, AND THEN RESTARTED IT AFTER A COUPLE MINUTES AND THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS NO LONGER BLINKING, VEHICLE WAS OPERATING NORMALLY. SUDDEN LOSS OF ACCELERATION IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND COULD EASILY RESULT IN A COLLISION.

I WAS DRIVING ON A TWO-LANE HIGHWAY IN RURAL MISSISSIPPI. ONCE ON A STRAIGHTAWAY AND WITH PLENTY OF SPACE TO PASS, I ATTEMPTED TO DO SO. AS SOON AS I ACCELERATED, THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, I LOST ALL POWER, ENGINE LIGHT FLASHED ON, AND I WAS TRAPPED IN THE LEFT LANE WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC RACING AT ME. WITH LESS THAN TWO SECONDS TO SPARE AND WITH THE HELP OF DOWNHILL MOTION, I WAS ABLE TO SQUEEZE AHEAD OF THE VEHICLE I WAS ATTEMPTING TO PASS AND INTO THE RIGHT LANE JUST AS ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHIZZED BY. I SAT ON THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY AND LITERALLY SHOOK FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO ACURA OF JACKSON. WHILE SITTING AT THEIR DEALERSHIP, I FOUND ALL THESE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. LIKE ALL THE OTHERS, NO CODES SHOWED UP AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE. THEY KEPT THE CAR FOR THREE DAYS AND COULD NOT GET IT TO REPLICATE THE SITUATION. I DROVE IT BACK TO TEXAS AND AM JUST WAITING FOR THE ISSUE TO HAPPEN AGAIN...PRAYING THAT IF AND WHEN IT DOES, IT WILL NOT BE A LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION THIS TIME. WHY IS THIS CONTINUING TO BE REPORTED AND NOTHING IS BEING DONE? OTHERS REPORTED THIS HAPPENING IN HEAVY RAIN. I WAS TRAVELING AT 70MPH ON A WET ROAD AT THE TIME. IT WAS CLOUDY, BUT IT WAS NOT RAINING AT THE TIME. THE CAR WAS IN COMFORT MODE AT THE TIME.

I WAS DRIVING ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY ACCELERATING TO ENTER A TOLL LANE. THE ENGINE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING AND I LOST ACCELERATION ABILITY IMMEDIATELY. I HAD TO CROSS 6 LANES TO GET TO SHOULDER ACROSS A MAJOR HIGHWAY.. I HAD ALREADY BEEN DRIVING FOR 1.5 HOURS WITH NO ISSUES. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THERE IS NO RECORD OF THE ISSUE IN THE CAR LOGS AND THEREFORE NOTHING THEY CAN DO. THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND I WAS LUCKY THAT FELLOW DRIVERS ALLOWED MY LIMPING VEHICLE ACCESS TO THE SHOULDER BEFORE THE CAR COMPLETELY STOPPED. SHUTTING OFF AND TURNING BACK ON THE CAR RESET THE ISSUE AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE NORMALLY. ENGINE IDLE STOP NO LONGER WORKED AFTER THIS HAPPENED. I HAD PASSED THROUGH A MAJOR RAINSTORM PRIOR TO THIS ISSUE - NOT SURE IF THAT WAS RELATED.

CAR GOES INTO "LIMP MODE" AND LOSES ALL ENGINE POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES, TWICE PUTTING MY SAFETY IN JEOPARDY. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS ACCELERATING ONTO THE HIGHWAY. I PULLED OVER AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, ATTRIBUTING IT TO A ONE TIME GLITCH. IT HAPPENED THE SECOND TIME WHEN I WAS ATTEMPTING TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY ADVISED ME TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND DRIVE INTO THEIR SHOP. THE THIRD TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS ACCELERATING ONTO A HIGHWAY FROM THE ON RAMP. I CALLED AND LEFT A MESSAGE FOR THE DEALERSHIP. THE FOURTH TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS ATTEMPTING TO PASS A SEMI TRUCK IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE. MY RDX LOST ALL ENGINE POWER AND I WAS FORCED TO TURN ON THE FLASHING EMERGENCY LIGHTS AND COAST UNTIL I REACHED THE END OF THE CONSTRUCTION ZONE. ACURA HAS REPEATEDLY DENIED THE EXISTENCE OF THIS PROBLEM AND TOLD ME I WAS THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATELY 20 COMPLAINTS FILED WITH THE NHTSA INDICATE OTHERWISE. ACURA HAS REFUSED TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE, CLAIMING THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE IT. A RECALL SHOULD BE INSTITUTED BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED OR KILLED BY THIS SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE.