Reliable Auto DB

2013 Acura RDX reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 162 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Acura RDX over 14 years — 5 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most RDX years here — under the median of the other years, which is 7. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Inflator and Automatic transmission.

2012 Acura RDX
Photo by IFCAR, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons Public domain
Complaints

162

Per year

5

Recalls

3

Years on the road

14

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Exterior lighting (89 of 162), then Air bags (36) and Visibility and wipers (8). Those filings include 6 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 RDX has 15 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2014 has 242 complaints, 17 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2013 Acura RDX. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (3)

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2019-03-06 · NHTSA campaign 19V182000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.
Remedy Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.
Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2016-02-03 · NHTSA campaign 16V061000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2011-2015 CR-Z, 2010-2014 FCX, and Insight, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013-2014 Fit EV, 2007-2014 Ridgeline, 2013-2016 Acura ILX, 2013-2014 Acura ILX Hybrid, 2007-2016 RDX, 2005-2012 Acura RL, 2009-2014 Acura TL, and 2010-2013 Acura ZDX vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Remedy Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are JY0, JY1, and JY2.
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission 2013-04-15 · NHTSA campaign 13V143000
Summary Honda is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 CR-V, Odyssey, and model year 2013 Acura RDX vehicles. During sub-freezing temperatures, the brake-shift interlock blocking mechanism may become slow and allow the gear selector to be moved from the Park position without pressing the brake pedal. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Remedy Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Honda or Acura dealer. The dealer will install an updated brake shift interlock blocking mechanism free of charge. The recall began on May 13, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009. Honda's campaign recall numbers are S96, S97, and S98.

Complaints by component (162 total)

Exterior lighting
89
Air bags
36
Visibility and wipers
8
Electrical system
7
Powertrain
7
Suspension
6
Seats
3
Engine
2
Service brakes
2
Speed control
2
Steering
2
Structure
2
Visibility
2
Equipment
1
Hydraulic brakes
1
Seat belts
1
Tires
1
Wheels
1
Show 10 more Show less
Crash-flagged

6

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

4

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

220124201372014320153220166201732018520193202010202121202225202323202410202582026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "NHTSA Safety Complaint – Acura RDX Driver-Side Airbag Module Availability Vehicle: 2013 Acura RDX VIN: [XXX] Component: Driver-Side Airbag Module Part Number: 77810-TX4-A40ZA-MOD My 2013 Acura RDX was vandalized in…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-07-21
  • "The headlight housings on this generation of 2013 Acura MDXs completely fail due to a design flaw that causes the housing to overheat and dim the lights to a dangerous level. At night, you would be safer if you were…"
    Exterior lighting · filed 2026-06-07
  • "I have a code on my Acura regarding the driver side airbag. The code is 11-10, covered under service bulletin: 18-020, noting defects in the driver side air bag module. I brought my vehicle in to Hall Acura in November…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-05-05
  • "On 3/26/2026 a symbol of an engine appeared on my dash. Then several minutes later the car began running very rough and numerous warnings signs came on including Check Engine, Check AWD System, Check Power Steering…"
    Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine · filed 2026-03-27
  • "The headlights do not produce enough light to see the road. Every time the car is driven at night it is extremely dangerous."
    Exterior lighting · filed 2026-02-26

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2013 Acura RDX SUV 4WD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2013 Acura RDX SUV FWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
RDX two-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 20 28 23 MPG $3450
RDX four-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 19 27 22 MPG $3650

Specs and fitment

2nd generation (TB1/TB2), 2012–2015
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 (3.5L V6) , 4.5 qt capacity
Tire size 235/60R18
Towing capacity 1,500 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA safety recall 19V182000 covers affected vehicles after the agency found that honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode. An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.

Compare

Previous year 2012 Acura RDX Next year 2014 Acura RDX See every Acura RDX model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Acura RDX reliable?

Owners have filed 162 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Acura RDX over 14 years — 5 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most RDX years here — under the median of the other years, which is 7. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Inflator and Automatic transmission.

What are common problems with a 2013 Acura RDX?

The complaints owners file most often name Exterior lighting (89 of 162), then Air bags (36) and Visibility and wipers (8). Those filings include 6 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Is the 2013 Acura RDX more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 RDX has 15 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2014 has 242 complaints, 17 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Acura RDX been recalled?

The 2013 Acura RDX has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2013 Acura RDX?

Owners have filed 162 complaints about the 2013 Acura RDX with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Acura RDX get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Acura RDX is 22.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Acura RDX use?

US RDX manuals specify 0W-20 for recent turbo four-cylinder engines.

What generation is the 2018 Acura RDX?

3rd generation / TC1-TC2 (2016-2021).

What tire size does a recent Acura RDX use?

Many 2016-on US RDX pages list 235/55R19; earlier second-gen rows list 235/60R18.