Reliable Auto DB

2020 Acura RDX reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2020 Acura RDX holds 345 complaints after 7 years, a rate of 37 per year. That is more complaints per year than most RDX years here — over the median of the other years, which is 6. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Front passenger seat weight sensor, Fuel pump, and Buckle.

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

345

Per year

37

Recalls

5

Years on the road

7

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Visibility and wipers (83 of 345), then Engine (53) and Electrical system (26). Those filings include 4 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Next to 2019 and 2021

The 2019 RDX has 437 complaints, 48 per year, and the 2021 has 112 complaints, 14 per year. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2021.

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 2020 Acura RDX. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (5)

Recall Front passenger seat weight sensor 2026-05-21 · NHTSA campaign 26V332000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
Remedy Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.
Recall Front passenger seat weight sensor 2024-02-01 · NHTSA campaign 24V064000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
Remedy Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.
Recall Fuel pump 2023-12-18 · NHTSA campaign 23V858000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Remedy Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Recall seat belts, front, buckle 2023-03-09 · NHTSA campaign 23V158000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2020 CR-V, 2018-2019 Accord and Accord Hybrid, 2018-2020 Odyssey, 2019 Insight, and 2019-2020 Acura RDX vehicles. A manufacturing issue with the front seat belts may cause the seat belt buckle channel to interfere with the release button, preventing the seat belt buckle from latching.
Remedy Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger seat belt buckle release buttons or the buckle assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 18, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are NDA, QDB, BDC, MDD, LD9. TDF, FDG, ODH, YDI, ZDE.
Recall Fuel pump 2021-03-25 · NHTSA campaign 21V215000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 CR-V vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Remedy Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 18, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-314.

Complaints by component (345 total)

Visibility and wipers
83
Engine
53
Electrical system
26
Structure
26
Powertrain
22
Service brakes
22
Fuel and propulsion system
21
Speed control
19
Visibility
18
Fuel system, gasoline
16
Air bags
6
Suspension
6
Forward collision avoidance
5
Steering
3
Air brakes
2
Engine and engine cooling
2
Exterior lighting
2
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
Lane departure
1
Seat belts
1
Seats
1
Show 13 more Show less
Crash-flagged

4

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

3

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

42019472020272021322022332023822024712025492026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Transfer case is leaking. Then the engine overheated. Confirmed and inspected by the dealer. No warnings prior to the incident."
    Powertrain · filed 2026-09-09
  • "I am reporting recurring water intrusion into my 2020 Acura RDX following significant rainfall. The first water intrusion resulted from heavy rainfall in April 2026. I did not discover the water inside the vehicle until…"
    Electrical system, Structure · filed 2026-08-30
  • "I am reporting recurring water intrusion into the driver-side passenger compartment of my 2020 Acura RDX following significant rainfall. This has occurred multiple times. The most recent incident occurred on August 28,…"
    Electrical system, Structure · filed 2026-08-30
  • "The vehicle’s keyless access/security and body control system malfunctioned. An authorized Acura dealer previously diagnosed water intrusion from blocked panoramic sunroof drains, including water reaching the Body…"
    Electrical system, Unknown or other, Engine · filed 2026-08-22
  • "My RDX experienced a water-intrusion failure involving the panoramic sunroof drainage system and associated electrical components. An authorized Acura dealer diagnosed the right-front sunroof drain as backed…"
    Electrical system, Unknown or other, Engine · filed 2026-08-21

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2020 Acura RDX SUV AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2020 Acura RDX SUV FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

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 all-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (10-speed) All-wheel drive 21 27 23 MPG $3450
RDX all-wheel drive A-SPEC 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (10-speed) All-wheel drive 21 26 23 MPG $3450
RDX front-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Front-wheel drive 22 28 24 MPG $3300
RDX front-wheel drive A-SPEC 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Front-wheel drive 22 27 24 MPG $3300

Specs and fitment

3rd generation (TC1/TC2), 2016–2021
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 (2.0L turbo) , 4.6 qt capacity
Tire size 235/55R19
Towing capacity 1,500 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA safety recall 21V215000 covers affected vehicles after the agency found that honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 CR-V vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail. Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash. Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 18, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-314.

Compare

Previous year 2019 Acura RDX Next year 2021 Acura RDX See every Acura RDX model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2020 Acura RDX reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2020 Acura RDX holds 345 complaints after 7 years, a rate of 37 per year. That is more complaints per year than most RDX years here — over the median of the other years, which is 6. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Front passenger seat weight sensor, Fuel pump, and Buckle.

What are common problems with a 2020 Acura RDX?

The complaints owners file most often name Visibility and wipers (83 of 345), then Engine (53) and Electrical system (26). Those filings include 4 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Is the 2020 Acura RDX more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2019 RDX has 437 complaints, 48 per year, and the 2021 has 112 complaints, 14 per year. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2021.

Has the 2020 Acura RDX been recalled?

The 2020 Acura RDX has 5 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 2020 Acura RDX?

Owners have filed 345 complaints about the 2020 Acura RDX with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2020 Acura RDX get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2020 Acura RDX is 23.5 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.