2018 Acura RDX: What to check before buying

Waiting on a fuel system recall repair is the main theme. Most reports describe getting a recall notice, then hearing from one or several dealers that the part is not available, and many of these owners have had no failure yet. A smaller group reports symptoms while they wait: jerking, sputtering, near-stalling, and hard starts. Some see a yellow warning light or several warning lights at once. Losing power at speed and stalling in traffic are the main crash risks described.

Hesitation and bogging when accelerating or merging are the main symptoms, along with jerking at about 20 mph, failure to start, and lost drive power. Several owners say the problem gets worse over time. Most reports, though, focus on a fuel pump recall notice and dealers saying replacement parts are unavailable. Owners describe waits of months, being put on a list, and dealers who never received the parts. Losing power while merging into traffic is a clear crash risk.

Harsh, jerky shifting and hesitation lead these reports. Drivers describe hard shifts around 20 mph, delayed engagement, slipping into neutral, and the engine racing without pulling away when they try to accelerate into traffic. Some see a flashing D indicator, a check transmission message, and the check engine light. Dealers often cannot reproduce the problem, and several owners say symptoms came back or got worse after a software update or torque converter replacement. Separate reports describe the car rolling away on an incline and injuring a person, and rear propeller shaft bolts backing out.

Intermittent no-starts and hesitation lead these reports. Dashboard lights flicker, the start button clicks, and the engine will not turn over. Others describe jerking around 20 mph after stops and stalling on the highway. In one case a faulty control unit was found and the replacement part was backordered. Other complaints cover a security alarm that goes off repeatedly while parked, which a mechanic blamed on the body control module, and failures of adaptive cruise control, navigation, and CarPlay. Rodent-chewed wiring also appears. Dealers often cannot reproduce these faults.

Lurching forward or backward when shifting into gear or touching the gas from a stop is the common complaint. Drivers also describe a hesitation followed by a sudden surge between first and second gear, and stalling or losing power while cornering at low speed. Unintended acceleration while pulling into a parking space is also reported. Dealers often cannot reproduce the problem. These unexpected surges at lights, in garages, and in parking lots carry a real collision risk.

Rollaways, rodent damage, and a shattered sunroof make up this small group, with no shared pattern. In one injury crash, the car rolled backward down a hill after the engine was shut off from the passenger side, knocked a person down, and hit a tree. Another report describes acorns jamming the shifter so it would not return to Park, plus a fuel line chewed by animals. A third describes the glass sunroof shattering at highway speed with no sign of impact.

Unintended acceleration while pressing the brake pedal appears in two reports, one of which says it happened on more than one occasion. Neither report mentions a crash. A third report describes brake lights that did not work. According to that owner, the dealer said the car came without a relay for the brake lights and installed one taken from another car. Brake lights that do not work raise the risk of being rear-ended.

Hesitation and power loss when accelerating dominate these reports. Sometimes a sudden lunge forward follows while the driver is changing lanes or passing. One owner ties the symptoms to the torque converter and reports a flashing red check transmission light. Getting a repair is a common frustration. Dealers could not duplicate the failure, or said parts were short and only cars with active problems were being fixed. One failure appeared at approximately 34,700 miles. Losing power while merging or passing is the main safety risk.

Seatback failure in a high-speed rear-end crash is the serious report here. The seat shifted far enough that the driver slipped under the seatbelt into the rear of the cabin and was injured. The other report describes strong fumes from the artificial leather that caused dizziness bad enough to make driving unsafe. Ventilation and deep cleaning did not help, and the owner says the manufacturer declined to act.