2019 Acura RDX: What to check before buying

Rear window glass breaks on its own, sometimes cracking first and then dropping chunks into the cargo area when a door shuts. Reports point to parked cars, cold mornings with remote start or the defroster running, and repeat failures on the same vehicle. Some owners say replacement glass is backordered. A separate complaint is a front windshield that cracks from minor road debris and keeps needing replacement, which also means recalibrating the camera and radar safety systems.

Rear tailgate glass shatters without impact, usually while parked, often just as a door opens or closes. Reported mileages run from about 24,000 to 126,000, and some cars have the failure again after the glass is replaced. Owners link it to service bulletin 22-014 but say they were told their VIN was not included or that the warranty had expired. Most say the manufacturer offered no help, leaving repairs to dealers, glass shops, or insurance.

Power cuts out under hard acceleration, usually while passing or merging at highway speed. The check engine light flashes, the car drops into limp mode and will barely do 20 to 30 mph. Turning it off and restarting usually clears it. Rain or wet roads come up often, and most reports fall within the first 20,000 miles. Dealers often find no stored codes and cannot reproduce it. One later report describes a head gasket failure with coolant leaking into the engine.

Sudden power loss on the highway is the main pattern, with a flashing check engine light and a restart that brings the car back to normal. Other reports describe the engine revving while the car won't go past 20 mph, a delay of about 3 seconds before the transmission responds after slowing down, and gears sticking until the car is restarted. Some describe the car lurching forward under braking with high revs. One owner reports metal shavings in the transmission fluid at 60,000 miles and a $13000 repair.

The infotainment screen goes dark, taking the backup camera with it, or stays on after shutdown and drains the battery. Horns stop working and dealers replace internal horn parts. Some cars lose all power on the highway, with every warning light on and heavy steering. Others go into limp mode during acceleration, or the auto-stop feature shuts off the dash and all systems at a stop. Reports also link rear glass shattering to the defroster grid, and one describes a theft through a weak driver's door lock cylinder.

Rear glass shatters without impact, often in cold weather or after the rear defroster or wiper has run. It happens with children in the back seat, and some owners find glass fragments trapped inside the liftgate panels after the repair. The panoramic moonroof has also burst with a loud bang. A separate safety issue is a power tailgate that closes on its own and does not reverse when it hits someone. Two injuries are reported, including one person pinned by the tailgate.

Power drops out when the driver floors it to pass or merge. The check engine light flashes and the car goes into limp mode until it is restarted, often in rain and on cars with only a few thousand miles. Other reports describe the engine revving while speed stays near 20 mph, brake hold letting go so the car creeps toward traffic or pedestrians, and the radar system braking hard or slowing the car when nothing is ahead.

The passenger airbag off light comes on while an adult is seated and belted, which means the front passenger airbag may not deploy. Passengers weighing 95 to 120 lb are cited. The problem comes and goes, and a restart usually clears it. Dealers often cannot reproduce it, and replacing sensors, the seat frame, the weight plate, and the restraint computer has not fixed it for some owners. One crash report describes no airbags deploying in a head-on collision, with injuries.

Power steering assist cuts out or the steering locks up at highway speed, sometimes as a collision mitigation warning flashes. One crash with injury followed a sudden loss of steering assist in traffic. A second crash involved a front tie rod that broke at low speed. Other reports describe lane keeping assist swerving across lane lines and braking without cause, and a radar fault that shut the car down with hard steering.