Owners have filed 27 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the steering and brakes. The 7 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2025Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/7 checked
2025 Acura RDX: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/4
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/1
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/2
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
Nearby years usually share most parts, so their problems are worth checking on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2025 Acura RDX. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl | AWD | 23 mpg |
Owners report these failures starting around the mileages below. A car inside one of these ranges deserves a closer look at that part, or records showing it was already fixed.
Sudden power steering loss
414–5,000 miles
NHTSA complaints for the 2025 Acura RDX, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Electric power steering cuts out without warning while driving. It often happens mid-curve or at highway speed, and the wheel becomes very hard to turn. Many reports describe a burst of warnings at the same moment for steering assist, the brake system, lane keeping and collision mitigation. Some cars also brake on their own and pull toward another lane or a guardrail. Lane Keeping Assist is often engaged when it happens, and restarting the car usually clears the fault for a while. Most failures come within the first few thousand miles. One of the 21 complaints involves a crash into a ditch.
Brakes hum and make loud noises in reverse. One owner reports two dealer visits that ended with no repair. The other complaint matches the steering pattern: the car brakes on its own in a curve, power steering drops out, and Lane Keep Assist and brake system warnings stay on after a restart. The dealer could not diagnose or reproduce that problem. With only 2 complaints on file, the clearest takeaway is that brake warnings on this car can be part of the steering fault rather than a separate brake problem.
Excerpts from complaints RDX owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
I was going around a curve at 20mph and all of a sudden my steering wheel locked up and so did my brakes and I ended up in a ditch. I took a picture of all the alerts that came up on the vehicle.
Filed with NHTSA, April 2025
While driving around a curve with the LKAS system engaged the steering wheel locked up causing me to move into the next lane. Many warning lights came on, e.g., Stop brake system malfunction. LKAS malfunction etc. My safety was compromised and I had to pull over and shut the car off. My car is currently at the dealer. They said the power steering mechanism malfunctioned and needs replacing. They had to order the parts.
Filed with NHTSA, June 2025
Brakes making a humming noise and loud noises when reversing. Have taken it to the dealer two times already, have had the car less than a year, and the dealer claims there is nothing they can do.
Filed with NHTSA, April 2026
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2025 ranks fifth for owner complaints among 7 RDX years, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Recall repairs are free at any Acura dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2025 Acura RDX vehicles. The software for the electric power steering (EPS) assist may not be calibrated properly, which can cause the EPS system to enter a failsafe mode, resulting in a loss of power steering assist.
Risk: A loss of power steering assist can require greater steering effort, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the EPS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 20, 2025. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is GMS. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning September 11, 2025.
Cars shoppers compare with the Acura RDX, with their own 2025 checklists.
2025 owner complaints, side by side
