Acura RLX: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Acura RLX: 7 model years scored from 110 NHTSA owner complaints and 13 recall campaigns. Worst year 2014, best year 2019.
Acura RLX: which years to avoid
Across 7 scored model years the Acura RLX ranges from 43/100 in 2014 to 93/100 in 2016 — a 50-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a RLX at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Steering (48 of them).
Avoid: 2014 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2019 (score 86). Worst: 2014 (score 43, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 90 | BUY | $4,686 | 2 | 1 |
| 2019 | 86 | BUY | $4,820 | 0 | 3 |
| 2018 | 88 | BUY | $4,874 | 6 | 1 |
| 2017 | 93 | BUY | $5,006 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016 | 93 | BUY | $5,100 | 5 | 0 |
| 2015 | 83 | BUY | $5,249 | 11 | 3 |
| 2014 | 43 | AVOID | $5,501 | 83 | 5 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the RLX, through the years →
RLX sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the RLX on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Acura RLX
Across every RLX model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Steering58 complaints across all RLX years · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement$1,020–$2,500
- Suspension21 complaints across all RLX years · typical job: Struts, springs and control-arm bushings, one axle$780–$1,580
- Electrical System14 complaints across all RLX years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Electronic Stability Control (Esc)12 complaints across all RLX years · typical job: Yaw sensor or ESC module replacement$660–$1,560
- Engine11 complaints across all RLX years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Forward Collision Avoidance6 complaints across all RLX years · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration$780–$2,160
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Acura RLX years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2014 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2014 is the weakest at 43/100, with its complaints concentrated in Steering.
What are the best Acura RLX years to buy?
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2016 at 93/100, on 5 complaints and 0 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Acura RLX problem?
58 of the complaints filed against the RLX across all its model years sit in the Steering group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04