162 owner complaints filed with the United States safety regulator · top issue: Exterior Lighting · verdict CAUTION 66/100
“The headlight housings on this generation of 2013 Acura MDXs completely fail due to a design flaw that causes the housing to overheat and dim the lights to a dangerous level. At night, you would be safer if you were driving with flashlights taped to the hood of the vehicle. I’m sure this has caused numerous wrecks for 2013-2015 MDX owners as it is a widely reported issue that needs to be fixed asap before more people”NHTSA complaint, 2013 Acura RDX owner
“I have a code on my Acura regarding the driver side airbag. The code is 11-10, covered under service bulletin: 18-020, noting defects in the driver side air bag module. I brought my vehicle in to Hall Acura in November 2025 where this was officially diagnosed and a order was placed for a part on back order (Part Number: 77810-tx4-a40za). To this date, the part continues to be on "critical back order". I have escalate”NHTSA complaint, 2013 Acura RDX owner
“The headlights do not produce enough light to see the road. Every time the car is driven at night it is extremely dangerous.”NHTSA complaint, 2013 Acura RDX owner
| Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 06/03/2019 | Air Bags:Frontal:Driver Side:Inflator Module SAFETY | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 20 |
| 03/02/2016 | Air Bags:Frontal:Driver Side:Inflator Module SAFETY | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2011-2015 CR-Z, 2010-2014 FCX, and Insight, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013-2014 Fit EV, 2007-2014 Ridgeline, 2013-2016 Acura ILX, 2013-2014 Acur |
| 15/04/2013 | Power Train:Automatic Transmission | Honda is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 CR-V, Odyssey, and model year 2013 Acura RDX vehicles. During sub-freezing temperatures, the brake-shift interlock blocking mechanism may become slow and allow the gear se |
On the federal record it scores 66/100: 162 owner complaints (12.46 per year on the road) and 3 recall campaigns, 2 touching safety-critical systems.
The most-reported component in NHTSA complaints is Exterior Lighting, with 89 of 153 categorised reports.
The 2013 Acura RDX scored 66/100 on the federal record.