2019 Acura RDX Engine Problems

91 owners have reported engine & cooling problems with the 2019 Acura RDX to NHTSA — 21% of all 440 complaints for this model year. The typical failure happened around 8,000 miles. That ranks #1 of 18 RDX model years for engine complaints (a typical year has 3). No engine recall has been issued for this model year.

91complaints
8ktypical miles
0related recalls
0crashes
0fires
0injuries

Mileage when the problem started

  • Under 25k
    4284%
  • 25k–50k
    612%
  • 50k–75k
    24%
  • 75k–100k
    00%
  • 100k–150k
    00%
  • 150k+
    00%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2019 Acura RDX owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2019 Acura RDX. The contact stated that upon exiting a highway and coming to a stop light, the vehicle would not accelerate above 25 MPH without warning. The contact was able to reach his destination and after explaining the failure to a friend; he was informed that his vehicle had gone into limp mode. Upon restart of the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal driving operation. The contact hooked up his vehicle to a scanner and no fault codes were found. The contact then called the manufacturer where he was informed that this failure was a known issue and that he would have to take the vehicle to the dealer three times after experiencing each failure. The contact was not informed as to what would happen after the third visit to the dealer. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where it had yet to be diagnosed and remained in their possession. …

36,000 miles · Aug 2021

The contact owns a 2019 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to move or shift into neutral(N). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified but no additional assistance was provided. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V215000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

40,000 miles · Jun 2022

The contact owns a 2019 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning light suddenly illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power and started to decelerate. After pulling off the roadway and restarting the vehicle, the failure was self-corrected, and the vehicle operated as designed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 57,000.

57,000 miles · Apr 2023

On July 24, 2022, while driving from Champaign-Urbana, Illinois back to our home in Lisle, IL, in a heavy rainstorm, our RDX suddenly started flashing the engine light and lost power on Interstate 57. We were fortunate to be able to maneuver it to the side of the road, and off the nearby ramp at Bradley, IL. We 'googled' the circumstances on our iphone, to learn that this is considered a serious, potentially life-threatening situation, and that Acura recommended immediate Service Bulletin 20-053, dated May 25, 2021, states the symptom as "The MIL is flashing with loss of power." It indicates "Corrective Action" for the RDX as "Update the PGM-FI and replace the intercooler, the intercooler outlet pipe assembly and the intercooler outlet hose." Affected vehicles include "ALL" 2019-2020 RDX models." Despite the Service Bulletin that was issued, many RDX owners, noted the same response from …

Jul 2022

My car has been shaking on acceleration but no engine light or any warning popped up. When I called an Acura dealership, they said they would have trouble diagnosing the problem without a light on. A few days later, while accelerating on the highway, my car started shaking violently and lost power. The engine light started flashing. I could have gotten into an accident because I could no longer accelerate on the highway. I had to slowly pull off to a safe stop. This could have been a dangerous and life-threatening situation. Someone could have crashed into me behind me and I could not quickly get into a safe area. I brought it to an Acura dealership and they could not find anything. The engine light had turned off. Though, when I took the car again, the car was still shaking on acceleration. I was afraid to drive at normal speeds since it is extremely safe. …

Jul 2023

I was driving on the highway and it was raining. I tried to pass another car so I started to accelerate. But during my attempt to accelerate, my 2019 Acura RDX would not respond to throttle response. So I slowly started to loose speed the car. The engine warning light started to flash and the car came to a stop on a dangerous road construction area with no medians. I had to turn on my hazards and wait ON THE ROAD at night. I quickly turned off the engine and tried to turn the engine on again. When I turned the engine on it no error codes were shown and the check engine light was gone. I started to drive again and was able to get to a service road. After a while I decided to try to keep driving so I could get home and when I was merging into the highway, it happened again. …

Oct 2023

I started driving on the freeway for a few miles in the rain and suddenly started to hear a low rumble/rattling sound from the engine area. The car began to cycle through error messages for every one of the electronic safety systems (Brake system, vehicle stability assist system, electric power steering system, adaptive cruise control system, collision mitigation braking, & road departure mitigation) The car then began to lose drive power (wouldn't maintain/increase speed when pressing the gas pedal). I moved over to the furthest right lane/slow lane and continued to lose propulsion from the gas pedal. Being forced to such a slow speed on the freeway in inclement weather was very unsafe for me and my wife who was in the car with me. I had to drive on the shoulder in order to exit the freeway and the engine rattle got increasingly louder and worse sounding. …

Nov 2024

On July 12, 2025 my husband, the driver, and myself, owner of the vehicle and passenger this day, were driving on the freeway at approximately 7:00am in the middle lanes of the freeway. Without any codes or warnings beforehand, we heard the car make alarming beeps and automatically loss all power to the engine while traveling at highway speeds. This situation put my husband and my lives at risk and in a dangerous situation as there was traffic on a busy freeway and lost all power to the vehicle and made even maneuvering off the freeway a dangerous action as we had no warning beforehand there was something wrong. My husband was able to get us safely out of harms way. …

Jul 2025

Vehicle: 2019 Acura RDX (Technology Package) I am reporting a serious safety issue involving sudden loss of engine power while driving. On March 14, 2026, I filled my gas tank before traveling approximately 1.5 hours out of town. The vehicle operated normally that day. The following morning, during snowy and icy conditions, while accelerating in traffic, the vehicle suddenly lost power and stalled. Multiple warning lights illuminated on the dashboard ("Christmas tree" effect), and the steering became very stiff, making it difficult to safely maneuver the vehicle out of traffic. I was able to restart the vehicle, but warning lights remained on. The next day, while driving on the highway under normal conditions, the same issue occurred again. While accelerating, the vehicle suddenly lost power and stalled in traffic, creating a dangerous situation. …

Mar 2026

on 2/3/22, after only 12 hours of owning the vehicle, I merged onto 287 South and upon speeding up and merging into the center lane, I lost all acceleration and my dash lit up like a Christmas Tree. An 18 wheeler was coming behind me in the middle lane at 65 mph while my car slowed down to 25 mph. I was thankfully able to get over to the side of the road without being hurt or even killed. Upon bringing it into the dealer, the codes showed that it was a bad engine coil and spark plug. This was repaired under warranty. Fast forward to 5/16/22, I exited the highway, came to a complete stop at a red light. Upon the light turning green, I went to accelerate and limp mode activated again. I have video of the incident and dealership is unable to find any issues with the vehicle. Both times it was either raining or had just stopped. …

Feb 2022

Engine complaints in other RDX years

’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’2552312223711119157231411
Engine complaints per model year, Acura RDX.

Frequently asked questions

How common are engine problems on the 2019 Acura RDX?

NHTSA has 91 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2019 Acura RDX, 21% of the model year's 440 complaints.

Is there a recall for 2019 Acura RDX engine problems?

No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2019 Acura RDX, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.

At what mileage do 2019 Acura RDX engine problems start?

Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 8,000 miles, and 84% before 25,000 miles.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.