ACURA RDX · model year

2021 ACURA RDX

141 NHTSA complaints, 5 crash reports, and 2 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

5 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2021ACURARDX carries 141 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 5 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 4/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2021 RDX is unknown or other with 27 filings, followed by engine (18) and service brakes (13). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 2 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 2021 RDX, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

141
Complaints
5
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths
2021 ACURA RDX — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2021 ACURA RDX. Overall composite: 5.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 5.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 4.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 4.0 ★
NHTSA overall 5.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

141 filings

Crashes Reported

5 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 5/5 — Top NCAP rating · Front: 4/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 4/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
UNKNOWN OR OTHER27
ENGINE18
SERVICE BRAKES13
AIR BAGS11
STRUCTURE:BODY9
POWER TRAIN8
VISIBILITY/WIPER8
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM6
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL6
SEATS6
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING5
SEAT BELTS4
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD3
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM3
SUSPENSION2

Recalls (2)

21V93900002/12/2021

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021 Acura RDX and 2022 CR-V Hybrid vehicles. A component in the right or left front driveshaft may have been improperly heat-treated, which could result in driveshaft failure.

24V06400001/02/2024

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RD

Recent Complaints

20260210STRUCTURE:BODY

- Rear window shattered without impact or any signs of stress. - Safety at risk if driving and breakage occurs. In this case I was away from the parked vehicle when the shattering occurred. - There are quite a few reports of this issue online in Facebook Acura owner groups and in published news stories such as this: [XXX] - In my case, it was inspected by the repair company and confirmed to be a common occurrence they are called to repair. - There were no warning lights or any signs of damage or stress to the glass. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

20260210UNKNOWN OR OTHER

- Rear window shattered without impact or any signs of stress. - Safety at risk if driving and breakage occurs. In this case I was away from the parked vehicle when the shattering occurred. - There are quite a few reports of this issue online in Facebook Acura owner groups and in published news stories such as this: [XXX] - In my case, it was inspected by the repair company and confirmed to be a common occurrence they are called to repair. - There were no warning lights or any signs of damage or stress to the glass. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

20260127ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Infotainment system fails on occasions. Sceen goes completely blank causing distraction while driving. There is currently a recall for this issue for 2019-2020 RDX.

20260124STRUCTURE:BODY

Sudden breaking of panoramic glass on sun/moon roof. I believe this is related to the clicking noise that is caused by the improper bolting in this model. There is an active service bulletin for the improper bolting/flexing in the panoramic glass. I called the Acura dealership where this was bought and they didn’t acknowledge that. I had my two children, toddler and infant, in the back. They like the panoramic open. If this broke on top of them this would be a very serious injury.

20260115UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Warmed car before driving, once I got in car and shut drivers side, Rear window shattered. Common issue with other owners of same car. Reached out to Acura dealerships and they claim it’s not an issue that is happening and will not replace it.

20260114VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD

The contact's sister owns a 2021 Acura RDX. The contact stated that the rear glass had shattered while the vehicle was parked in the driveway. The dealer was contacted and advised that the earliest availability to replace the glass was in 3-4 days. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened; however, the manufacturer later informed the contact that the model year was not covered under TSB: 22-014 (Rear Windshield Glass Shattering). The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

Mileage: 60,000

20251218SERVICE BRAKES

After dealer (worldwide motors Ltd also call (Paragon Acura) 33-40 57th street, Woodside, NY 11377)replaced front and rear brake pads and rotors, my vehicle experienced unintended acceleration while stopped. While idling at a red light with my foot firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly moved forward approximately 10 feet on its own. This was a serious safety concern and nearly caused a collision or pedestrian injury. I immediately returned the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer stated they could not duplicate the issue and said the vehicle was operating normally. No warning lights were present. The incident occurred immediately after brake service. I am concerned this may involve the braking system, brake booster, brake switch, or electronic throttle interaction. This behavior is not normal and poses a safety risk.

20251213UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Back windshield glass exploded with no impact. Car was not moving. There is shattered glass everywhere and the car cannot be driven until it is repaired. This appears to be a well known issue but there is no official recall at this time. My Acura dealer said this was covered in warranty that expired in November. The incident happened December 13, 2025.

20251211UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Back windshield shattered and blew out with zero impact. Car was parked Manufacturer denies responsibility . Independent company repaired because dealer was booked and needed fixed quickly. No one injured glass all over back of car and trapped in base of doo now because of faulty design. No warnings at all.

20251209UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1:Sunroof frame shifts creating a popping noise during certain driving conditions. Turning and going up a drive way. 2:Distracting for the driver and passengers stay concerned the whole time. 3:There is a service bulletin with Acura 23-004 but no recall to the matter. 4: Unknown 5:No warning lamps

20251209STRUCTURE:BODY

1:Sunroof frame shifts creating a popping noise during certain driving conditions. Turning and going up a drive way. 2:Distracting for the driver and passengers stay concerned the whole time. 3:There is a service bulletin with Acura 23-004 but no recall to the matter. 4: Unknown 5:No warning lamps

20251208UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I had found a leak coming from my 2021 Acura RDX early November. I took it into the dealership December 1st to get it diagnosed and they stated that the transmission and transfer case needs to get replaced. du The problem has been confirmed by the Bloomington Acura dealership on December 1st 2025. After doing research online it looks like this has happened to multiple people with different Acura Models, including newer models of RDX, TLX and MDX. No warning lamps, messages or failures appeared. Just oil leaking beneath the vehicle. It looks like Acura is aware of the issue. The metal shavings from the splines between the transmission and transfer case is destroying the seal. Causing the oil leak hence a new transmission and transfer case.

20251203VISIBILITY/WIPER

I closed my driver door and the back window just shattered. The glass just exploded.

20251203VISIBILITY/WIPER

My car was parked in my driveway. After starting it up and closing my driver’s side door, the entire rear windshield spontaneously shattered without warning or any external manipulation/force. There was no way of knowing of whether or not this would happen. I fear that if I had my dogs in the car (or a child) someone could have been seriously hurt. Shards of glass went everywhere - in the trunk, all over the cargo area, and all over my driveway. I am now stuck without a car while I try to get this repair figured out. Acura/Honda needs to place a recall on this ASAP after seeing how common of an issue it is for many RDX (and other models) owners.

20251106POWER TRAIN

The transfer case began leaking between the transmission and transfer case. Upon taking it to a mechanic I’ve been told the entire transfer case needs replacement because it has prematurely failed. The repair cost is $5533.00. Through research I’ve seen there are many failing transfer cases on acuras with the SH all wheel drive systems. I believe Acura has a design flaw in the system and should be responsible for the repair.

20251028VISIBILITY/WIPER

Rear window spontaneously shattered

20250922UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Complaint Summary I am filing this complaint regarding American Honda Motor Corp’s handling of a warranty claim on my 2021 Acura RDX. Despite being within the 4-year/50,000-mile warranty, I was denied full coverage for a well-documented defect: condensation/moisture in both headlight housings with no external damage. •Dealer (Rick Case Acura, Sunrise FL) confirmed the condition. •Technician Francisco documented internal moisture, no external damage. •Service Manager Wade Bell submitted goodwill request [XXX], which was approved at 70% only. •My out-of-pocket responsibility was ~$1,400. •I requested full coverage from American Honda, consistent with Acura’s warranty obligations and known issues with these headlight assemblies. On a recorded call, American Honda repeatedly stated my request was denied, refused to provide a written denial, and declined to issue a case reference number directly. Only after reviewing an email did I locate the case number ([XXX]). This refusal

20250624STRUCTURE:BODY

While driving over a bump or curb to enter parking lot, I hear a popping noise coming from the sunroof at the front passenger and rear driver side of the car.

20250624AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2021 Acura RDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

20250617BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS

At start up, my car displayed 4 errors: Lane Keeping Assist System, Collision Mitigation Braking System, Road Departure Mitigation System, and Electric Power Steering. As a result, my car could not steer and had to get it towed to the dealership.

Compare 2021ACURARDX to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2021 ACURA RDX have?
The 2021 ACURA RDX has 141 NHTSA complaints, 5 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2021 ACURA RDX?
The 2021 ACURA RDX received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 5/5, front crash rating of 4/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 4/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2021 ACURA RDX?
Yes, the 2021 ACURA RDX has 2 recall(s). The most common affected component is POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2021 ACURA RDX?
The most-complained component for the 2021 ACURA RDX is UNKNOWN OR OTHER with 27 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE and SERVICE BRAKES.
Is the 2021 ACURA RDX safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2021 ACURA RDX has an NHTSA safety rating of 5/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.