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Acura RDX: Common Problems

Its always best to stay well informed, especially with important information about your vehicle. Check out some common TSBs and recalls for the Acura RDX.

By Neftali Medina - April 28, 2016

This article applies to the Acura RDX.

You get home and notice an urgent letter in the mail box. As you open it, it warns you of a current vehicle recall that can cause you and your passengers serious injury if not attended to. Recalls are announcements made by vehicle manufacturers that notify the public about a faulty component that can cause bodily harm. They list what will be done to repair it and how long it will take, repairs which will cost the vehicle owner nothing.

Another form of communication vehicle manufacturers use is called a technical service bulletin, or TSB for short. Unlike recalls, TSBs are generally not free to repair and instead offer information a consumer needs to fix a common problem. Acura has a few common TSBs which are explained here.

Common TSBs

Throttle Control Malfunction

There are four current TSBs, all relaying issues with the same system. The issue stems from the throttle control system, often causing acceleration problems as well as causing some cases to stall out.

Figure 1. Shows the location of the throttle body.

Shifter Stuck in Park

There are several things that can cause this to occur, but usually it boils down to a connection from the brake switch assembly to the engine harness. The brake switch is a safety mechanism that will not allow the car to shift without the pedal being compressed. For some reason, brake switches are not the strongest components, and its fairly common for them to just stop working. Fortunately, the switch is mounted behind the pedal, and replacing it takes less than fifteen minutes.There are two TSBs published for this problem.

Figure 2. The brake switch mounting point.

Takata Airbag Recall

The Takata Airbag Recall did not just affect Acura, but several other makes as well. It was due to a defective inflator that could rupture and cause serious injury to the occupants. Honda mailed out remedy notices in March of 2016. If you failed to receive any notifications, feel free to contact Honda directly for further assistance. The reference numbers are jy0, jy1, and jy2.

Figure 3. The Takata airbag inflator malfunctions in various models.

Common Question

When are TSBs taken care of free of charge?

There are two ways a TSB can be taken care of for free. One requires the vehicle to still be under the original warranty. The other is treated similarly to a recall, where vehicle owners receive notification letters for the affected models and are given the opportunity to have the component repaired within a specified mileage limit.

Other Technical Service Bulletins (TSB)

  • IN-RFV-1-29-14 10054806 - Malfunctioning indicator lamp
  • IN-2013-09 10054638 - Steering column clicking
  • IN-13-11 10054476 - Rattling noise in steering column
  • IN-13-20 10054472 - Throttle control malfunction
  • IN-12-2-20 10054014 - Throttle control malfunction
  • SB-10112013 10053783 - Throttle control malfunction
  • IN-09-18-13 10053405 - Cannot shift out of park
  • IN-09-13 10053305 - Cannot shift out of park
  • ASN-49584 10053207 - Mystery problem*
  • ASN: 1305 10052433 - Engine shuts off
  • BER-13010-A 10052221 - Door lock freezes
  • SB-05-16 10052175 - Throttle control malfunction
  • IN-3-26-13 10052092 - Counterfeit airbags
  • BER-12100-A 10048999 - Steering wheel accessory button failure

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