Owners have filed 106 complaints on the Acura RLX, covering 2014–2020. The system named most often is Steering (56 reports). Worst years by volume: 2014, 2015, 2018; cleanest: 2020, 2017, 2016. 2 reports describe a crash, 1 a fire. On average the car was 6.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Acura RLX
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 106 RLX complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Steering 56 Read
The contact owns a 2020 Acura RLX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn, with an abnormal sound coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken…
The contact owns a 2017 Acura RLX. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle pulled to the right, with a creaking sound while turning the steering wheel to the left or the right. The contact replaced the brake pads and rotors every year, but the failure persisted. The contact stated that the…
The vehicle is equipped with 4 wheel steering. The rear wheels are controled by the computer. While maneuvering in a parking lot or after sharp turns the rear wheels do not respond to driver input. The wheels get stuck in the wrong direction and the driver must correct direction of travel to compensate. The steering…
Suspension 12 Read
The contact owns a 2017 acura rlx. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a severe vibration on the driver's side wheel. The contact was able to feel the failure more while driving higher speeds. The failure occurred without warning. Acura of orange park (7200 blanding blvd, jacksonville, florida) stated that…
3 sidewall separations on 3 different wheel locations in normal driving after hitting moderate potholes at between 30-40 mph. The mid profile michelin primacy oem tires, 19 inch wheels, and suspension do not function safely on this heavy sedan. The risk of even a small pothole, expansion joint, or manhole is a danger…
The contact owns a 2015 Acura RLX. The contact stated while switching lanes to the left, the vehicle started fishtailing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated the failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to the dealer a second…
Engine 7 Read
Catastrophic engine failure at speed, connecting rod failure, which is a known failure for this engine. Engine blew, lost all power, and hot oil hit the hot exhaust and the car caught on fire. A fire truck came to put out the engine fire
My vehicle has the same 3.5 liter naturally aspirated V6 that comes in the Acrua MDX which is currently on recall for connecting rod bearings on vehicles with 3.5-liter V6 engines can fail, leading to complete engine failure. My car has the excact same engin with the exact same problem. I have the full diagnosis and…
The first time I heard the engine noise was on [XXX]. I brought the vehicle to the Schaumburg Muller Acura dealership and dropped it off on May 20. On May 21, the dealership performed an initial inspection and informed me that they needed authorization to further disassemble the engine in order to determine the cause…
Electrical System 6 Read
The contact owns a 2018 Acura RLX. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the headlight failure message was displayed. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the A/C compressor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact…
The contact owns a 2018 Acura RLX. The contact stated while driving her vehicle at an undisclosed speed, stated that the vehicle would not start up, and noticed every single waring light illuminated up on her dash. The vehicle was taken to a dealer twice, first time it was diagnosed to have a crank sensor failure, it…
The contact owns a 2016 acura rlx. The contact stated that after loading groceries into the trunk of the vehicle, the trunk to was manually closed however, the trunk unlocked independently. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no fix for the failure. The contact stated…
Electronic Stability Control (esc) 5 Read
When I purchased the car in 2014 the first week I detected a noise on the rear of the car, I went to the acura service center and they found problem with the actuators, they received the visit from an usa service center technician and confirming a malfunction actuator they said that they will work on a new design.…
When turning a corner, the paws engages, and keeps turning even when I try to steer away..it has been increasingly doing this..today, it did it horribly, scaring me to drive the vehicle. It also fish tails horribly while turning tight corners.. I am afraid I'm going to go off of the road, or hit another vehicle
Immediately once the car is started the following sensor codes pop up: vsa, all wheel steering, EPS problem, forward collision problem. The car can be stationary or in motion. When the sensors are on the car is not able to go above 50 mph
Vehicle Speed Control 3 Read
As I was pulling into a parking space in a shopping plaza, the vehicle suddenly accelerated causing me to hit a parked vehicle about 10 ft to my left. Updated 3/17/2015
On my 2020 Acura RLX hybrid: On the same day, once in a parking lot and once on a side drive, traveling at less than 15mph but more than 5mph, the car suddenly accelerated upon which I slowed the car dowm by braking lightly. I have no idea why this happened. The original equipment rubber floor mat was correctly…
2014 acura rlx. Consumer writes in regards to while driving, the vehicle suddenly lurched towards the right as if someone had pulled the steering wheel. *smd the consumer stated the incident happened on two separate occasions. The dealer was unable to find a problem
Exterior Lighting 3 Read
Component: Headlight Light blew out probably due to the moisture in the headlight assembly The Exterior lighting on 2014-2015 Acura RLX has a recall NHTSA ID Number 10106777, 10108484 & 10115754 for film backing material inside the headlights may delaminate, which may result in the vehicle no longer conforming to…
Deer were crossing the road in front of my vehicle. It is impossible on this vehicle to turn off or dim headlights unless vehicle is in park or parking brake is on (hence a complete stop). Deer froze in the headlights and I had to completely stop in the middle of the road in order to have the deer safely move on (once…
I've owned this vehicle or actually is leasing it and I've had it for about 20 months and have experienced 3 recalls on this vehicle and this is suppose to be acura's flagship vehicle and I'm totally not pleased with these recalls that I feel acura probably knew about before releasing the vehicle for sale to the…
Wheels 3 Read
Sudden fish tail motions while traveling on road and cause wheels to go out of alignment and could lead to possible accident. This has happened not only me but others that own a 2014 acura rlx
The contact owns a 2014 Acura RLX. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the rear wheels were turning independently while the contact was driving straight. The contact stated that the steering wheel needed to be turned in order for the wheels to be straightened. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer…
I have a serious safety issue with my 2014 Acura RLX. While driving, the rear wheel intermittently kicks out, causing the entire vehicle to swerve unpredictably. This poses a significant safety risk to myself, passengers, and other road users. The rear wheel kicks out, leading to sudden swerving of the vehicle. I…
RLX years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Steering | — | — | |
| 2018 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2017 | Engine | — | 1 | |
| 2016 | Air Bags,structure,unknown Or Other | 1 | — | |
| 2015 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2014 | Electrical System | 1 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 57 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.9 |
| Worst single series | 8 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.1 years |
A model average of 1.9 hides a worst series at 8. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the RLX?
By complaint volume, 2014, 2015, 2018 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which RLX years are the cleanest?
2020, 2017, 2016 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Acura RLX have?
106 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2014–2020. Of those, 2 describe a crash and 1 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.