Ended up going with the Acura RDX...

I recently had some brake work done at my Mazda dealer, which has a Maserati/AR dealership right beside it. The Stelvio definitely looks better than the CX-5 IMO, and I think part of it has to do with the painted cladding around the wheel arches. RDX's reliability ratings may be overblown due to common first MY issues.

IMO the best way to suss out reliability or quality concerns is to find an online social community or two made up of owners/potential owners (like an online forum or a FB group). That way, you can potentially get real world feedback from owners while also considering the info provided from other publications/reviewers.
I don't agree with that AT ALL and I will tell you why and its a simple concept. Many people join online forums to ONLY get info on a problem. Those posts are NOT giving you a good cross section of all of the people who own that car just the ones who have problems.
 
Loved my silver CX7.

Feel bad for Nissan/Infiniti's product managers. Do they read these forums? Are their SUVs ever mentioned positively? Mentioned?

Do they even talk about them on their own forums?

Congrats on RDX. I too found the CX5 a tad small, and RDX was in play right until the end when I bought my CX9. I could easily have been happy with RDX. Love the white on red.
 
Loved my silver CX7.

Feel bad for Nissan/Infiniti's product managers. Do they read these forums? Are their SUVs ever mentioned positively? Mentioned?

Do they even talk about them on their own forums?

Congrats on RDX. I too found the CX5 a tad small, and RDX was in play right until the end when I bought my CX9. I could easily have been happy with RDX. Love the white on red.

I remember a review of a Nissan Rogue in Car and Driver magazine. The author stated that the Rogue is a good car "if you are driving by yourself going down hill". LOL

The new Rogue got a pretty good revue though.
 
Had to chime in here. Sorry it’s for my first post.

I’m coming from the other way. I bought what I thought was going to be a great car in a 2020 RDX A-spec. Like many, I have a personal rule to never buy a first year model of a generation, so this car was supposed to be OK. I can’t find many “common problems” that didn’t affect me (some are just criticisms of things I deem unacceptable in a $45k car).
  • Sunroof pop/knock at least daily
  • Loss of network comms blue screen of death
  • Squeaky brakes after only 5k miles
  • AM/FM unavailable at random
  • Bluetooth unavailable at random
  • Ventilated seats that did nothing
  • Radio black/won’t turn on (happened in a loaner, too)
  • Rubbing sound when hatch closes
  • Jerky trans/acceleration
  • Weird lull in power when coming to an almost stop
  • Exceptionally bad turbo lag
  • Crackly passenger speaker (loaner had the same issue)
  • Faulty parking sensors
  • Wicked dash rattle (loaner, too)
  • Never exceeded 21 mpg, even feathering the accelerator

None of that means jack compared to an issue called “limp mode during acceleration”. This was truly terrifying, second to actually getting in an accident. Happened to me twice, apparently it also affects the 2.0T Accords. Rare problem, but with rain on a long-ish trip the car will simply go into limp mode when you’re accelerating. No codes will be stored (such was the case for me), or just a code for cylinder misfire.

Mine happened at night, in the rain, in construction, moderate traffic, tractor trailer treading the line, shoulders closed. The other time normal highway with rain, still not safe. Dealer found nothing, Acura customer service would not get back to me after seeing dealer, asked for buyback, considered pursuing lemon law, but in the end I traded the stupid car in after just a few months (7500 miles) and took a massive loss in order to get peace of mind. Some might not agree with this decision, but the loss of power issue was on my mind EVERY single time I was driving. Plus you read about a couple people who had it happen in completely dry conditions— nope. There was no way I wanted to get stuck with that car for 5-10 years. Five minutes of cursory research shows this goes back years when including the Accord, and there’s no indication the 2021 RDX is unaffected (or the ‘21 TLX . Those look awesome, btw).

Anyways, I jumped to a ‘21 CX-5 signature. Not as quick, but feels like a nicer vehicle. The build quality is excellent. 2nd Mazda—had an ‘05 RX-8 about a decade ago. Loved that car.

Don’t get me wrong— there were some good things about the RDX. The acceleration was explosively quick after the first few thousand RPMs, the LKAS lane centering was excellent, looks nice inside and out, very roomy compared to CX-5... but that’s it. 10th car I’ve owned, easily the poorest value, and mile for mile, the least reliable by far.

Great to move to a car company that has cars that can accelerate in the rain. Acura doesn’t think that’s an important feature to include— even as an optional extra.
 
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I don't agree with that AT ALL and I will tell you why and its a simple concept. Many people join online forums to ONLY get info on a problem. Those posts are NOT giving you a good cross section of all of the people who own that car just the ones who have problems.

Yep I definitely agree that most people join online forums to find info/solutions regarding a problem they're having. The benefit comes from the owners who may be able to provide solutions, and who may be able to put the issue into a frame of reference.

Additionally, while online forums may not be the best way to find out how often a problem arises, they are a good way to find out what kind of problems people are having. As an example, previously the CX-9 had a low reliability ranking on CR for the 2016 MY. Hop on to a Mazda forum, and at the time most people were having issues with the infotainment. Someone worried about powertrain reliability would see that and probably get some relief from it.

You're right, it's tough to get a good cross section of all the people who own the car just from online forums, but if you combine it with other research/reviews, it can contribute to a better overall picture.


Had to chime in here. Sorry it’s for my first post.

I’m coming from the other way. I bought what I thought was going to be a great car in a 2020 RDX A-spec. Like many, I have a personal rule to never buy a first year model of a generation, so this car was supposed to be OK. I can’t find many “common problems” that didn’t affect me (some are just criticisms of things I deem unacceptable in a $45k car).
  • Sunroof pop/knock at least daily
  • Loss of network comms blue screen of death
  • Squeaky brakes after only 5k miles
  • AM/FM unavailable at random
  • Bluetooth unavailable at random
  • Ventilated seats that did nothing
  • Radio black/won’t turn on (happened in a loaner, too)
  • Rubbing sound when hatch closes
  • Jerky trans/acceleration
  • Weird lull in power when coming to an almost stop
  • Exceptionally bad turbo lag
  • Crackly passenger speaker (loaner had the same issue)
  • Faulty parking sensors
  • Wicked dash rattle (loaner, too)
  • Never exceeded 21 mpg, even feathering the accelerator

None of that means jack compared to an issue called “limp mode during acceleration”. This was truly terrifying, second to actually getting in an accident. Happened to me twice, apparently it also affects the 2.0T Accords. Rare problem, but with rain on a long-ish trip the car will simply go into limp mode when you’re accelerating. No codes will be stored (such was the case for me), or just a code for cylinder misfire.

Mine happened at night, in the rain, in construction, moderate traffic, tractor trailer treading the line, shoulders closed. The other time normal highway with rain, still not safe. Dealer found nothing, Acura customer service would not get back to me after seeing dealer, asked for buyback, considered pursuing lemon law, but in the end I traded the stupid car in after just a few months (7500 miles) and took a massive loss in order to get peace of mind. Some might not agree with this decision, but the loss of power issue was on my mind EVERY single time I was driving. Plus you read about a couple people who had it happen in completely dry conditions— nope. There was no way I wanted to get stuck with that car for 5-10 years. Five minutes of cursory research shows this goes back years when including the Accord, and there’s no indication the 2021 RDX is unaffected (or the ‘21 TLX . Those look awesome, btw).

Anyways, I jumped to a ‘21 CX-5 signature. Not as quick, but feels like a nicer vehicle. The build quality is excellent. 2nd Mazda—had an ‘05 RX-8 about a decade ago. Loved that car.

Don’t get me wrong— there were some good things about the RDX. The acceleration was explosively quick after the first few thousand RPMs, the LKAS lane centering was excellent, looks nice inside and out, very roomy compared to CX-5... but that’s it. 10th car I’ve owned, easily the poorest value, and mile for mile, the least reliable by far.

Great to move to a car company that has cars that can accelerate in the rain. Acura doesn’t think that’s an important feature to include— even as an optional extra.

That limp mode issue sounds like a doozy. Are you a member on any of the Acura forums? Just curious, because if you are, I'd like to visit the forum you're a member of to see what other Acura owners were saying about your particular experience.
 
Yep I definitely agree that most people join online forums to find info/solutions regarding a problem they're having. The benefit comes from the owners who may be able to provide solutions, and who may be able to put the issue into a frame of reference.

Additionally, while online forums may not be the best way to find out how often a problem arises, they are a good way to find out what kind of problems people are having. As an example, previously the CX-9 had a low reliability ranking on CR for the 2016 MY. Hop on to a Mazda forum, and at the time most people were having issues with the infotainment. Someone worried about powertrain reliability would see that and probably get some relief from it.

You're right, it's tough to get a good cross section of all the people who own the car just from online forums, but if you combine it with other research/reviews, it can contribute to a better overall picture.




That limp mode issue sounds like a doozy. Are you a member on any of the Acura forums? Just curious, because if you are, I'd like to visit the forum you're a member of to see what other Acura owners were saying about your particular experience.
Yep. I’m keeping tabs to see if the issue ever ends up getting resolved.

Here’s the link the the thread (it’s a long one):

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-rdx-problems-fixes-458/limp-mode-2019-spec-971802/
 
Had to chime in here. Sorry it’s for my first post.

I’m coming from the other way. I bought what I thought was going to be a great car in a 2020 RDX A-spec. Like many, I have a personal rule to never buy a first year model of a generation, so this car was supposed to be OK. I can’t find many “common problems” that didn’t affect me (some are just criticisms of things I deem unacceptable in a $45k car).
  • Sunroof pop/knock at least daily
  • Loss of network comms blue screen of death
  • Squeaky brakes after only 5k miles
  • AM/FM unavailable at random
  • Bluetooth unavailable at random
  • Ventilated seats that did nothing
  • Radio black/won’t turn on (happened in a loaner, too)
  • Rubbing sound when hatch closes
  • Jerky trans/acceleration
  • Weird lull in power when coming to an almost stop
  • Exceptionally bad turbo lag
  • Crackly passenger speaker (loaner had the same issue)
  • Faulty parking sensors
  • Wicked dash rattle (loaner, too)
  • Never exceeded 21 mpg, even feathering the accelerator

None of that means jack compared to an issue called “limp mode during acceleration”. This was truly terrifying, second to actually getting in an accident. Happened to me twice, apparently it also affects the 2.0T Accords. Rare problem, but with rain on a long-ish trip the car will simply go into limp mode when you’re accelerating. No codes will be stored (such was the case for me), or just a code for cylinder misfire.

Mine happened at night, in the rain, in construction, moderate traffic, tractor trailer treading the line, shoulders closed. The other time normal highway with rain, still not safe. Dealer found nothing, Acura customer service would not get back to me after seeing dealer, asked for buyback, considered pursuing lemon law, but in the end I traded the stupid car in after just a few months (7500 miles) and took a massive loss in order to get peace of mind. Some might not agree with this decision, but the loss of power issue was on my mind EVERY single time I was driving. Plus you read about a couple people who had it happen in completely dry conditions— nope. There was no way I wanted to get stuck with that car for 5-10 years. Five minutes of cursory research shows this goes back years when including the Accord, and there’s no indication the 2021 RDX is unaffected (or the ‘21 TLX . Those look awesome, btw).

Anyways, I jumped to a ‘21 CX-5 signature. Not as quick, but feels like a nicer vehicle. The build quality is excellent. 2nd Mazda—had an ‘05 RX-8 about a decade ago. Loved that car.

Don’t get me wrong— there were some good things about the RDX. The acceleration was explosively quick after the first few thousand RPMs, the LKAS lane centering was excellent, looks nice inside and out, very roomy compared to CX-5... but that’s it. 10th car I’ve owned, easily the poorest value, and mile for mile, the least reliable by far.

Great to move to a car company that has cars that can accelerate in the rain. Acura doesn’t think that’s an important feature to include— even as an optional extra.
Your signature is actually faster than your RDX in every way. It just doesn't feel that way because your RDX had boatloads of lag and felt "peaky", while the CX5 has a ton of torque and instant power and just feels "flat". It's quicker to 60 and in the 1/4 mile and 30-50 and 50-70 though...
 
It is sad to hear the current gen RDX is just as bad as my 2016 was. I had a laundry list of issues as well.
 
I don't agree with that AT ALL and I will tell you why and its a simple concept. Many people join online forums to ONLY get info on a problem. Those posts are NOT giving you a good cross section of all of the people who own that car just the ones who have problems.
Amen to that. Browsing forums provides some insight, but the discussion is often dominated by the same small number of complainers and/or people who just had some bad luck. They also will complain for years about an issue that was addressed for free by a simple TSB or recall. It’s good to remind yourself that 50-100k people buy these cars per year and maybe 50-100 are active online.
 
Sounds like the early (?) F150 with Ecoboost.
The water would condense inside the intercooler and when the driver went to accelerate hard, that condensed water would get sucked into the engine.

I think one fix was to drill a small (3mm) hole in the bottom of the intercooler.

I suppose that issue could happen on almost any vehicle with an intercooler, depending on the efficiency and design.
 
It is a pretty sad state Honda did not identify this issue before the car came out with all the work that had to go into the design/production of the car in the first place. This motor has been out since 2018 and they just figured this problem out? Honda is most certainly not the company it used to be.
 
Sounds like the early (?) F150 with Ecoboost.
The water would condense inside the intercooler and when the driver went to accelerate hard, that condensed water would get sucked into the engine.

I think one fix was to drill a small (3mm) hole in the bottom of the intercooler.

I suppose that issue could happen on almost any vehicle with an intercooler, depending on the efficiency and design.
Yep. In this case, Acura’s fix is to replace the whole inter cooler. Sucks for Acura, but I think it suggests very few RDX need the fix.
It is a pretty sad state Honda did not identify this issue before the car came out with all the work that had to go into the design/production of the car in the first place. This motor has been out since 2018 and they just figured this problem out? Honda is most certainly not the company it used to be.
I think you’re being a little hyperbolic. Very, very few RDX owners experience the issue and it was extremely hard for dealer techs to reproduce the problem, so 2 years (2019 is first model year) isn’t really that unreasonable especially since we don’t know how much the pandemic affected their timeline.
 
Congrats on your car! I won't lie and say I considered putting the RDX and a Honda Passport on my list prior to my CX5 Purchase. I only liked the new generation of the RDX and test drove my great aunts car a 2020 model. Not sure why, but the transmission seemed to have a hard time figuring out what gear to be in. Might have been my driving style since she literally drives like a grandma.

My uncle, who has a 2019 Honda Pilot Elite, also let me drive his car. Figured it was the closest to the passport I could get before going to a dealer. Same transmission I believe, but it felt more refined. However, didn't love the interior and the car felt like a boat.

I did follow up with Acura on a CPO demo model A-Spec in Grey and Red interior, but was turned off immediately by the salesmen who responded with "Anik, what kind of name is that".
 
I think you’re being a little hyperbolic. Very, very few RDX owners experience the issue and it was extremely hard for dealer techs to reproduce the problem, so 2 years (2019 is first model year) isn’t really that unreasonable especially since we don’t know how much the pandemic affected their timeline.

If you think so.... The MOTOR has been out longer than the RDX itself so it has been a while and the issue affects Accord owners as well. IMHO it is indicative of sloppy work on Honda's part. As I said my 16 RDX was full of issues which is why I sold it rather than holding onto it. I originally planned to keep it a long time but with my issues, decided it was best to sell before it got up in mileage (I sold it in '19 around 60k). As I said, I hope yours is trouble free....
 
You can get a new CX-5 AWD in the 27,000 range, the RDX is in the 41,000+ range. With the Carbon Edition, a turbo CX-5 AWD starts at 33,000+ (all MSRP values with destination). That's a significant difference in value. For what it is worth, Mazda has a significantly higher reliability ranking with Consumer Reports than Honda or Acura.
 
You can get a new CX-5 AWD in the 27,000 range, the RDX is in the 41,000+ range. With the Carbon Edition, a turbo CX-5 AWD starts at 33,000+ (all MSRP values with destination). That's a significant difference in value. For what it is worth, Mazda has a significantly higher reliability ranking with Consumer Reports than Honda or Acura.
To be fair, the 27K car you reference doesn't have a turbo motor so you need to set a bar of CX-5 models with the turbo. The Carbon edition with a turbo and FWD compares to a Base RDX FWD pretty well, but it has leather which the RDX does not. 5k (31k for the CX-5 and 36k for the RDX) difference if price is what I am seeing on Cars Direct. If you go to the higher trim levels, the Advance compares pretty well to the Signature and your difference is 38k for the CX-5 vs 46k for the RDX. To me, the CX-5 kills the RDX on value and certainly is a more reliable option. RDX wins on interior room though and has a much better sound system in top trims.
 
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