2009 Acura RDX: problems, recalls and reliability
2 recalls and 15 owner complaints on record; most reports concern air bags.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Mar 2019
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 15 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“I was involved in an accident and upon impact the airbags didn't deploy although there was a chemical smell that occurred and the check airbag light comes on intermittently. Also driver seatbelt locked up and does not retract out.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2025
“An error message always comes on for "the brake system" & "tire pressure sensors". They become problematic when the temp outside drops to 20 and below. Living in connecticut during the winter time a lot of our friends and family members recognized this issue with their acura rdx's and mdx's. As soon as you turn the vehicle on the error messages engage and the brake pedal feels different from the normal. As soon as the car warms up or the outside temp goes up higher than 30 degrees it goes away. And while driving the vehicle took longer to stop and I had to stomp on the brake pedal hard (going 20mph)”Owner report · Service Brakes · Dec 2017
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 acura rdx. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v061000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer 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.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2016
Show 7 more owner reports
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 acura rdx. The contact received a notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v061000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2016
“Takata recall called acura national , told to call acura dealership. Dealership doesn't know when new part will be available and doesn't have loaner car to give me. Car is being driven by my 18 y/o daughter for school commute. Repair will be more than 60 days and there is no provision for temporary replacement for my older 2009 car when I know a recent replacement was already installed on a 2016 rdx in nearby norwalk, connecticut dealership.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2016
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 acura rdx. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v061000 (air bags) and stated that the part was not available within a reasonable time frame to schedule the recall repair. The dealer did not give a specific date for when the part would become available. The contact was unable to determine when the vehicle would be repaired. The manufacturer could not provide an estimated date for when the contact's vehicle would receive the recall repair. The contact was not experiencing a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2016
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 acura rdx. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v061000 (air bags) and stated that the part was not available within a reasonable time frame to schedule the recall repair. The dealer did not give a specific date for when the part would become available. The contact was unable to determine when the vehicle would be repaired. The manufacturer could not provide an estimated date for when the contact's vehicle would receive the recall repair. The contact was not experiencing a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2016
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 acura rdx. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v061000 (air bags). The part needed for the repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2016
“"takata recall" nothing has happened and that is the problem. I got the recall notice in february 2016 and I just checked and the fix is still not available. I am patient but 9 months seems like too long to have to wait to have a dangerous airbag corrected.”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2016
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 acura rdx. The contact stated that the recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 16v061000 (air bags) was received in february of 2016. After contacting the dealer and the manufacturer, the contact was informed that the parts needed to repair the vehicle were still not available and no estimated time for receiving the parts could be given. The contact had not experienced a failure.”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2016
When filing, owners marked a crash in 1 of these complaints and injuries in 0 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 2 campaigns
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2011-2015 CR-Z, 2010-2014 FCX, and Insight, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013-2014 Fit EV, 2007-2014 Ridgeline, 2013-2016 Acura ILX, 2013-2014 Acura ILX Hybrid, 2007-2016 RDX, 2005-2012 Acura RL, 2009-2014 Acura TL, and 2010-2013 Acura ZDX vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are JY0, JY1, and JY2.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2009 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact RDX by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2009 Acura RDX reliable?
NHTSA has 15 owner complaints and 2 recall campaigns on record for the 2009 Acura RDX. The most complained-about area is air bags.
Does the 2009 Acura RDX have open recalls?
2 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.