RDX (TC)

The third-generation RDX, Acura's TC-platform compact SUV built from 2019, carries 994 NHTSA complaints, but the character of that record is milder than the raw number suggests. Every one of the top five complaint groups is filed at moderate severity rather than critical, and the generation logs only two fire reports and 16 crashes across seven model years. Its powertrain complaints run about level with similar vehicles of the same age, and no severe or safety-critical pattern stands out among them.

The RDX uses a single powertrain: the 2.0-liter K20C4 turbocharged four rated at 272 horsepower, paired with a ten-speed automatic. That removes the engine decision and ties every buyer to the same drivetrain. The engine bucket is the largest named complaint group at 175, though at moderate severity these skew toward driveability and component wear rather than catastrophic failure.

Below the engine, the complaints spread evenly: electrical at 94, fuel system at 84, brakes at 84, and the safety-systems suite at 72. The recall record is light for the class at ten campaigns, most of them shared across Honda and Acura models, including Denso fuel-pump recalls (20V314, 21V215) and a pair of recent steering software recalls on 2024-2025 cars (24V114, 25V582). None points to a systemic mechanical weakness.

The steadiest read on the RDX is that its complaint record looks like a popular vehicle's should: high in raw count, low in severity. The recurring owner frustration that does not show up in the crash data is the True Touchpad infotainment interface, which many drivers find awkward. That is a usability gripe rather than a reliability defect, but it shapes the ownership experience more than any mechanical issue here.

The RDX suits a buyer who wants a premium-badged compact SUV with a turbocharged engine and is comfortable with that touchpad interface. Its reliability profile is unremarkable in the good sense, and a well-maintained example carries less mechanical risk than most of its high-volume rivals.