2014 Acura RDX Complaint Log

I purchased this vehicle in October 2023, it was sold to me is as a certified vehicle. The issue came to my attention when I drove out the first night after the purchase. I took the car back to the dealer. Turns out the service department is aware of the issue and recommended a stereo installation shop. I went to headlight business, collision repair company, stereo shop, a total of six different outlets. I went back to the dealer and said they can’t help me. They sold me a lemon and they refuse to stand behind the fact that it was certified. They knowingly sold me a car that can only driven during the day.

The headlight reflector has been burned by the halogen lamp. After doing some research it’s a very common problem. Replacing the halogen bulb does nothing as the reflector does not work. Honda/ Acura is denying any responsibility. The car has ZERO visibility at night. The light power is equivalent to a candle light

Over a period of about 1 year the low beam headlights dimmed to a point that the vehicle was unsafe to drive at night. The lights provided no illumination. The dealership (Ron Tonkin Acura) did tell me that the reflector in that model and year could deteriorate and be "less" reflective. They recommended purchasing replacement components on Amazon ($418.99) and have them installed at the dealership ($435.62). I purchased the parts and had them installed. The dealership also told me that they did not have enough information to say if the replacements lights would have the same issue.

The headlights are so dim it's unsafe to drive at night. I replaced the bulbs, but the headlights still are too dim to drive at night. It's dangerous and people in my car with me at night after I replaced the bulbs noticed it too and were very concerned.

Low beam headlights have gotten dimmer and dimmer over time, and represent a significant safety risk when driving at night. We have replaced the bulbs with the brightest, most expensive options possible, and no difference. We had the dealer check the problem, and they told us that they could "recondition" the headlight covers (which didn't look to me to be the problem, but we were desperate to make the situation better). No change at all (except we're out a few hundred dollars). Upon further research online, sounds like it is a common issue for this generation of Acura RDX, as well as other cars that use the same headlight projector. The heat from the bulbs gradually degrades the reflective coating on the inside of the projector, and it doesn't matter what bulb you put in at that point. It is amazing to me that this is a known issue, and no recall has been issued by Acura. Properly functioning headlights are a critical component of a safe operating vehicle.

The headlights are detective. The lowbeams are so dim it's dangerous to drive at night. This can cause a serious accident or other problems.

headlights too dim And won’t pass inspection

Headlights are so dim I can’t see while driving. Replacing bulbs had no results.

I have an ACURA RDX 2014, the headlight lensed halogen reflectors are dimming and looks like it is a common problem in 2013-2015 Acura. Dealers are not helping us and charging almost 2k dollars to replace with new ones. It is a safety issue and common issue and it seems to a manufacturer issue

The contact owns a 2014 Acura RDX. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that moments later the vehicle re-started independently and the operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the failure recurred; however, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. During the failure, the contact stated that the "Charging System" warning light continued to flash off and on. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 98,000.

These low beam head lights are so dim you can not see the road at night

Headlights are dim, even after replacing it is something faulty with the original design. I have nearly been hit by cars turning into the road at night because of how dim the lights are. I have to have them on bright to be seen which creates further issues eith cars flashing their brights. I have researched online and found this is a common problem that acura refuses to issue a recall for. Please help us!!!

Low beam headlights have become very dim. By not adequately lighting the road ahead, a dangerous condition is being created for the driver. High beam headlights must be used to provide adequate lighting but must be switched to low beam to avoid blinding oncoming vehicle drivers. Based on internet searches on this matter, many other 2013, 2014, and 2015 Acura owners are having the same problem. Acura is aware of the faulty manufacturing of the low beam headlight units but refuses to issue a recall on the RDX model.

Exterior light, especially the low beams, are not sufficient for driving at night. The beams are very low and make it challenging to see. If I did not have added fog lights, I would find it impossible to drive at night without constant usage of the high beams. It seems this was recalled in other models and needs to be addressed. It is not safe for drivers and it is clear that just changing the bulbs does not fix the problem. The dealership was going to charge me over 100 dollars just to look at the headlights and said that it was a known issue and nothing can really be done without an extensive overhaul of the headlights. This needs to be recalled.

Headlights are very dim and it makes it very hard to see while driving at night.

Low beam lights are insufficient to see the road. Very dangerous

Dim headlights. Replaced them ($300) thinking they were getting old, upon the next evening driving - the lights were still too dim to safely drive the vehicle. No change in visibility whatsoever. Because of that these headlights are not up to par with Transportation safety. This needs to be recalled and replaced with halogen!

Ive always have problems with headlights low beam, they simply dont illuminates the road at night, I have to use high beam making others to flash their high beams at me. I have change bulbs but no matter what I instal they dont illuminate enough.

The low beam headlights are extremely dim, making the car unusable at night. The exterior plastic is clear and not cloudy. Changing the bulbs did not help. It appears that the reflective coating inside the light has failed. The car was not used at night durning the pandemic so I'm not sure when the failure occurred. I have recently replaced both light assemblies in order to use the car at night. Calls to Acura were not helpful.

The regular headlights (low beam) are incredibly dull. Sometimes i turn the headlights off and back on to be sure they are on, because its hard to tell - especially if its raining. I have replaced the bulbs with no change. I have read online this is a recurring problem with this model. My wife had to drive home the other night from the airport in the rain and felt incredibly unsafe and drove with her high beams on the entire time to be able to see

The headlights on my 2014 Acura RDX are very dim. I went to the Acura dealership and they agreed that it was dim and suggested that I replace both hid bulbs which I did but it hasn't made much of a difference. Not having properly lighting is obviously a safety issue and makes it very difficult to drive at night, especially with our current weather conditions. I emailed Acura to follow up and they said there is nothing they can do as there isn't a recall. A recall should happen asap as this is a big safety issue.

my car has 85K miles on it. the headlights are so dim that they might as well not even be on. I have replaced the bulbs, no help. There's no oxidation on the outer lens of the headlight assembly. There's some kind of defect in the inner reflector or lens of the headlight assembly such that the only solution is to replace the entire headlight assembly. The inner reflector / lens has become so oxidized that it is not at all reflective, and very little light is produced by the headlights.

Headlights are so dim it is unsafe to drive at night. Seems many others complaints of this online and due to reflective film backing material inside the headlights could delaminate The reflective coating on the headlight housing has disintegrated resulting in virtually no low-beam headlight illumination on the roadway Acura changed headlight design in 2015 but no formal recalls on earlier vehicles

Headlights (low beam) have become dim, unsafe, difficult to see when driving, reflector is defective.

October 2021 at 74,790 miles I took the 2014 RDX to the dealer as the driver side headlight did not illuminate. The bulb was replaced. The light was still dimmer than the passenger side. In December 2022 at 81,415 mile service at the dealer I reported continued issues with night driving and dim headlights and was informed that the both head light projectors oxidized and the recommendation was to replace both ( $2,177.98). I limited my night driving and tried one more time to have the bulbs replaced without improvement. July 2023 at 85,204 miles both headlight assembly were replaced at the dealer ( $2,276.85). At the same time I contacted American Honda Motor Company to request financial assistance. After providing all dealer service documentation I was called to be advise that this was outside of warranty even thought the vehicle was not safe to drive in the dark.

I’ve been having a problem with my 2014 Acura RDX for dim low-beam headlights for some time now. I took my Acura to my dealership approximately 5-6 months ago, for regular service and reported the problem of the dim low-beam headlights, which at the time also seemed uncentered. At that time, the dealership said there was no problem found with the headlights. No warning alerts from the dashboard ever came on. In the meantime, the dim low-beam headlights progressively became worse, I almost missed the turn onto my street and scarcely missed a young biker after the turn. The lights were barely operational. Now, I am no longer able to drive my Acura at night at all. All night errands, appointments, etc., are thank God, done by my 2 children which is definitely not convenient for them either. I have noticed other customers making complaints regarding some of these same issues. Please help.

Low beam headlights became very dim. Both, left and right (more left than right). When there is some street light, it is hard to notice if the lights are on at all. They don't project enough light to see at night, and the little that they project is not reaching far enough. I can only see a few feet away from the car. It has become dangerous to drive in the dark. Replacing light bulbs did not change anything. This has been worsening gradually, but seems to have accelerated over the past 9+ months to the point that it is dangerous to drive. There has been no indicator warning. The car dealer saw and knew what to do by looking at the headlights: change the entire headlight assembly. I still have the defective parts if needed.

Headlights have gradually become so dim that the vehicle is not safe to drive at night. This 2014 Base model Acura RDX was purchased new from the dealer in 2013 and has less than 50,000 miles. This appears to be a widespread issue and the only identified correction is to replace both headlight assemblies at an estimated cost exceeding $2000 (for dealership replacement). In addition to compromising the safe night operation of the vehicle, this is an unreasonably short lifetime limitation for mandatory safety equipment.

The contact owns a 2014 Acura RDX. The contact stated while driving at various speeds at night, the low beam headlights were significantly dimmed, diminishing the visibility of the roadway. The contact stated that the high-beam headlights were activated to safely drive at night. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the low-beam headlights were replaced, and the lenses were cleaned; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000.

On this model car, the low beams get so dangerously dim, that (my case for example), I literally could not tell if the low beam headlights were on or off if I were driving on a street where any street lights (even just residential neighborhood street lights) were anywhere within eyesight. The only time I could make out that they were on would be if I were on a pitch black section of a street, in which case I could see a very faint glow that only extended maybe four-feet out. And when I parked facing the garage door at night, just about three feet from the garage door, both the running lights and the flashers were far (not just a little) brighter than the low beams. The low-beam reflector itself oxidizes, is not reflective at all, and no amount of brighter bulbs or clean outside lenses will help with a reflector that doesn’t reflect. (It’s also not related to the cloudy inner-lens. It’s the reflector.) Replacing the entire headlight assembly is the only solution. People who mean well and aren't familiar with the specifics of the Acura RDX 2013 to 2015 problem will give you conventional advice (clean the outside lenses and buy the brand bulbs they like), but they are incorrect. There is a widespread and extreme problem and defect with this specific generation of the Acura RDX. The deterioration also happens gradually, so you don’t necessarily notice it at first, but it gradually gets worse and worse until the headlights are practically nonfunctional.

Low beam headlights are very dim and present a hazard when driving at night due to limited visibility. The halogen projector lens inside the headlight assembly appears to have haze built up and the reflector bowl may be compromised by build up or heat damage. The faulty design and inability to clean the projector lens or refresh the reflector bowl may necessitate replacement of the entire headlight assembly. This is a manufacturing defect and should be recalled and replaced by the manufacturer.

Headlights are too dim. Dangerously dim. Apparently the entire assembly is defective and needs to be replaced.

Father in laws vehical, low beam headlights so dim you can not see the road in front of you. very unsafe condition. bulbs changed, it appears reflective material inside the housing is missing or faded away, replacement lamp assembly very expensive. I see many other reports of this problem on here & on the Web. Other Acuras have had recalls issued for similar reasons, why not this one?

Vehicle Make/Model/Year: 2014 Acura RDX Component: Exterior Lighting – Headlights (Low Beam) Summary of the Problem: My wife drives a 2014 Acura RDX. A few years ago, she mentioned that the low beam headlights seemed unusually dim at night. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but after driving the vehicle myself more recently, I confirmed the issue—the low beams provide very poor visibility, making night driving hazardous. To address this, I replaced the bulbs with new ones, but it made no noticeable improvement. After researching online, I discovered that many other owners of the 2013–2014 Acura RDX have reported the same issue. It appears this may be a widespread defect with the headlight housing or reflector design, rather than just a bulb issue. I also found articles and forum posts online where some people resolved the issue only by replacing the entire headlight assembly, which is a costly fix. This suggests the problem may lie in a design flaw rather than normal wear and tear. Given the safety implications of limited nighttime visibility, I believe this deserves further investigation.

Purchased vehicle used. Halogen headlight assemblies are so dim at night that vision is impaired. This is a safety hazard for night driving. Known issue on this car model, that seems to be due to failure of reflective material over time. Will replace headlight assembly.

I recently purchased this vehicle and had nit driven it at night. On 07/20/22 at approximately 930pm I had to pick my son up at a friends home. We live in Florida and thunderstorms are routine here. While driving I noticed my visibility of the road was not clear. I pulled over during the storm and visually checked that my headlamps were on. They were except that the lighting was dim. I proceeded to pick up my son and discovered that on a dark road I could not see 5 feet in front of me. I continued my trip and witnessed a dog run across the front of my vehicle. I swerved and applied my brakes. I did not see this animal until it was right on top of me. I turned on my high beams and completed my trip with them on knowing that Law Enforcement could have easily cited me for it. The next day I purchased the two best and brightest bulbs I could find and had them installed in the car. This did not change anything. The headlights are still dim. I have read on message boards that this is a known problem with this vehicle. Have any accidents been reported citing dim headlights? Why has the manufacturer not issued a recall? I have not driven at night since the incident and would like some input from you.

I recently purchased a 14 Acura RDX about a month ago not realizing it would almost cost a possible fatality due to its poorly designed headlight. It was day time when I purchased the vehicle so I was not aware I would only be able to see approx 3-4 feet out at night using my low beams. That issue almost got me in a very horrible situation. A few nights ago I was leaving my nieces 5 year old bday party in a residential area that does not have street lighting, it was then that I turned my low beams on for the first time. I thought something was wrong with them because I could barely see. It was a clear night without rain but I was still unable to see anything further than approx 4ft in front of my vehicle (I cant imagine how dangerous it is when raining). As I started to accelerate to the speed limit I was approaching what looked a shadow of parked cars on the left side of the street. Just as I was approaching those cars to pass, a man walked onto the street from in between the cars, Im assuming to cross the street to get to a house. I did not see him and he did not see me until he was feet away from the corner of my car. I slammed on my breaks and he jumped out of the way in impeccable timing. Luckily, I was not going too fast since it was a residential area however, had he not seen me in that exact matter of time, he could have got seriously injured or killed. This was the first time I ever had to use my headlights, had I known how bad the lighting would be, I would never have drove that vehicle at night nor would I have purchased it. What’s the point in purchasing a vehicle you can only drive in the day and lose your freedom of choice to drive at night. That’s ridiculous. Not to mention, I had my 4 year old daughter with me that night who was also at risk in this situation. We all got very lucky nothing serious happened. So apparently after looking into the issue I discovered this model includes low beam projector lens that fail to function.

7 years after buying the car, the headlights went out with no warning. They were replaced at the dealership. 2 years after replacing the bulbs, the headlights became dim and create a major safety risk driving on roads at night, as brights must be used to see. No warnings have been received through the car and the dealership is able to reproduce the issue.

The contact owns a 2014 Acura RDX. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the headlights were extremely dim and failed to provide proper illumination while driving at night. The contact stated that the headlights were replaced several times, but the failure persisted. The dealer was made aware of the failure and the service manager stated that the headlamp housing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.

Vehicle is 2014 with 130K miles. We noticed that the headlights are getting dimmer to the point where it is unsafe to drive at night. The internal low beam reflector lens is fogged up preventing the headlight to light the road adequately. Called Acura dealer in Greenville SC and spoke to the service manager on 2/4/2022. He told me the heat from the headlamp is intense and the coating is starting to de-laminate causing the headlights to dim. He said Acura is aware of the problem but no recalls have been issued. He told me that Acura would not cover the repair and it would cost $2400 to replace both headlight assemblies. Many people have reported this problem but no recall has been issued....yet. This vehicle is unsafe to drive at night. I will be replacing the headlights at my own expense and keeping the headlight assemblies for further inspection if required. Dimming headlights is a slow process and we really started noticing it about a year ago.

Headlamp assemblies have failed due to apparent manufacturer defect. The defects are so significant that the vehicle becomes unsafe to drive at night, and even brand new bulb replacements have no effect. The entire headlamp assemblies are defective and must be replaced. These are known issues, and the predominent complaints listed not only on replacement part websites on the internet, but in NHTSA's own website for this vehicle - even more then the recalled airbags, are all specifically for this exact same issue being suffered by numerous complainants, but for some reason NHTSA has failed to recognize and enforce a recall on it. Acura/Honda has not even issued a service bulletin on it to allow its dealers to repair it, despite it being a known issue, and Honda Financial Services even deceitfully denies warranty claims, even lying about contract terms to avoid coverage. This is a serious safety issue affecting scores of owners of this vehicle, including the 2013, 2014, and 2015 model years, as reflected on the internet and in complaints. Owners may not even realize they are driving with a defective headlight until they get into or cause an accident. This needs to be flagged as an urgent RECALL requirement.

Despite recently replacing bulbs and cleaning my headlights, my low beams are very dim. I do not feel safe driving at night without high beams on because they are so dim. Other Acura’s have had parts recalled for this issue.

The standard driving headlights have become very dim over the past 2 years. Have replaced the bulbs with two different manufactured light bulbs with no discernable brightness change in the headlight. The lights did not illuminate any of the road when driving at night. Very dangerous situation. Had to use high beams to get any road illumination. Replaced the entire lighting assembly as online forums recommended that the issue was a delamination of the projector in the assembly. Newly installed assemblies on both sides remedied the problem.

The contact owns a 2014 Acura RDX. The contact stated that the headlight failed to provide adequate illumination while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

The low-beam headlights are so dim that when I drive at night I cannot see the road in front of me. When there is a passenger in my car at night, they tell me to turn on my headlights when they are already on. When I take my vehicle in for scheduled maintenance (at the dealership) I keep asking about the lights, and they keep saying that the lights are working properly, they are clean, and they are aimed properly; "that's just how they are." I asked about replacing them and they say that it would cost me thousands of dollars to do it. For nighttime driving I've resorted to turning on my foglamps along with my headlights, and turning on my high-beams whenever there are no vehicles coming toward me. I am not able to see the road at night or in storms well enough to feel safe.

Like many other Acura RDX 2014 owners, I have also experienced the dimming of headlights to the point where it is unsafe to drive in the evening or during severe weather conditions. After replacing the bulbs twice and cleaning the lenses, I took it to an Acura dealership. They checked the wiring and confirmed there were no issues, and said that the headlight assemblies are failing and need to be replaced. After searching the issue, I see it is common so I don't understand why this has not yet been recalled. It is a known issue that this car is unsafe to drive at night, endangering people in the vehicle, other drivers, and pedestrians. The alternative is to turn on high beams and blind oncoming drivers, which is just as dangerous. Acura is aware of this issue and confirmed no active recalls. I am passionate that this should be a recall - how is Acura okay with having cars on the road that are actively dangerous to drive at certain hours of the day? It's a defective vehicle and should be recalled. Get these off the road.

See attached letter for details. Incident date below reflects the VIN I currently own, when testing identified the safety-related defect. Accident details from previous same model. The same headlamps were the subject of the July 14, 2014 NHTSA Acura ILX Electrical & Lights Recall: 14V323000 on the 2013-2014 Acura ILX model. Yet, Acura continued to use these headlamps and failed to rectify the defect across its model lineup. Instead, the inherently faulty engineering, material, and manufacturing was destined to slowly degrade the reflective surface of the projector cup and lens under the heat output of the low beam halogen bulb that was, by Acura design, the automatic daytime running lights that remain on whenever the engine is running.

Headlights are extremely dim - dangerous to drive at night. Reported issue to dealer, who cleaned the lens but problem persists.

Since I purchased my car in 2014 the headlights have dimmed tremendously. So much that my husband pulled the car to the side of the road the other night because he insisted the headlights were burnt out. I explained that they've been that way for a long time. We absolutely cannot drive my car at night because it's as if we have no headlights. I think this poses an extreme safety hazard.

The diminished light output of the low beam headlights began to diminish visibility so significantly that it was reported to the dealer at 89,000 miles, in March 2020. The dealer response was "normal operation of the headlights compared to other RDX." The driver's visibility is now decreased to the point the visibility is like only the lo output driving lights are on. Hi beams have to be used when driving at night. This reduced output decreased driver's visibility and increases the risk of a crash. Improper usage of high beams impacts oncoming vehicles, increasing the risk of a head on collision. I was driving on the Pennsylvania and Ohio turnpike last night for 5 hours in the rain and had to reduce speeds and drive with high beams on, causing a dangerous situation for myself and other drivers. I called Acura customer service and they indicated no recalls and no TSB. I referenced NHTSA Recall 14V323000 for Acura ILX, same issue, and they said NHTSA has not issued recalls on the 2014 RDX. Many driver threads report same issue.