Gradual dimming of low beam headlights over time (unrelated to bulbs or lens)
2014 Acura RDX lights complaints
Page 3 of 7: complaints 41 to 70 of 163, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I purchased this car a few year ago and the low beam lights were weak but seemed to work minimally. They have progressively worsened to the point that it is difficult to discern they are functioning at all unless you get out and view them from the front at night. I literally can read better by candle light than I can with my low beams on. Super dangerous at night and I have to use high beams continually.
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
RDX headlights become dim after 6 years and important safety issue when driving at night ; dealership initially blamed sun damaging outside plastic however despite repeated buffing nothing improved spending almost a one thousand in cost for buffing without any improvement in dim light ; now they are stating it is an issue with reflective surface inside ; the acura RLX was recalled for this issue why has the acura RDX; the dealership is charging each customer at least 2-3 thousand dollars to replace ; should this not be a basic function of the car ; do we have to have an accident for a recall to occur ; I am having to use my high beams driving at night ;
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.
Headlights are dangerously dim, to the extent that it is not safebto drive at night. Visibility is likened to only having the orange running lights on. May see a depth of 3ft ahead, while practically no visibility in adverse conditions, such as rain, fog or snow. I have replaced the bulbs several times, as well as the housings and fuses. All appear to be in working condition an the headlight covers do not have any condensation or wear that would obscure light emitting. I have had several mechanics look at this from 3 Acura dealers and one independent Japanese import mechanic. No failures were found, however, all agreed that this was a critical safety concern. This issue was present since 2016 when I purchased the car and has become completely unsafe to drive at night since 2018, at around 60k miles. No fix appears to be available, except an almost $3k full replacement, which i find insulting and egregious. I've only owned Acura/Honda and have never experienced such willful ignorance concerning safety. Does someone have to die for this to be recalled?
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.
If I had known the headlights are this bad to drive at night I would have never purchased the car. I have replaced the bulbs but was told it is the type of headlights that came with the vehicle. Never will buy another vehicle again with out testing it at night
Headlights have been increasingly dim over the years, and this is a common problem with 2013 -2015 rdxs ; replacing the bulbs do not help, it is due to faulty housing
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 low beam headlights are extremely dim. This brightness of the low beams have slowly gotten worse over the years. Replacing the bulbs have not increased the brightness at all. Driving at night is nearly impossible without relying on the high beams to assist with vision.
Over the last year or two, my headlights have dimmed more and more to the point that I really can only drive at night with my high beams on. The bulbs have been replaced and that has not improved things so it is not a bulb issue.
The low-beam headlights are extremely dim making it difficult to see while driving at night without using high-beam lights.
Low beam headlights have gradually dimmed over time to the point that they provide minimal lighting to the roadway and often appear to oncoming drivers as only daytime running lights (they often flash their headlights at me to tell me to turn mine are, except they already are on). This is a widely occurring issue with 2013-2015 RDXs as evidenced by many numerous consumer statements publicly viewable online. This is a widespread safety issue requiring investigation and remediation from the manufacturer
The low beam headlights are too dim to drive at night safely. They are available for inspection. My safety and the safety of others is in extreme danger when driving at night because I can’t see unless I turn on the high beams. The problem is known and recalls were issues for some models. The components have not been inspected but it’s obvious.
Low beams have been getting progressively worse since late 2023 to the point where the low beams are as bright as my day running lights. Driving at night has become very dangerous and I need to continually turn on and off high beams to see roadway at night. This seems to be a common problem in 2013-2015 RDX cars. There was a recall for Acura headlights in a different Acura model many years ago. It seems the RDX model in the 2013-15 years should be covered as well.
Our low beam headlights have been very low for a few months now. I have tried to replace the bulbs, using multiple different types / various degrees of halogen light bulbs, but each time this does not solve the low output problem. Now our car is failing our yearly state safety inspection and after research it appears the reflector inside the housing unit may need change. The lights are very dim and are becoming hard to drive without using high beams.
Low beams have become way too dim. I replaced the bulbs, but it made only a minor improvement. I also cleaned the outer surface so it's not hazy anymore.
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!
Low beam headlights have been horrible for the last several years. They light up a few feet ahead, very abnormal for headlights. They were fine when purchased but after about 6 years it got progressively worse. It was extremely risky to drive at night. Fortunately no accidents but a huge risk out on the road. There are many owners who have the 2013 to 2015 base RDX after searching the internet who have a similar problem. Honda/Acura should recall them. Acura dealers will admit that some owners have replaced the headlight assemblies but not on a massive scale. I think some just don't drive at night or don't want to or have the money for repair. Apparently not a problem with some cars but others like mine a major problem. I resolved the problem today by purchasing new headlight assemblies (the ONLY solution) from An Acura dealer just to provide safety and visibility in an otherwise good vehicle. Most Acura dealers charge around $2,500. The reflective coating wears off and delaminates after years of use from what I understand. This should be a definite recall and replaced by the manufacturer due to an unjust cost to the owners and more importantly for SAFETY!!! It was almost like driving without headlights on at all. It's simply not right it's a travesty to leave the owners with the financial responsibility for something provided by the manufacturer that is faulty/defective. Regards, Brad Singer
Both headlight lowbeams are very dim, so dim that they provide almost zero lighting to see the road at night. Dealer informed me that I would need to purchase both headlight assemblies at a cost of just under $3,000.
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 are detective. The lowbeams are so dim it's dangerous to drive at night. This can cause a serious accident or other problems.
Headlights are so dim I can’t see while driving. Replacing bulbs had no results.
The low beam headlights do not adequately illuminate the road. It has gotten progressively worse over the last 18-24 months and has gotten to the point that we can’t safely drive the vehicle unless we are able to use the high beams. When I was at the dealership for routine maintenance I asked about replacing the bulbs. I was told replacing the bulbs would not solve the issue and they did not feel right about charging me for something they knew would be a temporary at best solution. I can only assume the dealer/manufacturer inspect the lights as part of every service visit. There have not been any warning lights on the dash. Other than not being able to see the road there have not been any other symptoms.
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
Headlights are so dim almost impossible to drive at night. Dealership says nothing is wrong with them.
The headlights are so dim that I have to drive with the high beams on at all times or I can’t see. I even had an Acura dealer try to clean them and it didn’t help. It’s crazy that this is a known issue (according to the Acura dealership) and this hasn’t been recalled. I’m basically driving in the dark or can’t drive at all at night.
I just recently purchased this vehicle on 10/18/23. I purchased it during the daytime so was unaware of the headlight problem until I had to drive at night time. The low beams are extremely dim! I checked all fuses, relays and bulbs and everything is in good working order. Reached out to my local dealership and they advised this is a known issue but has not been recalled. The housing assembly causes delamination over time and will cost me more than $2,000 to replace the entire headlight assembly on both sides and Acura is aware of this issue and recalled the headlight problem on similar Acuras of the same year but refuses to fix this safety problem. I can not see when driving at night unless my highbeams are on which is illegal on the highway!
When my car hit approximately 100,000 miles noted greatly decreased visibility for night time driving due to poor output from what I thought was the lights. Had Acura dealer replace lights with no change noted. They then suggested I have someone else(because they wouldn’t do it) replace bulbs with LED bulbs. Had LBulbs changed to LED with no change. This is a major safety issue as I do not have adequate or any visible lighting with my low beams making it impossible to be able to see to drive at night. This is extremely dangerous. Acura will not do anything. I did research online and noted many people with same or similar year RDX talking about this issue and reporting it. Online I found this: it’s a very real problem that is common to the 2013, 2014, and 2015 Acura RDX base model. It’s outrageous that Acura hasn’t recalled it. 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.) Looks like there are several complaints about that gen RDX and its HIDs getting dim at around 100k. Focus seems to be converging on the reflector and/or the fresnel lens degrading. There’s even a law firm doing some preliminary work to judge whether or not to file a class action.
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