I am submitting this complaint regarding a serious transmission defect on my 2018 Acura RDX that materially worsened after an Acura-authorized warranty repair addressing a known torque converter defect. Acura issued a warranty extension / service campaign for the torque converter on certain 2017–2018 RDX vehicles. Prior to this repair, my vehicle did not exhibit any severe jerking, slipping, or unsafe shifting behavior. After the Acura dealer replaced the torque converter under this program, the vehicle immediately began experiencing violent and unpredictable jerking during gear changes, worsening over time. These behaviors create an unsafe driving condition, particularly in stop-and-go traffic, intersections, and merging situations. I returned the vehicle to the dealer multiple times after the repair. As the problem worsened, I provided video documentation clearly showing the abnormal transmission behavior. After further evaluation, the dealer acknowledged the issue and determined that the transmission requires replacement. Acura Corporate declined coverage, stating the vehicle was no longer under standard warranty, despite: -The issue beginning immediately after Acura’s warranty repair -The torque converter being an integral component of the transmission system -The vehicle being in a worse and unsafe condition after Acura’s work I am requesting that the federal safety agency: -Review whether Acura’s torque converter warranty extension repair fails to adequately address associated transmission damage -Determine whether Acura vehicles repaired under this program are being returned to consumers in an unsafe operating condition -Assess whether Acura is improperly denying responsibility for post-repair transmission failures directly related to related to the covered defect
2018 Acura RDX: jerking or lurching
11 of the 78 complaints about the 2018 Acura RDX describe jerking or lurching.
- owner complaints
- 11
- of this car's complaints
- 14%
- recalls
- 0
Jerking or lurching by model year
What owners say
The car jerks right at 20mph in traffic every time as long as you continue to drive. When you pull over, turn the car off, restart the car the problem stops. I’ve had this problem off and on for the last two years and it’s getting worse.
The contact owns a 2018 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle began to jerk. After turning off the vehicle, an unknown part continued to run. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.
My 2018 RDX has started to jerk when I stop and then restart. I have noticed some hesitation and a bit of jerky driving but today it was very noticeable. I could barely go above 40 miles an hour after I started driving after a stop light and the car was very jerky. It seems to be either a fuel pump or transmission issue. I am going to check with the RDX dealership where I bought the car in 2018 but I wanted to report the issue. I also looked up the VIN on my car for a recall and the system said my car had not been recalled. Not sure why my 2018 RDX is different from other 2018 RDX models that were recalled.
The car hesitates to start and while driving jerks at around 20mph. This happened a few times in the last year. When taken to dealer, because they could not reproduce incident, said it can’t be diagnosed. I told them it jerks when accelerating at around 20mph and keeps doing it every time I have to stop at light and go again.
There is acceleration hesitation every time when I'm driving. The car seems to "catch" as it's accelerating and is very "jerky". The issue has gotten worse over time. I take my care to Acura for a second time next week to see if I can get it officially diagnosed; however, I've already been told there are no parts available and I'll just be "put on a list". This recall was announced in Dec 2023 and it's now Sept 2024 so I don't understand how this delay is acceptable. The additional details that I need to provide below only allow me to enter one date. I started noticing the issue last year and as I said it's gotten progressively worse. I last drove yesterday so used that date but it's been going on for about a year.
The contact owns a 2018 Acura RDX. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was jerking, stalling, and accelerated without warning. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Unintended acceleration, hesitation, and transmission issues. When accelerating from first gear to second gear, hesitates and then suddenly lurching forward.
My car lurches when I put it into gear, drive or reverse. When a red light turns green and I put my foot on the accelerator the car will lurch forward. I was in my garage when I started my car and my foot was firmly on the brake as I shifted into reverse with my foot on the brake the car violently lurched backwards.
When I am stopped the vehicle routinely lurches as I touch the gas. I’ve complained to the dealer about it and they can’t reproduce the problem. It does lurch for my husband also. It hasn’t caused any injuries or damage, so far.
Hard, jerking shifting at approximately 20 mph. Potential problem moving in close traffic such as from traffic light or entering traffic. No diagnostic warning/error lights. I’ve taken my car to Crown Acura 14080 Brookpark Rd, Cleveland, OH on July 11, 2022 for diagnosing and servicing the problem. It’s an intermittent problem so they couldn’t replicate so they couldn’t diagnose the problem. They flushed and changed the transmission fluid, bc and did a complete servicing. The service report does not show the transmission fluid filter was cleaned or replaced. I’ve found the problem mentioned a on the internet a number of times., but the mechanics were not aware of any transmission problems. I find it hard to believe Acura isn’t aware of the problem and how to fix it. The problem is intermittent and has been happening for over a year. The problem still hasn’t been diagnosed. I’m concerned my transmission will be damaged if the problem isn’t fixed. Most recent shifting problem was 4 times in about 30 min starting at ~9:30pm on July 21, 2022
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2018 Acura RDX jerking
Is jerking or lurching a common problem on the 2018 Acura RDX?
11 of 78 owner complaints about the 2018 Acura RDX (14%) mention jerking or lurching. The model year with the most reports is 2018.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2018 Acura RDX?
There are 0 recalls and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2018 Acura RDX
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