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2020 Acura RDX: check engine light

44 of the 351 complaints about the 2020 Acura RDX describe check engine light.

owner complaints
44
of this car's complaints
13%
typical mileage
6,500
recalls
0
Is there a fix? 15 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Check engine light by model year

  • 2024
    1
  • 2023
    3
  • 2022
    2
  • 2021
    12
  • 2020
    44
  • 2019
    49
  • 2018
    2
  • 2017
    2
  • 2016
    1
  • 2015
    2
  • 2013
    1
  • 2007
    4

What owners say

Filed Jul 17, 2026 · Engine · 65,000 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2020 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH in inclement weather, moisture entered the turbocharger, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over, restarted the vehicle, and drove to a local dealer. A technician confirmed that the failure was caused by moisture entering the turbocharger and referenced an unknown Technical Service Bulletin associated with the repair for the vehicle. The dealer stated that the vehicle was safe to operate. There were no further issues with the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

Filed May 27, 2026 · Engine · GA

This is a well known problem that when water gets into the intercooler, the car goes into limp Mode. This happens to my daughter, while driving 85 miles in the fast lane in the highway. Her check engine light started flashing, she was unable to accelerate, and she was scared! She had to pull over in the left lane, against the median.This is a safety hazard! I am paying over $1000 to have this fixed. TSB 20-053 this should be a recall!!

Filed Apr 1, 2026 · Transmission · MN

Powertrain failed in 2020 Acura RDX Tech Pkg AWD. Only 2 weeks after the 6 year warranty expired on the vehicle the powertrain failed and set off the check engine light. Dealer service department found an excessive amount of shavings in the plug. The vehicle only had 41,345 miles on it before transmission/powertrain failed and there was only 1 owner for the vehicle. It was purchased brand new from the dealer and vehicle was well-maintained.

Filed May 5, 2025 · Transmission · OH

Under full throttle acceleration while merging onto highway the car would not deliver power and the check engine started flashing. Pressing the accelerator did not make the car go. I had to pull over and stop the car. I turned it off and turned it back on and was able to drive away. Both times, the weather was very humid and I was merging on a ramp that had an uphill incline. This happened twice within a few days. The first time was on 3-MAY-2025 and the second time was on 5-MAY-2025

Filed Feb 14, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · FL

I was passing another vehicle around 45mph when I had a loss of power in acceleration. Acceleration was limp went down to 10mph engine light came on. I had to pull off road. Shut car off then restarted. Engine light went off. But acceleration is weak. Unable to maneuver away from an emergency situation if need to. Dangerous to drive it like this. I will take it to dealership but know they' never find any issues!

Filed May 23, 2023 · Driver assistance, Transmission · CA

My car transmission light came on...check engine. Then said blind spot warning not working. See dealer. My car transmission warning message appears every time I accelerate to 60mph. It switches to sport mode on its on and I am unable to switch it back. My cameras malfunction for blind spots. The car sound is louder and usually it's quiet. I take my car in regularly for servid3 with the dealer. This is very strange. I am scared to go past 60mph.

Filed May 18, 2023 · Engine, Fuel system · FL

We experienced loss of power in heavy interstate traffic. We had been driving in the rain for some time on I-10 in Florida. We were in the right lane behind a vehicle that was traveling much slower than other vehicles. There was a gap in vehicles in the left lane so I signaled and pressed the gas pedal significantly so I could quickly get up to a matching speed for the left-lane vehicles. At this point the engine stumbled a couple of times and the Check Engine light began flashing. No matter how hard I pressed the gas pedal, my vehicle would not accelerate. Cars behind us had to brake quickly to avoid hitting us from behind. I turned on my emergency flashers and made my way to the right-side breakdown lane. After stopping, I turned our vehicle off and restarted the engine. No warning lights were lit and I was able to resume our drive. This is a known issue with our vehicle and other Acura/Honda vehicles. There is an existing Acura Technical Service Bulletin (TSB), 20-053, that addresses this issue. This TSB was applied to my vehicle in March of 2021. Apparently, the TSB has not resolved the issue. This is a serious safety issue. At the very least, the car behind us could have hit us and this could have caused a multi-vehicle accident. If a semi had been behind us and couldn't stop quickly, we could have been killed. In online discussions there are a number of people that have experienced this issue. This is not an isolated incident and should be investigated.

Filed Apr 10, 2023 · Engine · TX

Driving about 75 (local speed limit) from College Station Texas to Plano, Texas over the Easter weekend and vehicle suddenly lost all power, check engine light illuminates, and I have to pull over. After several minutes, light is extinguished. Restarted vehicle and service engine light illuminates (B17). Had not been on before. I drove about 65 the remainder of the trip and took it to the Dealership in town. The incident can not be replicated per the shop. 22K miles.

Filed Jan 8, 2023 · Acceleration, Fuel system · WA

While accelerating on the highway the vehicle lost power. Pressing the gas did nothing. Engine light blinked

Filed Aug 19, 2022 · Engine · 18,986 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2020 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle went into limp mode and experienced unintended deceleration to 5 MPH with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 18,986.

Filed Jul 23, 2022 · Engine, Fuel system · FL

While driving on I-95 north, the check engine light began flashing on and off. We had been driving in a thunderstorm for approximately 100 miles, when it began flashing. Then suddenly the car began slowing down. There was no response to repeatedly stepping on the gas pedal. As the car slowed down I was able to get over to the shoulder, and put the car in park. Again trying to get a response by stepping on the gas pedal, but there was no response. I shut the engine off, then restarted the car. The car ran fine, after I restarted it. I continued my drive from Florence SC to NY, and then returned from NY to Florida without any further incident.

Filed Jul 19, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · FL

Upon rapid acceleration, pushing the gas pedal down, the engine light started blinking and the car went into limp mode losing all power. This was a serious concern because we had just got off the interstate and if we had been full speed attempting to pass a vehicle, we could have been in a serious accident due to failure of power.

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the 2020 Acura RDX check engine light

Is check engine light a common problem on the 2020 Acura RDX?

44 of 351 owner complaints about the 2020 Acura RDX (13%) mention check engine light. The model year with the most reports is 2019.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2020 Acura RDX?

There are 0 recalls and 15 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2020 Acura RDX

Loss of power 31Won't shift 21Grinding brakes 11Fuel pump 8Stalling 8Sunroof shattered 6Windshield crack 5

All model years of the Acura RDX

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