The car started jerking and overheating. Mechanic says blown head gasket. The car is only 64000 miles.
Acura RDX jerking problems
38 of the 2,187 owner complaints about the Acura RDX describe jerking or lurching, most of them for the 2018 model year.
- owner complaints
- 38
- worst model year
- 2018
- typical mileage
- 18,000
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Hesitation 7Sudden acceleration 4Shudder 4Stalling 3Harsh shifting 3Won't start 2Warning lights 2Transmission failure 2
What owners say
Two issues with this brand new Acura RDX 2025: 1) Herky/Jerking brakes. Experienced this issue weeks after purchasing. Lots of vibration when applying brakes....happens often. Took car back to Acura dealership and they said brakes working as designed. 2) Very soft /no tension in brake pedal. This issue arose within last few months. Press on brake pedal and often it goes to floor panel. Very concerning.
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
I was driving at 60 MPH on the Highway and the Service AWD light came on. The vehicle immediately lost all power and jerked and came to a sudden stop. And then when i tried to re apply power it was sluggish for about 30 seconds before i was able to get full power. I then pulled over to the side of the road and turned the vehicle on and off the error code disappeared. This happens at random times while driving the car and is extremely dangerous.
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.
Vehicle began jerking while in motion, and all error messages the vehicle has ability to display rotated across the screen, including PO848. Transmission was replaced by a dealer. Vehicle would not start two weeks later. Vehicle towed to dealer. Dealer stated battery and starter were bad. Both of those components replaced by Acura dealer. Within one week, alarm was sounding randomly and clicking noise coming from dash. Dealer is now replacing a control module. This is a safety issue because as it was jerking, I lost control of the vehicle. The car alarm going off for a prolonged time at high decibels puts the hearing of bystanders at risk. Seems the car poses a fire risk as well.
Related recalls
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021 Acura RDX and 2022 CR-V Hybrid vehicles. A component in the right or left front driveshaft may have been improperly heat-treated, which could result in driveshaft failure.
- Risk
- Driveshaft failure can cause a sudden loss of drive power, or cause the vehicle to roll away when parked if the parking brake is not applied. Either condition can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the right or left front driveshaft as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 24, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BBY, NBW, and OBX.
Recall number 21V939000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Honda is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 CR-V, Odyssey, and model year 2013 Acura RDX vehicles. During sub-freezing temperatures, the brake-shift interlock blocking mechanism may become slow and allow the gear selector to be moved from the Park position without pressing the brake pedal. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
- Risk
- If the gear selector is moved from the park position without pressing the brake pedal it can allow the vehicle to roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Honda or Acura dealer. The dealer will install an updated brake shift interlock blocking mechanism free of charge. The recall began on May 13, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009. Honda's campaign recall numbers are S96, S97, and S98.
Recall number 13V143000 · Recall details
Questions about the Acura RDX jerking
Which Acura RDX years have jerking or lurching problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2018 (11 complaints), 2017 (9 complaints) and 2019 (5 complaints).
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