2014 Acura RDX complaints

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

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 headlights are not bright enough to drive the car during night. I've called Acura a few times before to ask if they had a recall and what I could do to fix the problem. They told me I had to replace the whole headlight assembly which is $914 a headlight. I've tried switching the bulbs before but it's never fixed the problem. I avoid driving the car at night but when I have to, I use the bright lights but it bothers other people. I'm sorry to have to do it but there's no way that I can see or feel safe driving the car wo using the bright lights. There were no warning about the problem but Its been this way since I purchased the vehicle about 3 years ago. I purchased the car from a local Acura dealership and it belonged to a sales rep who worked there. I'm upset at the possibility that they were selling the car for the headlight issue and they still sold it to me. I've taken the car to Acura before and they told me that I had to replace the whole headlight assembly. I believe they know it's a common issue but haven't done a recall. $2000 it's a lot of money to spend on new headlights, especially when I did not do anything to cause this issue. Acura should be responsible. This is a big safety issue. The date the problem started was when i purchased the vehicle in 2019

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

The headlights on Acura 2014 RDX are very dim. There has already been some recalled, however, there needs to be more. I am not able to drive my car at night unless it is an emergency due to a lack of visibility. The only way to see beyond 3 feet in front of the car is to turn on the brights. This is a huge safety risk to my family and other drivers on the road. The dealership confirmed that the only way to fix the headlight issue was to get new headlights. I have had this issue with my headlights for over 3 years now, and first thought it was the bulbs needing replacement, then thought it was battery-related, and I have continued to check or fix other factors in my car until I started to do research on the problem. I believe that I am not the only one having the same issue.

Low beam headlights are very dim, even after replacing the bulbs. This is a very obvious existing condition, that can be witnessed by looking at the low beam headlights when they are turned on for the vehicle. This appears to be a common problem for 2014 RDX models. It appears that the projector housing coating has disintegrated on the headlight assembly, causing the low beam headlight to appear very weak. This might be similar to low beam headlight recall for 2014 RLX models, but, there has not been a similar recall for RDX models. The dim low beam headlights makes it very unsafe to drive during night time conditions. High beams seem to work fine, but, obviously, cannot be used continuously.

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.

I have 2014 Acura RDX with VIN: 5J8TB4H32EL008430. I'm facing with headlight issue since many years where my headlight with low beam is very dim and the roads are not visible in the dark. It is a major safety issue and my family was recently almost met with an accident. After the incident, I have changed the bulbs too but it didn't resolve the issue. I have searched online and found that many customers with Acura RDX are facing the same issue. I also checked in recall section but didn't find that except Acrua RLX has the recall for headlight. This is a major safety concern.

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.

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 are so dim my car cannot be driven at night. The reflective coating inside the light housing has deteriorated and no longer reflects the light. Replacements cost $800 or more. VERY DANGEROUS!!!

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

The headlights for 2014 Acura RDX dimmed so that they were ineffective. Lightbulbs were replaced. No difference. Premium lightbulbs put in. No difference. Dealer said they saw no problem. Headlights continued to dim more. Google search revealed other 2014 Acura RDX owners had the same problem. Appears to start after 80,000 miles. I asked the dealer who offered to replace entire headlight hardware but could not guarantee it solved the problem. Offer to replace with used parts did not offer reasonable solution, given widespread problem. I ended up trading in the car. Loved it otherwise!

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

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 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.

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.

The headlights are so dim the vehicle can not be driven at night. My mechanic tells me this is a known issue for the RDX and I will have to replace the headlights at my own expense. The estimated cost is over $2000. Its hard to say when I first noticed the issue but it is at the point that if I am driving at night I must use my high beams.

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.

Acura RDX 2014 headlights - Yes available for inspection. The headlights are extremely dim and I have difficulty seeing the road due to the lack of light. They are so dim that passengers tell me I don't have my headlights on when I do. Upon researching this problem I found many Acura RDX 2014 with this problem. The dealership service department told me that the vehicle is known for headlight assembly issues, but offered no real solution. No warning for the problem it just occurred on night when I was driving.

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?

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.

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.

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 low beam lights have become so dim that it is unsafe to drive the vehicle between dusk and dawn. Visibility is extremely impeded by this issue.

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 ha

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.

Low beam headlights have become continually worse in the past four years. The bulbs are working fine, but the low beam headlights only project light out a few feet from the front of the car. The car is unsafe and undriveable at night using only the low beam headlights. The high beam headlights are fine, but driving with the high beam lights on at all times is also a safety hazard. The dealer told it is problem with the reflectors, not the bulbs. The dealer was familiar with the issue, but called the working of the low beam headlights as presented as "normal" for this year and model. It is NOT normal and is unsafe. This seems to be a common problem on the 2014-2015 model RDX, but Acura refuses to admit this is any kind of manufacturer's problem. The dealer, Acura of Bellevue (Washington) also did not want to offer a repair , even at my cost, but rather referred me to a third party company to seek repairs. Why would a dealer decline to offer a solution? This car should be recalled and the manufacturer should pay for repairs to make it safe.

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.

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.

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.

The contact owns a 2014 Acura RDX. The contact stated while driving at night the low beam headlights were extremely dim causing a visibility hazard to the driver; nearly causing the vehicle to hit a pedestrian. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the headlight assemblies needed to be replaced. The contact indicated that previously the light bulbs were replaced, and the lens were deep cleaned however, the failure persisted. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.

The headlights are extremely dim. Have been since I purchased the car in 2015 and has worsened since. I’ve seen that this is a recurring issue with ACURA. It is unsafe for my family and Acura is charging upwards of $2700 to have this issue resolved.

Both headlights are very dim. The headlights have been gradually dimming. It is very dangerous to drive at night. Headlights should fail in this manner.

Headlamp failure. Headlamp light getting progressively dimmer, forcing me to drive with the brights on at all times after sunset, even on highways and on well - lit roads - causing hazard to other drivers. I can barely see the cars ahead of me. Inclimate weather is practically impossible to see at all - does not illuminate lane lines. I had the dealer change out the bulbs and inspect the outer housing. No difference with new bulbs and the outer housing is clear. Car is available for inspection. The dealer mechanic said this was a known problem for 2014 RDX and the chief mechanic confirmed the dimmness. No other person has inspected the car and there were no warnings. The problem started around 95,000 miles.

Q. Basic Introduction: Like hundreds of people all over the internet, my 2014 Acura RDX base model's low-beam headlights deteriorated to the point of being of no use while driving. Quite literally, without exaggeration, at night, I saw nothing but a faint glow on the street immediately in front of the car. Q. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The LOW BEAM headlights failed, becoming dim to the point of extreme danger. I had to literally avoid driving anywhere at night. And yes: I replaced the headlights with aftermarket replacements (not trusting the manufacturer), and I have the original headlights still in my possession. Q. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I was fortunate to be in a househould with more than one car, where I was able to simply never drive the car at night, other than occasions where we were out later than expected, and had to get home with virtually no usable low-beams. Other people who only had one car, who had no choice, and most commonly, people whose low-beams deteriorated so gradually that they didn't notice, are driving around all over America. We are all at risk. Q. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Many people in online communities have contacted dealers, but I personally did not, other than asking a service rep about it. In my case, the person either didn't know, or pretended they didn't know about the probl

Headlights problems of the 2014 Acura RDX. Unable to see with headlights at night. I can't see the road. I have escaped couple of accidents luckily.

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.

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

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.

Certain areas of the roof and tailgate are peeling off, exposing bare metal. This is a one owner Car that has been garage since new.

The headlight reflector material has deteriorated causing headlight brightness to dim so much that they are not much brighter than the running lights. Makes night driving EXTREMELY dangerous. No warning lights. Has not cause me to crash yet, but have come close several times. At this point the car is essentially unusable at night. New bulbs don’t make a difference. Entire headlight assemblies must be replaced. Dealer claims this is not a safety issue. Cost to repair is >$2,000. Internet search shows this is a very common problem for this year car likely due to the material used for the reflector not being compatible with the headlight temperature.

The main halogen headlights are dim and do not project, making it very unsafe to drive at night. This has been an ongoing issue over the last five years with my car but now it is worse to where I can't even drive at night. The high beams work fine. Yes, the car is available for inspection. It is not an issue with the plastic cover over the headlights or the light bulbs. In multiple conversations with the dealer, there was some acknowledgement of the issue and the only solution is to replace the headlamp assembly for over $2000 which may not solve the issue. This problem has been reported online by many owners of the Acura 2013 -2015 RDXs and there have been no recalls for it. See www.carproblemzoo.com and www. Carcomplaints for many complaints. It appears that the reflective coating in the headlamp deteriorates over time, causing the problem. See recall for the same problem in the 2013-2014 Acura ILX at https://hondanews.com/en-US/releases/statement-by-acura-regarding-headlight-recall-2014-2015-acura-rlx. There should be an immediate recall for the 2014 RDX. See Total number of problems by model year for Acura RDX 2021 RDX 22 2020 RDX 115 2019 RDX 202 there's a class action suit related to sudden deceleration and hesitation when accelerating for 2019 and 2020 RDXs. 2018 RDX 29 2017 RDX 47 2016 RDX 38 2015 RDX 109 2014 RDX 111 2013 RDX 84 Please notice the higher number of problems for 2013-2015 - headlamp issue 2012 RDX 18 2011 RDX 20 2010 RDX 25 2009 RDX 15 2008 RDX 37 2007

Deteriorated low beam lighting, so bad that you almost cannot drive at night. Bulbs are new and lens isn’t fogged. It seems on other models in the same year there was a recall due to deterioration of the headlights yet no recalls are open on my RDX.

The contact owns a 2014 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle at night with the headlights activated, the low beam headlights illuminated very dim causing a visibility hazard for the driver. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the light bulbs and cleaned the headlight assembly, but the issue persisted. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 86,000.

Lights are so dim cannot drive at night without brights. Have replaced lights to brightest and had lenses professionally refinished with no help.

The headlights are incredibly dim, I've replaced the actual bulb and that's not the problem there's something wrong with the housing and reading online it's a common problem , they are so bad the car can not be driven at night.

The headlights have become dim. The bulbs have been changed several times LED and HID and casing cleaned. In order to see at night we have to drive with high beams on. This has become dangerous for driving. We tried switching the light order but the high beams are too powerful and can cause danger to other drivers. The dealers says we have to replace the headlight assembly kit $2k. This is an issue that many people are having.

The headlights are extremely dim, making it dangerous to drive at night. The bulbs have been replaced multiple times, but the lights remain dim. I literally am afraid to drive it at night. You can see in online forums that this is apparently common for the 2014 RDX, yet my car (and other) have not been included in any recall. This is a safety issue.