There are 2 stored owner reports matching the engine leading-label group for the 2016 Acura RDX in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 2 of 2 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)2016 ACURA RDX WITH APPROX 31,000 MILES. AFTER APPROX 1.5 MILE TRIP PARKED IT AT A SHOPPING CENTER, TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND LOCKED THE CAR. WITHIN 3 MIN THE ENGINE SPONTANEOUSLY CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED THE ENTIRE ENGINE COMPARTMENT BEFORE THE FIRE DEPT PUT IT OUT. CONTACTED HONDA AND TOLD THEM THEY SHOULD LOOK AT IT TO SEE IF IT WAS AN INHERANT SAFETY PROBLEM. HONDA SAID THEY WERE NOT INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT THE CAR AND TO LET MY INSURANCE HANDLE IT. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED AFTER BEING TOLD BY THEM THAT THEY WOULD LOOK INTO IT AS IT STILL HAD A POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. DEALERSHIP FAILED TO PROVIDE AN INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE AND WAS TOLD BY HONDA NOT TO HONOR THE WARRANTY AND LET INSURANCE HANDLE IT. VEHICLE IS TOTALED AND IF THE INSURANCE CO SELLS IT AT AN AUCTION THERE WILL BE NO EVIDENCE LEFT OF WHAT CAUSED THE SPONTANEOUS FIRE TO ERUPT ON SUCH A LOW MILE ENGINE.
HAPPENED TWICE. PRESS ACCELERATOR AND ENGINE BOGS WAY DOWN, WARNING LIGHTS SEEM TO CYCLE THROUGH NUMEROUS ISSUES. DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. SOMEONE SAID THAT INTERNALLY THE ELECTRONICS SWITCHED IT TO HIGHWAY MODE WHERE THE ENGINE SWITCHES FROM 6 CYLINDERS TO 3 CYLINDERS IN ORDER TO PROVIDE BETTER MILEAGE. FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS 6 MILES FROM HOME SO I CAREFULLY DROVE IT SLOWLY HOME, CALLED THE DEALER, AND THEY HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. SECOND TIME I WAS 100+ MILES FROM HOME. KNOWING I WAS NOW DRIVING A 3 CYLINDER INSTEAD OF 6, I GAVE MYSELF PLENTY OF ROOM TO GET UP TO HIGHWAY SPEED SINCE ALL OF THE DRIVING WAS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS EXCEPT FOR TWO STOP SIGNS. I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT DRIVING IN A SITUATION WHERE I NEEDED TO ACCELERATE RAPIDLY. THIS TIME I DROVE IT CAREFULLY TO THE DEALERSHIP AND AGAIN THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. SUSPECT THAT THEY RESET IT BY DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY TO RESET THE ENTIRE SYSTEM WHICH IS WHAT I WILL TRY WHEN IT HAPPENS NEXT TIME. (DO NOT WANT TO DRIVE A HUNDRED MILES AGAIN LIKE THAT. WOULD RATHER GET MY HANDS DIRTY AND RESET IT IN ORDER TO DRIVE SAFELY THAT FAR.) FIRST TIME AROUND 40,000 MILES. SECOND TIME AROUND 50,000. BOTH TIMES SPEED WAS AROUND 20-40 MPH, SLIGHT ACCELERATION, THEN IT BOGGED DOWN.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.