There are 5 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2002 Acura RSXin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I DECIDED TO TAKE THE CAR TO ESSERMAN INTERNATIONAL DEALER FOR AN INSPECTION. ON MARCH 11, 2003 AFTER I EXPLAINED THE NOISES AND WAIT A WHOLE MORNING, I WAS GIVEN MY CAR BACK AND INFORMED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. *AK APRIL 14 I RETURNED TO THE SAME DEALER AND EXPLAINED THAT I STILL HEARD THE CRACKING NOISE AND THAT IT WAS HARD TO BRAKE. ONCE AGAIN MY CAR WAS RETURNED TO ME AND INFORMED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. FEBRUARY 20, 2004 I TOOK MY CAR TO THE ORIGINAL DEALER WHERE I PURCHASE MY VEHICLE, EXPLAINED THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES AND IN ADDITION THERE WAS A RATTLING NOISE IN THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT. THIS TIME FOR MY SURPRISE THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD TO RESURFACE FRONT BRAKES ROTORS AND THAT THERE WAS NO NOISE INSIDE THE CAR. THE NEXT DAY AFTER THEY SUPPOSEDLY REPAIRED THE CAR, THE D-4 LIGHT STARTED BLINKING AND THE NOISE ON THE BRAKE WAS WORSE. I WAS NOT ABLE TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER SINCE I WAS SHIPPING MY CAR TO CA. THE VERY NEXT DAY. WHEN I RECEIVED MY CAR IN CA I TOOK THE CAR TO THE ACURA DEALER IN ELK GROVE FOR AN INSPECTION & ALSO EXPLAINED AGAIN THE WHOLE SITUATION. THIS TIME THOUGH I ALSO EXPLAINED THE EXPERIENCE I HAD WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE CAR FROM OAKLAND TO SACRAMENTO (1 HOUR ): THE CAR STARTED TO ACCELERATE ITSELF AND I HAD TO TAP ON THE GAS-PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES IN ORDER FOR IT TO CHANGE GEARS. THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM MADE ME STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY THREE TIMES. ONCE AGAIN I RECEIVED MY CAR BACK AND TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO PROBLEM WITH THE CAR EXCEPT THAT I HAD TO REPLACE THE FRONT BRAKES PADS AN MY OWN COST. CUSTOMER RELATIONS WAS CONTACTED SEVERAL TIMES (MR. IAHWAN) BUT THIS MANAGER WILL NOT ANSWER MY LETTER, FAX OR VOICE MESSAGE. I INFORMED THE DEALER THAT D4-LIGHT WAS FLASHING, WHICH IN THE MANUAL STATES THAT IT CAN BE A PROBLEM W/TRANSMISSION, UNFORTUNATELY THE DEALER DID NOT FIND ANYTHING. THE D4 LIGHT KEEPS FLASHING AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK. PLEASE HELP!
ANTI-LOCK BRAKES ACTIVATE WHEN STOPPING ON DRY PAVEMENT WITH ANY KIND OF BUMPS OR POTHOLES. THIS OCCURS AT LEAST 2-3 TIMES PER MONTH. THE BRAKES DO NOT FEEL SAFE WHEN THIS HAPPENS, AND COULD BE A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP, HAD THEM LOOK AT THE CAR, THEY TOLD ME THIS IS NORMAL AND NO ERROR CODES SHOWED UP ON THE DIAGNOSTICS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING OVER BUMPS AND POTHOLES ABS LIGHT WOULD COME ON, CAUSING VEHICLE TO HAVE EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE.*AK
CONSUMER STATES THAT THE BRAKES ON THE VEHICLE WILL NOT WORK PROPERLY, WHEN SLOWING DOWN AND HITTING ANY MINOR BUMPS IN THE ROAD THE ABS SYSTEM WILL ACTIVATE. *NLM *NLM
THE BRAKE CALIPERS ON MY 2002 ACURA RSX (BASE MODEL) INTERMITTENTLY "SEIZE" AND CAUSE THE VEHICLE AND STEERING COLUMN TO VIBRATE WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO CONTROL AND APPARENTLY CAUSING ROTOR DAMAGE. SINCE BRAKE PROBLEMS ARE A SAFETY ISSUE, THE DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPLACED BOTH THE CALIPERS AND ROTORS FREE OF CHARGE UNDER THE WARRANTY. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT DOES NOT KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING IT. SINCE THE EQUIPMENT WAS REPLACED, THE SAME PROBLEM HAS RECURRED.
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.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026