sbt

I am looking at the RDX as a future purchase and decided to check out this forum.

Is this for real? I have left my 07 Honda Civic buried in snow for 3-4 weeks more than once while on vacation, and it still starts at first try.

First I can only get beige leather in Canada only with white or black (wanted a different exterior color but white is OK as well). And now this.

weather

sbt....I wouldn't let a weak battery deter you from buying what is simply an amazing vehicle. Cars have lots of tech features that can put some strain on a battery. It will not affect the overall reliability of the RDX and IF the battery gives you some problem, just buy a replacement and enjoy what is one fine SUV!

R*D*X*

Weather why not try it yourself......Dont use your RDX for 10 days and let us know if it's the battery causing the problem...im telling you i tried Red optima and yellow top, something is draining our battery,,,, put a new battery and dont use your car for 10 days and you will have the same result!!!!

hawkeye62

I spent two winters skiing in Silver Star, BC. We took my wife's Explorer for the ski trip. We drove home every month to pay bills, pick up mail, etc. I left my 2001 MDX in the garage. It always started when we went home. The only problem was a bumpy ride until the flat spot on the tires went away. I can't imagine a car failing to start after as little as two weeks. Maybe if it was sitting outside at below zero Deg F.

Regards, Jim

R*D*X*

Actually here's the link for Acrura RDX TSB's....you will see a "Battery Discharges For No Apparent Reason"


https://acurazine.com/forums/1g-rdx-diy-faq-161/acura-service-news-tsbs-rdx-771750/

Dorsey

R*D*X - Google PriorityStart 12V-Promax. I put one on my son's girlfriend's clapped out passat which had a phantom battery drain. Works like a charm.

sbt

I did some research on my own, and it looks like many people have complained about the battery drain issue on the previous gen RDX (appears to be more prevalent with the tech package only?). Now this is obviously a leak from something in the RDX electronics, which should have been fixed with the Service Bulletin solution (apparently not, according to R*D*X)

The only battery problem reported in the current gen appears to be this thread's OP. That too was a bit of a special case (day 1, so battery might have been bad).I guess we will soon find out if other 2013 owners are seeing this, and thus have a bigger sample size. Ideally, i shouldn't need to install an aftermarket solution when no other car seems to have this problem. Still planning to test drive the RDX soon.

weather

I am not a big fan of experimenting *lol* For example, I have been away for a few days on a business trip and my vehicles are plugged into the CTEK3300 for the piece of mind. Those little devices just maintains my batteries fully topped up and I know that when I get back, the vehicles will both go "Vrooom" which is what I like to hear

R*D*X*

Thanks...

R*D*X*

Dont get me wrong,,,, i love my RDX too and im planning to keep it for a long time, i just wanna be honest to others that there are some drain battery issue and changing the battery wont solve that...

weather

I agree that there has been some issue and that maybe changing the battery won't solve the problem. I fo one get annoyed by that same issue and why I bought the CTEK3300 for my Acura's....its total peace of mind and prevents embarassing situations

GRDX

Not that it should have caused the battery to drain overnight but I wonder if the keyless entry system is maybe always actively monitoring drawing extra power or if it goes dormant until you touch the door handle button? It does have to draw a little power to monitor for when you wish to unlock the doors or open the windows with the remote buttons. But is it more because of the keyless entry?

eekflyer

There should be no reason to need a battery tender for a modern SUV under normal situations. If the car sits for a month at a time, then maybe. A week? 10 days? No way. That would be a PR nightmare and a competitors' sales joke. What utility would there be in that? Batteries can and will fail, even new ones (personal experience).

Gen4MDX

+1

aks1972

Apologies for restarting this thread.

Now that we have had these vehicles for a few months, Is the battery drain a confirmed problem.

I have a trip coming up and the RDX will be home for 2-3 weeks. Should i be worried?

Dorsey

My wife drives our RDX (base) and was out of town for 24 days in August. Car started right up after sitting in the garage all that time. A week later we went on a 10 day trip in my car. RDX started right up after that trip.

aks1972

Thanks!

I didn't want to give my keys to someone and ask them to drive it around every few days. Just seemed odd that a new battery on a new tech advanced car would be so weak (as the OP experienced). Might be a lemon then!!

weather

I agree that you should be OK especially at this time of the year regardless of where you live. IN canada in the middle of January, I'd be worried about leaving outside if it was super cold but you should be OK.

That being said, I bought a CTEK3300 a couple of years ago and that is the best 40$ I ever spent! That little gizmo is great at topping the battery especially when my vehicles sit in the garage for extended period.

aks1972

Thanks, I have been eyeing that for sometime now. Not for RDX but for my 2001 Honda.

SystemOut

Another possibility...

I took home my new RDX today and while showing it to friends my son jumped in the driver seat and pushed the start button which turned on the electronics. They took the windows up and down, the A/C started, etc... I thought it would just stop and walked up the house. I thought it was strange when I tried to lock it and it didn't give me the normal chirp on the 2nd push of the lock button. Luckily I went back about 2 minutes later to double check the windows had indeed but raised. They hadn't and the fan for the A/C was still on! Normally one just shuts down the car and everything with it via the start/stop button but in this case we never started the car so I didn't think to hit stop again.

Who knows what really happened in this case but I could easily see one being excited with a new car and lots of toys on it and accidentally leaving something on. But it reminds me I need to go back into setup mode and double check my default settings for lights, etc. now.

swaneeriver

Don't let anybody tell you the battery is at fault. I had the same problem of not starting after the car sat for three-four days. This hapened at least ten times.They put in a new battery--problem solved until I was out of town for two weeks. Would not start; battery is fine. I finally got it started by jiggling connections on the battery. Tried to take the car back under the assumption I have a lemon. Dealer wouldn't go for that. They now have had the car a week--no word from them.

danmangto

My 2013 RDX has sat for up to 10 days (vacation) when I went to start it, it started up great, battery sounded like it had a good charge.

DavidHuet

I travel between Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA every week, about 125 miles each way. My company has a Cadillac SRX that they allowed me to drive for three weeks. So, I left my 2013 RDX parked for the 21 days that I drove the SRX. After I turned over the SRX to another guy in the company, I went to my RDX, opened the rear hatch with the key fob (electricity being used there), loaded my stuff, and then started the RDX. It started on the first button push as if I had just driven it an hour earlier. So, I don't think these stories about something draining the battery while it is parked hold water. Twenty one days is a pretty good test in my book.

Pat Goss of Motorweek and Goss' Garage fame says that in general batteries should hold a charge for a while, but that there are no real guarantees. You can have a brand new battery die in a day, a year, or five years. Don't think that because you have a new car the battery is going to be perfect. He says that he has seen many new batteries die in three or less months.

BTW, I like the RDX much better than the SRX. The SRX feels heavy and has no power. The RDX is more nimble, much faster, and can drive circles around the Cadillac.

swaneeriver

Thanks for the affirmation that it is NOT the battery. It is some starter or electrical problem that is cropping up and nobody has found a cause for it yet. I'll let you know if my dealer is successful. Would be interested in others who have left their car for extended periods but had no trouble starting it. If that occurs often, that adds credence that mine is a lemon.

swaneeriver

Update on starting problem with my '13 RDX (w/o the tech package, BTW): the dealer has had it for nearly three weeks. They say they've checked all the wires, harnesses, and connections with no result. They can't duplicate the problem b/c they don't have a place to park it inside for a week. I want them to take the car back so that I can buy something else. Based on my experience, I would never by another Acura. I don't believe I'm the only one having this problem.

Al Dente

I've never had the problem. Have left my RDX (with tech package) at airport parking for 7 and 10 day stretches in cold weather, and it started right up.

masterrdx

left at the airport for 5 days in freezing temps and the RDX started up on the first push.....

dime5150

That's not normal. You should have had the dealer replace the battery.

dime5150

By the way the Lemon Law will protect you. Check up on the details but the advice on letting them fix it is bet. Give them (Acura) the chance and do your due diligence throughout the process and document everything.

I haven't been in your situation but I would be frustrated and want a new car too. But in my experience car dealerships sell you the car and would rather not hear from you again. So don't expect them to bend over backwards. HOWEVER. Expect them to do everything reasonably possible to remedy it.

If not.. Take it to corporate and your attorney general if it gets that bad.

FishX

I blieve you have to give them chance to fix the issue before the lemon law would imply.

FishX

oops ... meant "apply...."

forrie

Hi Everyone,

I'm chiming in a little late here, as I was searching Google for similar symptoms with my new 2013 RDX (w/ tech).

BUT here's what happened to me!

I was driving at the mall today, made a right-hand turn and the power steering seized! I nearly sh*t a brick and almost hit someone; people beeping at me like I'm an idiot.

Next, returning to my vehicle, it wouldn't start. The brake-press/START would cause the dash to blink and click. Eventually it started.

Happened again when I stopped at the grocery store, this time it wouldn't start for a long time -- then it did.

I called the dealer twice and I'm going to have it either towed tomorrow (or drive, if it decides to start).

From what I'm reading above, there may be a couple of issues here: 1) the quality of battery; and 2) technical issues with the car itself that may be causing power drain.

Needless to say I was absolutely LIVID. This should never happen, especially with the power steering seizing -- if I got into an accident, how would I prove that is what happened? Acura could be sued.

What recommendations have people here on a better battery replacement. I did read, and agree, not to let the dealer convince me that it's "only" a battery issue -- there's something going on that may be draining the power -- a firmware bug or loose connection or otherwise. I intend to tell them to keep the car and figure it out, because I refuse to take it back until they do.

I bought it in Massachusetts. The so-called "Lemon Laws" vary from state to state. In MA, if the same problem occurs x number of times and they can't fix it, there are specific steps you can take and use the law to protect you. I am hoping it doesn't come down to that.

I'd be interested in updates from those folks who have had similar issues as described in this thread -- especially, if anyone else has had the power steering seize.

The RDX is a nice vehicle. The NAV sucks, it's clunky the UI is a bitch to navigate - but I've seen Audi and therefore I'm spoiled. Nothing compares to them.

Thanks!

forrie

Well, no replies - so I'm not sure anyone really cares. But, for posterity, I will describe what happened for me and what the solution was.

I called Acura Roadside Assistance, who came to evaluate the problem. Turns out, one of the battery terminals was loose - the part was actually slightly too big. This explains the electrical issues.

The part was replaced, overnighted even and now things are just fine.

What I surmise is that during a production run, they ran out of the part and used something approximated, or from another model. *shrug*

The dealer checked everything else over and all is well.

It was still a bizarre experience none-the-less!

mdfree

Forrie, glad it turned out to be relatively minor and that nobody got hurt. I'm only about a week into my 2014, but so far so good. I think I would agree with you on the Nav ;-)

Frediano

This 2014 is my second RDX; I had two MDXs before that. Cars have been fantastic. 1000 miles on this one, this just happened overnite, roadside service coming to give me a jump at home.

Everything in auto mode, no lights on, no interior lights on, only attachments are factory.

Last time I had the car in accessory mode to program something, I started the car normally and drove away. Last night I came home from driving around, parked in garage, and then put into accessory mode to add some voice tags to my wifes phone. Took a minute or so, then turned car 'off' but was probably still bluetooth connected to wife's phone.

Anyway, battery had 2.3 V this morning. So my theory is, if you place car in accessory mode, when you leave accessory mode, be sure to start the car. Then, shut car down in that mode.

My theory is, this is a control model or s/w issue; when turned off in accessory mode, it might not be shutting everything down, like the bluetooth.

Seems a little counter intuitive because of the extra 'start' but I think this is a shut down s/w issue from accessory mode.

If others are having this issue, note if the last thing you did was shut the car down in accessory mode.

Comfy

Yes, that seems to be a plausible explanation. Good observation.

kareshi

When I had my 07 TSX, I notice the same thing. The Handsfreelink is still on and connected to my phone even though I turned the key to shut off the car. The key was not even in the hole anymore.

So your observation is highly likely.

1hp

Someone is smoking something....

First off, I have a 2014 RDX AWD with tech package. Left it in the garage for 2 weeks while we where on vacation and no problem starting it when I came back.

Second, I'm a EE and have worked in product design for the last 30 years. Modern electronics are not huge power drains when they are switched off. Look at what's packed into your phone and how long that little battery lasts. With the vehicle switched off and all lights off there should be a minor current drain from the battery. If the battery is draining overnight then you have a problem somewhere. Easiect way to trace it is to put a current meter on the main battery cable to measure it (and to confirm it), then start pulling fuses to see what is causing it.

My 2 cents, and worth every penny paid for it.......

1CleanRDX

Why doesn't someone just hook up a ammeter in series with one of the battery cables and see what the draw actually is when the car is off? This doesn't seem to be rocket science. Acura should know what the normal amp draw is and if it's significantly higher, there is an issue. If it's normal, then it's a loose battery connection, bad battery, or bad alternator.