Model year record

2003 Acura RSX recalls & problems

The 2003 Acura RSX has 4 safety recalls and 25 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is power train (8 complaints).

Recalls4safety recalls

Complaints25filed by owners

Crashes · fires3 · 0reported in complaints

Injuries · deaths4 · 0reported in complaints

2003 Acura RSX in an NHTSA crash test — NHTSA crash test

Safety recalls

Exterior lightingApr 7, 2009

Exterior lighting

Recall 09E01200016,270 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (OVSC)

Problem: SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.
Risk: DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.

Exterior lightingJul 17, 2006

Exterior lighting

Recall 06E0640004,029 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (OVSC)

Problem: CERTAIN TRADESONIC COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.
Risk: LACK OF AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS IN THE LAMPS WILL DECREASE LIGHTING VISIBILITY TO OTHER DRIVERS AND MAY POSSIBLY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Fix: TRADESONIC WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TRADESONIC AT 626-934-8884.

Exterior lightingMay 8, 2006

Exterior lighting

Recall 06E038000724 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (OVSC)

Problem: CERTAIN ALFAOTTO COMBINATION HEADLAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.
Risk: WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
Fix: ALFAOTTO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 10, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ALFAOTTO AT 626-656-2992 OR VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT WWW.ALFAOTTO.COM.

Exterior lightingMar 13, 2006

Headlights

Recall 06E023000292,000 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (OVSC)

Problem: CERTAIN ANZO COMBINATION HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS WHICH FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT."
Risk: WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Fix: ANZO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN MAY 9, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ANZO USA AT 909-468-3688.

Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.

Crash test ratings

2003 Acura RSX 2-DR. w/SAB

OverallNot Rated

Frontal crash	Not Rated
Side crash	Not Rated
Rollover	Not Rated

2003 Acura RSX NHTSA side crash test — NHTSA side barrier crash test

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.

Fuel economy

RSX

26mpg combined

City / highway	24 / 30 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

2 L · 4 cyl · Manual 5-spd · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,600/year to fuel

RSX

25mpg combined

City / highway	21 / 30 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

2 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (S5) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,700/year to fuel

RSX

24mpg combined

City / highway	21 / 28 mpg
Fuel	Premium Gasoline

2 L · 4 cyl · Manual 6-spd · Front-Wheel Drive · about $3,400/year to fuel

EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.

What owners report

Problem area	Complaints	Crashes	Injuries	Typical mileage*
Power trainManual transmission	8	0	0	10,600 mi
Air bagsFrontal › Sensor/control module; Frontal	7	2	4	65,000 mi
Engine and engine coolingEngine; Engine › Gasoline	5	0	0	43,137 mi
Service brakes, hydraulicFoundation components › Disc › Pads; Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip	3	1	0	—
Vehicle speed control	3	0	0	—
Electrical systemStarter assembly › Solenoid	1	0	0	—
VisibilityPower window devices and controls	1	0	0	—
SteeringHydraulic power assist system	1	0	0	—
EquipmentAppliance › Air conditioner	1	0	0	—

*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.

Recent owner complaints

Air bags
THE SRS LIGHT JUST TURNED ON IN MY VEHICLE. THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM SOMETIME IN 2012 OR 2013.
Aug 22, 2018
Air bags
2003 ACURA RSX. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO TAKATA AIRBAG SAFETY RECALL. *LD CONSUMER SENT ADDITIONAL CORRESPONDENCE. *LD *JS
Apr 2, 2018
Vehicle speed control
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2003 ACURA RSX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SPONTANEOUSLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE ONLY WAY THE CONTACT COULD STOP THE FAILURE WAS BY SHIFTING INTO PARK AND BRAKING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING DIAGNOSIS OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 139,000.
Feb 5, 2014 · 139,000 miles
Power train
WHEN TRYING TO SHIFT INTO 2ND GEAR IT GRINDS AND POPS OUT. IT IS SO BAD THAT NOW IT WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO PUT IT IN 2ND AT ALL. SYNCHROS ARE BAD...COMMON PROBLEM WITH RSX. ACURA SHOULD BE FORCED TO FIX THIS ISSUE SINCE IT IS SO COMMON IN THESE VEHICLES. *TR
Jan 3, 2014 · 178,000 miles
Engine and engine cooling
THE MECHANICS AT ACURA FOUND GALLING ON ONE OR MORE CAM SHAFT LOBES IN MY ENGINE. THE SYMPTOMS OF THIS PROBLEM ARE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND A NOTICEABLE, LOUDER THAN NORMAL, CLICKING/TAPPING NOISE FROM THE VALVE COVER AREA. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE THAT HAS CAUSED ME GREAT CONCERN. GALLING IS A CONDITION WHEREBY EXCESSIVE FRICTION BETWEEN HIGH SPOTS RESULTS IN LOCALIZED WELDING WITH SUBSEQUENT SPLITTING AND A FURTHER ROUGHENING OF RUBBING SURFACES OF ONE OR BOTH OF TWO MATING PARTS. WITH RESPECT TO MY CAMSHAFT, IT SHOULD HAVE A MIRROR-LIKE SURFACE TO PREVENT FRICTION DURING NORMAL OPERATION, BUT INSTEAD IT APPEARS PITTED AND IS SUBSEQUENTLY AFFECTING MY CAR'S PERFORMANCE AND SAFETY.…
Dec 5, 2010 · 70,000 miles
Air bagsCrash4 injuries
MY TEENAGE SON WAS DRIVING HIS 2003 ACURA RSX-S ON HIGHWAY I60 IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. HIS CAR WAS HIT IN THE LEFT REAR WHICH PUSHED HIM IN THE TAIL OF A BIG RIG. HIS CAR THEN FLEW OFF THE FREEWAY AND OFF A CLIFF, APPROX 80-90 FEET DOWN. CAR ROLLED OVER ESTIMATED A 7-8 TIMES. NEITHER OF THE TWO FRONT OR TWO SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. THERE WERE 4 PASSENGERS INCLUDING THE DRIVER. ALL WEARING SEATBELTS. 1 SERIOUS AND 3 MINOR INJURIES. CAR COMPLETELY TOTALLED. NO DRUGS OR ALCOHOL INVOLVED. *TR
Mar 4, 2010 · 82,000 miles
Vehicle speed control
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 ACURA RSX WITH A 4-CYLINDER, 2.0 LITER ENGINE. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 65 MPH, THERE WAS A TAPPING NOISE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE VEHICLE THEN STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND SHORTLY AFTER, HE WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED AND INCREASED IN ENGINE RPMS OF 9,000. HE WAS ABLE TO PUT THE VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL AND MANEUVER OFF THE HIGHWAY. THE ENGINE THEN BLEW ITSELF AND MADE A LOUD POPPING NOISE. HE WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AT THAT POINT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC AND DETERMINED THE FAILURE TO BE DRIVER ERROR. THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED AT THE…
Jan 28, 2010 · 86,000 miles
Air bags › Frontal
SRS LIGHT ON MY 2003 ACURA RSX, CAR ONLY HAS 80,000 MILES. DEALER (ST LOUIS ACURA) SAYS THAT IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE NHTSA # BECAUSE IT IS A DIFFERENT PART. ALTHOUGH THIS PART (SRS UNIT) WORKS WITH THE OPDS THEY SAY IT IS NOT COVERED. AS OF RIGHT NOW THEY DO NOT WISH TO TAKE ANY ACTION ON THIS AND IF I WISH TO NOT "DIE" TO PAY 1240 DOLLARS AND HAVE THEM REPLACE THIS PART. *TR
May 10, 2009 · 80,000 miles

Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.