2003 Acura RSX problems
Owners have filed 30 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Acura RSX. Air bags is the most reported problem area, at 23% of complaints. Next are engine (17%) and transmission (17%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 30 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 23% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 3 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 4 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 60,000 miles 18 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 7 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 0 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 2 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 3 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 4 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 18 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 60,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 3 complaints mention a crash; 4 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 4 model years of the Acura RSX with enough data (20 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
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.
After being rear ended consumer's vehicle was struck a second time at 55 MPH in the driver's door. Upon impact, neither side air bags nor the frontal air bags deployed. The vehicle was totaled. The vehicle was hit with such force that the front axle snapped.
For some time now I have felt my brakes do not perform up to par. Recently, in stop and go traffic, I was unable to stop on time when a vehicle in front of me slammed on their brakes. I bumped the other driver in the rear of their car and now it is costing me a surcharge on my insurance. I feel my brakes are functioning inadequately and I also feel that it is not my brake pads or routers. I think there is something mechanically wrong with my brakes. I drive at 2003 acura rsx.
1. Difficulty, notchiness or grind on getting to 2nd gear - very dangerous on intersection. 2. 3rd gear pops out or grinds.
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.