AI Damage2003 Acura RSX: common problems
Owners of the 2003 Acura RSX filed 25 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 25
- involving a crash
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 32% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 28% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 20% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 12% of all complaints
- 5 Vehicle speed control 12% of all complaints
- 6 Electrical system 4% of all complaints
- 7 Equipment 4% of all complaints
- 8 Steering 4% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 8 complaints (32% of all).
- Air bags: 7 complaints (28% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 5 complaints (20% of all).
- Service brakes: 3 complaints (12% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 3 complaints (12% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2 L · petrol · 4 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 5-speed
- manual, 5-speednamed in 2 complaints
- manual, 6-speednamed in 2 complaints
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 25 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
All wearing seatbelts. 1 serious and 3 minor injuries. Car completely totalled. No drugs or alcohol involved.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2003 acura rsx. Accelerates for no reason, without pushing on the throttle pedal. This usually occurs after the vehicle has first started, and about 30-60 seconds after starting. This is an on-going problem for the past 10 months.
She stated that the airbag srs light remains illuminated at all times. The srs light was inspected and reset however, the problem continued to occur. The contact also stated that the opds unit needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 80,000.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 7,448 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 20% most complained about).
On average one model year of the RSX has 22 complaints (8 years in the data). This year has 25, about average.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Acura RSX?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, air bags, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 25. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: knocking, grinding or other noise (40%), airbag warning light (12%), A/C or heater (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2003 Acura RSX?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2003 Acura RSX from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2003 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.