2018 Acura RDX tow

Contents
This owner’s manual should be considered a permanent part of the
vehicle and should remain with the vehicle when it is sold.
This owner’s manual covers all models of your vehicle. You may find
descriptions of equipment and features that are not on your
particular model.
Images throughout this owner’s manual (including the front cover)
represent features and equipment that are available on some, but
not all, models. Your particular mo del may not have some of these
features.
This owner’s manual is for vehicles sold in the United States and
Canada.
The information and specifications in cluded in this publication were
in effect at the time of approval for printing. Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
reserves the right, however, to discontinue or change specifications
or design at any time without notice and without incurring any
obligation.2 Safe Driving P. 25
For Safe Driving P. 26 Seat Belts P. 31 Airbags P. 39
2Instrument Panel P. 67
Indicators P. 68 Gauges and Multi-Information Display P. 95
2Controls P. 119
Setting the Clock P. 120 Locking and Unlocking the Doors P. 121
Opening and Closing the Moonroof P. 145
Adjusting the Seats P. 164
2Features P. 187
Audio System* P. 188 Audio System Basic Operation* P. 192
HomeLink ® Universal Transceiver P. 224
2 Driving P. 257
Before Driving P. 258 Towing a Trailer P. 263
Parking Your Vehicle P. 332Multi-View Rear Camera P. 340
2Maintenance P. 345
Before Performing Maintenance P. 346 Maintenance MinderTM P. 349
Checking and Maintaining Wiper Blades P. 372
Climate Control System Main tenance P. 388 Cleaning P. 389
2Handling the Unexpected P. 395
Tools P. 396 If a Tire Goes Flat P. 397
Overheating P. 420 Indicator, Coming On/Blinking P. 422
2Information P. 431
Specifications P. 432 Identification Numbers P. 434
Emissions Testing P. 437 Warranty Coverages P. 439

Contents
Child Safety P. 52Exhaust Gas Hazard P. 64Safety Labels P. 65
Opening and Closing the Tailgate P. 133 Security System P. 139 Opening and Closing the Windows P. 142
Operating the Switches Around the Steering Wheel P. 146 Adjusting the Mirrors P. 161
Interior Lights/Interior Convenience It ems P. 171 Climate Control System P. 182
Audio Error Messages* P. 217General Information on the Audio System* P. 220
Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink ® P. 226 Compass* P. 255
Off-Highway Driving Guidelines P. 268 When Driving P. 270 Braking P. 320
Refueling P. 341 Fuel Economy and CO
2 Emissions P. 343
Maintenance Under the Hood P. 353 Replacing Light Bulbs P. 365
Checking and Maintaining Tires P. 376 Battery P. 385 Remote Transmitter Care P. 386
Accessories and Modifications P. 394
Engine Does Not Start P. 414Jump Starting P. 417 Shift Lever Does Not Move P. 419
Fuses P. 426 Emergency Towing P. 429When You Cannot Open the Tailgate P. 430
Devices that Emit Radio Waves P. 435 Reporting Safety Defects P. 436
Authorized Manuals P. 441 Client Service Information P. 442
Quick Reference GuideP. 4
Safe DrivingP. 25
Instrument PanelP. 67
ControlsP. 119
FeaturesP. 187
DrivingP. 257
MaintenanceP. 345
Handling the UnexpectedP. 395
InformationP. 431
IndexP. 443

12
Quick Reference Guide
Wipers and Washers (P 153)
AUTO should always be turned OFF before
the following situation in order to prevent
severe damage to the wiper system:
● Cleaning the windshield
● Driving through a car wash
● No rain present
Wiper/Washer Control Lever
Adjustment Ring
(-: Low Sensitivity*1
: Lower speed, fewer sweeps*2
(+: High Sensitivity*1
: Higher speed, more sweeps*2
MIST
OFF
AUTO
*1: Wiper speed varies automatically
INT*2: Low speed with intermittent
LO : Low speed wipe
HI: High speed wipe Pull toward
you to spray
washer fluid.
*1 : Models with automatic intermittent wipers
*2 : Models without automatic intermittent
wipers
Models with automatic intermittent wipers
Steering Wheel (P 160)
● To adjust, pull the adjustment lever
towards you, adjust to the desired
position, then lock the lever back in place.
Unlocking the Front Doors
from the Inside
(P 130)
● Pull either front door inner handle to
unlock and open it at the same time.
Tailgate (P 133)
● Press the tailgate release button to
unlock and open the tailgate.
● Press the power tailgate button on the
instrument panel or the remote
transmitter to open and close the power
tailgate.

20
Quick Reference Guide
Handling the Unexpected (P 395)
Flat Tire (P 397)
● Park in a safe location and repair the flat
tire using the tire repair kit.
● Park in a safe location and replace the
flat tire with the compact spare tire in the
cargo area.
Indicators Come On (P 422)
● Identify the indicator and consult the
owner’s manual.
Vehicles with tire repair kit
Vehicles with a compact spare tire
Engine Won’t Start (P 414)
● If the battery is dead, jump start using a
booster battery.
Blown Fuse (P 426)
● Check for a blown fuse if an electrical
device does not operate.
Overheating (P 420)
● Park in a safe location. If you do not see
steam under the hood, open the hood,
and let the engine cool down.
Emergency Towing (P 429)
● Call a professional towing service if you
need to tow your vehicle.

44
uuAirbags uFront Airbags (SRS)
Safe Driving
■When front airbags should not deploy
Minor frontal crashes: Front airbags were designed to supplement seat belts and
help save lives, not to prevent minor scrapes, or even broken bones that might occur
during a less than moderate-to-severe frontal crash.
Side impacts: Front airbags can provide protection when a sudden deceleration
causes a driver or front passenger to move towards the front of the vehicle. Side
airbags and side curtain airb ags have been specifically designed to help reduce the
severity of injuries that can occur during a moderate-to-severe side impact which
can cause the driver or passenger to move towards the side of the vehicle.
Rear impacts: Head restraints and seat belts are your best protection during a rear
impact. Front airbags cannot provide any si gnificant protection and are not designed
to deploy in such collisions.
Rollovers: Seat belts and, in vehicl es equipped with a rollover sensor, side airbags
and side curtain airbags offer the best prot ection in a rollover. Because front airbags
could provide little if any protection, th ey are not designed to deploy during a
rollover.
■When front airbags deploy with little or no visible damage
Because the airbag system senses sudden deceleration, a strong impact to the
vehicle framework or suspension might caus e one or more of the airbags to deploy.
Examples include running into a curb, the edge of a hole, or other low fixed object
that causes a sudden deceleration in th e vehicle chassis. Since the impact is
underneath the vehicle, damage may not be readily apparent.
■When front airbags may not deploy, even though exterior damage
appears severe
Since crushable body parts absorb crash energy during an impact, the amount of
visible damage does not always indicate proper airbag operation. In fact, some
collisions can result in severe damage but no airbag deployment because the airbags
would not have been needed or would not have provided protection even if they
had deployed.

47
uuAirbags uSide Airbags
Safe Driving
■When a side airbag deploys with little or no visible damage
Because the airbag system senses sudden acceleration, a strong impact to the side
of the vehicle’s framework can cause a side airbag to deploy. In such cases, there
may be little or no damage, but the side impact sensors detected a severe enough
impact to deploy the airbag.
■When a side airbag may not deploy, even though visible damage appears
severe
It is possible for a side airbag to not deploy during an impact that results in
apparently severe damage. This can occu r when the point of impact was towards
the far front or rear of the vehicle, or when the vehicle’s crushable body parts
absorbed most of the crash energy. In either case, the side airbag would not have
been needed nor provided protec tion even if it had deployed.

153
uuOperating the Switches Around the Steering Wheel uWipers and Washers
Continued
Controls
Wipers and Washers
The windshield wipers and washers can be
used when the power mode is in ON.
■MIST
The wipers run at high speed until you release
the lever.
■Wiper switch (OFF, INT*1/AUTO*2, LO, HI)
Move the lever up or down to change the
wiper settings.
■Adjusting wiper operation
Turn the adjustment ring to adjust wiper
operation.
■Washer
Sprays while you pull the lever toward you.
When you release the le ver for more than one
second, the spray stops, the wipers sweep two
or three more times to clear the windshield,
then stop.
*1 : Models with manual intermittent operation
*2 : Models with automatic intermittent operation
■Windshield Wipers/Washers1 Windshield Wipers/Washers
NOTICE
Do not use the wipers when the windshield is dry.
The windshield will get sc ratched, or the rubber
blades will get damaged.
NOTICE
In cold weather, the blades may freeze to the
windshield, becoming stuck.
Operating the wipers in th is condition may damage
the wipers. Use the defroster to warm the
windshield, then turn the wipers on.
If the vehicle speeds up while the wipers are
operating intermittently, the length of the wipe
interval shortens.
When the vehicle starts moving, the wipers make a
single sweep.
When the vehicle speeds up, the wiper operation’s
shortest delay setting ( ) and the LO setting become
the same.
Turn the washers off if no washer fluid comes out.
The pump may get damaged.
The wiper motor is equipped with a breaker that may
stop motor operation temp orarily to prevent an
overload. Wiper operation will return to normal
within a few minutes, once the circuit has returned to
normal.
Intermittent Time
Adjustment Ring
MIST
INT*1/AUTO*2OFF
LO: Low speed wipe
HI: High speed wipe Pull to
use
washer.
Lower speed, fewer sweeps
Higher speed, more sweeps

257
Driving
This chapter discusses driving, refueling, and information on items such as accessories.
Before Driving................................... 258
Towing a Trailer ................................ 263
Off-Highway Driving Guidelines ..... 268
When Driving Starting the Engine .......................... 270
Precautions While Driving................. 275
Automatic Transmission ................... 276
Shifting ............................................ 277
Cruise Control
*................................ 281
Front Sensor Camera*...................... 284
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)*....... 286
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)*...... 299Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS)*..... 303 Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA
®), aka Electronic
Stability Control (ESC), System ........... 311
Blind spot information (BSI) System
*.... 313All-Wheel Drive (AWD) with Intelligent Control System*..................................................... 316Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) ... 316Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) - Required Federal Explanation ......... 318
Braking Brake System ................................... 320
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) ........... 322
Brake Assist System.......................... 323 Collision Mitigation Braking System
TM
(CMBSTM)*..................................... 324
Parking Your Vehicle When Stopped ................................ 332
Parking Sensor System
*................... 333
Cross Traffic Monitor*..................... 337
Multi-View Rear Camera .................. 340
Refueling Fuel Information .............................. 341
How to Refuel ................................. 342
Fuel Economy and CO
2 Emissions .... 343
* Not available on all models