Acura RDX VIN Decoder

Decode any Acura RDX VIN free in under three seconds. Type the 17-character vehicle identification number into the decoder above and pull the generation, model year, engine, trim, drivetrain, plant of origin, and open NHTSA recalls. No account, no credit card, no email gate.

This page is the dedicated Acura RDX hub. Below you’ll find the generation-by-generation chassis codes the RDX actually carries in its VIN, the two plants that have ever built one, how the engine and drivetrain are really encoded, and the spots on the vehicle where the VIN is stamped. Every claim below was checked against real, checksum-valid RDX VINs decoded through NHTSA’s vPIC database, spanning 2007 through 2024 models, not a generic template borrowed from another Honda product.

About the Acura RDX

The Acura RDX launched for model year 2007 as Acura’s first compact luxury SUV, positioned below the three-row MDX. It has since become one of Acura’s best-selling nameplates and, unlike the MDX, has never been built outside the United States. Since 2007 the RDX has gone through three generations:

Generation	Years	Chassis code	Engine	Built at
1st (TB1 / TB2)	2007-2012	TB1 (SH-AWD), TB2 (FWD, added MY2010)	2.3L K23A1 turbocharged inline-4, 240 hp	Marysville, Ohio
2nd (TB3 / TB4)	2013-2018	TB3 (FWD), TB4 (SH-AWD)	3.5L J35Z2 naturally aspirated V6, 273-279 hp	East Liberty, Ohio
3rd (TC1 / TC2)	2019-present	TC1 (FWD), TC2 (SH-AWD)	2.0L K20C4 turbocharged inline-4, 272 hp	East Liberty, Ohio

The 1st-generation RDX is the odd one out mechanically: it’s the only generation with a turbocharged 4-cylinder and the only one built at Honda’s Marysville, Ohio plant instead of East Liberty. Every 2007-2009 RDX came standard with Super Handling All-Wheel Drive; a lower-cost front-wheel-drive version wasn’t added until the 2010 refresh. The 2nd generation swapped the turbo four for a naturally aspirated 3.5L V6, borrowed heavily from the MDX parts bin, and moved assembly to East Liberty, where it has stayed ever since. The 3rd generation, introduced for 2019 on Acura’s newer platform shared with the TLX sedan, returned to a turbocharged 4-cylinder, this time a 2.0L unit related to the engine in the Honda Civic Type R.

Acura RDX WMI codes (positions 1 to 3)

The first three characters of a VIN form the World Manufacturer Identifier, assigned by SAE International on behalf of ISO. We decoded real RDX VINs from all three generations, 2007 through 2024, against NHTSA’s vPIC database, and every single one carried the same WMI:

WMI	Country	Manufacturer	RDX generations built here
5J8	USA	American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Acura)	TB1, TB2, TB3, TB4, TC1, TC2, all years

This is a genuinely different story from the Acura MDX, which carries a Canadian WMI (2HN) for its first two generations before switching to US codes. The RDX has never been assembled outside Ohio, so it has never needed a second WMI. If your RDX VIN starts with anything other than 5J8, that’s a red flag worth investigating with the decoder at the top of this page; it may be a different Acura or Honda model, a foreign-market RDX with a different VIN standard, or a data-entry error on a title or listing.

How to decode an Acura RDX VIN, position by position

Every RDX built since 2007 uses the 17-character ISO 3779 standard. The string breaks into three blocks, and each character carries specific meaning.

Positions 1 to 3: World Manufacturer Identifier

See the table above. 5J8 is the only WMI a genuine US-market RDX will ever carry, across all three generations. The first character identifies the country of assembly (5 = USA), the second identifies the manufacturer, and the third narrows the vehicle class to Acura SUVs built at Honda’s Ohio plants.

Positions 4 to 8: Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS)

Positions 4 to 6 hold the chassis code, and this is where the RDX gets interesting: the pairing of chassis code to drivetrain flips between generations. On the 1st generation, TB1 is SH-AWD and TB2 is FWD. On the 2nd generation, that reverses: TB3 is FWD and TB4 is SH-AWD. On the 3rd generation, TC1 is FWD and TC2 is SH-AWD. There’s no shortcut rule that works across all three generations; the number after the letters doesn’t consistently mean the same drivetrain, so don’t assume, decode the actual VIN.

Position 7 carries a body and restraint-system code. On every 2007-2009 RDX we decoded it reads 8; starting with the 2010 refresh, and on every model year since, it reads H. Position 8 tracks trim and equipment level rather than engine, similarly to how Acura structures the MDX’s VDS. On real decoded VINs, position 8 5 consistently returned “Technology Package” on 1st-gen RDX models, while a plain 2 returned no named trim (the base model). Don’t try to guess trim from position 8 alone; the decoder above reads the full VDS pattern against Honda’s actual build data.

Here’s what we confirmed directly, generation by generation, using NHTSA’s EngineModel field:

Chassis code	Years	Engine	Confirmed via
TB1	2007-2012	2.3L K23A1 turbocharged inline-4, 240 hp	2007 RDX, VIN 5J8TB18507A003967
TB2	2010-2012	2.3L K23A1 turbocharged inline-4, 240 hp (FWD)	2010 RDX, VIN 5J8TB2H58AA001784
TB3	2013-2018	3.5L J35Z2 V6, 273 hp (279 hp from the 2016 refresh)	2016 RDX, VIN 5J8TB3H3XGL017700
TB4	2013-2018	3.5L J35Z2 V6, SH-AWD	2015 RDX, VIN 5J8TB4H31FL005004
TC1	2019-present	2.0L K20C4 turbocharged inline-4, 272 hp	2019 RDX, VIN 5J8TC1H5XKL003291
TC2	2019-present	2.0L K20C4 turbocharged inline-4, 272 hp (SH-AWD)	2019 RDX, VIN 5J8TC2H56KL024404

One honest note on the 2nd-generation V6: NHTSA’s vPIC data returns the same engine model code, J35Z2, for both the pre-refresh (2013-2015, 273 hp) and post-refresh (2016-2018, 279 hp) cars we decoded. The power bump Acura advertised for the 2016 model year appears to come from a tune and intake revision rather than a change of engine code in NHTSA’s records, so don’t expect the VIN alone to distinguish a 273-hp car from a 279-hp car of the same chassis code.

Position 9: Check digit

The check digit is the one character in the VIN that catches typos. It’s calculated from the other 16 characters using a fixed weighting table and modulo-11 math. Mistype a single character anywhere in the VIN and the math no longer matches; any compliant decoder, every state DMV, and the NHTSA recall database will reject the entry. Every VIN cited on this page passes that check.

Position 10: Model year

The 10th character maps to model year on the industry-wide 30-year cycle. Because the RDX has run continuously since 2007 with no gap, this single pass through the cycle covers the entire nameplate to date, with no wraparound ambiguity to resolve:

Char	Year	Char	Year	Char	Year
7	2007	H	2017	S	2025
8	2008	J	2018	T	2026
9	2009	K	2019	V	2027
A	2010	L	2020	W	2028
B	2011	M	2021	X	2029
C	2012	N	2022	Y	2030
D	2013	P	2023	1	2031
E	2014	R	2024	2	2032
F	2015			3	2033
G	2016

The letters I, O, and Q are skipped because they resemble 1 and 0. We confirmed several of these characters directly: 7 decoded to 2007, A to 2010, F to 2015, G to 2016, K to 2019, P to 2023, and R to 2024, all against real vPIC results.

Position 11: Assembly plant

A single character identifies the specific factory. We confirmed both of these against real, checksum-valid RDX VINs from every generation:

Char	Plant	Generations
A	Marysville Auto Plant, Marysville, Ohio	TB1, TB2 (2007-2012 only)
L	East Liberty Auto Plant, East Liberty, Ohio	TB3, TB4, TC1, TC2 (2013-present)

The switch from Marysville to East Liberty lines up exactly with the 2nd-generation redesign; Acura’s own press materials describe production of the all-new 2013 RDX starting at East Liberty, and every 2013-and-later VIN we decoded carries plant code L. We found no evidence of an RDX ever being built anywhere outside these two Ohio plants.

Positions 12 to 17: Serial number

The final six characters are the production sequence stamped on your specific RDX as it left the line. Combined with the previous 11 characters, this makes every RDX VIN globally unique. Two RDX models with the same generation, year, plant, and drivetrain still differ here.

RDX trim levels and how they appear in the VIN

An Acura RDX VIN does not spell out the trim name in plain text; it’s reconstructed from the position-8 character combined with the equipment group on the build sheet. Real decoded VINs across the three generations returned trim strings including Technology Package (1st gen), “Base/Acura Watch Plus Package” (2nd gen, post-refresh), and Standard, TECH, and SH-AWD TECH (3rd gen), alongside later A-Spec and SH-AWD A-Spec trims confirmed on 2023 and 2024 examples. Acura has broadly kept a Base/Technology/Advance/A-Spec trim ladder through the 2nd and 3rd generations, with the exact package names and availability shifting by model year. When you decode an RDX VIN with the tool above, the result returns the drivetrain and equipment group reconstructed from Honda’s actual build data, which is more reliable than guessing from the VIN characters alone.

Where to find the VIN on an Acura RDX

Several locations on every RDX, plus the paperwork:

• Lower-left corner of the windshield, visible from outside the vehicle
• Driver’s side door jamb sticker (also carries tire spec and GVWR)
• Stamped on the engine bay firewall or shock tower, depending on generation
• Vehicle title, registration, insurance card, AcuraLink app on later models

The windshield and door jamb are the easiest to read on a used-vehicle lot. Check the firewall stamp if you suspect a cloned or altered VIN; it’s physically tied to the vehicle and much harder to swap than a plate or sticker.

Acura RDX recalls and safety

The RDX has been part of several notable NHTSA recall campaigns. The largest single one covers early RDX models fitted with defective Takata airbag inflators: moisture intrusion could over-pressurize the inflator over time, risking rupture and metal fragments on deployment. Owner notifications for RDX models caught up in this issue went out as part of the broader industry-wide Takata campaign that eventually touched nearly every Honda and Acura built in the 2000s and early 2010s.

More recently, certain 2019-2020 RDX vehicles were recalled for a fuel pump with an out-of-spec impeller that can absorb fuel, deform, and stop pumping, which can cause the engine to stall while driving. That campaign was later expanded to cover a much broader range of model years as part of Honda and Acura’s wider fuel pump recall program.

To check your specific RDX:

1. Decode the VIN with the tool above to confirm the exact model and year
2. Cross-reference the 17-character VIN with Acura’s US recall lookup or NHTSA’s recall database
3. Contact your nearest Acura authorized service center for any open campaign repair

Recall repairs are free regardless of vehicle age, mileage, or ownership history.

Frequently asked questions

How do I decode an Acura RDX VIN?

Type the 17-character VIN from the windshield, door jamb, or title into the decoder at the top of this page. Results return in under three seconds and include generation, model year, engine, trim, drivetrain, plant of origin, and any open NHTSA recalls. No sign-up.

Where is the VIN on an Acura RDX?

The two easiest spots are the lower-left corner of the windshield, read from outside the car, and the driver-side door jamb sticker. Both are required by federal labelling regulation. The engine bay firewall carries a matching stamp on most generations.

What does an RDX VIN starting with 5J8 mean?

5J8 is the only WMI a genuine Acura RDX has ever carried, across all three generations and every model year from 2007 to today. Unlike some Acura models, the RDX has never been assembled outside Ohio, so there’s no second WMI to watch for. A VIN presented as an RDX that doesn’t start with 5J8 should be decoded with the tool above before you trust it.

How do I tell the generation of my RDX from the VIN?

Look at positions 4 to 6. TB1 or TB2 means a 1st-generation RDX (2007-2012) with the 2.3L turbo inline-4. TB3 or TB4 means a 2nd-generation RDX (2013-2018) with the 3.5L V6. TC1 or TC2 means a 3rd-generation RDX (2019-present) with the 2.0L turbo inline-4. The number in each pair tells you FWD versus SH-AWD, but which number means which flips between generations, so check the decoder rather than memorize a shortcut.

Was the 1st-generation RDX always all-wheel drive?

No. Every 2007-2009 RDX came standard with Super Handling All-Wheel Drive; Acura didn’t offer a front-wheel-drive RDX until the 2010 model-year refresh, when TB2 was introduced as the FWD chassis code alongside the existing SH-AWD TB1.

Is the Acura RDX VIN decoder really free?

Yes. VinDecoderPlus decodes every Acura RDX VIN free of charge with no sign-up. The basic decode covers everything the factory stamped into the VIN. A full vehicle history report (accident records, odometer history, prior ownership, salvage status) is available as a paid upgrade if you need it.

Can an Acura RDX VIN be faked?

The 17 characters can be retyped on a counterfeit plate, but the check digit at position 9 catches most single-character changes through math, and the firewall stamp is physically tied to the original vehicle. If the windshield and door-jamb VINs match but the firewall stamp doesn’t, the vehicle may be cloned. The guide how to check if a car is stolen by VIN walks through the verification steps.

Decode any Acura RDX VIN free

Type your 17-character RDX VIN into the decoder at the top of this page for an instant breakdown. To go deeper into VIN structure or check other Acura models:

• Acura VIN decoder hub for the brand-wide guide
• How to read a VIN number for the general standard
• What every character in a VIN means for a position-by-position reference
• Classic car VIN decoder for pre-1981 vehicles
• VIN decoder vs. vehicle history report for what a decode covers vs. what it doesn’t
• How to check if a car is stolen by VIN for verifying a used RDX before you buy