Acura bulletin BEBM04182025901
What it saysDealer Message - Torque converters may not have been manufactured to proper specifications. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Acura filed this with NHTSA as a manufacturer communication dated Apr 18, 2025, received Apr 29, 2025, about the engine. It names 2 model years (2017–2018). A manufacturer communication is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationDealer Message - Torque converters may not have been manufactured to proper specifications. As a result, the torque converter lock-up clutch cannot provide adequate holding force due to pressure bleeding down through a crack in the lock-up piston. The reduced lock-up clutch capacity results in the MIL not illuminating. “D” flashes and “Transmission Overheat” message appears setting DTC P0741 Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Performance or Stuck OFF.
Trouble codes it names: P0741
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEBM04182025901 | Other | Apr 18, 2025 | 11017327 | PDF, 47 KB |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 158 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 22 of them name Engine — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
The contact owns a 2017 Acura Rdx. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate and loss motive power. The vehicle coasted to a stop. The vehicle was restarted and operated as designed for less than one minute before the failure recurred. The contact stated the failure reoccurred at 35-40 MPH.
2017 Acura RDX · Engine · filed with NHTSA Oct 19, 2020 · ODI 11365183
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the engine
Source: same model, same component group15 other manufacturer communications filed against the Acura RDX under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Acura list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| B25-049 | Service bulletin | Sep 17, 2025 | Service Bulletin - Oil leak at the cam chain tensioner inspection cover due to and insufficient sealant adhesion on the inspection cover. |
| BTI&04302025902 | Other | Apr 30, 2025 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023 RDXs and TLXs with a client complaint of the "Emissions… |
| B23-029 | Service bulletin | Apr 18, 2025 | Service Bulletin - The lock-up clutch cannot provide adequate holding force due to pressure bleeding down through a crack in the lock up pis… |
| BTI&04162025902 | Other | Apr 16, 2025 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023 RDXs and TLXs with a client complaint of the "Emissions… |
| BTI&11132024902 | Other | Nov 13, 2024 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023 RDXs and TLXs with a client complaint of the "Emissions… |
| BTI&10242024903 | Other | Oct 24, 2024 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023 RDXs and TLXs with a client complaint of the "Emissions… |
| B20-053 | Service bulletin | Mar 12, 2024 | Service Bulletin - The MIL is flashing with a loss of power. This is most common in hot, humid regions, or after a period of rainfall. Humid… |
| B23-035 | Service bulletin | Jan 10, 2024 | Service Bulletin - The MIL comes on during vehicle operation due to variations in the purge control solenoid valve spring, the valve wears u… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Acura, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Acura BEBM04182025901 a recall?
No. A manufacturer communication is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the BEBM04182025901 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Honda warranty extension on file lists the ones Honda has filed.
Which vehicles does BEBM04182025901 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2018 Acura RDX, 2017 Acura RDX. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.