2004 Acura RSX

The 2004 Acura RSX sits squarely in the middle of a clearly improving reliability arc across this generation: after a sharp 2002 outlier of 91 complaints and 115 TSBs, both metrics fall steadily through 2006, and the 2004 model year reflects that mid-cycle maturation with just 17 complaints, 4 recalls, and 43 TSBs—meaningful drops from 2003's 31/4/71 but still above the cleaner 2005–2006 figures. The four recalls carried by 2004 are the same count posted by 2002 and 2003, suggesting these are largely carryover campaigns from early-production issues rather than new defects unique to the year, and no federal investigations were opened for any model year. Within 2004 itself, the complaint concentration is moderate and spread across Power Train (5), Air Bags (4), Tires (3), and Exterior Lighting (1), with 6 of the 17 complaints involving crashes—a notable share that warrants attention, though fire complaints were zero. Taken together, the 2004 model year represents a "good but not best" point on the curve: substantially cleaner than the troubled 2002 launch year and improving year-over-year, but not yet at the low-complaint baseline of the 2005–2006 models. A pre-purchase inspection focused on the power train and airbag system, plus verification that the four recalls have been completed, would make a 2004 RSX a reasonable but not standout used buy.