Acura TLX Complaints

110 consumer complaints on file.

#11714721January 31, 2026
POWER TRAIN
While accelerating from 0 to 40 miles per hour, I experienced a loud bang come from the car. Turns out the splines were stripped between my transmission and transfer case. This was due to the drive shaft spinning while in park mode, as well as an opening between the transmission and transfer case that was spooling. My powertrain system was severely compromised; who knows what could've happened if I had kept driving the car in this condition? Something was waiting to inevitably fail beyond what had happened. Thankfully, this happened on an empty road close to home, but it could have happened anywhere. There were no warnings, lights, or anything, which was the strangest part. Thankfully, this $10k+ bill was covered under the manufacturer's powertrain warranty, but it seems to be a common issue with many newer Acuras. Acura is well aware of the issue (spline failure) and should issue a recall to correct this design flaw within the powertrain.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11714464January 30, 2026
STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Description of Safety Defect: While starting car up, the digital instrument cluster (speedometer and all primary driver instrumentation) goes completely black with no warning. The infotainment system continues to operate normally. After driving a short distance (sometimes only a few miles), the vehicle then experiences a complete loss of power steering, making the car extremely difficult or impossible to control. This creates an immediate risk of a crash, especially at speed or during turning. In multiple instances, after this failure occurs, the vehicle also becomes difficult to shut off, remaining in accessory or powered states despite attempts to turn the vehicle off. This defect involves simultaneous failure of: •Driver instrumentation display •Electric power steering assistance •Normal ignition shutdown behavior The loss of steering assist results in a sudden and unexpected loss of vehicle control. This appears to be an electronic or control-module failure affecting multiple safety-critical systems. Safety Impact: This defect poses a serious risk of crash, injury, or death due to sudden loss of steering assistance and lack of speed/vehicle status information while driving. Frequency: Has occurred twice - each time requiring roadside assistance to get the car to the dealer Warning Lights or Messages: None - just complete loss of instrumentation cluster Dealer Response (if applicable): Dealer initially claimed it had fixed, but it occurred again within 24 hours of retrieving from dealer. Dealer has now had car go over a week claiming that it needs to generate the fault state more than once before it will make any warranty repairs
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11712325January 21, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Purchased a 2023 TLX Aspec with Telecommunication package from Carvana. When I as unable to connect my device to the vehicle, I took it to my local Acura dealer per the limited warranty instructions. It was there after they removed the dash, we discovered the control device was missing and the bracket was missing and the coaxial connector that attaches it to the dashboard is broken. The cellular device was removed as well to avoid tracking. With the harness damage, the correct repair to the car with the low miles it has is to replace the harness and then replace the missing part and the bracket. None of this was disclosed at the time of purchase. I have tried reaching out to Carvana and the only answer I receive is to email their fraud department, which I have twice.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11710022January 9, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR BAGS
To Whom It May Concern: The purpose of my complaint is to bring to your attention reprehensible policies and misconduct displayed by the automaker, Acura, the premium subsidiary brand of the American Honda Motor Company. On 11/18/2025, I brought in my 2021 Acura TLX Tech w/SH-AWD in for a problem related to the brakes. The front brakes were and continue to make a jarring, very loud, high-pitched squeaking noise at low speeds. After 4 hours at Radley Acura of Falls Church, VA, the technician stated "could not duplicate" the concern. The problem persisted and I again returned on 12/18/2025 for the same issue. My vehicle has been at the dealership awaiting a response from Acura Client Relations on a claim that I submitted on 12/19/2025. Radley Acura diagnosed the issue as a well-known defect of 2021 TLX models, as evidenced by Acura's own service bulletin describing the very issue I continue to experience (and yet were unable to diagnose on 11/18). Radley Acura is stating that although my vehicle is 28,000+ miles UNDER the manufacturer's warranty, that by time, since purchase, it is outside the manufacturer's warranty by approximately 6 months. However, on 1/27/2025 (when my car was within manufacturer warranty and only had 17,215 miles on the odometer), I completed a lease buyout of my car. In addition, I paid to have it Acura Precision Certified. As part of this paid certification, Radley had my car for over a day to allegedly perform a 182-point inspection, and address a recall open for over a year (with a remedy from Acura - but allegedly no available repair parts to fix my car, until I requested to CPO my at the time of lease buyout). During their CPO inspection, the dealership failed to address the open service bulletin on the front brakes--a documented issue Acura has been aware of since before 2/15/2022, as established by their service bulletin. Now the dealership is stating the manufacturer's defect that they failed to address is $500 out of pocket expense.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11707420December 28, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Problem with all safety feature sensors like Adas, lane assistance. Small car icon which always green turned orange, and none of those features working.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11706420December 21, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
Loss of brake power with “brake” light and “brake service” light on. I was backing out of my driveway and lost almost all braking power almost pushing the pedal to the floor. Once I came to a stop, I turned the car off and turned it back on, brake pedal felt fine and lights went away at that point.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11702547December 2, 2025
SUSPENSION
Last week, the right lower ball joint began producing a noticeable squeaking noise. I brought the vehicle to Irvine Acura in Irvine, California, where two technicians confirmed that the right lower ball joint boot is intact with no grease leakage; however, the ball-and-socket joint displays excessive play. The dealership recommended replacing both lower control arms, despite the left side currently being in acceptable condition. If the right lower ball joint were to fail, it could result in a loss of vehicle control.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11699323November 14, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Car’s advertised anti-theft features are faulty. They have two tracking features with also both failed. When I contacted Acura they said this was a known issue and highly prevalent in NY, DC, FL, MD. Cars computer is cloneable and it takes less than 3 minutes to enter and steal without keys or breaking windows or enabling alarms.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11697333November 4, 2025
SEAT BELTS
If you don't turn the car off and you drop a passenger off from the front seat the seatbelt not fastened alarm will go off until you fasten it or turn the car off then restart the car to clear the alarm taking it to the dealership.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11688974September 22, 2025
SUSPENSION, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While using the Air Conditioner in Comfort Mode Suspension settings on my Advanced SHAWD model, the front suspension intermittently squeaks and creaks. It is very audible in the colder months or after it rains.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11687961September 17, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Infotainment system shuts down while driving and ultimately causes the power to drain from the vehicle leaving the vehicle inoperative. This is the second time this has happened. Acura has already repaired once with less than 1000 miles on the car. Now it’s happening again.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11685759September 8, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Car was stolen unreasonably easily. Car alarm did not sound, Acuralink tracking was immediately disabled. Car started and drove away despite keys being secured in a faraday box. Acura has a fatal design flaw in their hardware/software that makes theft of the TLX extremely easy. Evidenced by numerous online complaints from owners like myself, as well as by IIHS study on most stolen cars. TLX appears as both the second and fifth most stolen car relative to average:[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683810August 29, 2025
SUSPENSION, STEERING
I got new tires and an alignment performed and ever since the car has pulled to the right. The car has been to the dealer for 6 alignments due to the car veering to the right. They swapped the wheels from another car to ensure it wasn’t the new tires and the problem still occurred. As soon as I let go of the wheel it pulls to the right no matter if it’s a crowned road or not. Each time the alignment is completely off from the last time it had it performed. I took it to 3 different dealers and they all suggested throwing parts at it (replacing the rear subframe for $3000 or a front driver strut for $1400) telling me that they don’t know if it’d fix it or not.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11679424August 8, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STEERING, VISIBILITY/WIPER
The wipers come on by themselves and do not turn off. The engine may or may not start with the key fob nearby. All the dash warning lights come on with warnings about the brake system, the transmission, the steering, the adaptive cruise control all reporting a problem. The vehicle goes to limp mode and throttle response is severely reduced. There is some sort of water leak which is shorting out or causing the BCM or body control module to act erratically due to water from rain getting into the area because of improper weather sealant placed during manufacturing. There is a service bulletin that was put out in roughly April of 2024 that describes this issue affecting the 2021 TLX models.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11678055August 3, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
We have three Acura vehicles at home and this is the newest one - 2025 TLX A-Spec. The vehicle is only a few months old and already suffered two INFORTAINMENT Screen failures. This is the primary screen on the dash that shows navigation and other information. The screen goes dark completely due to either an electronics/hardware issue or a software issue. This could be a safety issue if the driver is driving using the map app at a busy intersection, and the screen stops working. Once it is out of order, the only way to fix it is taking it back to dealer and do a battery level re-set. Not acceptable! Please investigate and start a recall if needed. Thanks so much for your time.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11675743July 23, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
ALL FOUR BRAKE ROTORS ARE BENT ON 30K MILES
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11671984July 8, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
I had an awful noise that accompanied a sticky/ inconsistent brake pedal feel and braking concerns. Upon contacting multiple dealerships and honda corporate is was told everything is working as designed. I filed a claim with NCDS and was awarded a repair. When contacting the dealership and manufacturer they did another inspection and said it's working as designed and there was nothing to repair. Now in the news they are recalling approximately 250,000 Hondas/Acura vehicles for a safety issue with the brake pedal. There is no information on what the recall is supposed to entail. My vin is still not associated with the recall. This is a safety issue that the manufacturer has been ignoring for a long time now.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11669763June 27, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STEERING
My husband and I have a 2022 Acura TLX (purchased new) that was issued a safety recall. We brought the car into the dealership in April to fix the problem. Two weeks later, the car completely malfunctioned- every warning light went off at the same time, and the car completely lost control. Steering, brakes, power/gas, everything went out. During this second visit, the dealership replaced the PCM. Last night, the exact same issue happened. My husband was thankfully near home, but if he was on a highway, he could've easily been killed. Again, everything in the car went out- steering, brakes, power- and he had zero control of the car. The car was towed a couple hours ago to the dealership (third time since initial visit in April), and the service manager said, "This has never happened before..." and had no answers. This is an extremely high risk situation, and we do not feel safe getting into this car when the dealership/manufacturer is clearly not able to fix their own safety recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11668482June 22, 2025
STEERING
When I was driving as low speed, all the dashboard lights began blinking on the dashboard while I was driving. The steering wheel began to get stiff and I had a hard time turning it. I pulled into a parking lot, with much difficulty trying to steer into it and the steering wheel locked completely. I turned the car off and back on and all the lights went off and the dashboard looked normal. I then drove home without any other incident. I wish I had taken a picture of the dashboard to show the dealer. Hopefully it won't happen again.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11665968June 10, 2025
AIR BAGS
The contact owned a 2021 Acura TLX. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while accelerating from a stop, she was struck by another vehicle driving at 55 MPH on the front passenger side. The vehicle spun around due to the impact and came to a stop facing oncoming traffic. The contact lost consciousness. No air bags were deployed. The contact sought medical care for a brain trauma, whiplash, loss of hearing in the left ear, headaches, blurry vision, loss of hand motor skills in her left arm, and injuries to their neck and spine. A police report was filed. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance provider. The vehicle was towed to a local tow lot for further investigation. The local dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0

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