What breaks most · 2012 to 2025 model years
Acura TLX problems by year
Owners have filed 879 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Acura TLX across model years 2012 to 2025. Two years stand out: 2015 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2016 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2012, 2023 and 2022.
- Years to check closely: 2015, 2016
- Fewest complaints: 2012, 2023, 2022
- Complaints on file
- 8792012 to 2025, all trims
- Worst year
- 2015341 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 364 fires · 25 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 32kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 39Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 341 | 12 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (160) | |
| 110 | 5 | 3 | Engine (27) | |
| 70 | 2 | 3 | Engine (23) | |
| 94 | 3 | 4 | Engine (31) | |
| 91 | 7 | 6 | Engine (31) | |
| 62 | 4 | 5 | Engine (19) | |
| 67 | 3 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (26) | |
| 24 | 0 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (9) | |
| 10 | 0 | 3 | Unknown or other (4) | |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (3) |
What fails on the 2015 Acura TLX
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 47% |
160 | 5 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 24% |
82 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2015 Acura TLX |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 19% |
64 | 2 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2015 Acura TLX |
| Unknown or other | 12% |
41 | 0 | — |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 7% |
24 | 7 | Shop brakes parts for the 2015 Acura TLX |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 7% |
23 | 0 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2015 Acura TLX |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 5% |
18 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2015 Acura TLX |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 4% |
14 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2015 Acura TLX |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Transmission is failing after taking it in for service after noticing a chirp from 2-3 and 3-4 gear.these symptoms are described with service bulletin 17-027 .dealership claimed transmission warmer was good but replaced the seals. In Acuras own document they said the warranty would be extended to ten years.
-
I was driving on the interstate and went to pass someone and gassed it. When I did that, my car wouldnt go. It was still on but when pressing the gas it wouldnt go. I am so lucky no one read ended me and I was able go coast off the side of the road.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Acura TLX years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2015, 2016 carry the most filings on the Acura TLX. The 2015 alone has 341 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Acura TLX problem?
On the 2015 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 160 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Acura TLX problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Acura TLX complaints that include mileage is about 32,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.