What breaks most · 2004 to 2014 model years
Acura TSX problems by year
Owners have filed 521 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Acura TSX across model years 2004 to 2014. One year stands out: 2004 for air bags complaints. The quietest years are 2007, 2008 and 2011.
- Years to check closely: 2004
- Fewest complaints: 2007, 2008, 2011
- Complaints on file
- 5212004 to 2014, all trims
- Worst year
- 2004125 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 393 fires · 27 injuries · 2 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 64kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 51Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125 | 8 | 4 | Air bags (27) | |
| 41 | 5 | 4 | Air bags (16) | |
| 38 | 3 | 4 | Steering (19) | |
| 13 | 1 | 3 | Steering (9) | |
| 29 | 3 | 3 | Steering (13) | |
| 81 | 6 | 6 | Air bags (26) | |
| 55 | 7 | 7 | Air bags (17) | |
| 31 | 3 | 7 | Steering (12) | |
| 91 | 3 | 6 | Steering (72) | |
| 13 | 0 | 4 | Steering (9) | |
| 4 | 0 | 3 | Brakes (2) |
What fails on the 2004 Acura TSX
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 22% |
27 | 7 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Seats | 18% |
22 | 0 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 17% |
21 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2004 Acura TSX |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 14% |
18 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2004 Acura TSX |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 9% |
11 | 0 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2004 Acura TSX |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 7% |
9 | 0 | Shop steering parts for the 2004 Acura TSX |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 6% |
7 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2004 Acura TSX |
| Seat belts | 6% |
7 | 3 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
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.
-
Fire under the hood while driving around 40 mph about 5 miles from home. Heard a squeaky sound around the stearing wheel minutes earlier. I do not know what componenet failed but had a recall sometime ago that was repaired. Had oil change exactly a week earlier. No body injured.
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 30, 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 TSX years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2004 carries the most filings on the Acura TSX. The 2004 alone has 125 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Acura TSX problem?
On the 2004 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 27 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Acura TSX problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Acura TSX complaints that include mileage is about 64,000 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.