2021 Acura Tlx

Routine

Owners filed 68 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the power train. It has been recalled 4 times.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Power Train24
000
Service Brakes7
000
Air Bags6
102
Suspension5
000
Unknown or Other4
000
Electrical System4
000
Fuel/Propulsion System3
000
Forward Collision Avoidance › Automatic Emergency Braking3
100
Engine3
000
Tires1
000

4 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Air Bags › Sensor › Occupant Classification › Front Passenger26V332000
Filed May 21, 202698,892 vehiclesHonda (american Honda Motor Co.)

Defect. Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.

Risk. Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.

Remedy. Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Pedals and Linkages25V391000
Filed Jun 12, 2025259,033 vehiclesHonda (american Honda Motor Co.)

Defect. Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Acura TLX, 2023-2025 Acura MDX, and 2023-2025 Honda Pilot vehicles. The brake pedal pivot pin was not secured properly, which can cause the pedal to shift out of position. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment" and 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."

Risk. A brake pedal that shifts out of position can prevent the driver from applying the brakes as intended, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy. Dealers will inspect and replace the brake pedal assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 29, 2025. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are FLX and XLY.

Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly24V950000
Filed Dec 19, 2024167 vehiclesHonda (american Honda Motor Co.)

Defect. Acura (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021-2023 TLX vehicles. The fuel filler neck and fuel tank may have been improperly welded, which can result in a fuel leak.

Risk. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy. Dealers will replace the fuel tank assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 3, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is JKX.

Air Bags › Sensor › Occupant Classification › Front Passenger24V064000
Filed Feb 1, 2024750,114 vehiclesHonda (american Honda Motor Co.)

Defect. Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.

Risk. An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy. Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Engine
Filed Sep 11, 2026OH

I drive a 2021 Acura TLX TYPE S around 85K miles. I heard a loud clank when I was driving one day, and I loss traction. When I was accelerating I was losing traction and it seem like I lost power while I was moving as well. It seems like I'm driving front wheel drive. I let me foot of the gas and it seems like it's back to normal SH-AWD. I hope this gets looked into and fixed soon.

Power Train
Filed Aug 29, 2026OH

The transfer case and transmission splines have been stripped causing the car to be FWD only. The issue was confirmed by the dealer, and both the transfer case and transmission were replaced under warranty. The car shuddered, followed by a drivetrain noise for a few seconds. No warning lights or messages appeared when the incident occurred. The issue occurred at approximately 26,574 miles on the odometer.

Power Train
Filed Aug 26, 2026GA

Transfer case leaking fluids at 73,000 miles

Power Train
Filed Aug 22, 2026NJ

Transmission and transfer case failure. Noticed a very small amount of fluid leaking and took to dealership. Dealer informed me that I was "lucky" to have noticed and that the transfer case spline failure had occurred. Notified that the problem could lead to sudden loss of all wheel drive and loss of vehicle control, vehicle slipping, and oversteer. DP26001 had indicated that these issues are a safety concern and could lead to an accident. I had noticed instability in certain issues where the rear of the car did not feel firmly planted when cornering (oversteer). Dealer indicated that both the transmission and transfer case need to be replaced. I was ~8000 miles within powertrain warranty. Parts are on a national backorder which indicates a widespread issue. No warning lamps or indication of seal failure that leads to stripped splines off the shaft due to the fluid leak. NHTSA does not understand how the Acura SH-AWD system interacts with vehicle dynamics and handling, and loss of the rear wheel drive and its impact on oversteer would be absolutely NO DIFFERENT than a rear sway bar breaking under load while cornering. I experienced this exact symptom on [XXX] where the road goes from 3 lanes to 2 lanes on a sweeping right hand curve. This is where I had felt like I may lose control of the vehicle, the rear of the car started to come around and I had to steer into the slide to regain control of the vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA)

Power Train
Filed Aug 4, 2026OH

I'm losing power than normal all of a sudden. When I step on the gas after light hits green in sport and sport plus mode my car losses traction even when traction control is on, and I hear a loud clunck sound. After the the loud clunck sound the car losses RPM while driving I step off the gas and step back on it and the RPM goes back to normal again.

Power Train
Filed Jul 13, 2026TN

I took this vehicle to get serviced in the summer of 2025. I recently joined an Acura Type S (2021+) group on Facebook and learned that the issue is quite prevalent. I had to have the transmission and transfer case replaced due to transmission issues and traction issues

Power Train
Filed Jul 8, 2026DE

On July 7th 2026 I was driving home, came to a stop light at normal speed, when the light turned green I took off at normal speed and I heard a huge cluck / bang from underneath the car and it bogged and didn’t want to move. I then stepped on the gas because of the Car behind me getting to close and my traction control light started to flash and the car started to shake and feel very uncomfortable to drive . After that I realize only the two front wheels of the car were working and even at low cruising speeds the car feels very unsafe and shakes and hear noises I never heard before the part that is causing this is the transfer case and transmission thus there are many other people who have had this same issues ranging from 21 to 23 tlx type s with 15k miles to 100k miles

Power Train
Filed Jul 7, 2026TX

Transmission splines went out and transfer case has also failed which is only sending power to front wheels

Power Train
Filed Jul 1, 2026KS

On 07/01/2026, at approximately 8:00 AM, during steady acceleration, flashing of MIL with loss of power presented northbound after merging from 235 west bound to I-135 north bound near Park City, KS. Particularly dangerous resulting in near rear end collision. Upon taking nearest exit ramp, attached BlueDriver .OBD II reader, and fault code P0303 - Cylinder 3 Misfire and U0401-68 PGM-Fi/ECM/PCM system event code was logged, with multiple warning indicators that safety system, AWD, brake, and other systems were disabled. Note, vehicle has had TSB 20-053 update w/ flash of PGM-Fi which did not resolve the fault, fault associated with hot and humid climates or period of rain fall, apparent water vapor, condensate build up in intercooler. For Honda Accord and Acura RDX w/ 4 cylinder 2.0 TDGI engine TSB includes redesigned intercooler replacement, that is not available for TLX 21-25 which is currently out of production. This has occurred previously during humid and hot weather, but no intermittent flashing MIL does not store code. Thankful in this instance P0303 and U0401-68 code is stored, and scheduling service at dealership to diagnose misfire.

Power Train
Filed Jun 11, 2026CT

2021 Acura TLX Type S SH-AWD. Total mechanical failure of PTU/transfer case spline interface at 29,800 miles within factory powertrain warranty. Vehicle operated silently in FWD-only with no warning lights, no fault codes, and no dashboard alerts — consistent with all complaints cited in NHTSA Defect Petition DP26001 (opened March 6, 2026, NHTSA #11712885). Failure confirmed by dealer via lift test: propeller shaft and rear wheels stationary while fronts spun. During actuator test, Check AWD System light illuminated for the first time — because the lift removed road-induced wheel rotation that had masked the failure from the ECU throughout normal driving. This is the only condition under which this failure mode is electronically detectable. Dealer replaced transmission (remanufactured ATR kit) and PTU under warranty. Repair took 38 days. CRITICAL-THIRD PTU REVISION: Replacement PTU installed was part #29000-5YK-070. Known revision history: -050 (original, confirmed failure part) → 060 (revised ~2022) → 070 (installed June 2026). The 070 does not appear in any public OEM parts database. Acura has now revised this component three times with zero TSBs, zero public disclosure of engineering changes, and no recall. The 070 revision appearing after DP26001 opened in March 2026 suggests a silent root cause fix while avoiding formal recall obligations. CRITICAL-DPSM GOODWILL CLAUSE: Acura required acceptance of "One Time Goodwill Authorized by DPSM" as condition of repair. This was a

Power Train
Filed Jun 2, 2026KS

I am submitting this complaint in reference to NHTSA Defect Petition DP26001, opened March 6, 2026, investigating loss of all-wheel drive capability in 2021-2023 Acura TLX vehicles due to interfacing spline failure between the transmission and the power takeoff unit (transfer case). I am the owner of a 2021 Acura TLX SH-AWD with 55,300 miles. I purchased this vehicle on June 2nd, 2026. I have not yet experienced a failure, but I am registering as an affected vehicle owner given the known defect pattern documented in DP26001 and consistent with the 137,329-vehicle population identified in the NHTSA investigation. The failure mode as described in DP26001 involves stripping of splines at the transmission-to-PTU junction, resulting in sudden and complete loss of rear-wheel drive without warning lights or dashboard indication. Documented repair costs for this failure range from $5,000 to $19,000 depending on extent of damage. I am registering this complaint to be included in the documented owner population should the petition escalate to a formal defect investigation or recall. I request notification of any recall action, extended warranty coverage determination, or technical service bulletin issued for this failure pattern.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Jun 1, 2026NY

El problema es exactamente en el tanque de la gasolina, se está saliendo la gasolina en la unión de la manguera de llenado con el tanque de gasolina. Esto representa un riesgo no solo para mi seguridad sino también para cualquier persona.

Power Train
Filed May 22, 2026CA

Transfer case failure. I was driving my 2021 Acura TLX Type S when I suddenly heard a loud pop from underneath the car. Right after that, the SH AWD system stopped working and the car was only driving in front wheel drive. There were no warning lights or signs before it happened, due to it being a mechanical failure and not an electrical one because the car does not have sensors for the transfer case. After getting it checked out, I was told the splines between the transfer case and transmission were stripped. I’ve also seen that a lot of other 2021 to 2023 TLX Type S owners have had the same problem. It’s concerning because the AWD system failed out of nowhere, especially since the car depends on it for traction and stability. The car now needs a new transfer case and possibly more drivetrain repairs. (Proof shown in pdf down below, only front wheels spinning)

Engine
Filed May 20, 202693,039 milesCA

I drive a 2021 Acura TLX 2.0 L turbo 4 cylinder. I was driving to work on [XXX] on a busy street in Boyle Heights, Ca. When all of sudden I get a warning indicator “engine temp is high do not drive”. Pulled over immediately. Good thing I was in the far right lane and was able to pull over and not stall or get rear ended by another vehicle behind me. There were no warning, symptoms and indicators of the engine's overheating. My vehicle has been in great condition prior with no major or minor issues with my vehicle. We took it to two dealerships for diagnostics. The head gasket blown, empty coolant reservoir, cracked engine block, and other parts of the engine were affected. What if I was on a highway and the car stalled. I could’ve been seriously injured or seriously injured someone else on the road. Acura corporate is aware of our situation and refuse to own their engine safety defects. They want us to pay out of pocket to repair our vehicle. My car is 5 years old there is no way out of nowhere my vehicle should have this type of engine issues. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Suspension
Filed May 17, 2026IL

Dealers are investigating and need replacing rear shocks/solenoids, stroke sensors, and wiring harnesses. The issue is commonly identified as corrosion in the rear stroke sensor wiring harness or faulty damper make "Adaptive Damper System" (ADS) error light on and can't not make change for the setting as acura design issue !

Power Train
Filed May 8, 2026NY

Took my car for an oil change and found that the transfer case is leaking its fluid. Known to lead to tranfer case failure.

Power Train
Filed Apr 24, 2026NC

I am reporting a transmission failure in my 2021 Acura TLX with approximately 84,300miles. While driving under normal conditions, after about 30 minutes on the road, I came to a stop at a red light. When I attempted to accelerate again, the vehicle would not shift out of first gear. The engine would rev, but the transmission failed to upshift. I also experienced a hard and abrupt engagement when shifting the vehicle into reverse. This issue occurred suddenly without warning and made the vehicle unsafe to operate in traffic, as I was unable to accelerate properly or maintain normal driving speed. The vehicle has been regularly serviced at an Acura dealership. At the time of the incident, the transmission fluid had not yet been replaced but had recently been recommended during a scheduled service visit. The vehicle is currently at an Acura dealership where I normally get the car serviced. The dealership has diagnosed the issue as an internal transmission failure and is recommending a transmission replacement.

Power Train
Filed Apr 24, 2026NC

} I am submitting an update to my previous complaint. In my original complaint, I stated that the vehicle had not received transmission service. After reviewing my records, I confirmed that a transmission fluid service (drain and refill with inspection) was performed at an Acura dealership in July 2024. Despite this maintenance, the transmission still failed at approximately 84,000 miles. I am providing this update to ensure the complaint is accurate

Unknown or Other
Filed Apr 20, 2026UT

Sunroof exploded during drive on highway. No contact was made by any small or large objects

Power Train
Filed Apr 16, 2026IL

2021 Acura TLX A-Spec SH-AWD and my transmission is leaking from the seal between the transmission and the differential. Acura is not sure if they can cover it under warranty because I am slightly past the powertrain warranty even though they had my car about a week ago when it was just barely past that point and no one said anything about the leak on the transmission until I checked with a certified Acura mechanic somewhere else.This is not just some small problem because with fluid leaking and leaving it will eventually damage the transmission and the differential or even just make them completely give out. This can be gears grinding and overheating. It is not just a problem it is also a SAFETY HAZARD if this starts dripping onto the exhaust pipe or even on the road behind making traction a problem for someone behind. This needs to be under a recall not just warranty with how much I see this happening to these cars this is ridiculous we have to go through this.

20 of 68 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2015
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20254100Routine
20245100Routine
202310300Routine
202225300Routine
2021 — this page68400Routine
202062500Routine
201992610Routine
201894410Routine
201771330Routine
2016110300Routine
2015341600Above average
20121000Routine

Compare every Tlx year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: May 21, 2026. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.