The Lemon IndexAcura TLX reliability.
Is it reliable? Not really. 1.2× the average car's complaints.
Worse than average · 2015–2021
20151st generation
What owners say on YouTube
2015–2020 TLX · 198 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Fixes owners look up most
- Gauges, lights & wiring234K views
- Oil changes & service187K views
- Infotainment, battery & electrical93K views
Before you buy, watch
2021–2025 TLX · 188 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Nothing stands out.
Fixes owners look up most
Before you buy, watch
Praise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.
Looking at a 2022 or newer? Those are too new for a full complaint score (any score shown is partial, in gray), but YouTube owners like the 2025 best.
Engines & versions
Fewest complaints
2018.
Every year. Lower is better. Tap a year for its full report.
Newest year first. Red = worse than average, gray = about average, too new (2023+: a partial score, marked “partial”) or too few complaints to score. #1, #2… = that year's YouTube rank among the 7 Acura TLX years with enough videos (#1 = the year owners and reviewers talk about most positively). It is not a reliability rank.
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<iframe src="https://lemonindex.com/embed/cars/acura-tlx/" title="Acura TLX reliability by model year (The Lemon Index)" width="100%" height="376" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe><p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Data: <a href="https://lemonindex.com/cars/acura-tlx/">Lemon Index</a> (Acura TLX reliability by year)</p>YouTube rank: we read 395 YouTube videos about the Acura TLX, 2015 to 2025, and ranked every year by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. YouTube's favorite: 2020. Old cars rank lower partly because most of their videos are repair and restoration videos. A gray dot means not enough data yet: under 10 videos, or a new year with no owner complaints to compare.
Compare the Acura TLX.
Opens the compare tool with both cars, every year side by side. Compare with any car →
Quick answers.
Is the Acura TLX reliable?
Not really. It draws 1.2× the average car's complaints, but YouTube owners sound happier with it than with most cars its age. Fewest complaints: 2018. Most complaints: 2015 and 2021.
Is the Acura TLX a good car?
Not overall: it draws more complaints than the average car, by owner complaints to the government per car sold (2015-2021: Lemon Index 124; 100 is average). Some years are much better than others: 2018 drew the fewest complaints and 2015 the most.
What are the best Acura TLX years to buy?
By owner complaints per car sold: 2018, 2017, 2020. 2018 drew the fewest.
What Acura TLX years should you stay away from?
The 3 years with the most complaints per car sold: 2015 (avoid, Lemon Index 238), 2021 (worse than average, Lemon Index 119, the first year of a new generation), 2019 (about average, Lemon Index 89). 100 is the average car; lower is better.
How many recalls does the Acura TLX have?
47 safety recalls across the 11 model years we track. Most: 2015 (6), 2019 (6), 2021 (6). Each year's page lists them, and every Acura TLX recall is in one list here.
What are the most common Acura TLX problems?
Across every year, owners' complaints to the government name transmission & drivetrain, electrical and engine most. Some years are much worse than others: see the chart above.
Every year in one table
| Year | Index | Compared with average | Complaints | Top complaint | Recalls | Crash test | MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 238 | about twice the average car's complaints | 155 | transmission & drivetrain (65%) | 6 | ★★★★★ | 25–28 |
| 2016 | 74 | about three-quarters as many complaints as the average car | 35 | electrical (26%) | 3 | ★★★★★ | 25–28 |
| 2017 | 59 | a bit over half as many complaints as the average car | 22 | transmission & drivetrain (55%) | 3 | ★★★★★ | 25–28 |
| 2018 | 59 | a bit over half as many complaints as the average car | 19 | electrical (32%) | 4 | ★★★★★ | 23–27 |
| 2019 | 89 | somewhat fewer complaints than the average car | 25 | engine (32%) | 6 | ★★★★★ | 23–27 |
| 2020 | 71 | about three-quarters as many complaints as the average car | 15 | engine (40%) | 5 | ★★★★★ | 23–27 |
| 2021 | 119 | a bit more than the average car's complaints | 30 | electrical (30%) | 6 | ★★★★★ | 21–25 |
| 2022 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 19 | transmission & drivetrain (32%) | 5 | ★★★★★ | 21–25 |
| 2023 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 19 | transmission & drivetrain (47%) | 5 | ★★★★★ | 21–25 |
| 2024 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 5 | transmission & drivetrain (40%) | 2 | ★★★★★ | 21–25 |
| 2025 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 4 | electrical (75%) | 2 | ★★★★★ | 21–25 |
The Lemon Index counts owner complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model years (100 = average, lower is better). It measures complaints, not crash safety. U.S. sales source: en.wikipedia.org. How it works
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Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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