Acura
Acura TLX years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2015. Best years: 2022 and 2023.
The 2015 Acura TLX draws the most owner complaints for its age: 334, or 28 for each year on the road, against a median of 10 a year across the 9 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2015 is transmission shudder (80 reports).
- 444complaints
- 6recall campaigns
- 2model years with a page
Newest report Sep 18, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2015
Most reported: transmission shudder (80 reports, median 8,800 miles) and stalling (53 reports, median 38,500 miles).
Best years
2022
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2023
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- The 2015 has the most complaints of any Acura TLX year here: 334 of 444 (75%).
- Problem across the years
- The top problem moves around from year to year. Transmission shudder leads in 1 of the 2 model years and has the most reports overall, 80. Pooled across the years, half of the 46 owners who gave a mileage for transmission shudder were under about 9,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 5% of Acura TLX complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The highest share is on the 2016, 8 of its 110 complaints.
- Recalls on the top problem
- Every model year where owners report transmission shudder also has a recall on the same system. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2015 at 77 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 35. So far in 2026, 18 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
Photo: Mr.choppers, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2017 (71), 2018 (95), 2019 (92), 2020 (62), 2021 (69), 2022 (25), 2023 (11).
Year by year
2016 Acura TLX
110 owner complaints, 10 for each year on the road (1.0 times the model median). Most reported: stalling (19 reports, median 83,000 miles) and engine failure (11 reports). 5 reports involved a crash and 6 people were hurt. 3 recalls, including 23V-858 on the fuel system and 23V-751 on the engine.
2015 Acura TLX avoid
334 owner complaints, 28 for each year on the road (2.8 times the model median). Most reported: transmission shudder (80 reports, median 8,800 miles), stalling (53 reports, median 38,500 miles) and dead battery (24 reports, median 55,000 miles). 12 reports involved a crash and 9 people were hurt. 6 recalls, including 16V-640 on the transmission and drivetrain and 14V-779 on the transmission and drivetrain.
Recalls that cover several model years
Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.
The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Particulates in fuel may adhere to the internal components of the fuel pump, reducing its performance.
Questions
What Acura TLX years should you avoid?
The 2015 Acura TLX draws the most owner complaints for its age: 334, or 28 for each year on the road, against a median of 10 a year across the 9 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2015 is transmission shudder (80 reports).
What are the best years for the Acura TLX?
The 2022 and 2023 draw the fewest complaints for their age: 2022 has 25 (5 a year) and 2023 has 11 (3 a year). Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Acura TLX?
Transmission shudder, with 80 reports across the 2 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2015.
How many recalls does the Acura TLX have?
6 recall campaigns cover the Acura TLX model years 2015 to 2016 on this site. The widest, 19V-060 on the fuel system, covers 2 model years.
How many Acura TLX complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
5% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The 2016 has the highest share.
Is there a recall for transmission shudder on the Acura TLX?
Yes, on every model year where owners report it.