2018 Acura TLX problems & reliability
94 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Acura TLX, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2018 Acura TLX vehicles were involved in 17 fatal crashes with 7 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine → | 31 | 33% |
| Electrical System → | 19 | 20% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 14 | 15% |
| Unknown OR Other | 13 | 14% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 11 | 12% |
| Power Train → | 11 | 12% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 7 | 7% |
| Lane Departure | 7 | 7% |
| Service Brakes | 7 | 7% |
| Steering | 6 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 44,850 miles (middle 50% between 16,050 and 78,249 miles), based on 26 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I’ve bought my 2018 Acura TLX used from Holiday Mazda in [XXX] in XXX Now that my nightmare with the Auto Engine Idle is over(the shop that replaced my starter in November 2025 some how got it so it doesn’t work anymore. But that’s not my issue. I’ve had this issues 5-8 times in the last 2 years. I will be driving and…”
Back Over Prevention · filed Jun 10, 2026
“Driving car and suddenly all the lights on the dash light up and car goes into “limp” mode. Upon pulling over turning car off and turning back on lights are all still lit up. Plug car into obd2 scanner and car is showing code p0087 low fuel rail pressure. This is extremely dangerous as the car will randomly do this…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Jun 6, 2026
“I bought my 2018 Acura TLX a-spec V6 in Nov. 2021, certified pre-owned from an Acura dealer. It had warranty through 100k miles. At just under 70k miles, around mid-2023 I believe, the engine seized and would not start. Warranty covered engine replacement. This was just around the time of the 3.6L V6 engine recall. I…”
Engine · filed May 27, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Engine failure
Preliminary Evaluation PE25008 · opened Aug 20, 2025 · open
- No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages
Engineering Analysis EA25004 · opened Mar 26, 2025 · open
- Engine failure
Recall Query RQ24013 · opened Nov 8, 2024 · closed Aug 20, 2025
Technical service bulletins
90 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2018 Acura TLX. The 10 most recent:
Service Bulletin - Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and engaging idle stop the vehicle may not restart automatically due to excessive cylinder pressure and/or low cranking torque. Typically, the…
B22-009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 7, 2025
Service Bulletin - The AWD warning light is on with one or more AWD DTCs having been set due to water intrusion into the electric oil pump motor connector area corrodes the terminals.
B24-022 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 19, 2025
Service Bulletin - The AWD warning light is on potentially due to water intrusion into the rear differential pump motor connector area that corrodes the terminals.
B24-022 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 22, 2024
Service Bulletin - The MIL comes on during vehicle operation due to variations in the purge control solenoid valve spring, the valve wears unevenly and intermittently sticks. This may result in setting DTC P0441…
B23-035 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2024
Service Bulletin - Due to variations in the purge control solenoid valve spring, the valve wears unevenly and intermittently sticks. This may result in setting DTC P0441 (Evaporative Emission (EVAP) System Purge Flow…
B23-035 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 15, 2023
Owner Notification Letter - Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and the idle stop feature engages, the vehicle may not automatically restart. Acura is providing a product update with new PGM-FI software…
ONL6AX07052023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 5, 2023
Service Bulletin - The engine will not crank on the initial startup attempt after the vehicle has been exposed to precipitation and then freezing temperatures. Water can enter the starter motor. In cold temperatures the…
B23-009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 20, 2023
"Customer letter - Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and the idle stop feature engages, the vehicle may not automatically restart. To ensure your confidence in your vehicle. Acura is extending the…
Defect Code 6T6, · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 15, 2022
"Customer letter - Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and the idle stop feature engages, the vehicle may not automatically restart. Acura is providing a product update with new PGM-FI software update to…
Defect Code 6AX, · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 14, 2022
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2016-2020 MDXs, RLXs & TLXs with a client complaint of the Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) on with the DTC P030X (Cylinder Misfire Detected), P0171 & P0174…
BTI&05102022901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 10, 2022
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2018 Acura TLX has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2018 Acura TLX?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 44,850 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.