2021 Acura TLX problems & reliability
68 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Acura TLX, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 21, 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 components.
3 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2021 Acura TLX vehicles were involved in 6 fatal crashes with 1 occupant death. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train → | 26 | 38% |
| Unknown / Other | 10 | 15% |
| Electrical System | 9 | 13% |
| Service Brakes | 9 | 13% |
| Air Bags | 7 | 10% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 7 | 10% |
| Engine | 5 | 7% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 5 | 7% |
| Suspension | 5 | 7% |
| Steering | 3 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 18 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“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…”
Engine · filed Sep 11, 2026
“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…”
Power Train · filed Aug 29, 2026
“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…”
Power Train · filed Aug 22, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- All wheel drive allegation
Defect Petition DP26001 · opened Mar 6, 2026 · closed Aug 4, 2026
- No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages
Engineering Analysis EA25004 · opened Mar 26, 2025 · open
Technical service bulletins
113 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Acura TLX. The 10 most recent:
Over The Air Update - Vehicles equipped with the System Updates application are capable of downloading and installing Over the Air System Updates. System Updates contain upgrades that fix a variety of operational errors…
B21674 · Over The Air · issued May 18, 2026
Service Bulletin - Oil leak at the cam chain tensioner inspection cover due to and insufficient sealant adhesion on the inspection cover.
B25-048 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 17, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2022- 2024 MDXs & 2021-2025 TLXs with a client complaint of a loose or detached rearview mirror bracket. To better understand the cause of…
BTI&04092025901 · Other · issued Apr 9, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2021-2023 TLX ADV’s and 2021-2025 TLX Type S’s with a client complaint of the “Adaptive Damper System Problem” (ADS) error message on the…
BTI&02112025901 · Other · issued Feb 12, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2021-2023 TLX ADV’s and 2021-2025 TLX Type S’s with a client complaint of the “Adaptive Damper System Problem” (ADS) error message on the…
BTI&01242025901 · Other · issued Jan 24, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2021-2023 TLX ADV’s and 2021-2025 TLX Type S’s with a client complaint of the “Adaptive Damper System Problem” (ADS) error message on the…
BTI&01172025901 · Other · issued Jan 18, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2021-2023 TLX ADV’s and 2021-2025 TLX Type S’s with a client complaint of the “Adaptive Damper System Problem” (ADS) error message on the…
BTI&01022025901 · Other · issued Jan 3, 2025
Service Bulletin - A coaxial cable terminal was not manufactured to proper specifications. An improperly manufactured terminal may lead to poor communication in the media-oriented system (MOST) bus network which can…
B24-046 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 18, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2021-2023 TLX ADV’s and 2021-2025 TLX Type S’s with a client complaint of the “Adaptive Damper System Problem” (ADS) error message on the…
BTI&12022024902 · Other · issued Dec 3, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2021-2023 TLX ADV’s and 2021-2025 TLX Type S’s with a client complaint of the “Adaptive Damper System Problem” (ADS) error message on the…
BTI&11142024901 · Other · issued Nov 14, 2024
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 2021 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 2021 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.