2005 Acura TSX problems & reliability
51 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2005 Acura TSX, alongside 3 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.
3 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2005 Acura TSX vehicles were involved in 23 fatal crashes with 13 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags → | 16 | 31% |
| Steering | 7 | 14% |
| Power Train | 6 | 12% |
| Unknown OR Other | 6 | 12% |
| Electrical System | 5 | 10% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 8% |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 6% |
| Structure | 3 | 6% |
| Tires | 3 | 6% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 4% |
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 106,930 miles (middle 50% between 70,000 and 145,909 miles), based on 33 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact's son owns a 2005 Acura TSX. The contact discovered that there was fluid leaking from the vehicle while parked. In addition, the contact stated that there was white steam coming from behind the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the power…”
Steering · filed Jan 3, 2025
“The seat belt light on the dash remains lit when the vehicle is started. I contacted the local dealer. I was advised to bring it in to be evaluated and I would be charged a service charge to fix it unless it was covered by the warranty. I was under the impression the seat belt had a lifetime warranty. I have read this…”
Seat Belts · filed Apr 5, 2023
“Had just picked up my car from being repaired from an accident and was just driving along and I turned the seat heater on and I started seeing smoke coming from under me and was getting hot so I pulled over and found my seat was on fire ,I was 9 months pregnant at the time and feared for me and my soon to be child's…”
Seats · filed Oct 17, 2022
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
44 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2005 Acura TSX. The 10 most recent:
This SKU is a Front Upper Ball Joint. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for the outer diameter of the ball joint housing being too small. The outer diameter being too small would…
DORE5C4S09 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 11, 2019
Service bulletin - There are specific leak dye kits for the R-134a and R-1234yf A/C systems; make sure you use the correct kit for to the A/C system you are working on.
B07-025 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 10, 2018
Tech line summary article - When adding keys or running the System Check with the Immobilizer Setup Tool in the i-HDS, are you seeing this message? "Immobilizer system is not normal". We?re aware of this issue and have…
BTS180402 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 17, 2018
Sending vehicle data to tech line.
BJA46167 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2017
Service bulletin - navigation system information.
B05-018 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 23, 2016
Special Tool Loan Program: Under TOOLS AVAILABLE FOR LOAN, the list has been updated.
B98015 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 18, 2016
Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, Acura announced three recalls for various 2002-06 Acura models. As of August 4, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and VIN status inquiry has been updated.
DLR MSG - Acura · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 6, 2014
Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, Acura announced three recalls for various 2002-06 Acura models. As of July 23, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and service bulletins 14-023, Safety Recall: Front…
DLR MSG - Stop S · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 23, 2014
Acura: the malfunction indicator lamp (mil) is on, with dtc p2138 (accelerator pedal position sensor a/b incorrect voltage correlation), and have poor performance in engine. Model 2004-2008 tl, tsx. *pe
IN-27-14 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 12, 2014
Dealer message - American Honda (AHM) is investigating certain 2004-2008 TLs & TSXs with a complaint of the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) on with the DTC P2138 (Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor A/B Incorrect Voltage…
DLR MSG - RFP - · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 27, 2014
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 2005 Acura TSX has 3 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 2005 Acura TSX?
- · 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 106,930 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.