VehicleVerdict

2018 Acura TLX engine problems

The 2018 Acura TLX has 42 engine complaints filed with NHTSA — 28% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

42

Engine complaints

28%

Share of year

0

Crash-involved

1

Related recalls

Engine complaints by year

TLX engine complaints by model year96 complaints2015: 96 complaints2016: 41 complaints2017: 32 complaints2018: 42 complaints2019: 43 complaints2020: 26 complaints2021: 3 complaints2022: 2 complaints2024: 1 complaints2025: 1 complaints
TLX engine complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

23V751000EngineNovember 13, 2023 · 248,999 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.

Consequence

A damaged engine may run improperly or stall while driving, increasing the risk of a fire, crash, or injury.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 2016-2017 Acura MDX owner letters were mailed November 1, 2024. 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed in mid-December 2024. Honda began mailing owner notification letters as of March 18, 2024. 2015-2016 Acura owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-December 2024, 2018 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed the end of March/early April 2024, 2019 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-May 2024, 2020 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-June 2024, and 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed January 27, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XG1 and GG0.

What owners report

There was a rattling noise in the engine. The acura dealership service center diagnosed it as a connecting rod bearing failure. In the next few miles of driving, the vehicle stopped running and wouldn’t start. Acura service center later diagnosed this as a motor seizure. This problem is similar…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · April 8, 2024

Common questions

How many engine complaints does the 2018 Acura TLX have?

NHTSA has 42 complaints about the 2018 Acura TLX engine — 28% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2018 Acura TLX engine?

Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for this model year is tied to the engine: 23V751000.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.