VehicleVerdict

2020 Acura TLX problems

Verdict · NHTSA data

One of the years to avoid

The 2020 Acura TLX carries two red flags at once: 95 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA and an open NHTSA defect investigation (subject: Engine failure). It is one of the TLX years to avoid.

Engine leads the complaint categories with 26 reports (27% of the total). In government crash testing it earned 5 of 5 NCAP stars overall.

95

NHTSA complaints

5

Recalls

3

Investigations · 2 open

5

Crash-involved

0

Fires reported

1

Injuries

0

Deaths

5

NCAP overall · of 5 stars

How does 2020 compare to other TLX years?

TLX NHTSA complaints by model year, 2020 highlighted532 complaints2012: 1 complaints2015: 532 complaints2016: 159 complaints2017: 105 complaints2018: 150 complaints2019: 133 complaints2020: 95 complaints2021: 85 complaints2022: 30 complaints2023: 11 complaints2024: 8 complaints2025: 4 complaints
TLX NHTSA complaints by model year, 2020 highlighted. Red bars are years to avoid.

See all TLX years to avoid →

What are the most common 2020 Acura TLX problems?

ComponentComplaintsShare
Engine2627%
Fuel System1718%
Driver Assistance1516%
Electrical System99%
Transmission77%
Other66%
Brakes44%
Tires & Wheels33%
Airbags33%
Suspension22%
Body & Structure11%
Seat Belts11%
Steering11%

Does the 2020 Acura TLX have recalls?

5 NHTSA recall campaigns on file. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.

26V332000AirbagsMay 21, 2026 · 98,892 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.

Consequence

Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 6, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.

24V064000AirbagsFebruary 1, 2024 · 750,114 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.

Consequence

An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024, October 18, 2024, and August 2025. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.

23V858000Fuel SystemDecember 18, 2023 · 2,490,460 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Consequence

Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

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.

21V215000Fuel SystemMarch 25, 2021 · 624,552 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 CR-V vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Consequence

Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 18, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-314.

Open NHTSA investigations

PE25008

Engine failure

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 414 reports of connecting rod bearing failures in the 3.5L V6 engine used in the following vehicles: Model Years (MY) 2018-2020 Acura TLX, MY2016-2020 Acura MDX, MY2016-2020 Honda Pilot, MY2018-2020 Honda Odyssey, and MY2017-2019 Honda Ridgeline.  The subject engine failures were analyzed as part of a Recall Query (RQ24013).  It was determined that these engine failures are outside the scope of Honda Recall 23V-751. Further, evidence gathered in conjunction with RQ24013 does not suggest this failure is caused by the same crankshaft manufacturing defect that is addressed by Honda in Recall 23V-751.  Based on analysis of data from RQ24013, NHTSA has closed that investigation. The significant number of reports of engine failure in vehicles outside the scope of RQ24013 presents a potential safety risk that warrants further investigation.  ODI is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to further evaluate the scope and severity of the potential problem and to fully assess the potential safety-related issues.  To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

EA25004

No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages

On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5L engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. On January 6, 2023, Honda released service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. These service bulletins address the failure to restart issue in the 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles, as well as the 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2019-2022 Honda Passport, and 2020-2023 Honda Ridgeline vehicles. The repair outlined in the service bulletins is a two-stage countermeasure to remedy the issue. The first stage is a Programmed Fuel Injection (“PGM-FI”) software update. The second stage is only deployed if the software update fails to remedy the issue. The second stage, depending on the model and model year, consists of replacement of the starter assembly, starter relays, and a valve adjustment. Additionally, Honda extended the warranty coverage to 10 years with unlimited mileage for vehicles requiring the second stage component replacement. ODI continues to receive complaints of the AIS failure to restart, with many complainants alleging the campaign countermeasures had been completed.NHTSA has reviewed Honda's Information Request Letter responses involving warranty claims, lawsuits, and consumer complaints in addition to ODI's own data. This Engineering Analysis is being opened to further consider the potential safety defect, including gathering additional data regarding Honda’s service campaign efficacy. ODI is additionally expanding the scope to encompass all vehicles addressed in Honda’s service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009 as well as newer model year vehicles, which are substantially similar to the vehicles covered by the service campaign. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Consumer complaints filed with NHTSA

Representative excerpts, cleaned of personal information. These are consumer statements, not verified defects.

“Software update completed June 2022 When coming to a stop light, my car shutdown. Went into neutral and took about five seconds to restart. It happened the following day and I was rear ended. No injuries occurred. ”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · July 24, 2023 · crash

“My engine has stopped and stalled in the middle of traffic on multiple occasions. The issue is related to the fuel pump recall. Acura states that the parts for the recalls are available, yet when you contact an Acura dealership, none of them have the parts! I DONT WANT TO DIE IN A CAR ACCIDENT…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Fuel System · February 1, 2024

“The front camera that operates the cruise control, lane assist, automatic braking, automatic high beam has stopped working. After further research it seems to be a popular problem with this car in a short amount of time. This car is a 2020 with 61,000 miles. The camera costs approximately $2000 to…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Driver Assistance · September 27, 2025

“The idle stop feature on the vehicle will engage at a red light stop. Then, will fail to start the engine when the light turns green. You have to engage the car in park and then hit the engine start button. This is a safety hazard in traffic. It could result in an accident. ”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Electrical System · July 10, 2023

“2 1/2 years before the current connecting rod bearing recall, my engine failed due to the connecting rod bearing at 53,000 miles. After fighting with Acura for almost a year, they agreed to replace the motor. However, when I picked it up, they had only rebuilt the motor. Now that motor's rod has…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Transmission · December 25, 2024

2020 Acura TLX — common questions

Is the 2020 Acura TLX reliable?

NHTSA data argues against it: 95 complaints put the 2020 model at #6 of 12 TLX years, and a defect investigation remains open. It is one of the TLX years to avoid.

What are the most common 2020 TLX problems?

According to NHTSA complaint data, the leading problem areas are engine (26 complaints), fuel system (17 complaints), driver assistance (15 complaints).

Does the 2020 Acura TLX have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns affecting the 2020 Acura TLX. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers; check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm the work was done.

Is the 2020 Acura TLX under NHTSA investigation?

Yes — 2 investigations remain open (Engine failure). An open ODI action means NHTSA is actively assessing a possible defect.

Which Acura TLX years should you avoid?

Based on complaint rates and open investigations, the TLX years to avoid are 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. The cleanest record among TLX years belongs to 2012.

How safe is the 2020 Acura TLX?

In NHTSA's NCAP crash testing, the 2020 Acura TLX earned an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

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.