U.S. public vehicle records

2016 Acura TLX problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

110 owner complaints analyzed

3 distinct recall campaigns

37,700 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2016 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 57 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Engine is the most frequently named component, appearing in 27 of 110 complaints (24.5%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Transmission and shifting	18	16.4%
Braking behavior	18	16.4%
Engine operation	15	13.6%
Electrical and battery issues	14	12.7%
Steering behavior	7	6.4%
Fuel system concerns	5	4.5%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Engine

Electrical System

Power Train

Unknown Or Other

Engine And Engine Cooling

Vehicle Speed Control

Fuel/Propulsion System

Electronic Stability Control (Esc)

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Engine	27
Electrical System	23
Power Train	15
Unknown Or Other	14
Engine And Engine Cooling	13
Vehicle Speed Control	11
Fuel/Propulsion System	10
Electronic Stability Control (Esc)	5

Engine: 27; Electrical System: 23; Power Train: 15; Unknown Or Other: 14; Engine And Engine Cooling: 13; Vehicle Speed Control: 11; Fuel/Propulsion System: 10; Electronic Stability Control (Esc): 5

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 23; 25,000 to 49,999: 12; 50,000 to 74,999: 8; 75,000 to 99,999: 6; 100,000 to 149,999: 7; 150,000 and above: 1

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (23). 53 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

2016: 11; 2017: 7; 2018: 5; 2019: 12; 2020: 11; 2021: 9; 2022: 8; 2023: 7; 2024: 21; 2025: 12; 2026: 7

Pattern summary

Engine leads the component reports. Transmission and shifting appears in 18 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 18 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 15 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10851745 · 2016-03-26 (March 26, 2016)

1. WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, THE TRANSMISSION OCCASIONALLY FEELS LIKE IT SLIPS INTO NEUTRAL. THE ENGINE RES BUT DOES NOT MOVE FORWARD FOR 1-2 SECONDS. 2. CAR DOWNSHIFTS INTO 1ST GEAR AND LURCHES FORWARD AFTER COMING TO A STOP. 3. TRANSMISSION SHIFTS VERY ABRUPTLY AND ROUGH DURING ALMOST ALL ACCELERATIONS.

Owner-reported narrative. 1,200 miles reported. Look up ODI 10851745 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11003943 · 2017-07-10 (July 10, 2017)

DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, CRUISE CONTROL ON. TRIED TO ACCELERATE, USING PEDAL, TO PASS. NO RESPONSE FROM VEHICLE. DRIVER INFO CLUSTER WAS FLASHING "N" FOR NEUTRAL. MULTIPLE ERROR MESSAGES " CHECK TRANSMISSION", "CHECK EMISSIONS SYSTEMS", "CHECK PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM". CONFIRMED ENGINE WAS STILL ON, @ IDLE SPEED. PRESSED "D" TO RE-ENGAGE DRIVE. TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ENGAGE. FORCED TO COAST TO SIDE OF ROAD IN TRAFFIC WITH NO ABILITY TO ACCELERATE OR KEEP SPEED. ONCE UNDER 5 MPH TRANS MADE CLICKING SOUND AND EVENTUALLY ENGAGED "PARK" ABRUP…

Owner-reported narrative. 17,300 miles reported. Look up ODI 11003943 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10914525 · 2016-10-07 (October 7, 2016)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 ACURA TLX. WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND LUNGED FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING. DUE TO THE FAILURE, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE DROVE OVER A CONCRETE CURB BARRIER AND WAS STOPPED BY BUSHES. THE CRASH DID NOT CAUSE THE AIR BAGS TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A LOWER BACK SPRAIN INJURY ON THE LEFT SIDE. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS RECEIVED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE FRONT BUMPER, BUMPER COV…

Owner-reported narrative. 2,400 miles reported. Look up ODI 10914525 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10934567 · 2016-12-11 (December 11, 2016)

THE FOLLOWING PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 12 OR SO TIMES. I DIDN'T KEEP TRACK UNTIL IT WAS OBVIOUSLY AN ISSUE. I HAVE RECORDED IT ON VIDEO ABOUT HALF DOZEN TIMES AND PROVIDED THIS TO ACURA. WHILE DRIVING WITH THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL SET TO A SPEED I TOUCH THE BRAKE TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL. I THEN PRESS THE RESUME BUTTON TO RETURN TO CRUISE CONTROL. THE CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT COME BACK ON, BUT THE INDICATOR ON THE DASHBOARD FLASHES (AS IF IT WERE COMING BACK ON) AND STAYS OFF. I'M UNABLE TO EVEN SET A NEW SPEED. FLIPPING THE T…

Owner-reported narrative. 4,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10934567 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11096519 · 2018-05-17 (May 17, 2018)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 ACURA TLX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THERE WAS A LOSS OF POWER. THE VEHICLE SHIFTED INDEPENDENTLY INTO NEUTRAL WHILE ON AN INCLINE AND ROLLED IN REVERSE TOWARDS ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE HAZARD LIGHTS, AND TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND BACK ON. THE CONTACT THEN PARKED THE VEHICLE IN A PARKING AREA. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERS: ACURA OF LYNNWOOD (21515 WA-99, LYNNWOOD, WA 98036, [phone removed]) AND ACURA OF BELLEVUE (13424 NE 20TH ST, BE…

Owner-reported narrative. 7,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11096519 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11221372 · 2019-06-20 (June 20, 2019)

VEHICLE HAS STALLED MULTIPLE TIMES AFTER RESTART FROM IDLE STOP. UPON RELEASING OF THE BRAKES OR MOVEMENT OF THE STEERING WHEEL, A HALF RESTART INITIATES FOLLOWED BY A TOTAL STALL AND ALL LIGHT ON THE DASH FLASHING. THIS HAS HAPPEN ABOUT 7 TIMES FROM A FULL STOP RANDOMLY. THIS RESULTS IN A FULL STALL AND INABILITY TO RESTART THE CAR FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS.

Owner-reported narrative. 23,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11221372 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11047099 · 2017-11-17 (November 17, 2017)

DRIVING ON THE EXPRESSWAY AT 70 MPH, THE CAR STARTS SPUTTERING THEN DECELERATED, IT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE EVEN WHILE PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL. I PULLED OFF TO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND THE LIGHTS STARTED FLICKERING, WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED "CHECK HILL START ASSIST SYSTEM", "CHECK EMISSION SYSTEM", "CHECK POWER STEERING SYSTEM", "CHECK BRAKE HOLD SYSTEM", "CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM", AND "CHECK PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM". AFTER SITTING IN THE EMERGENCY LANE AFTER ABOUT 30 SECONDS, THE CAR SHUT OFF. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A BATTERY WITH…

Owner-reported narrative. 35,246 miles reported. Look up ODI 11047099 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11132792 · 2018-10-01 (October 1, 2018)

VEHICLE DOES NOT START. TOTAL ELECTRIC FAILURE. NOT A BATTERY PROBLEM PER DEALER. STILL AT DEALERSHIP.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11132792 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11242131 · 2019-08-06 (August 6, 2019)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 ACURA TLX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED AND VARIOUS UNKNOWN INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FRESNO ACURA (7250 N PALM AVE, FRESNO, CA 93711, [phone removed]) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL PUMP FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000.

Owner-reported narrative. 86,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11242131 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11242634 · 2019-08-08 (August 8, 2019)

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND TURNING AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THESE INDICATORS CAME ON WHICH WERE THE VSA, POWER STEERING, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, AND THE BRAKE SYSTEM CAME ONE. ONCE THESE INDICATORS CAME ON THE CAR STARTED STALLING AND WOULDN'T GO PAST 2 RPM AND HAD LACK OF POWER. SO WE HAD TO AUTOMATICALLY STOP AND PULL OVER TO THE SIDE. COUPLE OF CARS WERE BEHIND US AS WELL AND WE COULD HAVE CRASHED. WE TOOK ABOUT A MONTH OR SO BEFORE WE TOOK IT IN TO FRESNO ACURA AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE FUEL PUMP THAT'S BROKEN.

Owner-reported narrative. 86,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11242634 at NHTSA ↗