2018 ACURA TLX Electrical System Problems

18 complaints about Electrical System

18
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Deaths

This Problem Across All Years

All Electrical System Complaints (18)

Oct 24, 2025

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Acura TLX. The contact stated that it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was purchased on September 10th, 2025, as a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 76,410. At the time of registration, when the title was received, it was discovered that the mileage was 176,410. The title read, "Not Actual Mileage, Mileage Tampering," which indicated odometer fraud had been detected. After ordering the Carfax Report, the report indicated that the mileage 176,000 miles at the time of purchase. The contact had not reported the odometer fraud to any other parties.

Mileage: 176,410

Sep 21, 2025

Date of incident : August 31,2025 Around 9pm on August 31, I was fixing to accelerate at a green light. I pressed the gas pedal, my car went up to 40 mph and then the engine failed. This is due to a recall on the bearing rods for 2015-2020 Acura TLX. The incident occurred a month after financing the car. I don't have a warranty, so I opened up a case with the manufacturer to get help with the repair cost (which is 25,500 for a new engine block and 2 new cylinder heads). Unfortunately, Acura denied assistance. The car only has 68880 miles on it. The rod snapped and put a hole through my engine block. Shame on the manufacturer for denying assistance. I'm now stuck making payments on a car I cannot drive. Yes I have insurance, but it was not involved in an accident so I'm helpless there.

Jul 24, 2025

While driving, my vehicle has randomly shut off mid-drive on multiple occasions without warning. This has happened both at low speeds and on city roads, creating a serious safety risk as the engine cuts out without any dashboard lights, alerts, or codes. I lose power steering and acceleration, which could easily cause an accident if it happens at higher speeds or in traffic. The issue is intermittent and unpredictable, making it difficult to reproduce. I have taken the vehicle to the dealership multiple times, but they have been unable to replicate the issue or find a cause through diagnostics. Honda has advised me to tow the vehicle the next time it happens, which is unreasonable given the uncertainty and safety risk of being stranded. At the time of each incident, there were no warning lights, error messages, or unusual noises. The vehicle has restarted after turning it off and on again, but the underlying cause remains unknown. I have opened a case with American Honda, but no resolution has been offered beyond repeating the same inspections that have already failed to diagnose the issue. To date, neither the manufacturer nor the dealership has confirmed the issue or replaced any parts. I am deeply concerned about the potential for this to happen in a more dangerous situation. I am reporting this to NHTSA in hopes that this issue is investigated and resolved before it leads to an accident or injury. Cause of issue: UNKNOWN. Vehicle available for inspection.

May 4, 2025

I had the same Issue as [XXX] . I do see there are many others effected by this and some have overpaid due to inaccurate diagnostics by dealerships. We would really appreciate if NHTSA looks into this issue and help us. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Apr 4, 2025

I have had several incidents where I have been unable to start the vehicle. The vehicle does not recognize the keyless remote even though it is present and has a good battery. We have been stranded several times because the car would not start. I have taken it to the dealer and submitted a complaint with Acura which they have done nothing to solve the problem since they cannot replicate it. I have pictures and videos but your system is not letting me upload the file type. These have also been provided to the dealer

Oct 3, 2024

In September 2023 went in for an oil change. Next day all My CMBS, ACC, LKAS and Road Departure Mitigation System all light up on my dashboard as well brake system light. I called and took the car in they said that it had something to do with the camera sensor. I left a complaint and the manager called after I explained to him he said he would call me back. 1.5 years later he never called back. In October 2024 my car alarm started going off for no reason. I took it in and $1000 to fix. Seems like a lot of electric issues with this car

Apr 25, 2024

My car alarm keeps going off. It happened last week overnight 3 times (12:30, 1:30, 2:30) last week and a week later again overnight.

Dec 2, 2023

I've had multiple failures on this vehicle. First, the engine had a rod knock and Acura gave me a very hard time approving the repair and eventually replacement of the engine. Second, the ADAS system is not working and is a huge safety concern. I keep getting error messages that my road mitigation and lane keeping assist systems do not work. Third, the ABS module system cannot communicate with my ECU and is not working properly. Another safety concern as this controls a lot of the wheel speed sensors, brakes, etc on this vehicle. A quick Google search for acura tlx ABS module repair will bring up pages and pages of people complaining about this very same problem yet Acura is not doing anything about it. This problem also affected other models such as the TSX, TL, RL, and the Oddysey. I've taken my vehicle to several mechanics and they all state that this is a very common problem in Honda/Acura. I'm not sure how Honda/Acura can risk the lives of their customers in this way but it is not safe as this vehicle is my daily commuter that I use for my family.

Feb 13, 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights started flickering. The vehicle was taken to an independent dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the amps in the battery was low. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Mileage: 50,000

Jan 23, 2023

I have had, for years, Idle Stop/restart failures on my 2018 Acura TLX, too many times to count. One time, I heard the screeching tires of a car behind me stopping to avoid rear-ending me, when the driver thought I was going to proceed through an intersection, only to have the car die. Another time, with my infant in the car, I was nearly T-Boned when the car died failing to get through an intersection after a stop. I've taken the car in for service numerous times. Each time, they either couldn't find the problem, or told me I didn't drive it enough, or needed to keep it on a trickle charger, or that I needed a new Battery. In June of 2022, I received a letter from Acura informing me to get a PGM-FI software update. I did. Last night, the car died attempting to restart on a freeway off ramp (which it has done previously as well I should add). I shouldn't have to explain how dangerous it is having a car die on a freeway off ramp. Acura - FAIL.

Apr 1, 2022

Engine fails to start after idle stop, when the idle-stop off button is not engaged, and the battery doesn't have enough power to re-start the vehicle. Essentially, the engine tries to start up at a traffic light/intersection but fails, causing the car to turn off and shift to Neutral without warning. I then have to realize what is happening, shift the car from Neutral to Park, and hit the start button to be able to re-start the car. There is no warning from the car that the battery is going to be unable to keep the car running, so the stall is 100% unexpected. This is unsafe, as the re-start procedure is not intuitive, takes time, and causes cars behind you to start honking. It could very easily cause a crash. Either Acura needs to fix this issue with a battery warning, or provide the option of turning the auto-idle stop off button on permanently (which some members of our government wouldn't like, but would fix the problem and keep someone from being seriously injured). This is also a known issue by Honda/Acura, as many other owners are reporting it: https://www.tlxforums.com/threads/engine-failing-to-start-after-idle-stop.31809/

Mar 20, 2022

There are so many lights flashing, my vehicle will not go over 50MPH, My steering wheel is no longer straight its actually to the left. I brought it to Acura and they are stating its a REAR TOE ACTUATOR issue and refuse to cover the 5,100.00 fee to fix this issue that has had a SAFETY BULLETIN posted for a 2015 TLX. There has been a bulletin about this according to Carvana so ACURA is aware of this issue but refuse to recall this issue. Warning lights are as follow, BRAKE SYSTEM ISSUE, ROAD DEPARTURE MITIGATION SYSTEM PROBLEM, Adaptive Cruise Control problem, VEHICLE STABILITY ASSIST PROBLEM, PRECISION ALL WHEEL STEER PROBLEM, POWER STEERING FAILURE. This vehicle only has 46,987 miles.

Dec 13, 2021

Vehicle is having problems w original recall issues. Car stopping on its own on the highway, car says it’s on E all the time but has gas, car hesitates continually and sometimes just stops, electrical system is having major glitches, transmission and engine having major issues with hesitation and delay. I’ve bright it back many times and I’m beyond frustrated with no resolution. It’s unsafe to drive. Problem since day 1 I got the car. I’m scared to drive it.

Jul 27, 2021

When I press the start button with my key fob in range and with a new battery, the car won't start, but makes a rapid "ticking" noise while all of the dashboard lights flicker and other interior and exterior lights turn on. Despite repeated attempts over several hours, the car will not start.

Feb 20, 2020

WHEN RETURNING FROM A 40 MILE TRIP TO NAPLES FLORIDA, THE VEHICLE STABILITY SYSTEM DISPLAYED FAILURE WARNING LIGHTS. WHEN I MADE IT BACK TO MY CONDO IN CAPE CORAL, THERE WAS S TOTAL SYSTEM FAILURE LOCKING OUT THE TRANSMISSION, INABILITY TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL, ANTILOCK BRAKES, ETC. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE HAD I BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY .

Mileage: 12,640

Feb 15, 2019

I WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE AND PARKED MY CAR ON THE STORES SURFACE LOT. WHEN I RETURNED TO MY CAR AND TURNED MY CAR ON ALL ERROR MESSAGES APPEARED - EMISSION LIGHTS ON AND THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO DRIVE.

Mileage: 4,247

Jun 18, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 ACURA TLX. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, ON THREE OCCASIONS, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WHILE MAKING EITHER A LEFT OR RIGHT TURN. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED, BUT FELT STIFF AND FAILED TO RESPOND. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS APPLIED, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE. IN ADDITION, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EMISSION, TRANSMISSION, STABILITY CONTROL, ALL WHEEL ASSIST, BLIND SPOT, CRUISE CONTROL, AND LANE ASSIST INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO ACURA OF MEMPHIS (2611 RIDGEWAY RD, MEMPHIS, TN 38119) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED AND THE AUTOMATIC START MALFUNCTIONED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURES RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED AND OPENED CASE NUMBER: 08586429. NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,081. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

Mileage: 31,081

Nov 6, 2017

FOR THE PAST TWO DAYS I SEE THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR POP UP ALONG WITH TWO ERRORS. "ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE PROBLEM" AND "EMISSIONS SYSTEM PROBLEM" THIS HAPPEND AFTER DRIVING AND PARKING THE CAR. THE NEXT DAY I TURNED THE CAR ON AND SAW THE ERRORS. NOT SURE WHAT CPULD BE THE CAUSE OF THIS. I RECENTLY PURCHASED THIS UNIT. HAD IT SINCE JULY 2017 WITH ONLY 3228MILES. PLEASE ADVISE. THANK YOU.

Mileage: 3,150