2016 Acura ILX reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2016 Acura ILX has 52 complaints with NHTSA after 11 years, or 7 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 10 ILX years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Brake master cylinder, Fuel pump, and Driveshaft.

2013 Acura ILX
Photo by Mr.choppers, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
Complaints

52

Per year

7

Recalls

6

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (17 of 52), then Service brakes (12) and Powertrain (9). Those filings include 4 that report a crash and 4 that report an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 ILX has 19 complaints, 3 per year, and the 2017 has 20 complaints, 2 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2016 Acura ILX. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall Brake master cylinder 2025-12-11 · NHTSA campaign 25V859000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016-2020 Acura ILX vehicles. Contaminated brake fluid may cause a seal inside the brake master cylinder to deform, which can cause an internal brake fluid leak and reduce brake function.
Remedy Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 4, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is RN5. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning December 17, 2025. The information in your report suggests that Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) may have been aware of this issue more than five business days before filing a report with NHTSA. Please be reminded that under Federal law, this agency is to be notified of all safety defect and/or noncompliance decisions within five business days. 49 CFR 573.6 Significant civil penalties can be assessed for this violation.
Recall Fuel pump 2023-12-18 · NHTSA campaign 23V858000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall Driveshaft 2019-06-06 · NHTSA campaign 19V424000
Summary Acura (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Acura ILX vehicles. Excessive grease may prevent the set-ring on the half shaft from fully engaging, allowing the driveshaft to separate from the half shaft.
Remedy Acura will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and, as necessary, replace the driveshaft and half shaft, free of charge. The recall began August 1, 2019. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is G54.
Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2019-03-06 · NHTSA campaign 19V182000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.
Remedy Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.
Recall gasoline fuel system, storage, tank 2019-01-24 · NHTSA campaign 19V052000
Summary Acura (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Acura ILX vehicles. The vehicles may have a deformed fuel tank, raising the height of the fuel pump and allowing the fuel level float to stick, possibly causing the fuel gauge to display an inaccurate fuel level.
Remedy Acura will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began March 14, 2019. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is H3U, Z3T.
Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2016-02-03 · NHTSA campaign 16V061000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2011-2015 CR-Z, 2010-2014 FCX, and Insight, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013-2014 Fit EV, 2007-2014 Ridgeline, 2013-2016 Acura ILX, 2013-2014 Acura ILX Hybrid, 2007-2016 RDX, 2005-2012 Acura RL, 2009-2014 Acura TL, and 2010-2013 Acura ZDX vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Remedy Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are JY0, JY1, and JY2.

Complaints by component (52 total)

Air bags
17
Service brakes
12
Powertrain
9
Fuel and propulsion system
5
Hydraulic brakes
5
Electrical system
4
Speed control
4
Structure
4
Steering
3
Fuel system, gasoline
2
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
Engine
1
Lane departure
1
Suspension
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Wheels
1
Show 8 more Show less
Crash-flagged

4

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

4

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

120151520164201792019120202202122022220232202422025122026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The contact owns a 2016 Acura ILX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V859000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was…"
    Hydraulic brakes · filed 2026-07-21
  • "The contact owns a 2016 Acura ILX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was rear-ended by another vehicle. The contact stated that the airbags did not deploy during the crash. The…"
    Fuel system, gasoline, Air bags · filed 2026-05-28
  • "The contact owns a 2016 Acura ILX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the braking system became inoperable and failed to function properly while attempting to stop the vehicle. There was no…"
    Hydraulic brakes · filed 2026-04-22
  • "The contact owns a 2016 Acura ILX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V859000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard. No warning…"
    Hydraulic brakes · filed 2026-04-07
  • "The contact owns a 2016 Acura ILX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V859000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer and…"
    Hydraulic brakes · filed 2026-04-03

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Acura ILX 4 DR FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
ILX 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Front-wheel drive 25 35 29 MPG $2750

Specs and fitment

1st generation (DE), 2013–2022
Body styles Sedan
Oil 0W-20 (2.4L) , 4.2 qt capacity
Tire size 215/45R17

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA safety recall 23V858000 covers affected vehicles after the agency found that 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. 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.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Acura ILX reliable?

The 2016 Acura ILX has 52 complaints with NHTSA after 11 years, or 7 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 10 ILX years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Brake master cylinder, Fuel pump, and Driveshaft.

What are common problems with a 2016 Acura ILX?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (17 of 52), then Service brakes (12) and Powertrain (9). Those filings include 4 that report a crash and 4 that report an injury.

Is the 2016 Acura ILX more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 ILX has 19 complaints, 3 per year, and the 2017 has 20 complaints, 2 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Acura ILX been recalled?

The 2016 Acura ILX has 6 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2016 Acura ILX?

Owners have filed 52 complaints about the 2016 Acura ILX with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Acura ILX get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Acura ILX is 29 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does an Acura ILX use?

US ILX manuals specify 0W-20 for the 2.4L; capacity is about 4.2 quarts with filter.

What does recall 23V858000 cover involving the ILX?

American Honda is recalling affected vehicles under that campaign—see the NHTSA summary for the defect and remedy on covered ILX years.

What tire size did the first-generation ILX use?

215/45R17.