Reliable Auto DB

2020 Acura TLX reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2020 Acura TLX has 62 complaints with NHTSA after 7 years, or 3 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most TLX years here — under the median of the other years, which is 5. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Front passenger seat weight sensor, Fuel pump, and Internal engine parts.

2015 Acura TLX
Photo by Mr.choppers, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
Complaints

62

Per year

3

Recalls

5

Years on the road

7

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (19 of 62), then Fuel system, gasoline (12) and Electrical system (9). The most filings arrived in 2024 (25 of 62). Those filings include 4 that report a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2019 and 2021

The 2019 TLX has 92 complaints, 6 per year, and the 2021 has 69 complaints, 6 per year. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2021.

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 2020 Acura TLX. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (5)

Recall Front passenger seat weight sensor 2026-05-21 · NHTSA campaign 26V332000
Summary 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.
Remedy Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 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.
Recall Front passenger seat weight sensor 2024-02-01 · NHTSA campaign 24V064000
Summary 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.
Remedy Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 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.
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 engine and cooling, engine, internal engine parts 2023-11-13 · NHTSA campaign 23V751000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall Fuel pump 2021-03-25 · NHTSA campaign 21V215000
Summary 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.
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.

Complaints by component (62 total)

Engine
19
Fuel system, gasoline
12
Electrical system
9
Engine and engine cooling
8
Powertrain
7
Forward collision avoidance
5
Fuel and propulsion system
5
Service brakes
4
Air bags
3
Lane departure
3
Suspension
2
Wheels
2
Back-over prevention
1
Seat belts
1
Steering
1
Structure
1
Tires
1
Show 9 more Show less
Crash-flagged

4

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

1

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

1202052021420225202325202415202572026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "- The engine system failed and it is available for inspection -While driving on the highway at normal traffic speed, my vehicle suddenly developed a loud knocking noise and the check engine light lit up. Within moments,…"
    Engine · filed 2026-08-05
  • "The cars Emission Systems and Parking Brake lights come on, and the dealer can not diagnose this issue properly. I have taken it in 4 times, and it continues to happen. I fear the parking brake coming on while driving."
    Electrical system, Service brakes · filed 2026-05-01
  • "Transmission harsh and delayed gear engagement, sometimes it won’t shift unless it’s done manually, few times it didn’t shift even though I shifted manually, I had to increase engine speed to about 5000 RPM so it…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-03-08
  • "PE 25008 The engine knock started on 12/22/25. Motorcars Acura recommended get a case number & have the 2020 TLX towed in for a diagnostic. Online case # XXX Towed to Motorcars on 12/23/25. Talked to Michelle with…"
    Engine · filed 2026-02-02

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2020 Acura TLX 4 DR AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2020 Acura TLX 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 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
TLX all-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (9-speed) All-wheel drive 20 29 23 MPG $3450
TLX all-wheel drive A-SPEC 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (9-speed) All-wheel drive 20 29 23 MPG $3450
TLX front-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (9-speed) Front-wheel drive 20 31 24 MPG $3300
TLX front-wheel drive 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) Front-wheel drive 23 33 27 MPG $2950
TLX front-wheel drive A-SPEC 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (9-speed) Front-wheel drive 20 30 23 MPG $3450
TLX front-wheel drive A-SPEC 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) Front-wheel drive 23 32 26 MPG $3050

Specs and fitment

1st generation (UB), 2015–2020
Body styles Sedan
Oil 0W-20 (V6 or 2.4L per manual) , 4.5 qt capacity
Tire size 245/40R19, 225/50R18 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA safety recall 21V215000 covers affected vehicles after the agency found that 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. 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.

Compare

Previous year 2019 Acura TLX Next year 2021 Acura TLX See every Acura TLX model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2020 Acura TLX reliable?

The 2020 Acura TLX has 62 complaints with NHTSA after 7 years, or 3 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most TLX years here — under the median of the other years, which is 5. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Front passenger seat weight sensor, Fuel pump, and Internal engine parts.

What are common problems with a 2020 Acura TLX?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (19 of 62), then Fuel system, gasoline (12) and Electrical system (9). The most filings arrived in 2024 (25 of 62). Those filings include 4 that report a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2020 Acura TLX more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2019 TLX has 92 complaints, 6 per year, and the 2021 has 69 complaints, 6 per year. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2021.

Has the 2020 Acura TLX been recalled?

The 2020 Acura TLX has 5 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 2020 Acura TLX?

Owners have filed 62 complaints about the 2020 Acura TLX with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2020 Acura TLX get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2020 Acura TLX is 24.3 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Acura TLX use?

US TLX manuals specify 0W-20 for recent gasoline engines.

What generation is the 2022 Acura TLX?

2nd generation (2021-on).

What tire sizes does an Acura TLX use?

First-gen trims list 225/50R18 and 245/40R19; second-gen pages commonly list 255/40R19.