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The 2009 Acura TSX is unveiled on March 19, 2008 at the New York International Auto Show

The Most Complained About Acura Cars

If you purchase a car made by Acura, then you would likely expect it to be dead-on reliable, right? Sure, with the proper care and maintenance, technically, any car can be as reliable as the first day it rolled off the dealer lot, however, cars are products just like any other. As such, many cars, …

If you purchase a car made by Acura, then you would likely expect it to be dead-on reliable, right? Sure, with the proper care and maintenance, technically, any car can be as reliable as the first day it rolled off the dealer lot, however, cars are products just like any other. As such, many cars, even Acuras, have their fair share of issues along the way and sites like Carcomplaints.com exist so that owners can file their complaints about any specific car. That being said, here are the Acura cars with the most complaints.

Acura TL

The Acura TL was the brand’s mid-size sedan offering from 1996 to 2014. It went through many different changes over its nearly 20-year production cycle, and it was one of the most popular cars that Acura ever produced, so it’s no wonder that it has 354 complaints currently logged for it on Carcomplaints.com. The website calls out the 2010 model year as the worst year to buy and cites “transmission problems” as the main culprit for multiple issues.

In case you’re into Hondas and Acuras or have done any extensive research of those in the early 2000s vintage, then you might be familiar with the transmission issues that plagued cars like the Honda Odyssey and Acura MDX of that time period. Unfortunately, the Acura TL faced the same issues that it used the same transmission and, when taking a deeper look at the complaints, there are 38 of them logged for transmission issues on the 2003 model. Also, in case you’re wondering, the 2010 model year received the most complaints about “excessive oil consumption.” So that’s something to look out for if you’re shopping for a used Acura TL.

2009 Acura TL
2009 Acura TL | Acura

Acura TLX

The Acura TLX replaced the TL in 2015 and is still the brand’s current five-seat, mid-size sedan offering. In fact, the 2021 model just came out and we’re excited to see what the forthcoming TLX Type-S has in store when it comes out next year. However, if you’re looking for a used Acura TLX model, then you might want to avoid the 2015 model year as Car Complaints lists it as the worst year to buy.

There are currently 175 complaints filed for the 2015 TLX, with 120 of them listed concerning “transmission issues.” A closer look at these complaints reveals that many of the owners cited “jerkiness when shifting between gears” as the main issue, while others reported rough acceleration as well. As we can expect, there are far fewer issues listed for the subsequent years and there were likely issues mainly with the 2015 model as that was the first year the car debuted.

2018 Acura TLX | Acura

Acura TSX

The Acura TSX was the brand’s compact car offering that was able to seat up to five occupants with more room and luxury amenities than your average Honda Civic. And while the TSX has always been known for being reliable, it’s apparently not without its faults. According to Carcomplaints.com, there are 148 complaints filed for it with most of them listed for the 2009 model year.

The most complaints for the specific model year are listed under “engine problems” where owners cited “excessive oil consumption” as the main offense. Apparently, the TSX was known for burning a lot of oil during that time period, so you might want to get a newer one if you’re checking out the used market for a TSX.

The 2009 Acura TSX is unveiled on March 19, 2008 at the New York International Auto Show
The Acura TSX | STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images

Acura car complaints

While Acura’s cars and SUVs have always been known for being “bullet-proof,” always remember that any car can have its fair share of issue regardless of what the popular consensus is. Also, these complaints filed on Carcomplaints.com are not percentages but are instead the raw amount of complaints filed for each specific make, model, and year.

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