RoadVitals

1991 Acura NSX Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
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Latest Mar 15, 2019
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
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Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1991 Acura NSX, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • Brakes250.0%
  • Powertrain (other)125.0%
  • Tires & wheels125.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Brakes

Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM MUST BE REPLACED DUE TO MODULATOR LEAKING PUMP METAL FILINGS INTO RESERVOIR.

NHTSA ID 544683 · filed Mar 29, 1999

ABS MODULATOR IS LEAKING PUMP METAL INTO THE RESERVIOR CAUSING ABS FAILURE.

NHTSA ID 544562 · filed Mar 24, 1999

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Powertrain (other)

Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

DEAR NHTSA: WHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL ACCELERATION I NOTICED A GRINDING NOISE FROM THE TRANSMISSION. I SUBSEQUENTLY DISCOVERED THAT A TRANSMISSION PART FAILED. SEE ATTACHED PHOTO. I LEARNED BY FURTHER INVESTIGATION THAT ACURA OF AMERICA IS AWARE OF THIS MANUFACTURER DEFECT AND HAS ISSUED MULTIPLE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN IN THE UNITED STATES SEE ATTACHED. IN JAPAN HONDA ISSUED AN OFFICIAL SAFETY RECALL IS ACTIVE FOR THE SAME EXACT ISSUE. THERE ARE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE JAPANESE PARTS AND THE AMERICAN PARTS. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THAT HONDA OF JAPAN ADOPTED A MORE STRINGENT AND ETHICALLY SOUND STANCE WHEN REGARDING THE LIVES OF THEIR CUSTOMER AND OTHERS ON THEIR ROADWAYS. I THEN CONTACTED ACURA OF AMERICA FOR GOODWILL ASSISTANCE. ON 3/15/19 DURING A RECORDED PHONE CALL [XXX], SELF-IDENTIFIED AS REGIONAL MANGER OF CUSTOMER RELATIONS AMERICAN HONDA, NOTIFIED ME THAT ACURA HAS DENIED THIS CLAIM, ACURA CASE NO. 09421151 . FURTHER, ACURA HAS NO SAFETY RECALLS OPEN ON THIS VEHICLE, AND SHE DOES NOT CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY ISSUE. I STRONGLY BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS EVIDENCED BY THE PHOTO ATTACHED SHOWING PIECES OF HARDENED METAL FROM A BROKEN SNAP RING INSIDE MY TRANSMISSION. THIS BROKEN METAL WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION CASE CAN CAUSE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AND LOCKING OF THE TRANS-AXEL AT SPEED WITHOUT WARNING. I HAVE ALSO ATTACHED GRAPHS OF A YEARS LONG - LIVE SURVEY BY AN ONLINE ACURA NSX OWNERS GROUP WHICH ILLUSTRATES THAT THIS SAFETY DEFECT IS STILL AFFECTING NUMEROUS OWNERS TO THIS DATE. HTTP://WWW.NSXPRIME.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP/208278-SNAP-RING-FAILURES-DATA-NEEDED?FBCLID=IWAR1IFYNHKJ0XNW4IA1ATGQ7I-QSAMILMNWOZ4YW6M8POFSRQZPORKLBU2RM THERE ARE LIVES AT STAKE HERE, WHICH IS WHY I AM FILING A FORMAL COMPLAINT WITH THE NHTSA. I HAVE COPIED ACURA OF AMERICA SINCERELY, [XXX] - 3/15/19 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *CC *TR

NHTSA ID 11187059 · filed Mar 15, 2019

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Tires & wheels

Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

PREMATURE WEAR/BALDNESS OF TIRES, RESULTED IN LOSS OF CONTROL/ACCIDENT. *SKD

NHTSA ID 466544 · filed Mar 4, 1995

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .