2016 Acura TLX Electrical Problems

PAWS system component failure causing the steering angle to misalign, throttle response to decrease, and drivability to decrease severely

NHTSA ID

11751261

Incident

Jun 24, 2026

The alarm on my car would intermittently and randomly go off at any time while car was parked and locked. After much research I deduced that it is the Smart Power Control Unit located behind the glove box. The epoxy clear covering on the circuit board is not fully covering the entire board allowing for dendritic growth and random surges. These surges can cause the alarm to go on and off, the head lights to turn on and off, and instrument panels to go haywire. I haven't experienced this issue while driving but it could certainly happen, which would obviously be very dangerous. I did not take it in to a mechanic or dealer to reproduce the problem, however I have confirmed with others with various honda models having the same issue.

NHTSA ID

11741149

Incident

May 30, 2026

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of the purchase the mileage was 86,000. At the time of the registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 259,000.

NHTSA ID

11731304

Incident

Apr 11, 2026

Mileage

259,000 mi

Warning lights for Electric Parking Brake Problem and Emissions System Problem simultaneously occurring with no definitive solution. Codes can be cleared by disconnecting battery and reconnecting but warning lights eventually come back on sometimes in a matter or days, weeks or month. There are no other issues that coincide with these warning lights coming on.

NHTSA ID

11716957

Incident

Oct 6, 2025

Unknown: EBS comes on as well as the break system problem lights and many more. Vehicle loses power and goes into limp mode. As of now it wont shift from PArking

NHTSA ID

11701778

Incident

Nov 26, 2025

The backup camera on the rear simply went blurry one day, it’s now impossible to see out the camera. It worked one day then failed the next, This is a safety hazard now. I think these cameras should be required to always function. This is the camera on the trunk. It’s unsafe for me to see when back up.

NHTSA ID

11649596

Incident

Mar 12, 2025

The defect with stalling after auto start continues even after Acura applied a software update. They refuse to complete second part of recall including starter replacement and valve adjustment as indicated on their attached letter. THIS NEGLIGENCE IS A HIGH RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY TO MY FAMILY AND I.

NHTSA ID

11492769

Incident

Oct 1, 2022

Idle Stop does not restart car & is difficult to restart since car remains in Drive after restart fails. A recall notice was issued, but the software update is not available at any dealers as of June 18, 2022. Product Update required for PGM-FI Software.

NHTSA ID

11469900

Incident

Jun 18, 2022

UNKNOWN

NHTSA ID

11434809

Incident

Sep 28, 2021

I was driving 70mph on I-75 south and I moved into the left lane to pass a vehicle and when pressed down on the gas my car decelerated and multiple (all) warning lights on the dashboard lit up. The car did not recover from the deceleration and caused the car behind me to slam on their brakes, I had to quickly navigate three lanes of traffic during rush hour to get off of the highway. I called Acura service from the off ramp and they said if I restart my car a few times it should reset and I can proceed home. When I brought my car to Acura they said it was a software update and that they don't perform the software update unless a customer is experiencing issues. I am deeply concerned that this issue has not been marked as a recall or automatic software update during regular service. I was able to navigate off of the highway, but I don't think this would be the case for all drivers in this situation.

NHTSA ID

11422998

Incident

Jun 23, 2021

I HAVE SOME SERIOUS ISSUES WITH ACURA TLX WITH IDLE STOP FEATURE. MY CAR HAD THE SAME ISSUES LAST YEAR, WHEN THE CAR DIDN'T TURN BACK ON AUTOMATICALLY AFTER THE IDLE STOP FEATURE ACTIVATED. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP(ACURA OF FREMONT, CA) AND THEY CAN'T ABLE TO FIGURE OUT THE ROOT CAUSE AND MY CAR BATTERY DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. IT TOOK 3 -4 HOURS TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY BUT NOW THIS ISSUE STARTED HAPPENING AGAIN. I CALLED ACURA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY PROVIDED ME THIS CASE NUMBER # [XXX] AND FORWARD THE CASE TO LOCAL DEALERSHIP (ACURA OF FREMONT, CA). I HAVE DROPPED THE CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP BUT THEY ARE NOT VERY HOPEFUL TO FIND OUT THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. THIS ISSUE IS REALLY A SAFETY RISK AND NOT SURE WHAT YOU ARE PLANNING TO DO TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. IT'S SEEMS TO BE A KNOWN ISSUE WITH IDLE STOP FEATURE. HTTPS://WWW.TLXFORUMS.COM/THREADS/ENGINE-FAILING-TO-START-AFTER-IDLE-STOP.31809/ I AM HOPEFUL THAT YOU WILL ADDRESS MY CONCERN. PLEASE FEEL TO REACH OUT TO ME AT [XXX]. THANKS INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11408575

Incident

Apr 16, 2021

THE TELEMATICS UNIT IN MY 2016 ACURA TLX REMAINS IN THE ON POSITION AND CONTINUES TO ATTEMPT TO CONNECT TO A BLUETOOTH DEVICE WHILE VEHICLE IS OFF. THIS CONTRIBUTES TO BATTERY FAILURE. MANY OWNERS HAVE DISCONNECTED THE DEVICE AS HAVE I , IN ORDER TO KEEP THE BATTERY FROM CONSTANTLY DYING. CAR DIES AFTER ONE FULL DAY OF NOT BEING STARTED REQUIRING THE BATTERY TO NEED TO BE RECHARGED. ACURA STATED THEY CAN REPLACE TELEMATICS FOR A CHARGE OF $1000 BUT NOT SURE IF THIS WILL CORRECT THE ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11389703

Incident

Oct 16, 2018

I TRIED TO START MY CAR AND IT MADE A WEIRD TICKING NOISE AS IF THE BATTERY WAS DEAD. ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD TURNED ON AND THE CAR KEPT TELLING ME I NEEDED TO TURN OFF SOME SORT OF BRAKE SYSTEM IN ORDER FOR THE CAR TO WORK. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND TRIED AGAIN, THIS TIME IT WOULD NOT START BUT AUTOMATICALLY TURNED ON TO ACCESSORY MODE. I HAD TO CALL MY CAR INSURANCE TO GIVE THE CAR A JUMP AND IT SEEMED TO DO THE TRICK, HOWEVER, HE NOTED THAT IT WASN'T THE BATTERY AND THAT IT WAS VERY ODD.

NHTSA ID

11373940

Incident

Nov 10, 2020

I SAW A MECHANIC AND FIGURED OUT THE PROBLEM ON THE 21ST OF JULY. I CHECKED ON ACURAS WEBSITE AND THERE WAS A NOTICE THAT THEY RECALLED THIS CAR LAST YEAR WITH THE SAME EXACT THING THAT MY CAR WAS DIAGNOSED WITH AND MY CAR IS MALFUNCTIONING AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT BECAUSE MY VIN DOES NOT HAVE A RECALL ON IT EVEN THOUGH I HAVE THE EXACT PROBLEM OF THEIR RECALL. MY CAR IS MALFUNCTIONING AND I CALLED HEADQUARTERS CLIENT RELATIONS AND THEY TOLD ME THEY CAN DO NOTHING ABOUT IT AND THAT IF I WANT IT FIXED THEN I HAVE TO FIX IT MYSELF. I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGH WAY WHEN ALL THE LIGHTS TURNED ON IN MY CAR. MY BRAKE SYSTEM SAYS IT FAILED MY TRANSMISSION LIGHT IS ON, MY PARK BRAKE IS FLASHING, LANE ASSIST POPPING UP. I WAS DRIVING HOME FORM LAKE TAHOE ON A CURVY ROAD WITH MY SPEED BEING 40-50. MANY CARS DRIVING SUPER FAST WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR DROPPED TO 20MPH. MY ACURA WOULD NOT GO PAST 20MPH AND MY LIFE AND MY PASSENGERS WERE IN SERIOUS DANGER!

NHTSA ID

11341902

Incident

Jul 18, 2020

Mileage

57,000 mi

I PURCHASED THE CAR SEPTEMBER 2016 FIRST BATTERY REPLACEMENT IN NOVEMBER 2018; SECOND BATTERY REPLACEMENT MARCH 2020. BOTH BATTERIES CAME WITH A 5 YEAR WARRANTY BOTH NEEDED REPLACEMENT WITHIN 2 YEARS. UNKNOWN WHY THE BATTERIES KEEP FAILING.

NHTSA ID

11316533

Incident

Mar 6, 2020

Mileage

66,000 mi

FROM A STOPPED POSITION, MOVING FORWARD MY VEHICLE HESITATED AND DECREASED IN POWER AND THE GAS PEDAL DID NOT HELP MOVING THE VEHICLE FORWARD. THIS HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION FOR SEVERAL SECONDS 10-15 BEFORE THE VEHICLE STARTED MOVING FORWARD AGAIN. FROM A MOVING POSITION, I WAS GOING AROUND A RIGHT-HAND SLIGHT CURVE GOING APPROXIMATELY 45-50 MHP AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO KEEP POWER, SPEED DECREASED, AND THEN BEGAN WORKING AGAIN AFTER SEVERAL SCARY SECONDS. THE MAIN PROBLEM I HAVE IS WHEN ACCELERATING, THE FUEL SEEMS LIKE IT IS NOT PROCESSED CORRECTLY TO ALLOW MY VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE. THIS IS A DANGEROUS MECHANICAL ISSUE THAT HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN TEN TIMES. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP BUT THEY SAID MY VIN WAS NOT IN THE LISTING OF RECALLS. I AM CLEARLY HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS AS MANY OTHER ACURA TLX OWNERS. ADDITIONALLY, WHEN I PUSH THE START BUTTON IT DID NOT START THE VEHICLE. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES AS OF NOV 2019. MY VEHICLE SHOULD BE LISTED WITH THE RECALLED LISTING OF OTHER 2016 TLX ACURA VEHICLES.

NHTSA ID

11278642

Incident

Nov 6, 2019

Mileage

33,875 mi

AGAIN, WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH ON INTERSTATE ALL ERROR CODES ON DASHBOARD (MIL) LIT UP AND THE CAR BEGAN TO FEEL AS IF THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT ENGAGED AS IF I WAS IN NEUTRAL AND THE ENGINE BEGAN LOOSING POWER. THE SPEED BEGAN DECREASING, BUT THEN WOULD CATCH FOR A FEW SECONDS. THE GEAR INDICATED THAT IT WAS IN DRIVE. I PULLED OFF THE INTERSTATE & PARKED. I WAITED A FEW MINUTES & RESTARTED AND TRIED TO RE-ENGAGE IN DRIVE TO SEE IF IT RESET ITSELF AS IT HAS DONE IN THE PAST JUST 7 WEEKS PRIOR, HOWEVER IT JUST REVVED UP. I CALLED ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE AND HAD IT TOWED TO NEAREST DEALER AN HOUR AWAY AS AGAIN THE MECHANICAL BREAK DOWN OCCURRED WHILE I WAS TRAVELING IN BETWEEN CITIES. THE NEXT MORNING, THE DEALER WAS ABLE TO RETRIEVE THE ERROR CODES AND SAID THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED ANOTHER SOFTWARE UPDATE TO REPAIR THE ISSUE, THE COMPUTER WAS RESET . WHILE DRIVING HOME THE TRANSMISSION BECAME JUMPY AGAIN AROUND 3RD GEAR. I CONTACTED MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND MADE THEM AWARE OF MY SAFETY CONCERNS FOR THE CAR AS AGAIN, MY ENTIRE FAMILY (HUSBAND, KIDS AND DOGS) WERE IN THE CAR AND FELT AS IF THIS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN HORRIBLE ACCIDENT HAD I NOT SAFELY NAVIGATED OFF OF THE INTERSTATE WHILE AT SUCH A HIGH SPEED WITH HEAVY HOLIDAY TRAFFIC. THIS ERROR HAS DISPLAYED FOR TIMES AND EACH TIME THERE WAS A DIFFERENT SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM BESIDES HAVING 2 TRANSMISSION UPDATES, BAD BATTERY CELL AND REPLACED PUSH BUTTON GEAR ASSEMBLY. I HAVE DOCUMENTED ALL INCIDENTS AND REPORTED TO DEALERSHIP AS WELL AS ACURA CORPORATE. I CURRENTLY HAVE APPOINTMENT FOR NEXT WEEK SO THAT THEIR SERVICE ADVISER CAN TRY AND REPLICATE THIS INTERMITTENT PROBLEM TO DETERMINE WHAT THE ERROR IS. I'VE MADE THEM AWARE THAT THIS IS A DANGEROUS MECHANICAL ISSUE THAT NOT ONLY PUTS ME AND MY PASSENGERS IN DANGER BUT POSSIBLY OTHER CARS, BUT WAS ASSURED I DO NOT NEED A RENTAL UNTIL IT CAN BE SEEN AGAIN.

NHTSA ID

11253514

Incident

Sep 2, 2019

Mileage

51,247 mi

TAKATA RECALL IT WAS AROUND 7:30 AM I WAS DRIVING MY KIDS TO SCHOOL AND I FELT LIKE I SLIGHTLY LOST CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE AND LIKE IT WAS SLIPPING SOMEHOW. NEXT THING I KNOW THE STEERING WHEEL IS CROOKED AND ALMOST EVERY WARNING LIGHTS HAVE TURNED ON AND I STARTED GETTING ALL THE WARNING SOUNDS DESCRIBING MORE WARININGS THAN I COULD CHECK ON THE SECOND PAGE ON THIS INCIDENT REPORT. I BARELY BOUGHT MY ACURA A FEW MONTHS AGO SO I'M VERY SHOCKED BE HAVING SUCH A SCARY INCIDENT SO FAST. I THOUGHT ACURA'S WERE DEPENDABLE RELIABLE CARS THAT WOULD KEEP ME AND MORE IMPORTANTLY MY CHILDREN SAFE. I FELT SO SCARED FOR THE SAFETY OF MY CHILDREN. IT WAS EVEN MORE UPSETTING TO FIND THAT THIS SAME SITUATION ON THE SAME BRAND OF ACURA'S HAS HAPPENED BEFORE TO MORE THAN 1 PERSON ON YOUTUBE! WHAT IS ACURA WAITING FOR ON A RECALL. YOU WOULD THINK THEY WOULDN'T WANT ANY LAWSUITS WHEN SOMEONE GETS HURT. PLEASE HELP TURN THIS INTO A RECALL BEFORE LIVES ARE LOST. THANK YOU

NHTSA ID

11244397

Incident

Aug 16, 2019

Mileage

29,000 mi

2016 ACURA TLX 39,462 MILES ON ODOMETER. THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THE WARNING LIGHT DISPLAYED PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM MALFUNCTION, EMISSION SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. AFTER 3 TIMES SHUTTING OFF AND TURNING ON THE POWER BUTTON, THE CONDITION WENT BACK TO NORMAL.

NHTSA ID

11241361

Incident

Aug 2, 2019

Mileage

39,000 mi

THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD REPEATED BATTERY FAILURES. I HAD TO HAVE A BATTERY REPLACED IN THIS CAR LESS THAN A YEAR AGO AND YESTERDAY, THE NEW BATTERY DIED AGAIN. I WAS AT THE GAS STATION GETTING GAS AND WHEN I TRIED TO START THE VEHICLE, ALL OF THE LIGHTS STARTED FLICKERING WITH A LOUD REPETITIVE CLICKING SOUND AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. I HAD TO CALL ACURA ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WHO SENT OUT A AAA TOW DRIVER. THE TOW DRIVER SAID THAT HE HAS HAD ABOUT 80 CALLS FOR THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE JUST THIS YEAR ALONE AND ALL OF THEM HAVE HAD BATTERY ISSUES. ACURA SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL FOR THESE DEFECTIVE BATTERIES. I HAVE THE VEHICLE AT AN ACURA DEALER FOR THE 2ND TIME IN A YEAR TO HAVE THE BATTERY REPLACED. THE VEHICLE IS STILL FAIRLY NEW WITH ONLY 46,000 MILES.

NHTSA ID

11241252

Incident

Aug 1, 2019

Mileage

46,202 mi

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW DOES NOT AND WILL NOT CLOSE. WINDOW ROLLS UP CLOSED THEN IMMEDIATELY ROLLS BACK DOWN. NOTHING IS BLOCKING THE WINDOW OR STUCK IN THE TRACKS. DOES THIS A FEW TIMES THEN FINALLY CLOSES. ONLY OCCURS WHEN SWITCH IS PULLED ALL THE WAY FOR AUTO CLOSING. ADDITIONALLY, ON A FEW OCCASIONS, WHEN I MAKE LEFT TURNS, THE FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW ROLLED UP BY ITSELF.

NHTSA ID

11221373

Incident

Jun 19, 2019

Mileage

23,500 mi

VEHICLE DOES NOT START. TOTAL ELECTRIC FAILURE. NOT A BATTERY PROBLEM PER DEALER. STILL AT DEALERSHIP.

NHTSA ID

11132792

Incident

Oct 1, 2018

DRIVING ON THE EXPRESSWAY AT 70 MPH, THE CAR STARTS SPUTTERING THEN DECELERATED, IT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE EVEN WHILE PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL. I PULLED OFF TO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND THE LIGHTS STARTED FLICKERING, WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED "CHECK HILL START ASSIST SYSTEM", "CHECK EMISSION SYSTEM", "CHECK POWER STEERING SYSTEM", "CHECK BRAKE HOLD SYSTEM", "CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM", AND "CHECK PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM". AFTER SITTING IN THE EMERGENCY LANE AFTER ABOUT 30 SECONDS, THE CAR SHUT OFF. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A BATTERY WITH A DEAD CELL. AMAZINGLY, OF ALL THE LIGHTS THAT ILLUMINATED, I NEVER RECEIVED ANY WARNING THAT I HAD DEAD BATTERY. THE BATTERY LIGHT DID NOT COME ON UNTIL THE OTHER WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. THIS HAPPENED AT 35,246. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE CAR HAS BEEN AT THE SERVICE CENTER IN LESS THAN 10 MONTHS.

NHTSA ID

11047099

Incident

Nov 15, 2017

Mileage

35,246 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 ACURA TLX. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO UNLOCK THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE DOOR FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT HAD TO EXIT THE VEHICLE FROM THE OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000.

NHTSA ID

10909628

Incident

Sep 26, 2016

Mileage

2,000 mi