2021 Acura TLX Driver assistance Problems

Problem with all safety feature sensors like Adas, lane assistance. Small car icon which always green turned orange, and none of those features working.

NHTSA ID

11707420

Incident

Dec 15, 2025

On a slightly snowing evening driving on the highway, a warning was displayed indicating "Some Driver Assist Systems Cannot Operate, Radar Obstructed" and the green icon turned orange. Traveling about 45 mph, I slowed down to get over and the car drastically slowed down without me pressing the brake. After about 10 more minutes of driving the icon turned green again. This has happened on more than one occasion creating a serious safety risk, typically during inclement weather.

NHTSA ID

11640171

Incident

Jan 19, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Acura TLX. The contact stated that whenever the radio was turned on and occasionally randomly, there was a crackling and popping sound heard in the speakers. The contact then stated that while shifted in reverse, the rear-view camera screen intermittently displayed a blank screen or delayed displaying an image. The contact then stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was a loose connection in the bus network. The contact was informed that the FAKRA connector set needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and then towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the FAKRA connector needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was denied service due to the vehicle having a Salvaged Title. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

NHTSA ID

11546363

Incident

Sep 18, 2023

Mileage

33,000 mi

I was traveling on the highway (on a very rainy day), when my car's green signal lights and orange engine light began blinking. Immediately, an orange warning sign on the dash read, "Some Driver Assist Systems Cannot Operate, Radar Obstructed". A few seconds after that occurred, I accelerated to pass a vehicle & as soon as I switched lanes to get over, my car went from speeds of about 85 MPH, abruptly down to 15-20 MPH. My safety was immediately put at risk as the driver I passed began tailgating me as if my actions were intentional. I attempted repeatedly to speed up, but my car just wouldn't go any faster. Once, I proceeded to get in the right line, I was almost hit by a group of tractor trailers. I called my spouse in a panic, who advised me to get off at the next exit. I followed his advice, pulled over, turned off my car & started it again. The lights turned off & proceeded to get back on the highway. About 3 minutes later, the orange light flashed the same message, "Some Driver Assists...." I immediately called Leith Acura & tried explaining what was occurring. Once hanging up with Leith, the dash continued to display "call ended" with Leith's number flashing every few seconds. The radio also turned off with a "No audio connection for FM Radio". Too afraid to accelerate, I drove minimal speed all the way to VA. Also afraid to drive back in the same condition, I contacted Crown Acura, who set an appointment for June 23, cancelling Leith. Service advisor [XXX] informed me that the technicians were unable to duplicate what occurred and placed me in a rental vehicle until my car was assessed and diagnosed. The next day I was informed my vehicle was ready and told the technology was reset. Before & after this, my phone calls are stuck in a limbo state where it will ring through Bluetooth, the number will display, but there is no way to pick up the call via phone or car display. "Brake" warning also blinks when there are no objects in front of me. *I have videos* INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM O

NHTSA ID

11541773

Incident

Jun 22, 2023

On two occasions the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) has improperly activated with HARD braking leaving me fighting for control. On one occasion, I was driving at 35 MPH on a divided boulevard in my home subdivision with no vehicles in sight. The second occasion occurred on the Florida Turnpike at 75 MPH while in the outside lane. There was no vehicle in front of me or to the side at that time. That was a scary moment. I want to emphasize that the CMBS employed HARD braking along with the flashing dash warning. After each instance I took the vehicle to an Acura dealer. First to Fountain Acura in Orlando who could find no DTC codes and blew me off by telling me it was my E-Pass transponder and window tint that caused the problem. That was utter nonsense. The second time I took the vehicle to AutoNation Acura North Orlando where I had purchased the vehicle as Certified Pre-owned (CPO) in April of 2022. They took my concern seriously, provided a loaner and kept the vehicle for four days. They also were unable to duplicate the issue and could find no DTC codes. They called Honda’s “tech line” and told me that same nonsense about tint and transponders. This “washing of hands” rather than taking ownership of this life-threatening problem made me start looking for others with the same issue. No surprise, I found 103 other Acura 2021 TLXs as well as RDXs and Honda models with NHTSA complaints for the same exact experience I had. Is AHM’s “tech line” telling all owners it is their fault for the improper activation of the CMBS? It seems to me that a change in the CMBS triggering algorithm needs to be made otherwise the more vehicles with the defective algorithm the more crashes will occur. This improper activation seems unique to 2021 vehicles. NHTSA records currently show no similar complaints for 2020, 2022, or 2023 model year vehicles.

NHTSA ID

11507643

Incident

Oct 19, 2022

My wife and I were on the first day of vacation, driving from Virginia to FL by way of SC. Around 1pm I was driving the car on interstate 20 West in South Carolina near Bishopville. There were no cars in my lane in front of me and the car suddenly activated what Acura refers to as the CMBS system. The purpose of this is to stop us if it thinks we are going to run into another vehicle. I'm not 100% sure but I think this is related to the adaptive cruise control. We had not used cruise control that day because traffic on rt 95 South was extremely heavy. We had finally turned off on Rt 20 and traffic wasn't as heavy so we felt we could safely use the cruise control. We were traveling at about 73 mph and the car suddenly started hard braking. It was flashing BRAKE in big letters in the dash. There was another vehicle behind so I kept pushing on the gas pedal to keep going but the car literally would not release the brakes. The vehicle from behind hit us. There is a video cam in my car so I have a video that shows the car traveling smoothly then all at once bouncing and jerking as it keeps applying the brakes. We also have photos of the front of the car showing that the cameras that this system uses were clear and unobstructed. The other driver was charged but it was absolutely the fault of the Acura for this malfunction. Acura Roadside Assistance tried to tell us how to disable this system but the info they provided was for another year model and didn't work. We went on YouTube and found the correct information and have disabled this system. There were other videos on YouTube describing this exact issue with this system failure with Acura vehicles. We have also filed a report with Acura Customer Care. It is case #[XXX]. We have also reported this to our insurance company (Travelers) and to State Farm, the company that is handling the claim for repair. The State Farm Claim # is [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11500621

Incident

Jan 2, 2023

While traveling on a narrow road and a narrow bridge, the lane departure system caused the car to veer left into another car. The road had no dividing lane marker. The car was totaled and my wife injured

NHTSA ID

11480142

Incident

Jun 25, 2022

In many instances while driving about 40-60 MPH and with no vehicles in front the car would suddenly brake.

NHTSA ID

11467646

Incident

Apr 12, 2022

The contact leased a 2021 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle, a loud abnormal, squealing noise would emit from the brake pedal upon depression without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the dealer where they acknowledged the failure but stated that the parts for the repair were not yet available. The contact was given a loaner vehicle of the same model; however, the same failure occurred with the loaner vehicle. The contact returned to the dealer for the third time and was given a loaner vehicle of a different model. Upon return of the original vehicle, the brake noise had stopped; however, the forward collision avoidance brake warning light would intermittently illuminate on the instrument panel without incident. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where she was informed that the electrical system needed to be reset; however, once the system was reset, the original brake noise failure returned. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and a case was filed. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 11.

NHTSA ID

11455498

Incident

Jun 1, 2021

Mileage

11 mi