2018 Acura TLX Problems, Recalls & Reliability
150 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2018 Acura TLX, alongside 4 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 29/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 50,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2018 sits among all TLX years
What owners report
“Start up in the morning started to drive and the engine started to make a knocking noise”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 TLX
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 41 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 40,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 16,200 and 54,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (4)
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,…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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.…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Acura MDX, 2015-2019 Acura TLX and 2015-2017 Honda Accord vehicles, equipped with a 3.5L V6 engine. Particulates in fuel may adhere to the internal components of the fuel pump, reducing its…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the fuel injection engine control unit (FI-ECU) software and, if necessary, replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began March 25, 2019.…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: ENGINE
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 414 reports of connecting rod bearing failures in the 3.5L V6 engine used in the following vehicles: Model Years (MY) 2018-2020 Acura TLX, MY2016-2020 Acura MDX, MY2016-2020 Honda Pilot, MY2018-2020 Honda Odyssey, and MY2017-2019 Honda…
Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:CRANK/CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR
On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its…
Model years named: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Technical service bulletins
90 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and fuel system — are on file for the 2018 Acura TLX. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2018 Acura TLX reliable?
The 2018 Acura TLX drew 150 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 29/100, scored against the model's worst year (2015).
What are the most common 2018 Acura TLX problems?
The top reported problems for the 2018 Acura TLX are engine (42 complaints), electrical (20), and driver assistance (19).
At what mileage do 2018 Acura TLX problems show up?
Owners most often report 2018 Acura TLX problems around 40,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 16,200 and 54,000 miles.
Does the 2018 Acura TLX have recalls?
4 recall campaigns apply to the 2018 Acura TLX. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.