2019 Acura ILX Brakes
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
My brake pedal randomly sinks to the floor. I have been close to rear ending the vehicle in front of me due to this issue. My car has been to the Acura dealership on three different occasions complaining of this issue but nothing was ever found. The tech was unable to replicate the issue.
Brakes sometimes do not work. Brake pedal is pressed down to the floor with no resistance sometimes. The brakes need to be pumped multiple times in order to stop. This is a huge safety concern and more more serious than any other recall that we’ve had on our vehicles.
Reporting intermittent brake failure, where brake sank to the floor on the first press without any effect of slowing the vehicle. Fortunately, in each instance, on the second press the brakes functioned normally and slowed the vehicle, so no accident or injury occurred. The first incident was in May 2022 after driving over a speed bump -- at the time I assumed user error and did not report the incident. The brakes failed a second time in March 2025 when descending a hill at 35 mph, and a third time in April 2025 after U-turning on a hill at low speeds. At that time, I opted to tow the car to the dealer for a repair. The dealer found no brake issues on inspection/testing, but after finding another case report recommended replacing the master cylinder. Of note, this is similar to NHTSA recall 23V-458 for other Acura/Honda models from 2019/2020 where there were issues with the master cylinder, but the Acura ILX was not included. There was also a NHTSA Acura Service Bulletin 22-014 from 2022 advising of a search for Acura 2019 ILX vehicles with an intermittent brake issue. I have also attached my correspondence with Acura.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - On multiple occasions (at least 6) I was unable to slow down my car using the break, when breaking the pedal would go down but the car would not slow down. I had to re-engage the breaks to slow the car down. This has happened multiple time in different driving environments including when coming off a stop sign stop, leaving a parallel parking spot, exiting a highway exit at 45 miles an hr. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - Being unable to stop the car could lead to me hitting other cars, being unable to stop, hitting a pedestrian, or worse. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? - No I took it to Sterling Mcall Acura in Houston Texas and was told it was fine but the issue persisted. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? it was looked at by sterling mcall acura with no issue found. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warnings shown
WHAT HAPPENS IS THE BRAKE PEDAL SINKS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. IT HAPPENS WHILE GOING FORWARD AND IN REVERSE. SLOW SPEEDS OR HIGHWAY SPEEDS. WHEN THIS HAPPENS I HAVE NO CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CANNOT STOP. I HAVE ADDRESSED THE ISSUE ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS TO PARAGON ACURA IN QUEENS NY AND THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING TO REMEDY THE ISSUE. THEY PROVIDED A STATEMENT TO ME IN AUGUST SAYING THAT THE POWER BRAKING SYSTEM IS AFFECTED BY THE AIR CONDITIONING BEING ON AS THAT DISRUPTS THE ENGINE VACCUM. SO I ASKED SO THEN THERE'S A RECALL CORRECT AND WAS GIVEN A SHOULDER SHRUG. TO THIS DAY, THE PEDAL GOES OUT AND IS PLACING ME AND OTHERS IN DANGER
Trend Over Time
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Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2019 Acura ILX has 5 Brakes complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.