2020 Acura TLX Engine
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
Recall performed on 2020 Acura TLX 3.5 for rod bearing recall. Crankshaft and bearings were replaced. 24000 miles later, the engine spun a bearing again with all the new internals. All maintenance records were supplied when the car was brought in. Acura is wanting me to pay 40% of the cost for a short block.
PE 25008 The engine knock started on 12/22/25. Motorcars Acura recommended get a case number & have the 2020 TLX towed in for a diagnostic. Online case # XXX Towed to Motorcars on 12/23/25. Talked to Michelle with customer relations & she was going to call Motorcars for info. Motorcars, without my permission, pulled the oil pan & inspected the bearings. #6 rod bearing failed. On 1/15/26, Michelle with customer relations told me that they will not offer reimbursement to repair. I told Motorcars to do the repair on 1/15/26. Picked up the car on 1/21/26 Info & pictures attached. I told Michelle I hope you reconsider reimbursing me for the repairs. As I told Michelle, I am very loyal to Acura as I own (4) Acura’s. Now two of them have engine issue. The 2020 TLX rod bearing issue that was not included in the recall & my 2012 MDX with the 3.7 oil consumption issues. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2020 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while stopped at a red light and attempting to make a right turn, the vehicle lost power. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the engine was not replaced. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered to help with the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was 98,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Pull Over Immediately" message was displayed. The contact's wife pulled over, and the "Hill Start Assist Problem", "Collision Mitigation System Problem", "Road Departure Mitigation Problem", and "Blind Spot Info System Problem" messages were displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that there was oil leaking from the crankshaft seal into an unknown sensor. The dealer repaired the recall under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was idling rough and failed to accelerate while driving. Several unknown messages were displayed. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer, who test-drove the vehicle for 30 miles and performed an unknown repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,990.
The contact owns a 2020 Acura TLX. While the contact’s wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact stated that several unknown warning lights illuminated. In addition, the vehicle shut off in the middle lane of a major highway. The contact's wife received assistance from a nearby truck driver. The contact stated that because of the assistance from the truck driver, the contact's wife was able to avoid additional dangers. The vehicle started and the vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the cause of the failure had not been determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that previously the failure had occurred, and the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times. The contact stated that several unknown repairs were performed, and unknown recall repairs were completed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2020 Acura TLX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that previously the vehicle had an electrical failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with an electrical failure and the electrical system was replaced. However, the electrical system failure had reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and the engine oil warning light illuminated stating 8,000 miles overdue. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed engine due to old engine oil. The dealer disassembled the engine, and it was determined that a fractured engine rod caused the engine failure. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the repair would not be covered under the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Acura TLX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,500. Parts distribution disconnect.
Software update completed June 2022 When coming to a stop light, my car shutdown. Went into neutral and took about five seconds to restart. It happened the following day and I was rear ended. No injuries occurred.
After coming to a stop at a red light, the vehicle engine turned off as designed with auto start stop. When the light turned green, the vehicle temporarily restarted when I released the brake pedal, but immediately stalled and would not restart. This is a major safety concern as I was on a four lane road with traffic all around and I was unable to move. I had place the vehicle into park, turn off the ignition fully, and attempt to restart the car. It eventually restarted, but it took nearly 90 seconds. This is a danger to myself, and to the traffic around me as I was fully stopped on a road with 40 MPH limits and a lot of traffic.
Car loses power on inclines. Stepping on gas and car decreases speed.
I was driving around 30miles/hr and the engines shut off unexpectedly. I was stuck in the middle of a highway and the engine didn’t turn back on. The dashboard showed total failure. The car was one year old with 11k miles. I just had it serviced by the dealer.
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Quick Summary
The 2020 Acura TLX has 11 Engine complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.