2021 Acura TLX Type S Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 29about this part
- Share
- 91%of 32 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 58,061miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 29 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2021 Acura TLX Type S, 91% of the 32 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 58,061 miles.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“transfer case and drivetrain failure from spline stripping. No hard driving performed yet parts still failed. Car went from AWD to FWD without codes. Car failed to gain traction when going up hill and nearly rolled back into another car.”
NHTSA complaint #11636677, filed 2025-01, 58,061 miles“While driving normal, I heard a pop sound coming from the bottom of the car which resulted in my AWD not working. On acceleration the car would spin the front wheels and the traction light would light up. Took to dealer and they confirmed the transfer case and transmission failed and had to be replaced. The splines between both components had stripped.”
NHTSA complaint #11665477, filed 2025-06“AWD system is no longer working. Every time I accelerate the front wheels are slipping and there are no warning lights or system failure messages. I believe this is a transfer case issue as there are now videos on YouTube about TLX Type S's having this issue.”
NHTSA complaint #11652239, filed 2025-04“2021 Acura TLX Type S. Car has 53k miles on it. No modifications, bone stock. When accelerating from a stop at ~50% throttle, there was a sudden loud pop from the front of the car, followed by immediate loss of power to the back wheels (AWD car) . The vehicle was about to shift from first to second gear, so thankfully I was still only going about 10-15 mph at the time. Had i been traveling faster, turning, or if the roads were wet/slick, it could have caused an accident due to my loss of control of the car. …”
NHTSA complaint #11662805, filed 2025-05“At 36,823 miles and October 11,2024 I was taking off from a stop. About 10 seconds into my take off I heard a loud bang and hard jerk. Dash cam caught it happening. As soon as it happened I was still moving forward but just coasting. As soon as I accelerated a tiny bit it sounded like metal being beaten around inside something. No warning light or CEL came on. Nothing. After I parked it the sound disappeared and it seemed to drive fine but a little different. I noticed then that I would lose traction easily and my front wheels would spin out like a fwd Civic. …”
NHTSA complaint #11664344, filed 2025-06Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
Other parts of the 2021 Acura TLX Type S
← All problems reported for the 2021 Acura TLX Type S
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology