2020 Acura TLX Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2020 Acura TLX describe two broad themes: waiting on recall repairs for fuel pump and engine connecting-rod bearing campaigns, and cars that stall or lose power, often right after the idle-stop feature shuts the engine off at a light. A second cluster involves dash warning lights for the driver-assist systems, cameras, and idle-stop restart behavior, with many reports filed between roughly 20,000 and 100,000 miles.

1. 1
   Fuel system

   Fuel pump recall parts unavailable; hesitation and stalling

   • 17 complaints (27%)
   • median 70,990 mi at 4.7 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2024–2025

   Many complaints are about NHTSA campaign 23V858000 for the low-pressure fuel pump: owners say they were notified but parts were not available, and some report the car hesitated under acceleration, failed to start, or stalled while driving in the meantime. A few describe the dealer replacing a high-pressure fuel pump after a loud revving noise and warning lights. Others focus on repair scheduling delays rather than a failure they experienced. Reports span roughly 40,000 to 149,000 miles, with several owners filing shortly after receiving the recall notice rather than at a specific mileage.

   Recall 23V858000Recall 21V2150002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check with a dealer whether campaign 23V858000 has actually been completed on the car and get written confirmation; a service bulletin describes fuel pump replacement for a seized pump with a low fuel rail pressure code.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My engine has stopped and stalled in the middle of traffic on multiple occasions. The issue is related to the fuel pump recall. Acura states that the parts for the recalls are available, yet when you contact an Acura dealership, none of them have the parts! I DONT WANT TO DIE IN A CAR ACCIDENT BECAUSE ACURA IS STEALING OUR MONEY WHILE WE HAVE TO DRIVE FAULTY VEHICLES.”

   NHTSA complaint #11593828, filed 2024-06

   “The recall impacting my fuel injection has not been fixed since 2023 i have been waiting. I was told parts are available now and would be called by someone but that has been more than a month ago.”

   NHTSA complaint #11644299, filed 2025-02
2. 2
   Engine

   Engine knock and connecting rod bearing failure

   Mentioned in 9 of 56 sampled complaints

   Owners describe a sudden loud knocking from the engine, followed by loss of power or a no-start, sometimes on the highway at speed. Complaints reference the connecting rod bearing campaign 23V751000, with some saying parts were unavailable for a long period and others saying the recall work was done but a bearing failed again later. Dealers are described as confirming internal engine damage and, in some cases, replacing or rebuilding the engine. Reported from around 22,000 miles upward, with many clustered between 40,000 and 70,000 miles.

   Recall 23V751000

   What to check: Confirm whether campaign 23V751000 was performed and keep records of any engine work; listen for a rhythmic knock at idle and check oil level and service history before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “- The engine system failed and it is available for inspection -While driving on the highway at normal traffic speed, my vehicle suddenly developed a loud knocking noise and the check engine light lit up. Within moments, the engine lost power and became inoperable, leaving me unable to continue driving while being 300 miles away from home. This incident occurred at about 5-6AM, having to maneuver through traffic before the sunrise. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11754884, filed 2026-08

   “2 1/2 years before the current connecting rod bearing recall, my engine failed due to the connecting rod bearing at 53,000 miles. After fighting with Acura for almost a year, they agreed to replace the motor. However, when I picked it up, they had only rebuilt the motor. Now that motor's rod has failed at 68,000 miles and they refuse to replace the motor. They say it doesn't have anything to do with the connecting rod bearing but it is knocking with a thrown rod.”

   NHTSA complaint #11683861, filed 2025-08
3. 3
   Engine

   Stall or no-restart after idle stop

   Mentioned in 7 of 56 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the engine shutting off at a stoplight under the idle-stop feature and then failing to restart when the light changes; owners say they had to shift into park, shut the car down and press the start button, sometimes taking a minute or more. A few report the car rolling to a stop or stalling at speed with warning lights on. Several owners link this to software updates or a starter concern described in service bulletins, and some say the dealer could not reproduce the problem. Reported from low mileage up to around 50,000 miles, typically at stops in traffic rather than while cruising.

   6 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the PGM-FI software update and idle-stop related service actions were applied, and whether the starter or starter relay was replaced under the extended coverage described in Acura notices. Try a stop-start cycle during a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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.”

   NHTSA complaint #11419841, filed 2021-06

   “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.”

   NHTSA complaint #11534584, filed 2023-07
4. 4
   Forward collision avoidance

   Driver-assist and camera warning lights

   • 6 complaints (10%)
   • median 120,000 mi at 4.7 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • filed 2023–2026

   Complaints describe multiple messages at once: collision mitigation, road departure mitigation, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, auto high beam and blind spot problems. Some owners report the car braking on its own with nothing ahead, or the systems cutting out entirely; one owner reports a camera that stopped working and a repair estimate for the camera unit. Several attribute the warnings to the forward camera or related sensors, and some say the dealer could not pinpoint the cause. Mostly reported between roughly 60,000 and 100,000 miles, often appearing suddenly during a drive.

   What to check: During a test drive, confirm all driver-assist systems initialize without warning messages and that the windshield camera area is clean and undamaged; ask whether the camera or sensors have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “while driving on a 2 lane road that curved to the right, the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) activated for no apparent reason. The brakes engaged hard for a short period of time. Fortunately there was no vehicle behind me that could have rear ended me. I would say this is a serious safety issue under the right conditions .”

   NHTSA complaint #11521681, filed 2023-05

   “The vehicle's dash states the following are malfunctioning: Road Departure Mitigation System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Auto High Beam, Collision Mitigation System, and Lane Keeping Assist. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. A few days prior to this message appearing on the dash, the car flashed and beeped that I needed to BRAKE when there wasn't anything in front of me while driving. The car automatically braked without me doing anything. There weren't any vehicles behind me in that specific moment. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11632548, filed 2024-12

Buying note. For this model year the most practical step is to check recall completion rather than just recall notices: confirm in writing that campaigns 23V858000 and 23V751000 were actually performed, then test the idle-stop restart and the driver-assist systems during a drive.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 56 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.