POWER TRAIN
Car randomly goes into neutral and stays in neutral not allowing gear change
NHTSA complaint #11744119 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
160 of the 535 complaints about the 2015 Acura TLX are about the transmission — 30% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 7,500 miles.
160
Complaints
5
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.
POWER TRAIN
Car randomly goes into neutral and stays in neutral not allowing gear change
NHTSA complaint #11744119 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2015 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating. The message to stop driving and have the vehicle serviced immediately was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed that the Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) warmer had failed. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with other undisclosed failures due to the ATF warmer failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failures and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.
NHTSA complaint #11708770 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
The fuel delivery system, specifically the fuel pump, has malfunctioned. This vehicle is subject to a fuel pump safety recall, which was reportedly repaired in 2022; however, the vehicle continues to experience the same failure symptoms and is available for inspection upon request. The vehicle has stalled multiple times at highway speeds, resulting in sudden loss of power while driving and creating an immediate risk of collision with surrounding traffic. My family was in the vehicle during these incidents, significantly increasing the risk of serious injury or death. The problem has been reproduced multiple times, including after the vehicle was taken to an authorized Acura dealership. During the most recent visit, diagnostic trouble codes were cleared, but the recalled fuel pump was not repaired or replaced. After being released by the dealership, the vehicle stalled again under similar driving conditions. The vehicle was inspected by the dealership, but no corrective repair was performed beyond clearing codes. The manufacturer has not yet properly remedied the recurring safety defect. Prior to stalling, the vehicle exhibited intermittent hesitation, loss of power, and engine shutdown. Warning indicators and fault codes were present at times and were cleared by the dealership without resolving the underlying issue. These symptoms have continued intermittently since the recall repair. This appears to be a failure to properly diagnose and correct a known safety defect, resulting in repeated dangerous highway stalls and placing occupants at serious risk.
NHTSA complaint #11704795 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
Subject: Complaint - Safety Recall Failure (#23V75100) - Engine Failure Summary: This is a complaint regarding a failure of the safety recall repair performed under Recall #23V75100, which addressed a rod bearing issue that can cause engine failure. Details: 1. On or about April 4, 2024, Southern Acura of Newport News, VA replaced the long block under Recall #23V75100 after the original engine failed at approximately 130,810 miles. 2. On or about September 5, 2024, at approximately 173,722 miles, the replacement engine failed again. 3.The vehicle is currently located at Hall Acura of Virginia Beach, VA. , where the dealership has verified that the engine is seized and available for inspection. 4. The failure occurred while driving at approximately 70 mph in a construction zone, where there was no immediate shoulder or safe area to pull off. The sudden loss of power nearly caused a rear- end collision. 5.An independent service center, American Pride - Fort Eustis in Newport News, VA., also verified the problem and found metal shavings and bearing metal coming from the oil pan. 6. There were no warning lamps or alerts prior to the engine failure; all warning lights illuminated only after the loss of power
NHTSA complaint #11697891 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
The contact's client owns a 2015 Acura TLX. The contact stated while the client was driving 65 MPH, the vehicle shut down in the middle of traffic. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the transmission failed to shift into drive or reverse. Additionally, there was an unknown failure with the brakes and transmission. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the instrument cluster had failed and needed to be replaced. Additionally, the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the driver suffered a stroke after the failure, and medical attention was provided. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.
NHTSA complaint #11678154 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
Hi, I have had a couple instances where the engine revved up between gears. Both times, I remember it happening rather soon after starting off from a stop sign. I didn't pay it much mind, but noted it. Just today, I asked my wife ([XXX]) whether she had noticed anything with the car. I purposely didn't ask any leading questions. She said a few times it would jump instead of smoothly going to the next gear. In Seaside, OR, I started to pull out onto [XXX], planning to take a right and head south bound. There was a Southbound car approaching from the North, but I had plenty of time to pull out and get up to speed. Immediately after starting out, the car popped into neutral and the RPMs raced. I already had some momentum and was on the highway, so I couldn't brake, and because it went into neutral, I hadn't finalized my turn so I was still pointing SE. As the car quickly approached, all I could do was use what little momentum I had and continue into the Northbound lane so the oncoming car could pass. Because of the slight slope to the Northbound shoulder, I was able to slowly come to a stop. I put the car in Park, turned it off, then back on, and everything came back to normal. I cannot begin to express how scared I was. I have lost brakes before in a car, but I know to use the emergency brake. I was completely dumbfounded as to how to react. Had there been oncoming traffic, it would have been an awful accident. Why is there no recall on this? I researched on Google and found a recall on 2015 Acura TLX 6-cylinder transmission due to a bad wiring harness on their 9-Speed transmission. I know mine is an 8-speed, but would it not use the same wiring harness with slight modifications? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11660119 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2015 Acura TLX. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle failed to maintain the speed while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact stated that the vehicle lost automotive power. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact sustained injuries upon pre-existing injuries from the failure and sought medical attention. The contact was able to pull onto the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the cluster had caused the catalytic converter to fail. The vehicle was repaired at the owner's expense. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond as needed while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, there was an abnormal sound coming from the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
NHTSA complaint #11648801 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
I was driving on the freeway for about 5 minutes and literally out of no where my car began to make a strange noise and then my engine light came on. Following that my car shut off and I immediately lost power I pulled over as best I can and turn my hazard on eventually the car died because I couldn’t get a tow out fast enough and I’ve had it sitting at a shop ever since this incident.. tell
NHTSA complaint #11641027 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
While driving on the freeway/highway my vehicle went into limp mode and shifted into neutral. My vehicle would not allow me to shift gears and the car would not let me accelerate anymore. I had to think quickly and move out from upcoming traffic. With little speed I had on my vehicle I could only shut down the car and wait for a tow truck. This happened to me twice in 2020 and the mechanics could not find any issue or replicate what had happened. They said this was a software issue. I was still scared to drive my car thinking this would happen again. Then 2 years after ( 2024) again this happened and it was when I was on the freeway. Luckily I was on the left side and was able to stop on the shoulder but stressing out and still traumatized from what occurred 2 years ago. I took it to the dealer and same thing they could not replicate the issue and did re programmed the software. I believe this car is not safe to drive at all knowing this can happen again and again at random times. The attached document is what the dealer gave me stating this remedy was done to the vehicle. This need to be investigated.
NHTSA complaint #11601499 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
Transmission is failing after taking it in for service after noticing a chirp from 2-3 and 3-4 gear.these symptoms are described with service bulletin 17-027 .dealership claimed transmission warmer was good but replaced the seals. In Acuras own document they said the warranty would be extended to ten years.
NHTSA complaint #11600433 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
The transmission is slow, hesitant and jerky in models with the v6 engine. I almost got into a major car crash due to the transmission’s very hesitant behavior. Other owners have experienced this slow and clunky transmission behavior, after looking in many online forums. The transmission has been way since the vehicle first came out but Honda still has not addressed the issue with the 9 speed transmission. This poses a huge safety risk to me and all other owners.
NHTSA complaint #11593189 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
I took my car to an Acura dealer because there was a noticeable increase in engine noise upon starting and at lower engine rpms. The dealer identified that the problem was related to a recall - NHTSA # 23v-751. He also informed me that it may be 3-4 months before Acura is ready ro rectify this problem. The problem has serious consequences and I would like Acura to rectify it much sooner.
NHTSA complaint #11563473 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
Multiple warnings occur on information screen. 1. Transmission system problem. 2. Blind spot info system problem. 3. Electric parking brake problem. 4. Emissions system problem. Transmission begins to slip and behave radically. RPM rev above normal as if it can't upshift. Dealer recently did service on transmission and replaced module. Also had recall service completed for stalling at intersections/full stop. Vehicle has had transmission issues throughout our ownership. approx. 6 yrs. bought used from dealer.
NHTSA complaint #11563217 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
I recently got my rotors replaced and the car stutter while braking. Also, this happened before I replaced rotors.. the transmission is slow and won't shift to merge highways. I don't know if its the transmission or the brake lines.. I guess it's the transmission trying to drop gears for engine braking and it starts stuttering.
NHTSA complaint #11554091 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
Upon braking, when coming to a full stop, the transmission (ZF 9-speed automatic) makes a very hard downshift into 1st gear and causes the car to lurch forward. This issue appears to be worsening over time. The car is becoming more and more difficult and dangerous to drive due to this issue. The car was very recently brought into an Acura dealership (DCH Montclair Acura) to address this issue. They replaced the transmission fluid and conducted a general software update, but this issue continues to persist as before.
NHTSA complaint #11542082 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2015 Acura TLX. The contact stated while driving at various highway speeds, the transmission randomly shifted into the neutral causing the vehicle to lose automotive power, decelerate, and failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. During the failure several messages were displayed including the "Transmission Failure" message. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission shifter was faulty, and a transmission computer software update was needed. The vehicle was repaired; however, immediately after retrieving the vehicle, the failure reoccurred. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 115,000.
NHTSA complaint #11538318 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
My car shifts itself into neutral automatically at times while I am driving. It has even happened on the interstate. When this happens it also flashes lots of warning signals on the dash and will be stalled for 4-5 minutes, engine will not shut down, just cannot shift into reverse or drive. The Acura dealership had it all day and they were stumped so they did a software update. I have read this exact problem has happened with other Acura's this same year and model and it was crimped wiring harness of the transmission.
NHTSA complaint #11523143 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2015 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle momentarily shifted into neutral and failed to immediately accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V640000 (Power Train). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The local dealer was not notified. The failure mileage was 56,000.
NHTSA complaint #11518867 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
First item: vehicle keeps shutting off during idle while parked or while brake is depressed. It has happened multiple times. I've done some research and see there are several sites indicating issues with the fuel pump and vehicle stalling. Acura says there are no current recalls. I'm not the only person this is happening to. Second issue: vehicle has gone into neutral on its own while driving. At first I thought maybe I hit the neutral button by mistake and didn't think of anything but then the most recent was coming out if a gas station and pulled up to a stop sign and it went into neutral. I just bought this car on June 1st.
NHTSA complaint #11484064 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2015 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently shifted to park (P) and then stalled. The transmission warning light and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
NHTSA complaint #11466271 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2015 Acura TLX. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the vehicle remained running however, failed to respond to the accelerator pedal being depressed. The contact coasted the vehicle safely to the side of the road. The contact disconnected and then reconnected the battery and the vehicle regained normal functionality. The vehicle was driven to the residence and then to the dealer. The dealer found no failure with the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V640000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.
NHTSA complaint #11464996 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
I was merging on to the freeway going about 60mph, with traffic right behind me. Car started decelerated and the dash board lit up. A car behind me had to swerve to avoid hitting me. I put on my hazard lights and tried to move to the shoulder the car was only going about 5mph at the time. I turned the car off and restarted to see if it would move, but it was still going about 5mph. After doing this a couple of times I was able to get the car the move at about 20 mph. The dash board is still lit up.
NHTSA complaint #11462479 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2015 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH the transmission erroneously shifted to the neutral position causing the vehicle to lose power. After stopping and restarting the engine the failure continued to occur. The contact unplugged the engine battery which temporarily resolved the failure. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission software needed to be reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA Recall Campaign Number 16V64000(POWER TRAIN). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 70,400.
NHTSA complaint #11460911 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
While driving on a highway the car lost all power and every dashboard light came on and started blinking. Car wouldn’t shift gear and lost all power abruptly! I almost caused a horrible accident and this has happened at least 10 times now and I’ve only had my car a year!!!!
NHTSA complaint #11459673 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
TRANSMISSION IS JERKING WHEN ITS SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO SECOND REALLY HARD.CAR FEELS LIKE IT SHIFTS,LUNGES FORWARD.WHEN GOING DOWNHILL ITS RPM GOES TO 4 TO 5 THOUSAD RPM.VERY UNSAFE .THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE NEEDS TO BE RECALLED ASAP!!!!!!!
NHTSA complaint #11452464 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2015 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while his son was driving at various speeds, the vehicle would shut off without warning. The contact had initially taken the vehicle to an unknown dealer in West Virginia which has since closed, and a software update was performed; however, the failure persisted. As the failure became more frequent, the contact drove the vehicle to another dealer where the mechanic was unable to diagnose the failure. The contact was also informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V060000 (Fuel System, Other) which the contact linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the contact a case number. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.
NHTSA complaint #11444730 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
The gears are very jerky i got this tlx at 70k miles and its been jerky ever since. Car looses power when turning from stop the steering get hard sometimes. Transmission chirping noises.
NHTSA complaint #11437933 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
Car dash lights came on blinking. Transmission problem, emissions problem, engine problem, awd problem, electric parking brake problem, blind spot problem, and lost power. Car wouldn’t shift and stayed between 4-5RPM . This is the 6th time this has happened. Wouldn’t down shift even when trying to manually. Drive gear light kept flashing
NHTSA complaint #11430655 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
While driving at 60 mph in left lane of highway, without warning, the vehicle slowed and lost all acceleration and slowed, and then a series of warnings lit up on the screen including: electronic parking brake error, a transmission warning pertaining to the ZF 9 speed transmission that demanded driver to pull over to the side to avoid major damage, and emissions failure warning. Then numerous other warnings displayed indicating collision warning system issues, and warnings that other driver safety systems had disengaged or failed. The transmission automatically switched to neutral (which I could only figure out 10 seconds later) as the accelerator would rev the engine but provide no motive force, making changing lanes across 3 lanes of traffic on a busy highway very dangerous as my car decelerated relatively quickly to fast moving highway traffic. After I pulled over and stopped the car, I tried turning off the car and restarting the car, and the transmission error and emissions system error was immediately displayed and prevented the vehicle from being put into drive. I tried to get a hold of the Acura towing service but was stuck on hold for 20 minutes and hung up. I started the car once again, and no errors were shown. I was able to drive 1/2 a mile and the transmission once again disengaged into neutral and emissions system warning came up again and I pulled over once again. I once again waited 20 minutes and restarted the car and drove 3 miles to a shopping center parking lot and let the car sit for 1.5 hours. When I returned, I started the car and everything seemed fine, and I was able to drive 35 miles home with the emissions system warning and transmission system warning displaying but the car remained in gear. I took the car to the dealer the next day (with the car still covered under extended warranty), and Acura performed a software update (PGM-FI and TCM and PCM Idle Learn updates), for which they initially said I was responsible to pay for.
NHTSA complaint #11429591 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2015 Acura TLX. The contact stated while driving 60 mph, the vehicle decelerated inadvertently. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle operated as designed. On another occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently shifted from drive to neutral. The vehicle was restarted however, the failure recurred. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer who inspected the vehicle but was not able to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 73,000.
NHTSA complaint #11423221 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.