87 of the 855 complaints filed about the Acura TSX are about the braking system — 10% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2009.
87
Complaints
10%
Share of all complaints
9
Crashes
0
Fires
SERVICE BRAKES
ABS / VSA module failed at 90k miles causing spongy brakes. Acura quoted me $3500 for a new module which is more than the value of the car.
NHTSA complaint #11740546 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Traction control didn’t work, and the large OEM seats did not hug my body as advertised, causing bodily injury when struck by another vehicle, “t-bone” on passenger side.
NHTSA complaint #11711549 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
VSA MODULATOR failed, breaks suddenly goes all the way down will not stop, this is suddenly happened while on the road.
NHTSA complaint #11623281 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
I purchased new 2012, for the first time after 10 years, the car is unsafe, brake pedal becomes hard after start up cold - noticed if outside weather between 30-25 degrees brake pedal becomes hard for the first 2-3 times and car will not stop, if the weather below 16 degrees it will take 9-10 times - if you push and pump the brake pedal the brake pedal power comes back to normal but not the first or 2nd time and also has something to do with weather. car was purchased in VIRGINIA and stayed in VIRGINIA last 10 years and this is the FIRST winter this happen.
NHTSA complaint #11448439 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
On Friday, September 24, 2021 when I went around a curve my car felt like the vehicle stability assist was trying to kick on. However, no warning light came on and I was not going to fast for the weather or road conditions. I did not hit any pot holes or anything else to cause the part to fail. When I went to apply my brakes the brakes felt soft and spongy and I was concern with the car not stopping. Safety issues for me and others were if my car didn't stop and me hitting another vehicle and injuring/killing them or myself due to the component failure. I was able to get my car to Acura Sterling McCall in Houston and they were able to duplicate the issue and I was advised the VSA needed to be replaced. That this was causing the soft brakes.
NHTSA complaint #11434458 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Car last year began randomly displaying VSA code during inclement weather. Took vehicle for diagnostic and report showed APS sensor issues. Replaced acceleration pedal. Car then lost power steering. Replaced pump. Can began having loss of power while using cruise control and steering would stiffen. Yet, only during inclement weather while driving. The Engine light with emmisions control warning would display and the clear on its on usually over night. Code diagnostics found possible 02 sensor or catalytic converter issues. Roughly six months later car cut off and wouldn't start replaced rack and pinion during to link at main connection. Car began having starting issues still then not holding charge replace battery twice due to B/S/A reporting pass. About 3 months ago car wouldn't turn over starter was faulty replaced starter. Replaced starter however igintion strained to turn over. To start it began requiring turning car to on then off and immediately to run. Began requesting jump starts. Ran diagnosis at advance auto showed battery issues, starter good and alternator good. Replaced battery and 02 sensor. Can Three weeks wouldn't start after driving to the gas station attempted to jump vehicle but didn't work. Called roadside service; however when service arrived vehicle started with no assistance. Took car for diagnosis test and code displayed ecm issues. Car again after cutting vehicle on and attempting to start car up vehicle wouldn't turn over. Attempted to jump start vehicle and still no crank. Left car and returned 2 hours later and was able to jump start vehicle. Acura website I'd showing decals for emc and power steering recalls on 08 tsx non vin specific search however my specific vin isnt included. How do I register my vin for similar recall issues.
NHTSA complaint #11427100 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
ABS/VSA WARNING LIGHT IN INSTRUMENT PANEL COMES ON AT START-UP, OTHER TIMES WHEN DRIVING, THEN DISAPPEARS ONLY TO COME BACK ON AGAIN AND LATER RE-APPEAR, DISAPPEARS, INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER HAS QUOTED $2,900 FOR ABS/VSA MODULE 57110-TL2-S21 TO WHICH I SAID NO WAY. DID QUICK SURVEY ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THIS IS A FREQUENT PROBLEM ON THOSE VEHICLES, AND 2 OR 3 MODEL YEARS.. THINK NHTSA SHOULD LOOK INTO THIS AS IT'S SAFETY RELATED AND CAUSE ACCIDENTS AND, QUITE POSSIBLY, FATAL RESULTS.
NHTSA complaint #11397919 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
7 F, CAR WAS PARKED OUTSIDE ALL NIGHT, STARTED CAR, WAITED A FEW MINUTES, BACKED OUT, BRAKES NORMAL, DRIVING FORWARD SLOWLY, BRAKES NORMAL, WAS GOING 30 APPROACHING STOP SIGN, WENT TO BRAKE, PEDAL WAS SOLID...NOTHING WAS UNDER THE PEDAL, BUT FELT LIKE THERE WAS A BRICK UNDER THE PEDAL. OBVIOUSLY I DIDN'T STOP, THANK GOODNESS NO CARS WERE ON THE ROAD. I SLOWED DOWN EVENTUALLY, THEN PUSHED EXTREMELY HARD ON THE PEDAL AND WAS ABLE TO BRAKE. THEN AFTER DRIVING VERY SLOWLY & TESTING HARD PEDAL, THE PEDAL ACTED NORMAL AFTER A FEW MINUTES. NORMAL PEDAL NOW. ON A SEPARATE PROBLEM, THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN DOWNSHIFTING ON ITS OWN, I'M DRIVING ALONG, AROUND 45 MPH OR SO, THE TRANSMISSION IS IN D, DASH LIGHT & SHIFTER IN D, THEN EVERY NOW & THEN THE TACH WHINES, THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS & SHOWS A LOWER GEAR (LIKE 4 OR 2 OR 1) IN THE SMALL BLACK SQUARE ON THE RIGHT OF THE DASHBOARD GEAR INTERFACE. THE GEAR SHIFTER IS STILL IN D, BUT THE CAR IS IN A DIFFERENT GEAR. I SLOW DOWN, THEN SHIFT INTO N, THEN PUT BACK TO D, THEN IT DRIVES NORMAL AGAIN, WITH NOTHING IN THE SMALL BLACK SQUARE ON THE DASHBOARD (NEXT TO THE GEAR INDICATOR).
NHTSA complaint #11395130 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 ACURA TSX. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE BRAKE SYSTEM FAILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IN COLD CLIMATE, THE VEHICLE BRAKE FAILED TO ENGAGE AND THE CONTACT HAD TO ENGAGE THE BRAKE WITH FORCE TO BE ABLE TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR MECHANIC TO HAVE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST PERFORMED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,000.
NHTSA complaint #11382883 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
A CAR STOP IN FRONT OF ME QUICKLY SO I PUSH THE BRAKE HARD TO STOP AND I HEARD THE ABS GRINDING, SO EVERYTHING FINE, I CONTINUE DRIVING THEN I WANT TO STOP ON THE STOP SIGN AND I FOUND THE BRAKE PEDAL IS NOT NORMAL I HAVE TO PUSH IT COMPLETELY DOWN FEELS LIKE NO BRAKES I TOOK IT TO ACURA DEALER AND THEY FLASH THE BRAKE OIL, AND I TOLD THEM WHAT HAPPENED THEY SAID NO AIR IN THE ABS OR THE SYSTEM AND ITS NORMAL BUT IF IT HAPPEN AGAIN YOU NEED ABS CONTROL MODULE THE CAR MILEAGE IS 109000 AND ITS ALL HIGHWAY MILES. NOW WHEN I PUSH ON THE PEDAL IT FEELS SPONGY AND IT GOES TO THE FLOOR. ITS KINDA SCARY TO DRIVE AND THE COST OF THIS PART INSTALLED $4000. FOR THIS MILEAGE AND THIS CAR I THINK SOMETHING WRONG GOING ON..
NHTSA complaint #11378054 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
CAR BEGINS BRAKING WHILE ACCELERATING AND STARTS SLIDING WHEN BRAKING ON DRY PAVEMENT. THE OTHER MODEL FROM THIS YEAR SUCH AS THE MDX HAVE A RECALL FOR THE VSA SYSTEM HOWEVER THE TSX DOES NOT. THE MDX RECALL FROM 05 MATCHED THE SAME ISSUES THE 05 TSX HAS.
NHTSA complaint #11362895 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
NO BRAKES OR VERY STIFF BRAKE PEDAL WHEN BELOW FREEZING UNTIL CAR WARMS UP. HAVE HAD BRAKE FLUID REPLACED AND BLED MULTIPLE TIMES AND PROBLEM NOT FIXED. HAPPENS EVERY TIME BELOW 25 DEGREES AND IS WORSE THE COLDER IT IS.
NHTSA complaint #11324058 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
FROZEN BRAKES WHEN STARING THE CAR, THE FIRST PUMP ON THE BRAKE WORKS AS EXPECTED. THEN THE NEXT 3-5 PUMPS, THE PEDDLE DOES NOT GO DOWN AND HAS THUS THE CAR DOES NOT STOP. THIS USUALLY HAPPENS WHEN I GO TO WORK IN THE MORNING. BUT, IT HAS HAPPENED DURING THE AFTERNOON. BUT MOST MORNING, I CAN GUARANTEE IT WILL HAPPEN. IT'S USUALLY ON COLD MORNINGS (TEENS AND BELOW) BUT I'M SEEING IT NOW IN 30DEGREE WEATHER. I TOOK IT TO THE ACURA DEALERSHIP (ACURA OF TROY, MI) AND THE SERVICE MANAGER [XXX] DIDN'T LOOK INTO IT AT ALL. HE SAID THEY PERFORMED THE STANDARD 'ACURA CHECK' AND THERE WERE NO ISSUES. I PROVIDE GREG WITH DETAILS ON THE ISSUES AS WELL AS PRINTOUTS FROM OTHERS WHO HAVE REPORTED THE SAME ISSUE. ALL HE DID WAS SMILE AND SAID THEY DID THE ACURA SAFEFTY CHECK AND IT PASSED. I'LL BE SENDING THIS INFO TOO; THE OWNER AND GM OF ACURA OF TROY AND TO ACURA CORP.(HONDA). HERE IS JUST 1 THREAD ON THE ISSUES: HTTPS://ACURAZINE.COM/FORUMS/SECOND-GENERATION-TSX-DISCUSSION-2009-2014-143/FROZEN-BRAKE-PEDAL-901219/ FOR YOUR SELECTION ON THE DATE OF WHEN THIS HAPPENED, I'M ADDING THE SERVICE DATE. BUT THIS IS ON ONGOING PROBLEM. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
NHTSA complaint #11320299 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
IN COLD WEATHER THE BRAKES FEEL 'FROZEN' OR 'WOODEN', AND DO NOT PERFORM CORRECTLY. THE CAR WILL NOT STOP. AFTER USING THEM A FEW TIMES IN A ROW THEY SEEM TO RETURN TO WARM WEATHER PERFORMANCE. IT HAPPENS AGAIN EVERY TIME THE CAR IS DRIVEN IN COLD WEATHER' NOT EXTREME COLD, BUT JUST NEAR FREEZING. IT SEEMS TO HAVE STARTED EARLY THIS YEAR. SERVICE PEOPLE CANNOT SEE A CAUSE.
NHTSA complaint #11297686 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
WHEN APPLYING FIRM PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES, IT RESPONDS WITH A SERIES OF RAPID VIBRATIONS AND CONCOMITANT CLICKING NOISE. I NEVER FEEL A SOLID AND RESPONSIVE BREAKING SYSTEM. THIS OCCURRED WHEN I WAS ATTEMPTING TO SLOW IN ICE ON A SIDE STREET IN 06 AT WHICH TIME I CALLED ACURA TO COMPLAIN. A FEW DAYS AGO, I ATTEMPTED TO AVOID HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME WHILE I WAS ROLLING AFTER RELEASING MY BREAK FROM A FULL STOP, SO NOT EVEN ANY MPG'S. THIS WAS ON A SIDE STREET, AND I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT DATE. IT WAS PROBABLY IN SEPTEMBER 2019. LUCKILY THERE WAS NO DAMAGE, BUT I WORRY THAT MY BRAKES WILL NEVER BE THERE WHEN I NEED THEM.
NHTSA complaint #11269792 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
I LOST POWER STEERING DRIVING TO WORK AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING THIS ROUTE TO WORK FOR MANY YEARS AND THIS EXPERIENCE STARTLED ME. THIS SITUATION COULD HAVE BECOME FATAL VERY QUICKLY WITH A LESS EXPERIENCED DRIVER.THE REPLACEMENT COST IS EXPENSIVE AND THE EPS MODULE NEEDED FOR REPAIR IS NOT EASY TO FIND. NONE OF THE LOCAL ACURA DEALERS WILL WORK WITH ME SO MY CAR IS SITTING IN A STORAGE YARD WHILE I TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO. AS A RESULT, I AM WITHOUT A CAR TO GET TO WORK EVERYDAY. TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY, I JUST GOT THE CAR OUT OF THE SHOP FOR A "SOFT PEDAL" BRAKE FAILURE, THAT HAPPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS TOO. THIS ISSUE ALSO COULD HAVE ENDED VERY DIFFERENTLY WITH LESS EXPERIENCE BEHIND THE WHEEL. THAT REPAIR WAS EXPENSIVE AND IT DID NOT RESTORE THE BRAKING SYSTEM TO ORIGINAL FEEL. THE CAR STOPS BETTER BUT JUST NOT AS WELL AS IT DID BEFORE. LET ME REITERATE, THE CAR DOES NOT HAVE THAT MANY MILES ON IT. I MIGHT EXPECT THESE PROBLEMS FROM A VEHICLE WITH TWICE THIS MILEAGE,BUT NOT FROM A CAR WITH LESS THAN 100, 000 MILES.
NHTSA complaint #11207869 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
RE 2006 ACURA - LETTER FROM CONSTITUENT REQUESTING ASSISTANCE IN FILING A CRIMINAL COMPLAINT AGAINST THE PARTIES INVOLVED IN THE MATTER. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS FRAUDULENTLY SOLD. THE VEHICLE APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT THAT WAS REPORTED, THE BRAKES WOULD SQUEAK, AND THE CODES WERE CLEARED BEFORE BEING SOLD.
NHTSA complaint #11196270 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
CAR LEAKING POWER STEERING FLUID AND SMOKING UNDERNEATH ENGINE, KEEP HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND I SAW RECALLS ON 2004 -2008 MODELS AND AIR BAG ICON ALWAYS ON
NHTSA complaint #11196431 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
MY BRAKES HAVE BEEN DEFECTIVE SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR 4 YEARS AGO. IF YOU BRAKE SUDDENLY THE CAR DOES NOT STOP. IF YOU HIT A POTHOLE THERE IS A DISTINCT SLIPPING FEELING IN THE BRAKES. I HAVE TO SLOW DOWN AHEAD OF TIME OR GENTLY PUMP THE BRAKES TO STOP THE CAR. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO ACURA AND TO MY MECHANIC WHO IS A CERTIFIED HONDA MECHANIC. THEY ALL SAID THE BRAKES WERE FINE. EACH TIME I TAKE MY CAR IN FOR SERVICE I ASK THEM TO CHECK MY BRAKES. THEY EVEN REPLACED THE BRAKES, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL HAPPENED. ON 1/31/19, TRAFFIC STOPPED SUDDENLY IN FRONT OF ME ON THE FREEWAY AND I HIT MY BRAKES AND THE CAR DID NOT STOP, CAUSING ME TO SLAM INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, AND THAT DRIVER SAID I PUSHED HER INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF HER. THANK GOD I ESCAPED WITH ONLY BRUISED RIBS AND A SPRAINED THUMB. AND THANK GOD NO ONE ELSE WAS INJURED. MY CAR WAS TOTALED. THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. IT WAS TERRIFYING.
NHTSA complaint #11191719 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
POWER BRAKE BOOSTER CHECK VALVE STICKS IN COLD WEATHER NEGATING POWER ASSISTANCE. THIS CAME TO MY ATTENTION WITH SEATTLE'S RECENT COLD SPELL (FEB 2019). CHECK VALVE LOCATED WITHIN MASTER TUBE ASSEMBLY (46402-TL2-A11) WHICH IS ON BACKORDER ACROSS ALL STATES THAT EXPERIENCE WINTER WEATHER. I'VE SPOKEN TO NUMEROUS DEALERS AND SCOURING THE INTERNET, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. ADDITIONALLY, I CONTACTED ACURA TWICE AND WAS TOLD FOLLOW UP WOULD BE IMMEDIATE, WITH ZERO RESPONSE TO DATE.
NHTSA complaint #11187220 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.