2021 Acura Tlx Type S problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (28) · Engine (2) · Suspension (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Acura Tlx Type S model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (1)
Electrical System:software 2025-01-23 · campaign 25V031000 · 294,612 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2022-2025 Acura MDX Type-S, 2023-2025 Honda Pilot, and 2021-2025 Acura TLX Type-S vehicles. A software error in the fuel injection electronic control unit (FI-ECU) may cause an engine stall or a loss of power.
Risk: An engine stall or loss of power can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the FI-ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 17, 2025. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are EL1 and AL0.
Service bulletins (31)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Suspension 2025-02-12 · BTI&02112025901 · Other
dealer message - american honda motor co., inc. (ahm) is searching for certain 2021-2023 tlx adv’s and 2021-2025 tlx type s’s with a client complaint of the “adaptive damper system problem” (ads) error message on the mid (multi information display). to better understand the cause of this condition,
Suspension 2025-01-24 · BTI&01242025901 · Other
dealer message - american honda motor co., inc. (ahm) is searching for certain 2021-2023 tlx adv’s and 2021-2025 tlx type s’s with a client complaint of the “adaptive damper system problem” (ads) error message on the mid (multi information display). to better understand the cause of this condition,
Suspension 2025-01-18 · BTI&01172025901 · Other
dealer message - american honda motor co., inc. (ahm) is searching for certain 2021-2023 tlx adv’s and 2021-2025 tlx type s’s with a client complaint of the “adaptive damper system problem” (ads) error message on the mid (multi information display). to better understand the cause of this condition,
Suspension 2025-01-03 · BTI&01022025901 · Other
dealer message - american honda motor co., inc. (ahm) is searching for certain 2021-2023 tlx adv’s and 2021-2025 tlx type s’s with a client complaint of the “adaptive damper system problem” (ads) error message on the mid (multi information display). to better understand the cause of this condition,
Suspension 2024-12-03 · BTI&12022024902 · Other
dealer message - american honda motor co., inc. (ahm) is searching for certain 2021-2023 tlx adv’s and 2021-2025 tlx type s’s with a client complaint of the “adaptive damper system problem” (ads) error message on the mid (multi information display). to better understand the cause of this condition,
Suspension 2024-11-14 · BTI&11142024901 · Other
dealer message - american honda motor co., inc. (ahm) is searching for certain 2021-2023 tlx adv’s and 2021-2025 tlx type s’s with a client complaint of the “adaptive damper system problem” (ads) error message on the mid (multi information display). to better understand the cause of this condition,
Showing the 6 most recent of 31 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-05-31 · Power Train“while accelerating from a stop, i heard a loud bang from the drivetrain area and initially believed another vehicle had struck the rear of my car. after checking my surroundings, i realized there had been no collision. immediately after the incident, the vehicle lost power delivery to the rear wheels. the vehicle is designed as an all-wheel-drive …”
2026-04-18 · Power Train“the awd transfer case failed and require replacement along with the transmission…”
2026-04-02 · Power Train“the all wheel drive (awd) system of the vehicle became partially inoperable after hearing a loud bang under normal vehicle acceleration some time in early 2025. the vehicle did not trigger or display any warnings stored in the onboard computer or on the dash display that the awd system had any faults or issues. had this system failed during an emer…”
2026-03-07 · Power Train“ the transfer case in my acura tlx type s failed due to the internal splines stripping at approximately 57,600 miles. i heard a loud bang while attempting to maneuver out of a parking spot that was covered in snow. when this occurred, the transfer case was no longer able to transfer power to the rear wheels, causing the all-wheel-drive system …”
2026-01-23 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:internal:shaft:output“see attached letter for potential defect petition dp26001…”
2026-01-21 · Power Train“this 2021 acura tlx type-s has experienced a complete failure of the transfer case after approximately 40,000 miles of use. this unfortunately is a known issue on the online forums for this vehicle in model years 2021-2023. i have a video inspection performed by the local dealership proving this. the only warning is a one-time loud boom when accel…”
2025-12-02 · Engine“my 2021 tlx type s front wheels started to spin upon acceleration at 44k miles. i immediately scheduled an appt for the dealership. was informed i needed a new transfer case unit, as the splines were shredded. with this, i also had to replace the transmission. all replaced and picked up today 12/2/2025…”
2025-10-31 · Power Train“was driving the car under normal acceleration when the transfer case failed. no power to the rear wheels. acura dealer confirmed the problem. will be fixed under warranty. no warning lamps or messages on the dash.…”
2025-10-30 · Power Train“transfer case blew. awd was not working.…”
2025-10-16 · Power Train“while driving my 2021 acura tlx type s, i began losing traction frequently during normal daily driving, especially when turning corners or accelerating from a stop sign or stop light. at first, i believed the issue was related to my tires, so i replaced them, but the same problem continued. after researching online, i discovered that transfer case …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.