Acura TSX: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Acura TSX: 4 model years scored from 218 NHTSA owner complaints and 20 recall campaigns. Worst year 2012, best year 2014.
Acura TSX: which years to avoid
Across 4 scored model years the Acura TSX ranges from 33/100 in 2012 to 86/100 in 2014 — a 53-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a TSX at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Steering (100 of them).
Avoid: 2012 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2011, 2013, 2014 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
How the TSX changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 2 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2011–2012
Mean score 52/100, about 6 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Steering more than anything else (118 complaints). 13 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2013–2014
Mean score 82/100, about 2 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Steering more than anything else (19 complaints). The record improves by 30 points against the years before it. 7 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2014 (score 86). Worst: 2012 (score 33, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 86 | BUY | $5,181 | 7 | 3 |
| 2013 | 79 | BUY | $5,308 | 33 | 4 |
| 2012 | 33 | AVOID | $5,580 | 133 | 6 |
| 2011 | 70 | BUY | $5,597 | 45 | 7 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the TSX, through the years →
TSX sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the TSX on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Acura TSX
Across every TSX model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Steering137 complaints across all TSX years · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement$1,020–$2,500
- Electrical System23 complaints across all TSX years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Air Bags23 complaints across all TSX years · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement$600–$1,700
- Service Brakes22 complaints across all TSX years · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles$580–$1,140
- Engine12 complaints across all TSX years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Power Train5 complaints across all TSX years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Acura TSX years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2012 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2012 is the weakest at 33/100, with its complaints concentrated in Steering.
What are the best Acura TSX years to buy?
2011, 2013, 2014 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2014 at 86/100, on 7 complaints and 3 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Acura TSX problem?
137 of the complaints filed against the TSX across all its model years sit in the Steering group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04