2011 Acura TSX: True Cost, Problems & Verdict

45 NHTSA owner complaints · 7 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.

Acura TSX

Owner complaints: 45 filed with NHTSA

Complaints per year on the road: 3.0

Steering18Air Bags11Service Brakes7Engine4Electrical System3Structure2

What owners say

Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.

The contact owns a 2011 Acura TSX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V661000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact attempted to contact the dealer; however, the contact was unable to speak with a representative. The manufacturer was con…
Power steering system malfunction. Warning light went on with no other warning and rendered vehicle undrivable due to no steering function
While driving on highway driver side windshield trim panel flew off into traffic causing a car to swerve at highway speed. Included with the genuine Acura replacement part (# 73162-tl2-305zd) was service bulletin # 09-030 which states that the glue needs to be replaced. I talked to Acura of Wappingers service and parts department and Acura of America regarding this issue. All parties denied replacing the glue on the …

Recalls: 7 campaigns (7 severe)

2016201720182019
CampaignComponentSummary
18V042000Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator ModuleHonda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Acura TSX, ZDX, Honda Accord Crosstour, Fit, Insight and Pilot vehicles, 2011-13 Acura TSX Sportswagon, 2010-2012 Honda Accord,, 2010-2011 Honda Civic, Civic NGV, Civic Hybrid and CR-V vehicles and 2013 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehicles ever registered in the states of Alabama, California,…
17V030000Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator ModuleHonda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Acura TSX, 2011-2012 Acura TSX Wagon, 2010-2012 Acura ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2012 Honda Accord Crosstour and Honda Insight, 2009-2012 Honda Fit, 2009-2012 Pilot, 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2012 Honda FCX Clarity and 2006-2011 Honda Civic, Civic Hybrid, Civic NGV vehicles originally sold,…
19V378000Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator ModuleHonda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2013 TSX Sport Wagon, and 2010-2012 ZDX and 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV, 2012-2014 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2013 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot vehicles. The front passenger air bag inflator…
16V346000Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator ModuleHonda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Acura TSX, 2011 TSX Wagon, 2010-2011 Acura ZDX, 2008-2011 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid, and Civic GX, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2010-2011 FCX Clarity and Insight, and 2009-2011 Fit, and Pilot vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama,…
19V502000Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator ModuleHonda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2014 TSX Sport Wagon, 2010-2013 ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic and Civic Hybrid, 2008-2010 Civic GX NGV, 2012-2015 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2014 Fit EV, 2010-2014 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot vehicles. The vehicles are…
18V661000Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator ModuleHonda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014 Honda Insight and Acura TSX and TSX Wagon, 2014-2015 Honda Crosstour and Pilot vehicles nationwide, as well as certain 2014 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehicles in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, California, American Samoa, Guam, the…
17V545000Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator ModuleHonda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2008-2012 Accord, 2010-2012 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2012 Fit and Pilot, 2010-2012 Insight, and 2009-2012 Acura TSX vehicles that received replacement passenger frontal air bag inflators. One dealership may have incorrectly installed the replacement air bag inflators.

What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes

Class-level estimates, priced as a mid-size premium car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.

Typical price today $13,300–$19,100 used market, 2026
You lose to depreciation $910/year $4,500 over five years
Price when new (2011)$42,100
Worth in five years$11,700
Depreciation, five years$4,500
Insurance, five years$7,450–$10,850
Fuel and maintenance, five years$27,985
Five-year cost of owning it$41,635
Per mile driven, at 12,000 miles a year$0.69

What it costs to run

EPA combined 25 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $3,050

Fuel (your region)$3,050
Maintenance band (your region) $1,721–$3,373
Estimated running cost this year (age 15) $5,597
Range across the maintenance band $4,771–$6,423
Next five years, running cost $27,985

Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.

02468101214$6,423vehicle age (years)
fuel/energy + maintenance band, annual — US dollars, estimate

Run your own numbers in the true-cost calculator →

What this car's problems cost to fix

Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.

  • Steering18 complaints · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement (5.0 h labour + parts)$1,020–$2,500
  • Air Bags11 complaints · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$600–$1,700
  • Service Brakes7 complaints · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles (3.0 h labour + parts)$580–$1,140
  • Engine4 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
  • Electrical System3 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
  • Structure2 complaints · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,070–$2,920

FAQ

What is the most common problem with the 2011 Acura TSX?

The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Steering (18 complaints in our indexed sample).

Is the 2011 Acura TSX a good used car to buy?

Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 70/100, computed from 45 NHTSA complaints and 7 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.

How much does it cost to fix the 2011 Acura TSX's most common problem?

18 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2011 Acura TSX sit in the Steering group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement: about 5.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,020–$2,500 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.

What does a 2011 Acura TSX cost to run per year?

About $5,597 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $27,985 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.

Does the 2011 Acura TSX have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 7 recall campaign(s) for the 2011 Acura TSX, 7 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 09/01/2018. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.

What will a 2011 Acura TSX really cost YOU per year?

Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.

Open the true-cost calculator

Data sources

Complaints & recalls: NHTSA · Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov · Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements. Last updated: 2026-10-04.

70RELIABILITY / 100
BUY

Thin evidence — 45 complaints, 7 recalls on record

Typical price today$13,300–$19,100used market estimate · the full money picture
Running cost, next 5 years$27,985fuel/energy + maintenance band midpoint · estimate
  • 45 NHTSA complaints on record (3.0/yr of exposure) — in line with a typical year of this model (2.8/yr)
  • 7 recall campaigns, 7 touching safety-critical systems
  • Thin complaint record — this score is held close to the model's own average rather than read as evidence of quality

How this score is computed →