Acura MDX vs Acura TLX: which is more reliable?
The Acura TLX is ahead of the Acura MDX on the federal record, 75/100 against 66/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Acura MDX
- 14 model years scored
- 1,916 owner complaints on record
- about 28 complaints per year on the road
- 70 recall campaigns, 36 safety-critical
- best year 2011 (95/100) · worst 2025 (39/100)
Acura TLX
- 11 model years scored
- 879 owner complaints on record
- about 10 complaints per year on the road
- 39 recall campaigns, 28 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (89/100) · worst 2015 (38/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: MDX against TLX
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Acura MDX
- Engine — 553 complaints
- Power Train — 388 complaints
- Electrical System — 334 complaints
Acura TLX
- Power Train — 249 complaints
- Engine — 214 complaints
- Electrical System — 148 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the MDX's complaints concentrate in Engine, the TLX's in Power Train. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Acura MDX — avoid: 2016, 2020, 2025.
Acura TLX — avoid: 2015.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Acura MDX prices at about $55,100 and a Acura TLX at about $55,100 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 21.0 against 25.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Acura MDX or the Acura TLX more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Acura TLX scores 75/100 against the Acura MDX's 66/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Acura MDX and Acura TLX years should I avoid?
Acura MDX: 2016, 2020, 2025. Acura TLX: 2015. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Acura MDX and the Acura TLX?
The largest complaint group on the Acura MDX is Engine (553 complaints); on the Acura TLX it is Power Train (249).
Is the Acura MDX or the Acura TLX cheaper to own?
A recent used Acura MDX prices at about $55,100 and a Acura TLX at about $55,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.