Selling a junk Acura TLX
Any TLX sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Acura TLX
NHTSA has 1,337 owner complaints on file for the Acura TLX, model years 2012 to 2022, the 242nd-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are transmission and drivetrain (261, 20%), engine (221, 17%), electrical system (151, 11%). 58 complaints involved a crash, 6 a fire, and 88 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 33,000 miles. The 2015 model year has the most complaints (539). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is transmission and drivetrain, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car with a bad transmission: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Acura TLX by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1 | Air bags | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 539 | Transmission and drivetrain | 18 | 0 | 6 | 30,000 |
| 2016 | 164 | Engine | 8 | 0 | 3 | 39,000 |
| 2017 | 110 | Engine | 6 | 4 | 3 | 22,019 |
| 2018 | 154 | Engine | 4 | 1 | 4 | 41,000 |
| 2019 | 135 | Engine | 13 | 1 | 6 | 14,880 |
| 2020 | 97 | Engine | 5 | 0 | 5 | — |
| 2021 | 101 | Transmission and drivetrain | 4 | 0 | 4 | — |
| 2022 | 36 | Transmission and drivetrain | 0 | 0 | 3 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Acura TLX recalls
NHTSA lists 13 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for fuel system (3), transmission and drivetrain (2), engine and cooling (2). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2018 model year, air bags (campaign 26V332000, May 2026): Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 201…
- 2021 model year, brakes (campaign 25V391000, Jun 2025): Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Acura TLX, 2023-2025 Acura MDX, and 2023-2025 Honda Pilot vehicles. The brake pedal pivot pin was not secured properly, which can cause the pedal to shift o…
- 2021 model year, fuel system (campaign 24V950000, Dec 2024): Acura (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021-2023 TLX vehicles. The fuel filler neck and fuel tank may have been improperly welded, which can result in a fuel leak.
- 2020 model year, air bags (campaign 24V064000, Feb 2024): Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passpo…
- 2015 model year, fuel system (campaign 23V858000, Dec 2023): Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 …
What a Acura TLX is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk TLX on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car with a bad transmission 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Acura models
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Acura TLX worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same TLX gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Acura TLX that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Acura TLX?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Acura TLX numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.