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Tell Acura about your 2015 TLX ownership experience

Every first year model run has a glitch or two to iron out. 2015 TLX, a great car by any measure is no exception as new owners report a blemish or two. Here's your opportunity: Tell Acura about your 2015 TLX experience.
2015_Acura_TLX_SH-AWD

Most responding readers enjoy the TLX experience as much as we do. We’d like to leave it at that. But, as the months roll on we find hidden among countless initial consumer accolades a handful of less than glowing reports as to driveway roll-away TLX and at- speed engine cut outs or temporary stalls.

With Thursday's news of Honda's unprecedented $70 million dollar federal fine for delayed injury and death reports; some in direct relationship to the airbag system failure; we've opted to provide a forum for our Acura TLX readers: Tell Acura about your TLX drive and ownership experience.

On Friday,Torque News reader Paul Z, the owner of a 2015 SH-AWD V6 full tech and a 2015 i-4 P-AWS explains: “I purchased my 2015 TLX in October 2014, I purchased 2 of them, 1 four cylinder with technology package,1 six cylinder with technology package. Both have had major issues since I've had them. They've been getting serviced half the time I've owned them.” I've been in loaner cars .. Acura has to do something about this!!!” says Paul Z.

While reader Geek wrote: “We took our TLX 4 tech on an extended trip last weekend, long freeway driving and back roads through small towns. We also did no aggressive driving but I suspect the vast majority of people also do not. The power band is very consistent and going through the gears smooth and essentially imperceptible.

The engine never labored at 75 or 80+ (my bad) with road noise never noticeable and on the back roads the car handled very well. It will be interesting to see how the car will navigate in the roads in snow remains to be seen and would be happy if did not experience that. At the end of our 400 miles of driving my wife and I were pleased with our TLX.” wrote Geek.

Torque news spent a few moments Friday with our go to Honda spokesperson Chris Martin. Chris shared with us that Acura dealers(to date)have not reported a high incidence of engine stall or transmission shifting problems with TLX i-4 8 speed. Are you experiencing mechanically or electronic problems with your TLX?

Chris is a straight shooter; we like him. But Chris can only share with us what he knows. Let’s do Chris and Acura a favor.

Torque News would like to read your comments as to your 2015 TLX ownership and driving experience. Let’s keep it fair and civil. Your thought provoking comment will be read by Acura.

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Comments

Lewis starasoler (not verified)    January 10, 2015 - 9:29AM

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I have a 2015 Acura TLX V6 with tech package.
My only complaint is with the 9 speed automatic transmission. In the lower gears it shifts abruptly or not at all. Never had this experience in any car I have ever owned. Didn't expect this from a luxury car maker like Acura. Acura needs to step
Up to the plate and correct this safety issue.

Parks McCants    January 12, 2015 - 6:41PM

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Good day Lewis. Acura is replacing defective 9 speed automotive transmissions free of charge to the original owner. They are aware of the issue. Note: This is the first outsourced transmission in Acura history.( that we know of) Give your dealership service department a call. Thanks for dropping in.

Jay (not verified)    January 10, 2015 - 3:41PM

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(Not using my real email because I don't need Honda nagging me endlessly like they have in the past). I will say this: having driven Hondas exclusively for 25+ years, the new TLX lacks "it", whatever "it" is that Hondas used to have. All of the ingredients are there, but the whole package is somehow lacking something. You can't just dump a bunch of electronic nannies and doodads in a car anymore; everybody does that. The car should be bigger inside (back seat room), like an Accord. The dashboard should be changed: it looks like every Acura dash since the 90s, give it a rest already. And it also looks too much like a Honda (like they took the H off the steering wheel and replaced it with an A and call it an Acura). The display screens are practically identical. The ride is nice, but otherwise it doesn't really handle any better than a Honda (or, as CR said, a Fusion). I think the problem is that the Accord has improved so much (and the TLX not enough) that there is now less of a gap between the two, making it difficult to make a case to spend the extra money. Actually a lot of midsize cars are now equal to the TLX. The 8-speed shifts smoothly, but I think the 6-speed would have been just as good without the rough shifting. Get rid of the premium gas requirement. Buyer's remorse? Yes, but it will be gone in a few years and I'll get something else. Thanks for listening.

Terry (not verified)    January 11, 2015 - 5:08PM

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I purchased a TLX- V-6 with Tech package on October. I have not had any problems with the
car thus far. The car has a very smooth ride and good acceleration as well as a real good
sound system. I would recommend this car for people in the market for a new car. Also, I'm
bias toward the V-6 vs the I-4 engine. Test drove 4 cylinder but it just did not have enough power
for me. Previous car was the 3rd generation TL. Another really good car but not as refined as the TLX.

pj (not verified)    January 18, 2015 - 12:47PM

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I have always been honda/ Acura fan. Have owned many honda products but this tlx 4 cylinder 8 speed dct is nothing but jerky at low speeds , cold start and stop and go traffic.Acura needs to come out with a fix soon because like me, I am sure there are other acura tlx owners who are not satisfied.

Palermo (not verified)    February 3, 2015 - 2:13PM

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I have a 4 cylinder TLX. I live in a "hot" climate (south Louisiana), although we certainly get below freezing in these winter months at times. Mine is very jerky, hot or cold, but seems worse in the cold, maybe. I didn't have it in the hot months long enough to know, but i began noticing it when it was still hot outside so I know it does it in both hot and cold. I've brought mine to the dealer weeks at a time and drove a loaner. I've gone twice now. It has trouble shifting into reverse and jerks the entire car at times. When shifting from reverse to drive, at times there is a long awkward delay before it kicks into drive. At low speeds slowing down and speeding up, it is jerky. Sometimes when taking off from a stop it stalls for a minute when i hit the gas, and is dangerous when pulling out onto a street with traffic. When coming almost to a complete stop and then taking off again, the car seems confused and doesn't shift back into gear immediately, and at times, I'm taking a left turn, so when I don't completely stop before I'm able to go, and i hit the gas and it gets "confused" as to what gear to go into, I'm then coasting into oncoming traffic waiting for it to go into a gear and when it does it jumps into gear. Its not a dependable drive. As a driver, you "know" your car and how it handles. With this car, I'm nervous b/c I don't know that it'll go when I need it to, and with city driving this is very dangerous.

Parks McCants    February 5, 2015 - 12:09PM

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Good day Polermo. Wow! O.K... let's begin with the drive mode. Is your car positioned in "normal" drive mode when you encounter these problems with the transmission? Also, are you driving with active safety functions on or off? Is your car equipped with the engine "auto stop and start function?" If so, is it on or off? I just returned( this morning) from an interview with Acura's chief engineer, and now have a comprehensive understanding of how the 8 speed dual clutched(automated manual) transmission engages and disengages. It's computer controlled. With that said, internally, 8 electric diodes engage individual gears. Based on your description, the transmission would require a program change.( what is the dealership telling you?) Two more question: Do you engage the paddle shifters in the normal drive mode, are you driving on dirt, gravel or ice/? Thanks. I look forward to reading your detailed response and will pass it on to Acura.

Palermo (not verified)    February 18, 2015 - 12:14PM

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I'm sorry it took me a while to respond. I'd requested an email when there was a response, and I never saw one, but it may be in my spam folder. I've tried all driving modes (except the paddle shifters) and it happens in normal, sport and eco mode. I don't believe my car is equipped with auto stop/start function. It only responds to my foot on gas/break...it just seems confused at times as to what gear it should be in and jumps into another one and its very jerky, and again at times when I'm stopping I'll get almost stopped and it'll sometimes jerk forward when I have a car in front of me, which makes me nervous that I'll end up hitting someone, but I don't believe the auto start/stop would do this when I'm trying to stop behind someone stopped in front of me. The dealership is telling me it's likely a computer problem that they need to duplicate and so far they can't. When I brought articles to my service guy at the dealership showing that many TLX drivers (4 cylinder) are experiencing the jerky transmission and the lag when shifting from reverse to drive, he said its likely a problem that Acura will come out with an update for (I haven't seen anyone else post about the hard jerk that I have at times when shifting from park to reverse). My problem is that it seems Acura is reluctant to admit they know this is a problem that is occurring in many of their vehicles and that they're working on it, so I'll feel comfortable knowing it'll be fixed soon, and will NOT cause transmission problems later on when my warranty is out. When I contacted Acura Corp we emailed several times and someone finally called me and acted as if she's never heard of this problem, which makes me nervous, and is hard to believe when its all over the internet. My dealership somewhat acts the same way, like they don't know of anyone else having this problem, which again I find hard to believe since it was so easy to find on the internet, and I forwarded them to him. I'm pretty sure I'm not the ONLY TLX buyer at this dealership having this problem. They seem to be protecting themselves. I drive on cement roadways. I live down south and we have no ice on the roads.

Parks McCants    February 18, 2015 - 8:08PM

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Hello Palermo. What you've described to me is how "auto-stop/start" behaves when coming to a stop light or sign without full brake pedal engagement. If you're driving a V6 9 speed automatic, your car is equipped with this feature. You may turn it off with the press of a button. Actually, and this is coming from a 3rd party independent journalist, i'm afraid that you are in actuality, the first TLX owner to report this transmission behavior to us. I understand your nervousness. The condition you've described can be quite unnerving. You have the option of insisting on your transmission being replaced under warranty if the malady can't be remedied(repaired) by your service department of choice. We've actually spoken with the vice president and general manager of Acura about your situation without identifying you or your specific vehicle. Unfortunately, recall initiatives are based on the volume of reported repairs in response to consumer complaints. To date, unless you're a party to the 9 speed automatic transmission recall, you're reliant on the dealership for the remedy. Please keep us posted to progress. Wishing you best of luck.

Palermo (not verified)    February 19, 2015 - 9:42AM

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I do not drive a V6. I have the 4 Cylinder, and there are many other 4 Cylinder owners complaining of the same problems. I've provided their online complaints that I've found online so far to my dealer to show them its a problem with more than just my car. If its not fixed because Acura, so far, cannot duplicate these problems, how do i go about requesting a new transmission?

Parks McCants    February 19, 2015 - 6:03PM

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We feel for you. There's nothing more frustrating than encountering a serious glitch in a new automobile. Your transmission flaw is a rare one according to our independent information resources. In reading online forums we discover that Acura dealerships should be in receipt of an updated transmission re-mapping software program. We highly recommend that you contact the dealer and ask if they have, perform the service. Then, if the re-mapping doesn't resolve the transmission problem, replacement me be warranted. Best of luck!

Chris (not verified)    September 10, 2016 - 3:35PM

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I have the same problem with my 4cylinder TLX as well. The transmission is jerky. When coming to a stop the transmission jerks or drops and the car lunges foward. When driving and slowing down and not coming to a complete stop and then steping on the gas to accelerate the car does not move or hesitates before the gears kick in. Transmission appears to be confused or goes into neutral. When coming out of a parking lot and stepping on the gas to accelerate the gears did not engage and my car was nit moving like it was in neutral. This was happening with traffic heading towards me. The other cars had to slow down and even honked at me as my car did not accelarate. This is a bery dangerous issue that needs to be addressed by acura. I will not drive my daughter in this car since the transmissikn is so unreliable. Brought it to the dealer but they said they could not find anything wrong. They even said that was normal. I try to bring it in a second time complaining of the same issues, they said that I would have to pay $100 diagostic fee just ti check the car. This is my first acura and definately last one. My previous car was a Lexus IS300 and had no issues even at 200k miles. I would take that car over the new TLX.

Parks McCants    September 10, 2016 - 11:17PM

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Welcome Chris. I'm assuming that you're driving a 4 cylinder Acura TLX with the 8 speed dual clutch transmission. No, this is not normal! What year is your car, how many miles does it have on it, and, what mode are you driving in? Do use the paddle shift, and is your car equipped with auto-stop? Are you in the U.S.? Thank you.

Chris (not verified)    September 11, 2016 - 11:29PM

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Yes I am driving the 4 cylinder 2015 TLX. Currently I have less than 15k miles on it. I normally drive in sport mode but I noticed the same problems in any mode except except Econ. I occasionally use the paddle shift. I am located in the US.

JWM (not verified)    January 20, 2015 - 10:52PM

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Bought the TLX V6 Advance FWD in October. After 90 days have 3k miles. Only problem, MAJOR in my opinion, is that the vehicle vibrates (like driving on grooved payment) when cruising speeds when the VCM is active. Dealer has had vehicle for 2 weeks test driving and consulting with Acura. They were able to recreate the vibration repeatedly and after 2weeks, Acura declared that the vibration while VCM is active is "normal"! A vibration while cruising is NOT normal and should not be acceptable to any reputable company for a LUXURY car. Very disappointing. I hope the sales force is advising potential buyers of this "normal" vibration before they purchase instead of surprising them after the purchase.

Parks McCants    January 21, 2015 - 11:59AM

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Good day JWM. I agree with you, no excessive vibration is normal in TLX. I havn't experienced it. However, you have more miles in the seat than I do. O.K., expand a bit on the "vibration." Is it excessive, is it nominal, do you feel it through the steering wheel? Or, is it felt through the body of the car? Thanks.

JWM (not verified)    January 21, 2015 - 8:53PM

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I think any vibration on a smooth road is excessive. My vibration is similar to riding on grooved pavement and I feel it primarily through the body. The dealer, who had my vehicle for 2 weeks, had 2 tlx v6 demos and they told me that they were able to duplicate the vibration in both of their vehicles

T (not verified)    June 11, 2015 - 10:10AM

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My Coworker had a brand new 2015 TLX for 2 weeks and she just returned it due to the excessive vibrating at 60mph+. She has a 2 hour round-trip commute to work and the vibrating was so bad that it gave her headaches. Same as the other commenter above, the dealer said it was normal. Needless to say, she took a hit by returning the vehicle, but she's much happier not having the vibration issue in her new Lexus.

Tim (not verified)    February 26, 2015 - 9:37PM

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I have a 4 cylinder TLX with the 8 speed DCT that I have owned since last September, has approx 5,000 miles. I absolutely love the car other than the transmission. I live in the Boston area where it has been very cold this winter. I drive mostly in sport mode. When cold, after I back out of my driveway and shift into drive it tends to bang really hard into gear, I've resorted to shifting into neutral and rolling down my hill a few feet before putting it in drive to soften the blow. Sometimes when coming to a complete stop (especially when cold) the car will severely lurch forward feeling like someone slammed you from behind. A couple of times it was fairly disconcerting feeling like I was going to jump into oncoming traffic if I didn't have my foot firmly on the brake. It shifts poorly when cold tending to rev too high and slip during the 1-2 2-3 and 3-4 shifts. Periodically when cold or fully warmed up the transmission hesitates before it decides to downshift. I have not taken it back to the dealer yet but will have them address it during the first service. From what I have seen on the different forums there does not seem to be a fix for it yet.
Other than the transmission issues I love the quiet composed ride, excellent sound system, the technology and the fuel mileage. I purchased the Acura 100,000 mile extended warranty so I am not too concerned.

Mikhail (not verified)    February 27, 2015 - 12:42PM

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I have just picked up my TLX AWD on Monday, Feb 23rd, 2015, It is a fully loaded model V6 Elite. Love everything, but the 9 speed transmission. It can for sure be more smoother. specially seems rough when shifting into 3rd gear. This morning I had to drop it off at the dealer due to all electronic problems, absolutely all the fancy features stopped working. The car drove normally to the dealer, now I am awaiting their call back. hopefully I can have it back for the weekend !! This is my first Acura or Honda product, if this continues, they will lose me as a customer pretty quickly.

Bob Lewis (not verified)    March 5, 2015 - 11:07AM

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I bought the 2015 TLX V-6 Tech. in September. Yesterday, I got the vehicle back from the dealer; the cross-traffic monitor issue, no specific fix for the Park problem. There was supposedly an update done for the very jerky shifting that I experience, the worst between 2nd and 3rd, also from 1st to 2nd. The shifting is SOMEWHAT improved, but still much worse than any car I have ever owned, back to 1965. Very bad for a new luxury car. It looks like Chrysler and Jeep are having the same problems. I wonder why the need for a 9-speed transmission anyway..from what I have read, it doesn't shift to 9th gear until something like 100 mph. I hope Acura will get the software, or whatever else is needed, done to this car to shift like a true luxury car.