AI Damage2009 Acura TSX: common problems
Owners of the 2009 Acura TSX filed 91 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 91
- involving a crash
- 7
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 30% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 26% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 13% of all complaints
- 4 Engine 12% of all complaints
- 5 Structure 8% of all complaints
- 6 Electrical system 5% of all complaints
- 7 Powertrain 4% of all complaints
- 8 Steering 4% of all complaints
- Air bags: 27 complaints (30% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 24 complaints (26% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 12 complaints (13% of all).
- Engine: 11 complaints (12% of all).
- Structure: 7 complaints (8% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2.4 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- automatic, 5-speed
- manual, 6-speednamed in 1 complaints
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 91 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 27 | 5 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Steering locks up mid-turn while driving. Resulted in a collision.
My daughter was driving around a curve and she said the wheel locked and she could not turn striking a mail box at 20 mph. This was witnessed by my neighbor who was mowing his lawn. He said he saw her trying to turn but the car was not turning. If she was going faster she would have been killed.
I received a takata recall and went to rosenthal acura to get it replaced. That was completed by rosenthal. I think that was around a year ago. On 04/23/2018 I rear-ended another car. My car was totaled. My speed at impact probably was about 30-25 mph. The car I hit was stationary. My airbags did not deploy. Why not?
Driver air bag did not deploy during the high speed impact on passenger side. Three of four air bags did deploy but not the driver side left bag.
The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, after which the vehicle entered LIMP Mode and the throttle failed to respond. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway to restart the vehicle.
The check engine light came on and the âcheck transmissionâ warning sign came on all of a sudden one day. I started feeling hard ups/downs in gears from 1 to 2 and 2 to 3 (and also in reverse order of both these sequences). Its running rough and donât feel safe driving the car.
I was driving car to work and when I was making a turn my car steering wheel stop working it was so hard to maneuver I almost crashed I took it to the shop and they asked to call the acura dealer before making repairs because this car had reports on the steering wheel malfunction I called and they said that this car…
The drivers seat belt stopped catching because of the plastic cap covering the mechanism came loose. The cap holds with little plastic pegs which aren't very strong and keep popping out. I fixed it by replacing one with a screw but it should be manufactured more securely to begin with.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 3,786 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 10% most complained about).
On average one model year of the TSX has 61 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 91, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Acura TSX?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, service brakes, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 91. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: knocking, grinding or other noise (16%), oil leak or consumption (8%), warning lights, check engine (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2009 Acura TSX?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2009 Acura TSX from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2009 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.