2012 ACURA TSX — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
N/A
Safety Rating
157
Owner Complaints
6
Recalls
2
Service Bulletins
1
Investigation
Overview of the 2012 ACURA TSX
The 2012 ACURA TSX has received a total of 157 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There have been 6 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. 2 technical service bulletins have been issued by Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Steering (98 complaints), Electrical System (15 complaints), and Service Brakes (9 complaints).
Recalls for the 2012 ACURA TSX
NHTSA has recorded 6 recalls for the 2012 ACURA TSX, potentially affecting up to 3,056,790 vehicles.
Recall 19V502000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
| 9,555 vehicles affected
Defect: Honda (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 equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators assembled as a...
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are F5F and Q5E.
View full details →Recall 19V378000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
| 19,138 vehicles affected
Defect: Honda (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 may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.
Consequence: An incorrectly installed air bag inflator may not properly deploy the passenger frontal air bag in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator installation and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's...
View full details →Recall 18V661000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
| 1,355,406 vehicles affected
Defect: Honda (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 Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) and the U.S....
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are M2J and S2K.
View full details →Recall 18V042000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
| 691,726 vehicles affected
Defect: Honda (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, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South...
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 16, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are B0K and L0J.
View full details →Recall 17V545000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
| 3,257 vehicles affected
Defect: Honda (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.
Consequence: In the event of a crash, an incorrectly installed passenger frontal air bag inflator may deploy the air bag improperly, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are O07, Y0A,...
View full details →Recall 17V030000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
| 977,708 vehicles affected
Defect: Honda (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, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii,...
Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has mailed an interim notification, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Owners may contact Honda customer...
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2012 ACURA TSX
157 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2012 ACURA TSX. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 98 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Air Bags | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Engine | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Power Train | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structurebody | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Or Other | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic Stability Control Esc | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical Systemwiring | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System Gasoline | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuelpropulsion System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Steeringelectric Power Assist System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Most Recent Complaints
Traction control didn’t work, and the large OEM seats did not hug my body as advertised, causing bodily injury when struck by another vehicle, “t-bone” on passenger side.
Traction control didn’t work, and the large OEM seats did not hug my body as advertised, causing bodily injury when struck by another vehicle, “t-bone” on passenger side.
Traction control didn’t work, and the large OEM seats did not hug my body as advertised, causing bodily injury when struck by another vehicle, “t-bone” on passenger side.
On two occasions my college aged daughter was driving this vehicle when the steering wheel became inoperative. There was an error message on the dash about checking the power steering system. There was also an icon displaying with a steering wheel. Luckily she was only in a parking lot when this happened and was able to stop. SHE WAS GETTING READY TO DRIVE ON THE INTERSTATE. Had she reached the interstate she would have been in a bad accident. Come to find out this is a known issue with the electric power steering system and Acura has extended the warranty. But this should be a recall!
2012 Acura TSX Sportwagon: Brought car to independent mechanic who diagnosed power steering failure as requiring replacement of "Power Steering Control Module". Acura has a "TSB" or "Technical Service Bulletin" #19-021 regarding this issue. The car is very difficult to steer and is dangerous to drive because the driver is unable to steer quickly. Also the turning radius is essentially reduced as well. An Acura dealer is scheduled to examine the vehicle on 6/20/2025. The failure first appeared around the beginning of June 2025. There is a persistent audible chime along with (3) blinking warning lights (Steering wheel with exclamation point, the letter "i" with a circle around it, and the message "Check Power Steering System" message). This car is available for inspection upon request.
Safety Rating for the 2012 ACURA TSX
NHTSA has not yet tested the 2012 ACURA TSX in its New Car Assessment Program.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2012 ACURA TSX
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) has issued 2 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2012 ACURA TSX. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
B12-037 — STEERING
SERVICE BULLETIN - REPLACE THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN A CLICKING NOISE IS HEARD DURING TURNING OF THE STEERING WHEEL . THE STEERING WHEEL TAB THAT ENGAGES THE STEERING WHEEL ANGLE SENSOR HAS TOO MUCH PLAY.
B12-041 — SUSPENSION:FRONT
ACURA: FRONT SUSPENSION CLUNK IN HOT WEATHER. A CLUNK IS HEARD IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION WHILE DRIVING OVER IRREGULAR SURFACES AND IN HOT WEATHER. THE NOISE GOES AWAY TEMPORARILY WHEN THE VEHICLE IS LIFTED IN THE AIR AND THEN RETURNED TO THE GROUND. ALSO INCLUDED MODEL TL MODEL YEAR 2013...
NHTSA Investigations for the 2012 ACURA TSX
NHTSA has opened 1 investigation into potential safety defects in the 2012 ACURA TSX.
Investigation EA19001 — AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE Closed
Opened:
Electrical overstress
Other Model Years of the ACURA TSX
- 2007 ACURA TSX — 29 complaints
- 2008 ACURA TSX — 42 complaints
- 2009 ACURA TSX — 113 complaints
- 2010 ACURA TSX — 86 complaints
- 2011 ACURA TSX — 52 complaints
- 2012 ACURA TSX (current)
- 2013 ACURA TSX — 38 complaints
- 2014 ACURA TSX — 8 complaints
Other ACURA Models
- ACURA MDX — 4,187 total complaints
- ACURA TL — 4,042 total complaints
- ACURA RDX — 2,499 total complaints
- ACURA TLX — 1,274 total complaints
- ACURA INTEGRA — 755 total complaints
- ACURA CL — 730 total complaints
- ACURA RL — 523 total complaints
- ACURA LEGEND — 505 total complaints