2021 Acura TLX Type S: sudden loss of power

Filed May 31, 2026 · Transmission · CA

While accelerating from a stop, I heard a loud bang from the drivetrain area and initially believed another vehicle had struck the rear of my car. After checking my surroundings, I realized there had been no collision. Immediately after the incident, the vehicle lost power delivery to the rear wheels. The vehicle is designed as an all-wheel-drive performance sedan, and the sudden loss of rear-wheel power significantly changed the way the vehicle handled. The vehicle became effectively front-wheel drive without warning, causing all engine power to be directed through the front wheels. This resulted in reduced traction, altered handling characteristics, and increased front tire wear. No warning lights, messages, or indicators appeared on the dashboard before or at the time of the failure. There were no symptoms that alerted me that a drivetrain failure was about to occur. The vehicle was inspected by an Acura dealership, and Acura confirmed failure of the transfer case and transmission components associated with the all-wheel-drive system. The transfer case and transmission are currently being replaced under the manufacturer's drivetrain warranty. I believe this failure created a safety risk because the vehicle unexpectedly lost its intended all-wheel-drive capability while in operation. Drivers rely on the handling, traction, and stability characteristics of the SH-AWD system. The sudden and unannounced loss of rear-wheel power changed the vehicle's behavior and could increase the risk of loss of control, particularly during acceleration, cornering, emergency maneuvers, or operation in poor weather conditions. The failed components are available for inspection through Acura as part of the warranty repair process.

Filed Jun 5, 2025 · Transmission · TN

• Transfer Case failure, leading to transmission damage. • Vehicle gives no indication of Transfer Case failure, in turn, giving the Driver the impression that the vehicle is AWD. Potential risk to safety as the failure happened under normal driving conditions, vehicle suddenly jolts, with loss of power. • Problem addressed by Dealership Service Dept. but not able to recreate, as this is a drivetrain fault. • Vehicle and components inspected by Dealership Service Dept. only. • No indications or warning lights for TC failure. AWD system on dashboard indicates power is going to all four wheels when this is not the case.

Filed May 23, 2025 · Transmission · TN

2021 Acura TLX Type S. Car has 53k miles on it. No modifications, bone stock. When accelerating from a stop at ~50% throttle, there was a sudden loud pop from the front of the car, followed by immediate loss of power to the back wheels (AWD car) . The vehicle was about to shift from first to second gear, so thankfully I was still only going about 10-15 mph at the time. Had i been traveling faster, turning, or if the roads were wet/slick, it could have caused an accident due to my loss of control of the car. There were no warning lights or indication prior to this occurring, and no warning lights or indication after the incident occurred either. In fact, the torque distribution screen on the console showed power to the back wheels, despite that not being true. All recommended maintenance and oil changes were performed on the car at appropriate times. The problem ended up being a completely stripped transfer case housing / damaged splined shaft on the transmission (picture of transfer case attached). This was finally diagnosed after 2-3 weeks once the dealer lifted the vehicle and checked for power in all 4 wheels (of which only the front two tires would spin). Dealer replaced the parts under warranty after it was shown that the back wheels had no power. However, I believe the same part number was used in the replacement, indicating a potential likelihood of another failure in the future if this part is defective. I'm not sure if this has been reported by others, but I was only able to identify the problem by finding a post on an owners forum that showed identical problems to mine. Conversations in other owners groups suggests this is a wide spread problem with the early renditions of the new Acura TLX Type S line (~2021-2023). A poll in a TLX Type S Owner facebook group I am in, indicated that 16% of folks have had similar failures (out of 170 members polled).

Filed Apr 1, 2025 · Transmission · WI

I was driving and was making a right turn at a stop light. I stopped, then took a right. As I took the right, I throttled a little from 5-10 mph and my transfer case blew up and made a loud bang and lost power to my rear wheels. Along with losing power to my rear wheels, the computer still did not recognize this mechanical failure. The dash has a feature that shows power to each wheel and when the cars rear power wasn’t working, this feature showed power still. Along with this failure, immediately after the loud bang, the car was jerking and there was sounds of clunking in the rear.

Filed Feb 24, 2025 · Transmission · GA

The transfer case splines between the transfer case are stripping causing the car to lose power in the rear wheels forever. This is a safety hazard as now the wheels lose traction and massive oversteer. This is dangerous in many conditions especially rain as turns are much more prone to sliding and losing traction. It was confirmed at the dealer and is a known issue in the Acura car community. The only way to diagnose the problem is putting it on the left And putting the car in drive to see if the all wheel drive system is working (all 4 wheels spinning). This is a scary problem for owners as no codes are generated since there is no sensor to catch this . The cars other system were also designed with the intention of the car being all wheel drive so this could lead other systems to fail causing a likely accident or collision.