The contact owns a 2009 Acura TSX. 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. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a persistent failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 143,000.
The worst 2009 Acura TSX problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Airbags27
- Brakes24
- Engine23
- Body7
- Electrical5
- Steering4
- Transmission4
- Acceleration3
- Fuel system3
- Visibility3
- Driver assistance1
- Lights1
- Seat belts1
- Tires1
- Wheels1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2009 Acura TSX
Oil consumption 10Grinding brakes 7Knocking 5Premature wear 5
Recalls 6
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- 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 recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- 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.
Recall number 19V502000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- 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 numbers for this recall are M4O, P4R, T4Q, and W4P.
Recall number 19V378000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- 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 Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Honda is recalling certain 2010-2012 Acura TSX, Honda Accord, Accord Crosstour, Fit and Pilot, 2010-2011 Honda Civic, Civic NGV, Civic Hybrid and CR-V, and 2010 Acura ZDX and Honda Insight vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Unless included in Zones A or B above, Honda is recalling certain 2009 Acura TSX, Honda Accord, Civic, Civic NGV, Civic Hybrid, CR-V, Fit, and Pilot vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to higher absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- 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.
Recall number 18V042000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- 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, N06, G05, M04, Y01, and O09.
Recall number 17V545000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- 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, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, if not included in "Zone A" above, Honda is recalling certain 2009 Acura TSX, Honda Fit and Pilot, 2008-2009 Honda Accord, 2006-2009 Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV, and 2007-2009 Honda CR-V vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, if not included in "Zone B" above, Honda is recalling certain 2008 Honda Accord, 2006-2008 Honda Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV and 2007-2008 Honda CR-V vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- 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 service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KE1 and KE2.
Recall number 17V030000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Acura TSX, 2011 TSX Wagon, 2010-2011 Acura ZDX, 2008-2011 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid, and Civic GX, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2010-2011 FCX Clarity and Insight, and 2009-2011 Fit, and Pilot vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless already included in "Zone A" above, Honda is recalling certain model year 2008 Honda Accord, 2006-2008 Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic GX, and 2007-2008 CR-V vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Vehicles not originally sold or ever registered in either Zones A or B are not subject to this safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- 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 inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall is KA4, KA5, KA6, and KA7.
Recall number 16V346000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2009 Acura TSX 49
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Customer Support Program For Front Passenger's Airbag Inflator.
- Service News
- ServiceNews Article
- Dealer Message
- This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators
- This SKU is a Front Upper Ball Joint
- American Honda is extending the warranty coverage on the Piston Rings and Pistons for 2009-11 TSX L4 to 8...
- Air bags
- American Honda is extending the warranty coverage on the Piston Rings and Pistons for 2009-11 TSX L4 to 8...
- Air bags
2009 Acura TSX fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4L 4‑cyl | FWD | 20-21 | 28-30 | 23-25 |
What 2009 Acura TSX owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The check engine light came on and the “check transmission” 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 don’t feel safe driving the car.
Air Bag light shows on dash but when driving the air bad light flashes off and on. It happens often
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 wasn't cover by the warranty but this could off got me kill now the acura dealer is asking me for 3000 dollars to fix it when is a car factory default
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. The drivers seat belt is a major part of vehicle safety and should be made more sturdy than it is. This happened with regular use of the seat belt and not during any accident.
Vehicle has thrown an engine code due to excess oil consumption due to sticky piston rings, advancement in timing and vvt advancements. Due to this engine code being thrown, the car deactivates vsa and also throws an emission control light. This causes the car to enter a state where it advances the RPM's at idle by a significant amount and burns more fuel. When leaving the car in drive but at a stop, the car will quickly accelerate nearly to 30 MPH on a flat surface. In order to stop the car, the driver must excessively engage the brakes. Acura technicians have informed me that this is a known issue and is due to the piston seals being faulty, causing excessive oil consumption and loosing the timing chain to become out of sync. Engine will then enter a "limp" mode where car will idle higher, burn more fuel.
I am having to put 2-3 quarts of oil in my vehicle once a month. I had taken my vehicle into the acura dealership last year and they started that there was a recall on my vehicle for the exact issue that I'm having but my VIN wasn't included in the recall. The recall is for deposits building up in the engine which cause oil to be burned more during acceleration and the solution would be to replace the pistons on the engine and other various engine parts. Please reference recall information tsb #b13-006 the federal safety agency# 10152441
My oil light keep coming on every 30% after new oil change.
I bought this car a few months ago. The last oil change was done at the dealership I bought from. And since I have owned it I have had to put 6 quarts of oil in my engine. My car is only at about 87,000 miles and is currently ready for the next oil change. I called the dealership to ask what I could do about it and all they told me was to try a fuel treatment which is irrelevant. Im at a loss, and I dont think I will ever buy and acura ever again.
Steering locks up mid-turn while driving. Resulted in a collision.
Compare the 2009 Acura TSX
Other model years
Questions about the 2009 Acura TSX
Is the 2009 Acura TSX reliable?
Owners have filed 91 complaints about the 2009 Acura TSX, 1.8 times a typical TSX model year.
What is the 2009 Acura TSX year score?
The 2009 Acura TSX scores 47 out of 100 (below average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Acura TSX: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2009 Acura TSX?
Airbags, with 27 complaints, typically around 60,000 miles. Next is brakes (24).
How many recalls does the 2009 Acura TSX have?
6 recalls, covering air bags.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Acura TSX airbags?
Yes, 6 recalls: 19V502000, 19V378000, 18V042000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Acura TSX have bad airbags?
The Acura TSX model years with the most airbags complaints are 2004 (29 complaints), 2009 (27 complaints) and 2010 (20 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2009 Acura TSX get?
Official estimates for the 2009 Acura TSX range from 23 to 25 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.4L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 20-21 city and 28-30 highway.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2009 Acura TSX?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history