Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Acura TSX owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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 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.
Vehicle burns excessive amounts of oil, 1 quart every 1200 miles. Acura will not fix the issue and says this is acceptable. I have already incurred additional repair costs due to this problem including replacing the severely stretched timing chain and am also constantly adding oil to the car every week. I realize this is not a safety complaint but Acura should be held accountable in some way for this.
Excessive engine oil consumption causing oil level to go down too soon (<1000 miles) and causing the vehicle to lose power and stall for a few seconds when merging on to a freeway or starting in motion after a stop sign or prior slow down. This almost caused an accident while merging into a freeway after slowing down at a yield sign.
My 09 Acura TSX pings whenever you moderately or heavily step on the gas. Acura/Honda knows this is a widespread issue and needs to fix it. This is prematurely wearing engine components out. My car currently has 78,000 miles on it. Not acceptable!
2009 Acura TSX was purchased on 12/13 /08 in san antonio, tx. During the 1st month the car developed an engine/knocking noise when driving and accelerating. The car has been taken to the dealer a total of 3times. Per the dealer, this issue appears to be occurring on many 2009 TSX models. The noise is consistently produced while driving and accelerating, further pronounced while rpms are between 2000 and 2700, and has become more prevalent/louder as time goes by. As instructed, the vehicle is only run on premium fuel. The dealer has been able to replicate the noise, but is unable to determine a fix. I also called Acura client services and was told that there was no known issue for the 2009 TSX, which I find hard to believe being so many owners have this problem. …
Experiencing high engine oil consumption. My 2009 Acura TSX is around 88K miles. Since around the 75K mile mark I have been experiencing higher than normal oil consumption rates. I regularly change my oil at the 3,000 mi mark and once had the auto shop ask me why I had waited so long to change my oil. I had explained to them that it was at the 3K mi mark and that I was right on time for my service. The auto shop had then gone on to explain to me that I had burned through more than 3qts of oil at that point. Consuming 1 or more quarts of oil per 1,000mi is not acceptable. So I think this experience is unique to me but come to find out Acura has issued a notice of a warranty extension to Acura owners experiencing this issue. After receiving a notice from Acura regarding high engine oil consumption I was directed to take my car into the Acura dealership for an oil consumption test. …
I purchased a new 2009 Acura TSX. Since I purchased the car, I have experienced a pinging in the engine. I took the vehicle to the dealer and had the mechanic drive with me to validate the problem. He acknowledged the pinging noise. The dealer advised me that they contacted Honda who gave their standard response of "it is a normal engine characteristic". Ironically enough the euro model of the Honda has the identical engine. Honda has acknowledged the problem with the vehicle there but continues to deny there is a problem here in the us. I paid $30,000 for a car that has a serious engine condition that will most likely result in serious engine damage over time. Ideally I would like to return the vehicle but Honda denying there is a problem is the first hurdle. Please advise me of my options.
Purchased vehicle new. After approximately 3 months of ownership complained that odometer was not correct. Further issues included replacement of wheel bearings twice and extreme oil consumption. Each time is was brought to the dealer the problems were ignored, determined to unduplicatible or I was told nothing was wrong. Currently I see that there are tsbs relating to the steering/bearing issue and the oil consumption issue. I repeatedly tried to no avail to have these problems fixed with the dealership and filed two complaints with Acura corporate customer relations and received no assistance.
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 NHTSA# 10152441
Engine complaints in other TSX years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2009 Acura TSX?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2009 Acura TSX, 25% of the model year's 91 complaints. The component named most often is engine (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Acura TSX engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2009 Acura TSX, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2009 Acura TSX engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 3,000 miles, and 59% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.