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2016 Acura ILX

Buyable, but go in with open eyes: this car has specific known issues to check before money changes hands.

Recalls, complaint breakdown & inspection checklist, all in a shareable PDF

51 owner complaints · 6 recalls · data verified July 16, 2026 · source: NHTSA

Cautionwillitcar.com

Why caution?

6 recall campaigns (5 safety-critical). Confirm every one shows "remedy completed" on the seller's VIN.

Airbags problems dominate (33% of complaints).

Very few owner complaints for its age and sales volume.

The math, shown

Full methodology →
Complaint volume (40%)100
Severity (30%)85
Recall load (20%)45
Trend (10%)48

Complaints filed per year

Fading = early teething worked out. Climbing = problems aging in.

20152026 YTD

How it crashes

NHTSA’s own crash tests, separate from the reliability score above.

5/5 overall

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Rating · 2016 Acura ILX 4 DR FWD

Front crash
Side crash
Rollover

Rollover risk in a single-vehicle crash: 11%

Stability control: StandardForward collision warning: OptionalLane departure warning: Optional

No open NHTSA defect investigations on file.

NHTSA crash-test photo, 2016 Acura ILX 4 DR FWD

Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings. Star ratings compare vehicles within the same class and size, not across every car on the road.

The road ahead

What breaks on a 2016 Acura ILX, plotted where owners report it happening.

030k mi60k mi90k mi120k mi

Also reported (mileage varies): Airbags (17) · Brakes (16) · Transmission & drivetrain (9) · Fuel system (7)

Mileage medians come from owners who mentioned an odometer reading in their NHTSA complaint, a rough guide, not a schedule.

Airbags

33%

17 complaints · 3 in the last 2 years

Airbag light on per dealership needs driver airbag replaced was on recall, then retracted from recall

Brakes

31%

16 complaints · 6 in the last 2 years

The contact owns a 2016 Acura ILX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V859000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recal…

Transmission & drivetrain

18%

9 complaints · 1 in the last 2 years

Drive Shaft Recall, and Truck is jammed due to Son sitting on it with his 3 friends smoking pot. The trunk has been jammed since 2017. I have reported it to Carmax in …

Fuel system

14%

7 complaints · 5 in the last 2 years

The contact owns a 2016 Acura ILX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The failure had occurred several times. The vehi…

Recalls (6)

Safety recall repairs are free at the brand’s franchised dealers. Before buying, run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and make the seller show the work was done.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 25V859000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016-2020 Acura ILX vehicles. Contaminated brake fluid may cause a seal inside the brake master cylinder to deform, which can cause an internal brake fluid leak and reduce brake function.

Risk: Reduced brake function can extend the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

Fix: Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 4, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is RN5. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning December 17, 2025. The information in your report suggests that Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) may have been aware of this issue more than five business days before filing a report with NHTSA. Please be reminded that under Federal law, this agency is to be notified of all safety defect and/or noncompliance decisions within five business days. 49 CFR 573.6 Significant civil penalties can be assessed for this violation.

Fuel System, Gasoline · 23V858000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

Power Train · 19V424000

Acura (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Acura ILX vehicles. Excessive grease may prevent the set-ring on the half shaft from fully engaging, allowing the driveshaft to separate from the half shaft.

Risk: A separated driveshaft can cause the vehicle to have a loss of drive or allow the vehicle to move even while in Park, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

Fix: Acura will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and, as necessary, replace the driveshaft and half shaft, free of charge. The recall began August 1, 2019. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is G54.

Air Bags · 19V182000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.

Risk: An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.

Fuel System, Gasoline · 19V052000

Acura (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Acura ILX vehicles. The vehicles may have a deformed fuel tank, raising the height of the fuel pump and allowing the fuel level float to stick, possibly causing the fuel gauge to display an inaccurate fuel level.

Risk: If the fuel gauge displays that the vehicle has more gas than it actually does, the vehicle may run out of gas and stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Acura will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began March 14, 2019. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is H3U, Z3T.

Air Bags · 16V061000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2011-2015 CR-Z, 2010-2014 FCX, and Insight, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013-2014 Fit EV, 2007-2014 Ridgeline, 2013-2016 Acura ILX, 2013-2014 Acura ILX Hybrid, 2007-2016 RDX, 2005-2012 Acura RL, 2009-2014 Acura TL, and 2010-2013 Acura ZDX vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: 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 are JY0, JY1, and JY2.

Before you hand over money

Verify the recall work was done

NHTSA’s free lookup shows whether this exact car had its recall remedies completed.

Free NHTSA VIN check

Get a pre-purchase inspection

A $150 to $250 independent inspection of this exact 2016 Acura ILX beats every score on the internet, including ours.

What to ask for

Not set on the 2016? See how every ILX model year scores →

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What owners say

Real owners of this exact model-year, shown separately from the NHTSA score. If they disagree, that’s worth knowing.

The fine print: this verdict is computed from public NHTSA complaint and recall records for the 2016 Acura ILX as a model, not for any individual car. A well-maintained example of an “Avoid” can outlast a neglected “Buy”. Informational only, so always get a professional pre-purchase inspection.