Best Acura Years to Buy by Model
The best Acura years to buy: the 2008 MDX, 2009 RDX, 2014 TL and 2025 TLX — the cleanest federal complaint records for each model. Years to skip include the 2019 RDX and 2016 MDX. Based on 4,779 NHTSA owner complaints across 6 Acura models, rated model year by model year.
Source: NHTSA owner complaints, recall campaigns & service bulletins · Updated 2026-11-07 · By CarWhere Research · How we rate model years
Best Acura years, model by model
| Model | Best years | Years to skip | Years on record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acura MDX | 20082009201020112013 | 20142016201720182019202020222025 | 18 (2008–2025) |
| Acura RDX | 200820092010201120122016 | 201420152018201920202021 | 18 (2008–2025) |
| Acura TLX | 20142025 | 201520162017 | 12 (2014–2025) |
| Acura TL | 20112014 | 20082012 | 18 (2008–2025) |
| Acura RL | No standout year yet | None rated avoid | 18 (2008–2025) |
| Acura ILX | No standout year yet | 2016 | 13 (2013–2025) |
Verdicts are each model’s own, rated against that model’s history; counts behind them are raw federal filings, not adjusted for sales volume.
The cleanest year for each Acura model
2008 Acura MDX: 49 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013 · Best MDX years →
2009 Acura RDX: 15 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2016 · Best RDX years →
2014 Acura TL: 17 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2011 and 2014 · Best TL years →
2025 Acura TLX: 0 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2014 and 2025 · Best TLX years →
Years to skip, in detail
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Acura years to buy?
By model: MDX 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013; RDX 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2016; TL 2011 and 2014; TLX 2014 and 2025. Each matches that model's own best-years page, built from NHTSA owner-complaint and recall records.
Which Acura years should I skip?
By model: MDX 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2025; RDX 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021; TLX 2015, 2016 and 2017; TL 2008 and 2012; ILX 2016. The full breakdown is on the Acura years-to-avoid page.
Which Acura models have no years to avoid?
The RL — no model year of it rates "avoid" in current federal data.
How are the best Acura years chosen?
Each model year's NHTSA owner complaints are weighted for severity, converted to a rate per year on the road and compared with the rest of that model's own history; the lowest rates among years with enough road time earn "best". Models not yet scored that way are ranked by combined NHTSA complaint and manufacturer service-bulletin volume. Full method at /research/years-to-avoid/methodology.