Buyer Research

2022 Acura ILX — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $22,000–$27,000. This is one of the more reliable vehicles in its class — here's what to watch for anyway.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 10 Acura ILX years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

The last ILX before the Integra replaced it, and NHTSA's file on it is three complaints and no recall campaign — one owner whose paint started chipping under 5,000 miles, and one who believed the car was being controlled remotely. That is not a clean bill; it is an empty page, and we have not seen enough of this year to rate it. What we can do is point at the neighbours: 2021 owners report water getting into the sealed LED headlights, and 2019–2022 owners report the driver-assist camera failing near 90,000 miles. Same 2.4L, eight-speed dual-clutch and AcuraWatch as every ILX since 2016. Buy it on service history, a dry look inside both headlights, and a VIN check — not on the shortness of this list.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 3 owner complaints for the 2022 Acura ILX, and no recall campaigns.

That is too small a record to read a pattern from, so we are not going to pretend otherwise — with numbers this low one owner moves the percentage by a lot. What has been filed is grouped under electrics and electronics (1), the engine (1), the body and structure (1). Treat those as things to look at, not as the vehicle's known weaknesses. A thin file usually means few of these were sold or few owners filed. It is not evidence the vehicle is trouble-free, and the issues below are our own research rather than a reading of this record.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2022 Acura ILX

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Paint chipping on a nearly new car — thin factory finish on the front-facing panelsLow

One owner found the paint flaking in several spots before the car had 5,000 miles. One report is one report, but Honda and Acura paint of this era is thin on hood and bumper edges and chips easily, and a chip that reaches bare metal on a steel panel will rust. Walk the car in daylight: check the leading edge of the hood, the front bumper, the area behind each wheel and the top of the rear bumper. Touch-up is cheap; a panel respray is not, and a bumper that has already been resprayed should be matched against the fenders for colour.

Repair cost (estimate): $50–$150 for touch-up; $400–$900 per panel to respray

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the body and structure (1).

Water intrusion into the sealed LED headlights — reported by 2021 owners, same assembly on the 2022Medium

No 2022 owner has filed this, but three 2021 owners describe rain getting past the headlight seal, condensation inside the lens, and then headlights and turn signals cutting out intermittently. The 2022 uses the same assemblies, and a sealed LED unit that leaks is replaced, not resealed — a four-figure part per side at a dealer. This is a five-second check: on a dry day, look for fog, droplets or a tide line inside each lens, and cycle every exterior light a few times during the walk-around.

Repair cost (estimate): $600–$1,500 per headlight assembly

Source: not yet checked against public records.

AcuraWatch multipurpose camera failing near 90,000 miles — code U3000-49, lane-keeping that weavesMedium

Filed by a 2020 ILX owner who says 2019–2022 owners are hitting the same fault: the camera unit behind the mirror that runs lane-keeping, road-departure mitigation and forward-collision warning fails with code U3000-49, the dash lights up, and lane-keeping either drops out or hunts from side to side when it works. Most 2022s are well short of that mileage, so this is a thing to know, not a thing to expect. Ask for a scan for stored U-codes, and on a marked highway confirm lane-keeping engages and holds a line.

Repair cost (estimate): $200–$600 for a recalibration; $900–$1,800 for the camera unit

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Fog, droplets or a tide line inside either headlight lens on a dry day
✗Chips to bare metal on the hood edge or behind the wheels
✗Lane-keeping or collision-warning lights on at startup
✗A resprayed bumper that does not match the fenders in daylight

Good Signs

✓NHTSA VIN lookup run in front of you and coming back clear
✓Acura dealer service records through the end of the four-year warranty
✓Paint chips touched up with the invoice, or original paint with a paint-depth reading that matches panel to panel
✓Lane-keeping and adaptive cruise engaging and holding for a full highway mile
✓Dry, clear headlight lenses with every exterior light working through three cycles