Acura ILX — the 10 years we've written up
2013–2022, side by side: what goes wrong on each, what the fix costs, and what they typically ask. 8 of the 10 carry a high-severity issue.
What this page is
These are the 10 Acura ILX model years Kestrel has done the homework on — not every year Acura built one. A year that isn't listed here isn't a year we're warning you off; it's one we haven't written up yet. Ranking a whole model run would mean telling you about years we've never looked at.
Acura ILX by year
How many owner complaints NHTSA holds. A big number usually means a lot were sold; the shape matters more than the total.
Year by year
Water intrusion into the sealed LED headlights — reported by 2021 owners, same assembly on the 2022 — $600–$1,500 per headlight assembly
Water gets into the headlight housings — condensation, then intermittent lighting and signal failures — $600–$1,500 per headlight assembly
Brake master cylinder seal can deform — pedal sinks, longer stops (recall, parts short) — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $350–$800 for a master cylinder otherwise
Brake pedal sinks to the floor on the first press — master cylinder seal recall, parts short — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $350–$800 for a master cylinder otherwise
Fuel pump that can fail and stall the engine, and a fuel gauge that reads full when empty (two recalls) — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Brake master cylinder seal can deform — pedal sinks, longer stops (recall, parts short) — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $350–$800 for a master cylinder otherwise
Brake master cylinder seal can deform and leak internally — soft or sinking pedal (recall) — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $350–$800 for a master cylinder otherwise
Takata driver airbag inflator, two campaigns — plus one side airbag that fired on its own — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Takata driver airbag inflator — two recall campaigns, and a long parts wait — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Takata driver airbag inflator — three recall campaigns on this one year — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
2 of these 10 have no high-severity issue in our write-up. That means we didn't find an expensive recurring fault — not that one cannot exist on the specific vehicle you're looking at.
Looking at one in particular?
This page covers the Acura ILX in general. The Kestrel report covers the one you're looking at — the asking price against the market, the photos, the seller's description, and a BUY / NEGOTIATE / WALK AWAY verdict with a negotiation script.
Get My Verdict — $7.99Not ready to pay for one? The free read is instant and needs no card — it checks the asking price against the market and names the top issues for that year.
Known issues are based on documented owner reports, NHTSA complaints, class-action records, and manufacturer technical service bulletins. Individual vehicles vary. A pre-purchase inspection by a trusted mechanic is always worth doing.
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