Acura bulletin B20-053
What it saysThe MIL is flashing with a loss of power. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Acura filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 12, 2024, received Jan 5, 2021, about the engine — 4 documents under this number. It names 4 model years (2019–2021). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationService Bulletin - The MIL is flashing with a loss of power. This is most common in hot, humid regions, or after a period of rainfall. Humid air within the intake passage may condense and accumulate moisture during steady driving which enters the engine and may cause a misfire and a flashing MIL.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B20-053 | Service bulletin | Mar 12, 2024 | 10251896 | PDF, 2,307 KB |
| B20-053 | Service bulletin | May 25, 2021 | 10195033 | PDF, 2,531 KB |
| B20-053 | Service bulletin | Apr 15, 2021 | 10190539 | PDF, 1,220 KB |
| B20-053 | Service bulletin | Dec 24, 2020 | 10185045 | not found |
What the document itself lists
Parts the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06198-5YF-305 | Intercooler Kit | 1 | eBay Motors → |
| 19710-6B2-A01 | — | — | |
| 37805-6S8-A54 | — | — |
Labour operations and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1115A6 | Update the PGM-FI software, and replace the intercooler | 1.5 hrs |
| 1255D8 | TLX: Update the PGM-FI software | 0.2 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (10 pages), read Oct 4, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Acura’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.
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The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 4 model years this bulletin names have filed 1,015 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 332 of them name Engine, Fuel/Propulsion System, Electrical System — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2019 Acura RDX, the 50 owners who gave an odometer reading for Engine reported it at a median of 8,300 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
I would like to report a serious safety issue with the 2021 Acura TLX Type s. Recently in April 2024, while driving, I heard a loud pop from the vehicle, and it turned out that the transfer case had burst into the transmission. This failure has rendered the rear-wheel drive non-functional, resulting in severe oversteer.
2021 Acura TLX · Engine · filed with NHTSA Nov 9, 2024 · ODI 11624322
A couple of days ago, onapril 19th, my wife and I were driving throughcolumbus, ga. It was around 7:00 AM and raining. We had been driving about 1 1/2 hours andwe were only going around30 MPH when I accelerated to pass a dump truck. The 2019 Rdx (6000 miles) started accelerating and then lost all power.
2019 Acura RDX · Engine · filed with NHTSA Apr 21, 2019 · ODI 11202728
I am reporting a critical safety issue with my 2021 Acura TLX (VIN: ), specifically related to the transmission and transfer case. The problem is centered around the transmission’s spline splitting into the transfer case, which causes severe jerking while driving.
2021 Acura TLX · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 18, 2024 · ODI 11615217
In depth: 2020 Acura RDX engine problems → · 2019 Acura RDX engine problems →
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the engine
Source: same model, same component group20 other manufacturer communications filed against these Acura models under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Acura list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| B25-049 | Service bulletin | Sep 17, 2025 | Service Bulletin - Oil leak at the cam chain tensioner inspection cover due to and insufficient sealant adhesion on the inspection cover. |
| B25-048 | Service bulletin | Sep 17, 2025 | Service Bulletin - Oil leak at the cam chain tensioner inspection cover due to and insufficient sealant adhesion on the inspection cover. |
| BPS&08122025901 | Other | Aug 12, 2025 | Dealer Message - Acura is also implementing an additional (1) twenty-four (24) month period for 2015 model year Acura TLX vehicles, commenci… |
| B22-009 | Service bulletin | Jul 7, 2025 | "Service bulletin - Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and engaging idle stop the vehicle may not restart automatically due… |
| BTI&04302025902 | Other | Apr 30, 2025 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023 RDXs and TLXs with a client complaint of the "Emissions… |
| BEBM04182025901 | Other | Apr 18, 2025 | Dealer Message - Torque converters may not have been manufactured to proper specifications. As a result, the torque converter lock-up clutch… |
| B23-029 | Service bulletin | Apr 18, 2025 | Service Bulletin - The lock-up clutch cannot provide adequate holding force due to pressure bleeding down through a crack in the lock up pis… |
| BTI&04162025902 | Other | Apr 16, 2025 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023 RDXs and TLXs with a client complaint of the "Emissions… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Acura, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Acura B20-053 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the B20-053 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Honda warranty extension on file lists the ones Honda has filed.
Which vehicles does B20-053 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years: 2021 Acura RDX, 2020 Acura RDX, 2019 Acura RDX, 2021 Acura TLX. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.