Owners have filed 2,579 complaints on the Acura TL, covering 1995–2014. The system named most often is Power Train (721 reports). Worst years by volume: 2004, 2003, 2005; cleanest: 1995, 1998, 1997. 125 reports describe a crash, 39 a fire, 4 a death. On average the car was 7.4 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Acura TL
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 2,579 TL complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Power Train 721 Read
I tried to put my car in reverse after starting it one day to no avail. I placed a screw driver in the shift lock position as the owner's manual stated. I called the acura dealership and told them the problem. They didn't have a loaner car available and asked me to come in a day later. On my way to the dealership for…
Takata recall. Car was t-boned by a vehicle pulling out of a driveway in passenger side hard enough to damage both doors needed replacement and caused enough frame damage that caused the frame to be pulled and right rear quarter panel to be replaced from the rocker panel under the right rear door to halfway down the…
On 9/15/09, while pulling into a parking lot in a parking garage at work, my 2005 acura tl accelerated (on its own) and crashed into the concrete barrier causing the air bag to deploy. I did not have my foot on the gas pedal and the car mat was not stuck under the gas pedal. I was coasting into the parking space when…
Air Bags 641 Read
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2012 acura tl. While at a red light, another vehicle crashed into the contact's vehicle from the rear. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained neck and back injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle was towed to the towing facility.…
In an auto collision where a car rear end the vehicle from an idle position into an 18-foot box truck in front which was also idle. The vehicle smashed in the front and back which it was deemed a total loss and the airbag did not deploy. This caused the driver to have several injuries including a head concussion. When…
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 acura tl. While driving approximately 27 mph, another vehicle ran a stop sign and crashed into the front passenger side of the contact's vehicle. The front air bags deployed. The inflator ruptured. The contact sustained injuries to the face, neck, nose, chest, hands, and spine.…
Structure 234 Read
I owned an acura tl 2014 since new. I took well care of it but there are many big cracks on the dashboard. I found many others have the same issue. This should be a recall. It is a luxury car and it should not have this kind of issue
I had the hood up in order to put in windshield washer fluid. Just when I stepped away the hood fell down. I tested it again and noticed that it would stay up only if it was up all the way. However, if it I touched it lightly or moved it down just a tiny amount, the hood then falls down luckily my head or arm was not…
The struts/shocks no longer hold the hood open/up. Unable to check engine/fluids without using some other means to hold the hood open/up. First time it happened I was almost struck by the unexpectedly closing hood
Steering 188 Read
While driving my new 2009 acura tl the steering wheel locked up. I was driving in the snow in ct at about 6:00 pm on feb 17th. I was traveling down a hill in my hometown that I have driven on literally thousands of times. I know the hill is fairly steep so I was going very slow (about 10 mph) at the bottom of the hill…
While driving my 2009 acura tl with 10,000 miles on it the steering wheel locked up. Before I could stop the car I sideswiped a guardrail causing minor cosmetic damage. The car was towed to devan acura in norwalk ct. They could not figure out what was wrong so the engineers from honda were called. They disassembled…
The contact owns a 2008 acura tl. The contact stated upon start up he notice smoke and heard a hissing noise underneath the hood. An independent mechanic examined his vehicle and stated the power steering hose deteriorated prematurely, resulting in the power steering fluid leaking on the catalytic converter. The…
Electrical System 174 Read
After rear-end collision (my fault on slick pavement, going est. 15 mph where brakes locked up and car skidded for at least 15-20 feet) the front end of my car simply had a dented front end and grill and left (driver's side) headlight. A few minutes later a small flame broke out around this broken headlight and the…
While highyway driving for 6 hours the “Check system charging” light came on for a few minutes, then went off for 10 or so minutes, then came back on. I was 10 miles from exit. I exited and left the car running while I checked in to motel. Drove to a parking place, turned off car engine, took a bag to room. When I…
The contact owns a 2008 acura tl. The contact stated the vehicle was parked, when it ignited into flames. The fire department extinguished the fire which originated underneath the hood. The vehicle was completely destroyed and towed to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The…
Suspension 73 Read
The aftermarket ultra-power k500117 {#51210sepa01} (economy) ball joint represents a severe safety hazard. It can result in separation of the lower control arm. The jpg ultra-power k500117 {#51210sepa01} (economy) after failure shows the lower control bushing ripped from the llower control arm. Jpg beck/arnley 1027932…
Motor frames or engine cradle on the passenger side is badly rusted, and it about to fall apart. I have been looking for replacement part, and everyone of them that that I have found has the same problem. I found out the problem when I was trying to replace the front rotors back in june of this year 2018 and I have…
Pronounced "clunk" noise coming from rear of car at low speeds - between 15-40 mph. This is a consistent issue that many people have reported in various acura tl, tsx, and honda accord internet forums. Many people like myself have take the car back to the dealer multiple times to have the issue researched and they…
Service Brakes 68 Read
I was trying to make a stop at an intersection and there was a car in front of me. I slowed down and when I attempted to make the stop and placed my foot on the brake the car began to accelerate. At this time, I hit the back of a vehicle which was stopped in front of me and did very little damage as I was traveling…
The contact owned a 2009 acura tl. While driving out of a parking lot, the vehicle did not stop when the brake pedal was depressed. As a result, the vehicle drove over a curb and crashed into a tree. The air bag deployed and the engine revved and did not stop until help arrived. There was no warning indicator…
I had a rear end collision in my acura 3.2 tl. I had been traveling at a speed of 20-25 mph and had my foot on the brake as I was preparing to make a right hand turn within 400 feet. When my vehicle failed to stop and hit the car in front of me, the air bags exploded but the driver side seat belt went slack and didn't…
Engine And Engine Cooling 67 Read
The contact owns a 2007 acura tl. While driving 35 mph, the contact smelled a burnt odor coming from the vehicle. He inspected underneath the hood and discovered that most of the components were melted. The dealer informed the contact to wait a week until an engineer could properly inspect the vehicle. No repairs were…
The contact owns a 2004 acura tl 3.2. He stated that while idled, he smelled smoke but did not realize it was coming from his vehicle. He noticed flames coming from the engine when he opened the hood. The flames ceased when he turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the failure…
04 acura tl car caught on fire because of recall I was un aware of what do I do? Me and my 4 year old son were in the car while I was driving it happened
TL years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 1 | 2 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 4 | 1 | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 5 | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 4 | 7 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 2 | 5 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 7 | 1 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 6 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 13 | 6 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 17 | 4 | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 19 | 2 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 7 | 2 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 15 | 2 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 15 | 3 | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 1997 | Electrical System | 3 | 2 | |
| 1996 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 1995 | Steering,vehicle Speed Control,service Brakes | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 521 |
| Average complaints per series | 5 |
| Worst single series | 43 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 7.4 years |
A model average of 5 hides a worst series at 43. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the TL?
By complaint volume, 2004, 2003, 2005 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which TL years are the cleanest?
1995, 1998, 1997 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Acura TL have?
2,579 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1995–2014. Of those, 125 describe a crash and 39 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.