2003 Acura TL Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other TL years
- Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 20 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 391 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Acura TL. That ranks 2nd out of 20 TL model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (246 complaints, 63%), typically at around 76,334 miles. Complaints mention 24 crashes, 4 fires, 20 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 4 defect investigations involving it.
- 391owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 4NHTSA investigations
- 24complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2003 Acura TL problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train problems | 246 | 63% | 76,334 | “automatic transmission” (12%) | $5,900 |
| Air Bags problems | 50 | 13% | 112,000 | “side air bag” (10%) | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 20 | 5% | 44,565 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 18 | 5% | 68,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 15 | 4% | 84,837 | — | — |
| Structure | 15 | 4% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 14 | 4% | 27,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 14 | 4% | 69,500 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 10 | 3% | 52,050 | — | — |
| Tires | 10 | 3% | 18,600 | — | — |
| Engine | 8 | 2% | 161,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 8 | 2% | 86,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 6 | 2% | 42,838 | — | — |
| Steering | 5 | 1% | 141,500 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 1% | 123,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 1% | 66,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 1% | 82,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 1% | 43,700 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 1% | 97,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 0% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 0% | 790,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | 84,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 0% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2003 Acura TL recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot and 2006 Ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are Q5A and Y58.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.
Risk: An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, and 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-800-382-2238, select option 4. Note: Vehicles that have had their driver frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy prior to September 12, 2014 need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well. Vehicles that, on or after September 12, 2014, received a remedy for a prior driver frontal air bag inflator recall already received an inflator of a different design, and therefore are not included in this recall and do not require additional servicing. Note: This recall fully supersedes recalls 08V-593, 09V-259, 10V-041, 11V-260, 14V-351 and 15V-153. Honda's numbers for this recall are JQ9, JR0, JR1, JR2, JR3, JR4, JR5, JR6, JR7, and JR8.
Power train:automatic transmission
Problem: On some mini vans, sport utility and passenger vehicles, certain operating conditions can result in heat build-up between the countershaft and secondary shaft second gears in the automatic transmission, eventually leading to gear tooth chipping or gear breakage.
Risk: Gear failure could result in transmission lockup, which could result in a crash.
Fix: On vehicles with 15,000 miles or less, the dealer will update the transmission with a simple revision to the oil cooler return line to increase lubrication to the second gear. On vehicles with more than 15,000 miles, the dealer will inspect the transmission to identify gears that have already experienced discoloration due to overheating. If discoloration exists, the transmission will be replaced if discoloration is not present, the dealer will perform the revision to the oil cooler return line. The recall began on april 21, 2004, for pilot, odyssey, and mdx owners. Owners of the accord vehicles will start receiving letters on june 28, 2004, and on june 29, 2004, for owners of the tl and cl vehicles. Owners should contact honda at 1-800-999-1009 or acura at 1-800-382-2238.
Engine and engine cooling:engine
Problem: On certain minivans, sedans, coupes, and sport utility vehicles equipped with v6 engines, a timing belt tensioner pulley on the water pump is misaligned and could cause the timing belt to contact a bolt on the cylinder head. Eventually the belt could be damaged and fail.
Risk: If the timing belt breaks, the engine will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the water pump and if it is one of the defective pumps, the water pump and timing belt will be replaced. Owner notification began august 30, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact honda at 1-800-999-1009 or acura at 1-800-382-2238.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA15001) — opened Feb 24, 2015, still open, led to recall 14V668.
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture (PE14016) — opened Jun 11, 2014, closed Mar 2, 2015, led to recall 13V172000.
- Automatic transmission sudden downshift (PE02081) — opened Oct 28, 2002, closed Mar 5, 2003.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
It's like when my transmission gets warmed up the RPM's will rev up and then it will come out of gear. Then I have to pull over put it in park and turn the car off. Let it sit for a minute or two then it will drive fine for 10 to 15 minutes before doing it again.
This complaint relates to safety recall campaigns work regarding my 2003 Acura TL car's SRS (air bags). I took my car to the Acura Service Center in Guaynabo, PR, for recall related repairs at various times during 2022 and 2023. The last time was [XXX]. The PROBLEM is that the Acura center's…
Driving on Highway going 65mph vehicle suddenly jerked and dropped to 20 mph. Causing my entire body to collide with the steering wheel. Luckily there no cars behind me. Was on my way to work when this happened too far from home. So when I got at work which is thirty minutes from where I live I had…
This car is not safe. First, the Takata airbags are in it. I drove my daughter, my mother and my little dog in this car! I canât believe the used car dealership did not let me know that. Then the car starts shifting funny. Also dangerous. There should be a recall for transmission. There are over…
The contact owns a 2003 Acura TL. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to shift from second gear to third gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon depressing the accelerator pedal, the RMPâs revved up but the vehicle failed to…
Other Acura TL years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 TL | 17 | 3 |
| 2013 TL | 62 | 3 |
| 2012 TL | 130 | 3 |
| 2011 TL | 20 | 3 |
| 2010 TL | 64 | 3 |
| 2009 TL | 42 | 3 |
| 2008 TL | 124 | 2 |
| 2007 TL | 124 | 2 |
| 2006 TL | 247 | 4 |
| 2005 TL | 388 | 5 |
| 2004 TL | 551 | 4 |
| 2003 | 391 | 5 |
| 2002 TL | 333 | 7 |
| 2001 TL | 149 | 3 |
| 2000 TL | 249 | 6 |
| 1999 TL | 157 | 4 |
| 1998 TL | 20 | 2 |
| 1997 TL | 23 | 2 |
| 1996 TL | 26 | 2 |
| 1995 TL | 1 | 0 |
See all Acura TL problems by year, every Acura model, or the Acura VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Acura TL?
Owners most often report power train, air bags, vehicle speed control problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 246 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Acura TL?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2003 Acura TL a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other TL model years, the 2003 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.