2003 Acura TL Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 50 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2003 Acura TL, 13% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 112,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “side air bag” (10% of reports).
- 50air bags complaints
- 112,000median miles at failure
- 11mention a crash
- 9mention an injury
- 3related recalls
- 57%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Side air bag: mentioned in 5 of 50 complaints (10%)
- Bags deploy: mentioned in 5 of 50 complaints (10%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 26 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 50 complaints, 11 mention a crash, 9 an injury.
Acura TL air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 TL | 8 | 47% | — |
| 2013 TL | 19 | 31% | 66,000 |
| 2012 TL | 43 | 33% | 52,500 |
| 2011 TL | 13 | 65% | 47,500 |
| 2010 TL | 34 | 53% | 80,000 |
| 2009 TL | 19 | 45% | 50,075 |
| 2008 TL | 34 | 27% | 100,000 |
| 2007 TL | 41 | 33% | 102,000 |
| 2006 TL | 85 | 34% | 101,000 |
| 2005 TL | 144 | 37% | 100,000 |
| 2004 TL | 199 | 36% | 97,903 |
| 2003 TL | 50 | 13% | 112,000 |
| 2002 TL | 42 | 13% | 99,500 |
| 2001 TL | 15 | 10% | 125,000 |
| 2000 TL | 62 | 25% | 105,000 |
| 1999 TL | 13 | 8% | 169,755 |
| 1998 TL | 1 | 5% | 69,933 |
| 1997 TL | 1 | 4% | — |
| 1996 TL | 3 | 12% | 150,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (3)
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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
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…
Unknown
The contact owns a 2003 Acura TL. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the SRS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the front driver's side air bag PODS control unit and sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2003 Acura TLs have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 50 owner complaints about air bags for the 2003 Acura TL (13% of the 391 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Acura TL air bags?
Yes: 3 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 112,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2003 Acura TL?
The most frequent phrase is “side air bag”, in 5 of 50 complaints, followed by “bags deploy” (5).
Other 2003 Acura TL problems
- Power Train problems (246)
See all 2003 Acura TL problems or air bags problems across all TL years.