2012 Acura TL Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other TL years
- About as many complaints as other years 9th of 20 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 3–4 out of 5 stars (varies by version)
Owners have filed 130 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Acura TL. That ranks 9th out of 20 TL model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (43 complaints, 33%), typically at around 52,500 miles. Complaints mention 3 crashes, 5 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 130owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 3complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 43 | 33% | 52,500 | — | — |
| Power Train | 27 | 21% | 39,500 | — | — |
| Steering | 25 | 19% | 70,500 | — | — |
| Engine | 18 | 14% | 64,878 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 11 | 8% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 6 | 5% | 29,700 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 4 | 3% | 10,100 | — | — |
| Structure | 4 | 3% | 1,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 4 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 4 | 3% | 400 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 3 | 2% | 67,625 | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 2 | 2% | 35,503 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 2% | 7,300 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 2% | 100 | — | — |
| Suspension | 2 | 2% | 6,524 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 1% | 22,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 1% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 1% | 112,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Acura TL recalls (3)
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 2013 Acura ILX, 2015 RDX, 2005-2010 and 2012 RL, 2009-2014 TL, 2010 and 2012 ZDX, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2011-2013 and 2015 CR-Z, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013 Fit EV, 2010-2011 and 2013 Insight and 2007-2014 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 S5B and W59.
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 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2011-2015 CR-Z, 2010-2014 FCX, and Insight, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013-2014 Fit EV, 2007-2014 Ridgeline, 2013-2016 Acura ILX, 2013-2014 Acura ILX Hybrid, 2007-2016 RDX, 2005-2012 Acura RL, 2009-2014 Acura TL, and 2010-2013 Acura ZDX vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, 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 inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are JY0, JY1, and JY2.
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
- Electrical overstress (EA19001) — opened Apr 19, 2019, closed Sep 19, 2024, led to recall 20V024.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The vehicle has a faulty Hands free link module which runs the battery down when the vehicle is not in use. Acura has been aware of this problem since 2005. The government of this sorry ass country has done nothing about this issue except sit on their hands and accept payoffs from Acura. Acura…
Airbag light came on and remained
Driving down the highway with my sun shade open but the actual sunroof closed and all of a sudden I just hear a loud pop and glass is all over my head and thighs. The sunroof shattered leaving me with glasses everywhere. No rock was in the sunroof when I was vacuuming the remaining parts of glass.
They changed the originality milleage of the car and sold it too expensive
Immobilizer unit (recognizes/reads chip in key fob) failure led to the car shutting off the fuel pump leading to the car shutting down. The car could not be started again leaving the driver stranded by the side of the road. Vehicle had to be towed to an Acura dealer since the electronic immobilizer…
Other Acura TL years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 TL | 17 | 3 |
| 2013 TL | 62 | 3 |
| 2012 | 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 TL | 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.
Similar Acura models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Acura TL?
Owners most often report air bags, power train, steering problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 43 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Acura TL?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2012 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 2012 has about as many complaints as a typical year, and NHTSA rates it 3–4 out of 5 stars (varies by version) overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.