2003 Acura TL problems
Owners have filed 466 complaints about the 2003 Acura TL with NHTSA. Power train accounts for 53.6% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of air bags at 10.9%.
Complaints466
Crashes36
Fires5
Injuries26
Deaths4
What owners report breaking
Power train 53.6% · 250
Air bags 10.9% · 51
Vehicle speed control 4.7% · 22
Unknown or other 3.9% · 18
Structure 3.2% · 15
Electrical system 3.2% · 15
Engine and engine cooling 3.0% · 14
Suspension 3.0% · 14
Severity
Of those complaints, 36 describe a crash, 5 describe a fire, 26 report an injury and 4 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 11 model years of the Acura TL in this data, 2003 ranks 3rd by complaint volume — 2004 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 7 in the last three years against 22 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 76,167 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 2003 Acura TL. The contact stated that the transmission failed. The contact took the vehicle to their mechanic and was told that the failure occurred because there was no cooler in the transmission, which caused the transmission to run hot and seize. The contact mechanic stated that the transmission could not be repaired. The failure and current mileages were 125,000. The vin was not available. Power train · reported at 125,000 miles
Vehicle downshifting without warning while traveling at a constant speed. *Mr this happened randomly. The dealer was unwilling to fix the unit they could verify the problem. Eventually the transmission failed while the consumer was on the highway, where he/she was able to coast to the berm with no incident. The transmission was replaced. There have been several other reports of this problem. *Scc Power train
The contact owns a 2003 Acura TL. While driving 45 mph the vehicle had suddenly stopped on its own and could not be driven past the second gear without stopping. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. There were no prior warnings and the transmission was replaced by a local mechanic. The current and failure mileages were 107,000. Power train · reported at 107,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…