2003 Acura TL problems & reliability
391 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2003 Acura TL, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
17 complaints report injuries (20 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2003 Acura TL vehicles were involved in 56 fatal crashes with 43 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 246 | 63% |
| Air Bags | 50 | 13% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 20 | 5% |
| Unknown OR Other | 18 | 5% |
| Electrical System | 15 | 4% |
| Structure | 15 | 4% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 14 | 4% |
| Suspension | 14 | 4% |
| Exterior Lighting | 10 | 3% |
| Tires | 10 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 76,167 miles (middle 50% between 39,750 and 112,000 miles), based on 300 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“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.”
Unknown OR Other · filed Jul 12, 2025
“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 initial recall-related…”
Air Bags · filed Sep 20, 2024
“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 to get a tow truck…”
Power Train · filed Jan 20, 2024
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA15001 · opened Feb 24, 2015 · open · led to recall 22V945
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Preliminary Evaluation PE14016 · opened Jun 11, 2014 · closed Mar 2, 2015 · led to recall 15V226000
- AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SUDDEN DOWNSHIFT
Preliminary Evaluation PE02081 · opened Oct 28, 2002 · closed Mar 5, 2003
Technical service bulletins
187 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2003 Acura TL. The 10 most recent:
Service Bulletin - Case v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Case No. BC 424169 (Third Clutch Transmission Settlement - $25 Credit Vouchers).
B21-022 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 28, 2021
Service Bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects…
B20-008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2020
Service bulletin - This bulletin has been cancelled because the collection is now complete. If you did the collection in this Service Bulletin on or before October 26, 2018 (RO date), use the Warranty Claim Information…
B18-041 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 26, 2018
Dealer message - Today, Acura is notifying dealers of a voluntary noncompliance recall for a small number of Acura vehicles due to an error on the replacement (service part) underhood emissions labels. American Honda…
BBOM08092018901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 9, 2018
Service bulletin - Emission certification labels that were replaced on a small number of vehicles may have been replaced with a label listing incorrect information. The affected emission labels are replacement service…
B18034 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 9, 2018
Service bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects…
B18-017 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 24, 2018
Servicenews article - Is the navigation screen clock reading 00:00? We?re aware of this issue and have it under investigation.
B18010I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2018
Servicenews article - Is the navigation screen clock reading 00:00? We?re aware of this issue and have it under investigation.
B18010I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2018
Tech line summary article - Is the navigation screen clock reading 00:00? We?re aware of this issue and have it under investigation.
BTS170801 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 26, 2017
Tech line summary article - Is the navigation screen clock reading 00:00? We?re aware of this issue and are looking for a solution.
BTS170801 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 31, 2017
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2003 Acura TL has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2003 Acura TL?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 76,167 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.