2005 Acura TL problems & reliability
387 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2005 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.
6 complaints report injuries (7 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2005 Acura TL vehicles were involved in 58 fatal crashes with 36 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Structure → | 156 | 40% |
| Air Bags → | 144 | 37% |
| Unknown OR Other | 64 | 17% |
| Power Train → | 36 | 9% |
| Electrical System → | 27 | 7% |
| Steering → | 24 | 6% |
| Tires → | 20 | 5% |
| Suspension → | 11 | 3% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 8 | 2% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 7 | 2% |
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 92,000 miles (middle 50% between 61,000 and 126,000 miles), based on 271 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The vehicle has been gradually leaking power steering fluid over time. I have been monitoring the fluid level and have noticed a recurring burning smell while operating the vehicle. At times, I have also observed what appears to be a very faint, clear or nearly transparent smoke or vapor that is only visible when…”
Steering · filed Jul 11, 2026
“The contact owned a 2005 Acura TL. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the front driver's side air bag might have deployed without impact, hit the contact's face, reducing the roadway visibility and causing the vehicle to crash into the rear-end of another vehicle. The contact stated that the…”
Air Bags · filed Apr 3, 2026
“While I was driving 55 mph, on the throttle, the transmission acted as it was in Neutral but all indicators verified it was in Drive. The RPMs were fluctuating during this & my car wouldn't accelerate. I was in the middle of a busy highway, the car came to a stop, I shifted it into Park, then tried to engage back into…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Nov 8, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE07060 · opened Nov 29, 2007 · closed Mar 5, 2008 · led to recall 08V169000
Technical service bulletins
71 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2005 Acura TL. The 10 most recent:
This SKU is a Front Upper Ball Joint. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for the outer diameter of the ball joint housing being too small. The outer diameter being too small would…
DORE5C4S09 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 11, 2019
Sending vehicle data to tech line.
BJA46167 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2017
Service bulletin - navigation system information.
B05-018 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 23, 2016
Letter sent in conjunction with the florida highway safety and motor vehicles department to remind florida owners of the takata recall and to schedule an appointment at their earliest convenience.
TAKATA_FLORIDA D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 29, 2016
Dealer message - ahm is investigating client complaint of handsfreelink not working or battery being too low to start the engine. Prior to performing any repair, please send suspect parts back to ahm.
BPAS-05122016902 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 12, 2016
Ahm is investigating customer complaint of the handsfreelink not working or the battery being too low to start the engine. Please send specific parts to ahm prior to attemping any repairs.
B-PAS-04292016-9 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 29, 2016
Ahm is investigating customer complaint of the handsfreelink not working or the battery being too low to start the engine. Please send specific parts to ahm prior to attemping any repairs.
B-PAS-04252016-9 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 25, 2016
Engineering request for investigation of the handsfreelink (hfl) not working or the battery being too low to start the engine.
BER16040A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 25, 2016
Dealer message - request for parts to investigatethe handsfreelink (hfl) not working or the battery being too low to start the engine.
B-PAS-04132016-9 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2016
The HandsFreeLink (HFL) system doesn?t work, and/or the battery sometimes won?t start the vehicle.
SB08057 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 30, 2016
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 2005 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 2005 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 92,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.