Acura TL Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy

Every Acura TL model year from 1995 to 2014, benchmarked against each other with 4,055 federal complaints, 27 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.

Avoid: 2002–2005. These years top the TL's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 1996, 2009–2010, 2013 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.

The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the TL's own worst year — full methodology.

Under investigation. Federal regulators currently have 2 open defect investigations on the Acura TL.

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture EA21002 opened September 17, 2021 · still open

Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…

Model years named: 2002, 2003

Air Bag Inflator Rupture EA15001 opened February 24, 2015 · still open

Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their…

Model years named: 2002, 2003

An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →

4,055Complaints on file
27Recall campaigns
20Model years

The trouble strip

One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Darker = quieter yearsBrighter amber = more trouble

The defining problem

Transmission & drivetrain tops the Acura TL file with 921 complaints, concentrated in the 2002–2003 model years, most often reported around 84,300 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.

Every year, ranked

YearVerdictComplaintsRecallsTop problemTrouble index
2014 Few reports 17 3 — 2
2013 Better year 74 3 Steering 10
2012 Typical 162 3 Airbags 23
2011 Few reports 23 3 Airbags 4
2010 Better year 75 3 Airbags 11
2009 Better year 51 3 Airbags 8
2008 Typical 181 4 Airbags 28
2007 Typical 167 4 Airbags 25
2006 Below average 345 6 Airbags 46
2005 Avoid 553 7 Body & structure 71
2004 Avoid 766 6 Body & structure 100
2003 Avoid 466 5 Transmission & drivetrain 77
2002 Avoid 403 7 Transmission & drivetrain 64
2001 Typical 163 3 Transmission & drivetrain 23
2000 Below average 325 6 Transmission & drivetrain 54
1999 Below average 197 4 Electrical 37
1998 Few reports 22 2 — 5
1997 Few reports 29 2 — 6
1996 Better year 33 2 — 8
1995 Few reports 3 0 — 0

Technical service bulletins

Beyond complaints and recalls, 1,831 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Acura TL. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.

Browse the Acura TL TSB list by year →

Questions buyers ask

What Acura TL years should I avoid?

Federal complaint records point to 2002–2005 as the Acura TL years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.

What is the most common Acura TL problem?

Transmission & drivetrain tops the Acura TL file with 921 complaints, concentrated in the 2002–2003 model years, most often reported around 84,300 miles.

What are the best Acura TL years to buy used?

The quietest Acura TL years in federal records are 1996, 2009–2010, 2013 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.

Data updated 2026-08-20 from NHTSA's public records

Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Acura TL only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.