2003 Acura TL Problems, Recalls & Reliability
466 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2003 Acura TL, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 77/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 77,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2003 Acura TL sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1996, 2009–2010, 2013.
Avoid
Where 2003 sits among all TL years
What owners report
“Transmission. Recall. Transmission died while driving at high speed on interstate 76 west. Acura should replace under recall.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 TL
“Takata recall. The airbag light is on constantly, indicating a safety alert and the need for repair.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 TL
“My brother was driving my car one then it all the sudden car just stopped when was going and bad part was it stopped in traffic he almost got hit it was scary. I got lots of problems with this car please help!”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 TL
“By accident, i am able to turn off the engine and remove the key from the ignition with the transmission still in gear. Campaign #10v364000 covers honda version of my car, #12v573000 covers acura mdx only, nothing for my acura version of the honda sedans.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 TL
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 358 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 79,275 miles. Half of those reports fall between 42,000 and 120,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (5)
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008…
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…
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,…
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…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003 Acura…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…
ON SOME MINI VANS, SPORT UTILITY AND PASSENGER VEHICLES, CERTAIN OPERATING CONDITIONS CAN RESULT IN HEAT BUILD-UP BETWEEN THE COUNTERSHAFT AND SECONDARY SHAFT SECOND GEARS IN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, EVENTUALLY LEADING TO GEAR TOOTH CHIPPING OR GEAR…
Fix: ON VEHICLES WITH 15,000 MILES OR LESS, THE DEALER WILL UPDATE THE TRANSMISSION WITH A SIMPLE REVISION TO THE OIL COOLER RETURN LINE TO INCREASE LUBRICATION TO THE SECOND GEAR. ON VEHICLES WITH MORE…
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, SEDANS, COUPES, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH V6 ENGINES, A TIMING BELT TENSIONER PULLEY ON THE WATER PUMP IS MISALIGNED AND COULD CAUSE THE TIMING BELT TO CONTACT A BOLT ON THE CYLINDER HEAD. EVENTUALLY THE BELT COULD BE…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE WATER PUMP AND IF IT IS ONE OF THE DEFECTIVE PUMPS, THE WATER PUMP AND TIMING BELT WILL BE REPLACED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 30, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
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,…
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…
Led to recall campaign 13V172000.
Technical service bulletins
187 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on airbags and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2003 Acura TL. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2003 Acura TL reliable?
The 2003 Acura TL drew 466 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 77/100, scored against the model's worst year (2004).
What are the most common 2003 Acura TL problems?
The top reported problems for the 2003 Acura TL are transmission & drivetrain (250 complaints), airbags (51), and other (28).
At what mileage do 2003 Acura TL problems show up?
Owners most often report 2003 Acura TL problems around 79,275 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 42,000 and 120,000 miles.
Does the 2003 Acura TL have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 2003 Acura TL. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
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. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.