2005 Acura TL Problems, Recalls & Reliability
553 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2005 Acura TL, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 71/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Body & structure leads the reports, typically around 93,950 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2005 Acura TL sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1996, 2009–2010, 2013.
Avoid
Where 2005 sits among all TL years
What owners report
“Dashboard is cracked in two places. One crack is right above the airbag. Not sure if it could cause the airbag to deploy? I have read that this is a problem with a lot of acuras.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 TL
“Dash cracked around passenger side airbag, afraid of airbag coming out. Original owner ,always garge kept”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 TL
“Crack has appeared on dashboard passenger side over air bag area. Vehicle was stationary. Safety concern with airbag”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 TL
“Takata recall car making noise while driving and reversing. Windshield wipers sprayer stop working. Radio won't turn on”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 TL
“Hands free link problem pearsedicitic drawl battery completely drained after 3 days of not starting also no display hvac defroster on hi speed unable to control. There is no radio function/display as well.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 TL
“Oem tires on 05 acura tl's at 5000 wet weather driving is downright dangerous. Driving in snow even when new was impossible.. Yet these tires are marked m/s all season. Dealers are aware but have no incentive to do anything about it...except sell you a new set of tire for $800 we have had two very…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 TL
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 385 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 96,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 64,000 and 130,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (7)
Dorman Products, Inc. (Dorman) is recalling certain Accelerator Pedal Assemblies part numbers 699-114 and 825-5029-1, sold as replacement parts for 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2004-2008 Acura TL and TSX, 2003-2007 Honda Accord, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2007-2011 Honda…
Fix: Dorman will notify owners, and qualified service facilities will replace the affected accelerator pedal assemblies, free of charge. The recall began December 9, 2019. Owners may contact Dorman…
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…
AFFINIA IS RECALLING CERTAIN AFTERMARKET FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS, NAPA PART NO. 2601662, THAT MAY HAVE BEEN MISTAKENLY INSTALLED IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004 - 2008 ACURA TL VEHICLES DUE TO A MISTAKE IN A NAPA AND NAPA DEALERS' PARTS APPLICATION…
Fix: AFFINIA IS WORKING WITH NAPA TO IDENTIFY ANY OWNERS THAT HAVE HAD THIS PART MISTAKENLY INSTALLED ON TO AN ACURA TL VEHICLE, AND WILL REPLACE THE PART FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY…
HONDA IS RECALLING 273,000 MY 2004-2008 ACURA TL VEHICLES. PROLONGED HIGH UNDER-HOOD TEMPERATURES MAY CAUSE THE POWER STEERING HOSE TO DETERIORATE PREMATURELY CAUSING THE HOSE TO CRACK AND LEAK POWER STEERING FLUID.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW HEAT RESISTANT POWER STEERING HOSE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 28, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ACURA AT 800-382-2238. THIS IS AN EXPANSION OF A PREVIOUS…
HONDA IS RECALLING 129,600 MY 2004-2005 ACURA TL VEHICLES. IF WATER ENTERS THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR BREATHER PORT, WHICH IS DESIGNED TO ALLOW THE MOTOR TO VENT WARM AIR DURING NORMAL OPERATION, IT CAN RESULT IN CORROSION INSIDE THE MOTOR HOUSING. THIS…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR FOR SIGNS OF CORROSION. IF NO SIGNS OF CORROSION ARE PRESENT, A SNORKEL TUBE WILL BE ADDED TO THE WIPER MOTOR BREATHER PORT TO PREVENT WATER FROM…
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, A COIL WIRE INSIDE THE FUEL PUMP RELAY MAY BREAK, CAUSING THE FUEL PUMP TO LOSE POWER. IF THE FUEL PUMP BECOMES INOPERATIVE, THE ENGINE MAY NOT START.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP RELAY FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 2, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, A LOOSE TERMINAL IN THE MAIN FUSE BOX MAY CAUSE THE FUEL PUMP TO LOSE POWER. IF THE FUEL PUMP BECOMES INOPERATIVE, THE ENGINE MAY NOT START.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ENTIRE FUSE BOX FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 13, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AT 800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 08V092000.
Technical service bulletins
71 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2005 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 2005 Acura TL reliable?
The 2005 Acura TL drew 553 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 71/100, scored against the model's worst year (2004).
What are the most common 2005 Acura TL problems?
The top reported problems for the 2005 Acura TL are body & structure (156 complaints), airbags (145), and other (74).
At what mileage do 2005 Acura TL problems show up?
Owners most often report 2005 Acura TL problems around 96,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 64,000 and 130,000 miles.
Does the 2005 Acura TL have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 2005 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.