AI Damage2000 Acura TL: common problems
Owners of the 2000 Acura TL filed 249 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 249
- involving a crash
- 18
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 45% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 25% of all complaints
- 3 Visibility 12% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 10% of all complaints
- 5 Service brakes 5% of all complaints
- 6 Vehicle speed control 4% of all complaints
- 7 Engine and cooling 3% of all complaints
- 8 Engine 2% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 111 complaints (45% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 62 complaints (25% of all), 10 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Visibility: 30 complaints (12% of all).
- Electrical system: 25 complaints (10% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 12 complaints (5% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3.2 L · petrol · 6 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 249 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain | 111 | 5 | 0 |
| Air bags | 62 | 10 | 0 |
| Visibility | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 25 | 2 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 3 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Today june 2, 2013, my 2000 acura 32tl had sudden acceleration that resulted in a crash with a parked vehicle on the road while I was backing out of the driveway. After hitting the parked car, I tried to pull the car forward and tried to stop.
When turning car off ignition transmission interlock failed and the car was left in neutral and after exiting car it rolled backward (on a hillside) & hit parked truck. Very risky! I didn't know that acura tl had prior years (thru 99) that were recalled.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 acura tl. The contact stated she shifted into the reverse position and pressed the gas pedal. The vehicle then accelerated forward crashing into a brick wall causing the air bags to deploy. The vehicle was completely destroyed. The contact sustained brain injuries.
Consumer states unintended acceleration causing a crash. As the consumer backed out from a parking space and proceeded to drive, the vehicle accelerated out of control with fierce force and speed and spun around in circles several times. Finally, the vehicle hit a post in the parking lot.
He later noticed that his vehicle had rolled down the driveway and crashed into his neighbor's landscaping. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. Prior to the failure, the contact noticed that the vehicle was becoming harder to shift. The current mileage was 123,000 and failure mileage was 118,000.
On my way to the dealership for my appointment the next day, I had complete brake failure while going 65 miles an hour on a tollway. The next 14 miles I tried to get the car to slow down. I tried to shift to neutral and put the car in accessory, but nothing worked including the emergency brake.
Dt: the consumer stated that he owns a 2000 acura tl. He stated while driving, the accelerator became stuck and caused an accident. The consumer has heard of other complaints such as a acura mdx with the same engine. Both vehicle was in the body shop at the same time for the same problem.
Air bag light came on intermittently. Dealer serviced the vehicle. Then, consumer rear ended a vehicle at 50 mph. A recall letter was later received by the consumer on the air bag module. Nhtsa recall 02v080000.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 1,635 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 4% most complained about).
On average one model year of the TL has 156 complaints (20 years in the data). This year has 249, above average.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other years of this model
- TL 199626 sources
- TL 199723 sources
- TL 199820 sources
- TL 1999157 sources
- TL 2001149 sources
- TL 2002333 sources
- TL 2003391 sources
- TL 2004551 sources
- TL 2005388 sources
- TL 2006247 sources
- TL 2007124 sources
- TL 2008124 sources
- TL 200942 sources
- TL 201064 sources
- TL 201120 sources
- TL 2012130 sources
- TL 201362 sources
- TL 201417 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2000 Acura TL?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, air bags, visibility. Total complaints: 249. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: transmission slipping (12%), warning lights, check engine (9%), airbag warning light (9%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2000 Acura TL?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2000 Acura TL from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2000 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.