AI Damage2003 Acura TL: common problems
Owners of the 2003 Acura TL filed 391 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 391
- involving a crash
- 24
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 63% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 13% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 5% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 4% of all complaints
- 5 Structure 4% of all complaints
- 6 Engine and cooling 4% of all complaints
- 7 Suspension 4% of all complaints
- 8 Exterior lighting 3% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 246 complaints (63% of all), 6 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 50 complaints (13% of all), 11 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 20 complaints (5% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 15 complaints (4% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 15 complaints (4% of all), 2 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 cyl
- automatic, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 391 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 | 246 | 6 | 0 |
| Air bags | 50 | 11 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 20 | 4 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 15 | 4 | 0 |
| Structure | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 4 | 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.
Motor frames or engine cradle on the passenger side is badly rusted, and it about to fall apart. I have been looking for replacement part, and everyone of them that that I have found has the same problem.
The air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained injuries to the hands, wrists, head, ankle, chest, and shoulder. Medical attention was required and the contact visited his physician after the crash. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic.
The contact stated that while driving at 65 mph, the vehicle encountered a pot hole causing the vehicle to jerk violently. As a result, the vehicle veered off the road and flipped over. The air bags did not deploy.
The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that she injured her head, and knee. There was no police report filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 124,000. Rk updated 03/31/14
The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The contact stated that she injured her back, neck, and sustained bruises and contusions. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vin was not available. The failure and current mileages were 138,000.
I have a surging problem with the rpm's in which it goes up to 4,000 rpm's at times. This problems often occurs everyday while im driving in heavy traffic. I've had an accident in the past but nobody was injured , and almost hit a pedestrian on the streets.
Shortly after we bought this car new, it started having intermittent no start/no crank problems, and sometimes it would start 5 or 10 minutes later. Each time the dealer could not duplicate problem and assured us they checked everything and couldn't find any problem. The car would be fine until it happened again.
Hence the vehicle rolled back into another car. The vehicle in question has only 87243 miles on it and this part should not fail, especially as it did to allow the car to move when it was supposedly turned off, and in park. This vehicle has had previous transmission issues as well and was the subject of a recall.
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 997 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 3% most complained about).
On average one model year of the TL has 156 complaints (20 years in the data). This year has 391, 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.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- 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 2000249 sources
- TL 2001149 sources
- TL 2002333 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 2003 Acura TL?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, air bags, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 391. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: transmission slipping (23%), jerking, harsh shifts (11%), warning lights, check engine (10%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2003 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 2003 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 2003 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.