IllustrationACURA TL 2012, DRIVING WITH LIGHT THROTTLE, SUFFERING JERKING AND SHUDDER. COASTING WITH LITTLE UPHILL ROAD SHOWS MORE JERKING AND SHIFTING HESITATION. WHEN ENGINE REV KEEPS AROUND 1000-1200, CAN FEEL THE VIBRATION AND SHAKING FROM GAS PEDAL AND DASHBOARD.
2012 Acura Tl
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2012 Acura Tl do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 124.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Tl years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
240–25K
1425–50K
1750–75K
1275–100K
14100–150K
1150K+
82 reports with mileage · 48 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports0 fire reports4 injury reports
What owners actually said
130 reportsTHIS IS A *WELL DOCUMENTED* PROBLEM WITH ACURA TORQUE CONVERTERS AFFECTING THE 4TH GENERATION TL WITH THE 5-SPEED AUTO--SO MUCH SO THAT A TSB LETTER WAS SENT OUT. WHEN LEISURELY ACCELERATING (LIGHT THROTTLE APPLICATION), THE VEHICLE EXHIBITS A CHARACTERISTIC "LOW GROWL" AND SORT OF RHYTHMICALLY SURGES FORWARD AS POWER IS ALTERN…
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THIS IS A *WELL DOCUMENTED* PROBLEM WITH ACURA TORQUE CONVERTERS AFFECTING THE 4TH GENERATION TL WITH THE 5-SPEED AUTO--SO MUCH SO THAT A TSB LETTER WAS SENT OUT. WHEN LEISURELY ACCELERATING (LIGHT THROTTLE APPLICATION), THE VEHICLE EXHIBITS A CHARACTERISTIC "LOW GROWL" AND SORT OF RHYTHMICALLY SURGES FORWARD AS POWER IS ALTERNATELY APPLIED AND REDUCED BY THE TORQUE CONVERTER; THIS SYMPTOM IS ALSO VISIBLE ON THE TACHOMETER, AS THE REVS OSCILLATE UP AND DOWN A COUPLE HUNDRED RPM. ON MY 2012 TL, THIS MOSTLY OCCURS BETWEEN 1ST/2ND GEAR (THIS IS THE 6-SPEED AUTO), BUT ALSO BETWEEN 2ND/3RD. BASED ON ONLY CURSORY SEARCHING OF OWNER FORUMS, THIS IS ALSO BECOMING COMMONPLACE ON THE 2012 MODELS. FAILING TORQUE CONVERTERS IN THESE CASES HAVE ALSO LED TO FAILURES IN THE TRANSMISSION ITSELF, A MUCH COSTLIER REPAIR. HERE IS AN EXAMPLE LINK TO A FORUM PAGE WITH MANY EXAMPLES OF THE BEHAVIOR, INCLUDING LINKS TO OTHER FORUMS AND VIDEOS: HTTP://ACURAZINE.COM/FORUMS/PROBLEMS-FIXES-297/ANYONE-DO-TORQUE-CONVERTER-TRANSMISSION-PROGRAM-RECALL-870425/
I WAS DRIVING MY 2012 ACURA TL AND THE CAR JUST STALLED ON ME ALL OF A SUDDEN. THE CAR WOULDN'T START SINCE THEN. ALL THE LIGHT WERE COMING ON BUT THERE WAS NO CRANK. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY TOLD ME ITS THE PCM. I DIDN'T SEE ANY SIGN, THE CAR WAS DRIVING GOOD BEFORE THAT HAPPENED. ANOTHER ISSUE WITH THE CAR THAT I …
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I WAS DRIVING MY 2012 ACURA TL AND THE CAR JUST STALLED ON ME ALL OF A SUDDEN. THE CAR WOULDN'T START SINCE THEN. ALL THE LIGHT WERE COMING ON BUT THERE WAS NO CRANK. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY TOLD ME ITS THE PCM. I DIDN'T SEE ANY SIGN, THE CAR WAS DRIVING GOOD BEFORE THAT HAPPENED. ANOTHER ISSUE WITH THE CAR THAT I NOTICED WAS, WHEN THE CAR SHIFT TO THE SECONF GEAR, IT JERKS WHICH IS NOT NORMAL TO ME. I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY OTHER PROBLEM YET, BECAUSE I JUST PURCHASED THE CAR.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 ACURA TL. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT FAILED TO ILLUMINATE WHEN THE PASSENGER SEAT WAS OCCUPIED. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,600.
2012 ACURA TL SH-AWD TECH. BEGAN TO NOTICE THAT I WAS HAVING TO HAVE MY OIL CHANGED EVERY 2,500 - 3,000 MILES. TOOK IT TO DIFFERENT DEALERS TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. NEITHER DEALER COULD FIND A PROBLEM. IN MARCH 2014, SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PAST 20 MPH. I HAD IT TOWED TO AN ACURA D…
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2012 ACURA TL SH-AWD TECH. BEGAN TO NOTICE THAT I WAS HAVING TO HAVE MY OIL CHANGED EVERY 2,500 - 3,000 MILES. TOOK IT TO DIFFERENT DEALERS TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. NEITHER DEALER COULD FIND A PROBLEM. IN MARCH 2014, SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PAST 20 MPH. I HAD IT TOWED TO AN ACURA DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD I HAD NO OIL. NO WARNING LIGHTS OR ERROR MESSAGES EVER ALERTED ME. BEGINNING OF APRIL 2015 (MILEAGE WAS 33K), I STARTED HEARING A KNOCKING NOISE FROM THE ENGINE BETWEEN IDLE AND 2,500 RPM'S. AGAIN TOOK IT TO THE DEALER. THEY SAID I HAD ONLY A QUART OF OIL. THEY PUT ME ON AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST. JUST OVER A MONTH LATER AND 1,900 MILES, MY CAR WAS AGAIN OIL LESS. NO LEAKS EVER DISCOVERED. I WAS TOLD I WAS BURNING OIL. 1 QUART TO EVERY 500 MILES. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND ACURA REPLACED THE ENGINE WITH A NEW ONE. WHILE I WAS AT THE DEALERSHIP I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR THAT ANOTHER '12 TL WAS ALSO GETTING ITS ENGINE REPLACED FOR THE SAME ISSUE.
CPSC:I1530151A. CAR CHARGER. CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILE THE CHARGER WAS IN USE IT SUDDENLY WAS A LOUD POP AND THE USB CHARGER WAS SMOKING AND BURNING HOT. *LN
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 ACURA TL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY FAILED AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MI…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 ACURA TL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY FAILED AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 ACURA TL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND FUNCTIONED AS NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRO…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 ACURA TL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND FUNCTIONED AS NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 46,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 ACURA TL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON PURCHASING THE VEHICLE FROM AN INDEPENDENT DEALER, THE AIR BAG SENSOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS NOT PROVIDED WITH A MAIN KEY AND ONLY HAD A SECONDARY KEY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO PERFORMED A MULTI POINT INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 ACURA TL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON PURCHASING THE VEHICLE FROM AN INDEPENDENT DEALER, THE AIR BAG SENSOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS NOT PROVIDED WITH A MAIN KEY AND ONLY HAD A SECONDARY KEY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO PERFORMED A MULTI POINT INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ABLE TO BE REPAIRED DUE TO DAMAGES FROM A CRASH BEFORE THE CONTACT OWNED THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SAFE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT TOOK FURTHER ACTION WITH NO ASSISTANCE FROM THE DEALER AND TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE AIR BAG SENSOR CONTINUED TO ILLUMINATE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE SAFETY CONCERN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,498. UPDATED 1/16/15*CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE COMPLAINT HAS BEEN RESOLVED. THE CONSUMER NO LONGER OWNS THE VEHICLE. IT WAS RETURNED TO THE DEALER. UPDATED 06/4/2015 *JS
AFTER OWNING MY 2012 ACURA TL FOR ROUGHLY 2YRS, I'VE BECOME CONCERNED WITH THE ENGINE WORKMANSHIP. ACCELERATION SEEMS TO BE AT A LOSS BETWEEN 30-45MPH IN BETWEEN GEAR CHANGES. IT'S ALMOST AS THOUGH THE TRANSMISSION DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. YOU HAVE TO EITHER LET UP ON THE ACCELERATION OR INCREASE YOUR SPEED TO AVOID THAT ANNOYIN…
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AFTER OWNING MY 2012 ACURA TL FOR ROUGHLY 2YRS, I'VE BECOME CONCERNED WITH THE ENGINE WORKMANSHIP. ACCELERATION SEEMS TO BE AT A LOSS BETWEEN 30-45MPH IN BETWEEN GEAR CHANGES. IT'S ALMOST AS THOUGH THE TRANSMISSION DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. YOU HAVE TO EITHER LET UP ON THE ACCELERATION OR INCREASE YOUR SPEED TO AVOID THAT ANNOYING HESITATION. THE SECOND PROBLEM IS WHAT I WOULD DESCRIBE AS LIFTER/VALVE NOISE. THE NOISE OCCURS WHEN ACCELERATING, INTERMITTENTLY THOUGH. ALTHOUGH IT IS EMBARRASSING DRIVING A VEHICLE THAT LOOKS AS GOOD AS THE TL LOOKS AND HAVE IT SOUND LIKE AN OLD CHEVY WHEN YOU ACCELERATE, I HATE IT. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE NOISE, OF COURSE. THEY TOLD ME THE CAR WAS FINE. I TOLD THEM SPECIFICALLY I BELIEVED THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM LIFTER/VALVE. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS PROBABLY POOR GAS SELECTION. I EXPLAINED TO THEM I USED THE RECOMMENDED PREMIUM OCTANE/CHEVRON. THEY HAD NO ANSWER. LASTLY, MY BRAKES ARE SQUEALING, I TOLD THE ACURA MECHANIC TO PLEASE CHECK MY BRAKE PADS, HE SAID THEY WERE PERFECTLY FINE AND SHOULD NOT WORRY. HE SAID THE ROTORS DEVELOP A BLUE FILM OVER TIME, AND THE SQUEALING NOISE IS NORMAL. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT, I AM SUPPOSED TO ACCEPT THAT ANNOYING BRAKE NOISE. THIS IS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED FROM ACURA/HONDA, IS THIS BAD WORKMANSHIP OR POOR MATERIALS BEING USED BY ACURA TO KEEP COSTS DOWN ON MANUFACTURING. *TR
Official recalls
319V500000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
Jun 27, 2019
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013 Acura ILX, 2015 RDX, 2005-2010 and 2012 RL, 2009-2014 TL, 2010 and 2012 ZDX, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2011-2013 and 2015 CR-Z, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013 Fit EV, 2010-2011 and 2013 Insight and 2007-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: 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 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are S5B and W59.
19V182000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
Mar 6, 2019
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, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: 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 service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.
16V061000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
Feb 3, 2016
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2011-2015 CR-Z, 2010-2014 FCX, and Insight, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013-2014 Fit EV, 2007-2014 Ridgeline, 2013-2016 Acura ILX, 2013-2014 Acura ILX Hybrid, 2007-2016 RDX, 2005-2012 Acura RL, 2009-2014 Acura TL, and 2010-2013 Acura ZDX vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are JY0, JY1, and JY2.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1EA19001 · Electrical Overstress
Opened Apr 19, 2019 · Closed Sep 19, 2024
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags: Air Bag/restraint Control Module
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect. During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (ACU) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) manufactured by ZF-TRW. The ECU receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with manufacturer design specifications. The ECU in the subject vehicles contains a model DS84 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which controls the communication of the crash sensor signal, firing commands (i.e., when to deploy the airbag(s) and/or pretensioners), and fault information (e.g., diagnostic trouble codes). In September 2016, FCA announced recall 16V-668 for certain model year (MY) 2010 to 2014 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep products manufactured with the subject ZF-TRW ACU. In this recall, FCA discussed an EOS condition that resulted in a failure of the subject DS84 ASIC, which caused air bag non-deployment. FCA noted that the defect condition had only been observed in vehicles equipped with sensor harnessing routed across the front of the vehicle. Other FCA vehicles that also used the subject ACU, but were not equipped with cross-car harnessing, had not experienced EOS failures, despite similar time in service. During the course of this investigation, ODI sent two separate Information Request (IR) letters to six vehicle manufactures (including FCA, Hyundai, Honda, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Toyota) and one IR letter to ZF-TRW. These IR letters resulted in ODI receiving comprehensive data from these manufacturers and suppliers. Studies of this data found that the DS84 ASIC does not have sufficient protection against negative electrical transients or electrical overstress (“EOS”) that can be generated in certain severe crashes. An electrical transient occurs when the electrical power supplied to a circuit changes momentarily over a short duration of time. In these severe crash cases, the crash sensors and other powered wiring can be damaged and short circuited so as to create a negative electrical transient of sufficient intensity and duration (that are outside the vehicle manufacturer's specification) to damage the ASIC before the restraint device deployment signal is received by the SRS ECU. This damaged signal can lead to incomplete or nondeployment of the air bags and/or pretensioners. Airbag non-deployment and/or lack of pretensioner operation can increase the risk or severity of injury in a crash.A total of 8 fatalities and 14 injuries were associated with known EOS events. The common element in all investigated manufacturers vehicles is the SRS ECU containing a DS84 ASIC manufactured by ZF-TRW. The risk associated with the ASIC is equally shared among all OEMS involved in the investigation. The actual real-world risk can be mitigated by other factors which were assessed by ODI during this investigation. The first mitigating factor involves protections built into the ACU design which protect the DS84 ASIC from damage. There are multiple strategies and levels of protection employed by different OEMs that provide effective EOS mitigation. The two most common strategies at the ACU level are circuit protection diodes on the remote senor signal lines, and current limiting resistors that protect critical components. The second mitigating factor is found at the vehicle level and involves the location and routing of the wires leading from the crash sensors to the SRS ECU. If the wires are well protected in a crash and are not routed with other power wires carrying large currents, the risk for an EOS event is significantly reduced or eliminated. These design specific factors combine to produce a spectrum of risk for the vehicles equipped with ACUs using the DS84 ASIC. Given the many of years of field exposure, it is possible to divide the subject population into two groups; vehicles which have experienced EOS events, and vehicles which have not experienced EOS field events. Four of the six OEMs involved in this investigation have experienced EOS field events on at least one of their models equipped with a DS84 ASIC. All vehicle models (including the Toyota models identified in the Failure Report Summary of the opening resume for this investigation) with field events have been recalled. In an abundance of caution, ODI kept this investigation open five years to monitor field performance and did not identify any field events on vehicles not included in existing safety recalls. Given the spectrum of risk identified in this investigation and that all vehicles with a demonstrated unreasonable risk have been recalled, ODI is closing this investigation. ODI is closing this investigation with the following manufacturer safety recalls: 16V-668, 18E-043, 18V-137, 18V-363, and 20V-024. With the recall actions taken by the subject vehicle and equipment manufacturers, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exists on other model or model year vehicles outside of the recall scopes. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.