2003 Acura TL engine problems
21 complaints about engine have been filed for the 2003 Acura TL, which is 5% of all its NHTSA complaints.
At a glance
- Complaints
- 21 5% of this year's complaints
- Typical mileage
- 86,000 miles 16 complaints with mileage
- Crashes and fires
- 1 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 1
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
When engine problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 4 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 0 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 3 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 1 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 16 engine complaints that report mileage, the median is about 86,000 miles, and 31% were reported before 60,000 miles.
These complaints mention 1 crash, 1 fire, 1 death.
What owners wrote
My daughter died in a accident on november 7, 2013 in the acura tl 2003. She had been telling me that it felt like the ignition was sticking and would speed up. I would check with my local mechanic and he told me acuras are known to idle high. I believe that her car problem was the cause of the accident and the police could not give me a reason for the accident. She was 19 and a senior in high school and was a good child.
Timing belt tensioner was defective. The vehicle made a "grinding" sound when driving. The dealer replaced the tensioner. The dealer thought at first, the problem was the a-pipe and replaced it. The second time the dealer thought the problem was the catalytic converter and it was replaced. The third time the timing belt tensioner was replaced, which solved the problem. *scc
Other problems reported for the 2003 Acura TL
- Transmission 180 complaints
- Drivetrain & axles 70 complaints
- Air bags 51 complaints
- Cruise control 22 complaints
- Electrical system 15 complaints
- Body & structure 15 complaints