IllustrationBROUGHT CAR TO DEALER. THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE PROBLEM. PROBLEM HAPPENS EVERYDAY. WARRANTY IS ALMOST UP. WHAT DO I DO? NO SAFETY DEFEC TMENTIONED. *AK
2001 Acura Tl
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2001 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
50–25K
2325–50K
1150–75K
1375–100K
21100–150K
11150K+
84 reports with mileage · 65 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.
- Power Train. Review the 103 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
8 crash reports2 fire reports5 injury reports
What owners actually said
149 reportsWHILE DRIVING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WOULD SKIP FROM FIRST GEAR TO SECOND GEAR. HAD CONTACTED DEALER, BUT PROBLEM COULD NOT BE FIXED. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION.*AK
MANY ACURA 3.2 CL OWNERS HAVE BEEN REPORTING TRANSMISSION FAILURES, AS WELL AS ACURA 3.2 TL OWNERS, WHO HAVE THE SAME TRANSMISSION UNITS IN THEIR CARS, AND BELIEVE THAT THIS MAY BE A SAFETY HAZARD. IF THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE OCCURS WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE SOMETIMES SLOWS DOWN ABRUPTLY, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE DRIVER…
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MANY ACURA 3.2 CL OWNERS HAVE BEEN REPORTING TRANSMISSION FAILURES, AS WELL AS ACURA 3.2 TL OWNERS, WHO HAVE THE SAME TRANSMISSION UNITS IN THEIR CARS, AND BELIEVE THAT THIS MAY BE A SAFETY HAZARD. IF THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE OCCURS WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE SOMETIMES SLOWS DOWN ABRUPTLY, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE DRIVER IS ACCELERATING. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN TRYING TO PASS SOMEONE, THE TRANSMISSION WILL SUDDENLY LEAVE THE ENGINE REVVING HIGH, BUT THE CAR WONT ACTUALLY ACCELERATE AND ACTUALLY SLOWS DOWN, SOMETIMES VERY NOTICEABLY. THIS CAN CAUSE SOMEONE TO REAR END YOU IF THEYRE COMING UP FROM BEHIND YOU NOT EXPECTING YOU TO SUDDENLY COME TO HALT FOR NO APPARENT REASON. ALSO, IT SEEMS THAT HONDA/ACURA MAY HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM WITH ITS AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS SINCE THE RELEASE OF THE HONDA V6 ACCORD, WHICH IS THE PLATFORM ON WHICH THE ACURA CL AND TL MODELS ARE BASED. THE CL/TL MODELS HAVE INCREASED HORSEPOWER OVER THE ACCORD, ESPECIALLY THE TYPE S MODELS, AND THESE TRANSMISSIONS MAY NOT BE ABLE TO HANDLE THE EXTRA POWER.
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOV EVEHICLE. *AK
CONSUMER WAS BARELY GOING 2MPH IN A DRIVEWAY ALMOST STOPPED AND VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. CONSUMER WAS PRATICALLY STANDING ON BRAKES, USING THE LEFT FOOT AND TRYING TO STOP THE VEHICLE. BEFORE VEHICLE STOPPED ACCELERATING IT DEMOLISHED A BRICK PUMP HOUSE, A CONCRETE BIRD BATH, AND AND 2 TREES. NO CONTACT HAS BEEN MADE…
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CONSUMER WAS BARELY GOING 2MPH IN A DRIVEWAY ALMOST STOPPED AND VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. CONSUMER WAS PRATICALLY STANDING ON BRAKES, USING THE LEFT FOOT AND TRYING TO STOP THE VEHICLE. BEFORE VEHICLE STOPPED ACCELERATING IT DEMOLISHED A BRICK PUMP HOUSE, A CONCRETE BIRD BATH, AND AND 2 TREES. NO CONTACT HAS BEEN MADE WITH DEALER. VEHICLE HAS OVER $9800 WORTH OF DAMAGES.*AK *SLC
CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING NEWS GROUP ON THE WEB FOR OTHERS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM: HTTP://FORUMS.CLUBRSX.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?S=&THREADID=1078. NO SAFETY DEFEC TLISTED. *AK
WHEN STOPPED WITH FOOT ON BRAKE CAR ACCELERATES. ALSO IF CAR IS IN REVERSE, AND FOOT IS ON BRAKE, CAR ACCELERATES IN REVERSE. THIS BEHAVIOR IS REPRODUCIBLE. *AK
SINCE FEB 6 2001 WHEN THIS CAR WAS DELIEVERED TO CONSUMER FRONT PASSENGER'S TIRE HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF BUBBLES ON SIDE OF IT . ON FEBRUARY 20, TIRE HAD TO BE REPLACED AGAIN BECAUSE OF BUBBLES ON INNER SIDE OF TIRE. MICHELIN TIRES. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK
DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER VENTS ON TOP OF DASHBROAD AT EDGE OF WINDSHIELD ARE REFLECTED INTO WINDSHIELD. THIS CAUSES POOR DRIVER VISIBILITY. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
Official recalls
320V027000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
Jan 17, 2020
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2001-2002 Acura 3.2CL, 2000-2003 Acura 3.5RL, 2000-2001 Acura 3.2TL, Honda CR-V and Honda Odyssey, 2001-2002 Acura MDX and 2000 Accord Coupe, Accord Sedan, Civic Coupe, and Civic Sedan vehicles. These vehicles may have received a replacement driver frontal air bag module as part of a vehicle repair. Due to a manufacturing issue, the replacement NADI inflator may absorb moisture, causing the inflator to rupture or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag cushion may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the air bags in the vehicles, replacing the driver frontal air bag inflator with an inflator of a different design, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2020. Owners may contact American Honda's Customer Support & Campaign Center at 1-888-234-2138.
04V176000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission
Apr 15, 2004
ON SOME MINI VANS, SPORT UTILITY AND PASSENGER VEHICLES, CERTAIN OPERATING CONDITIONS CAN RESULT IN HEAT BUILD-UP BETWEEN THE COUNTERSHAFT AND SECONDARY SHAFT SECOND GEARS IN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, EVENTUALLY LEADING TO GEAR TOOTH CHIPPING OR GEAR BREAKAGE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: GEAR FAILURE COULD RESULT IN TRANSMISSION LOCKUP, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy: ON VEHICLES WITH 15,000 MILES OR LESS, THE DEALER WILL UPDATE THE TRANSMISSION WITH A SIMPLE REVISION TO THE OIL COOLER RETURN LINE TO INCREASE LUBRICATION TO THE SECOND GEAR. ON VEHICLES WITH MORE THAN 15,000 MILES, THE DEALER WILL INSPECT THE TRANSMISSION TO IDENTIFY GEARS THAT HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED DISCOLORATION DUE TO OVERHEATING. IF DISCOLORATION EXISTS, THE TRANSMISSION WILL BE REPLACED IF DISCOLORATION IS NOT PRESENT, THE DEALER WILL PERFORM THE REVISION TO THE OIL COOLER RETURN LINE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 21, 2004, FOR PILOT, ODYSSEY, AND MDX OWNERS. OWNERS OF THE ACCORD VEHICLES WILL START RECEIVING LETTERS ON JUNE 28, 2004, AND ON JUNE 29, 2004, FOR OWNERS OF THE TL AND CL VEHICLES. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238.
01V166002 · Seat Belts:front:buckle Assembly
Aug 14, 2001
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: THE FOLLOWING VEHICLES WERE REPAIRED WITH INCORRECT PARTS: 2002 ACURA 3.2TL SEDANS WITH REPLACEMENT BUCKLES INSTALLED PER RECALL 01V-166001; CERTAIN 2000 ACURA 3.2TL VEHICLES WITH REPLACEMENT BUCKLES INSTALLED AS PRODUCT UPDATE REPAIRS; AND CERTAIN 2000-2002 ACURA 3.2TL VEHICLES WITH REPLACEMENT BUCKLES INSTALLED AS WARRANTY OR COLLISION REPAIRS. REPAIRS WERE MADE FROM MARCH 9 THROUGH JULY 27, 2001. SOME OF THE NONCOMPLIANT BUCKLES WERE MISLABELED AND REDISTRIBUTED TO ACURA DEALERS TO BE USED AS RECALL REPAIR PARTS. HONDA ALSO DETERMINED THAT INCORRECT FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE REPLACEMENT PARTS WERE USED FOR SOME PRODUCT UPDATE REPAIRS OF 2000 ACURA 3.2TL VEHICLES, AND WARRANTY OR COLLISION REPAIRS OF 2000-2002 3.2TL VEHICLES. THESE SEAT BELT BUCKLES MAY NOT COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 209, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT, AND IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 20, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT ACURA AT 1-800-999-1009.
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
1PE02081 · Automatic Transmission Sudden Downshift
Opened Oct 28, 2002 · Closed Mar 5, 2003
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train:automatic Transmission
SEE ATTACHED REPORT.