NHTSA Safety Recalls
2003 Acura TL Recalls
The 2003 Acura TL has 5 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on June 27, 2019.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2003 Acura TL. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 5
- Owner complaints
- 391
- Crashes reported
- 24
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
4 fires
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2003 Acura TL, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
5 recalls on the 2003 Acura TL
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 19V499000
- Reported
- June 27, 2019
- Vehicles affected
- up to 3,947
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2002 TL, 11 other models
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 19V182000
- Reported
- March 6, 2019
- Vehicles affected
- up to 1,101,534
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2002, 2004–2006, 2009–2014 TL, 16 other models
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 15V320000
- Reported
- May 28, 2015
- Vehicles affected
- up to 6,281,043
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash, injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2002 TL, 11 other models
Power train: automatic transmission
- Campaign
- 04V176000
- Reported
- April 15, 2004
- Vehicles affected
- up to 1,099,796
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002, 2004 TL, 5 other models
Engine and engine cooling: engine
- Campaign
- 02V226000
- Reported
- August 28, 2002
- Vehicles affected
- up to 17,551
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 5 other models
2003 Acura TL complaints by year
NHTSA has received 391 owner complaints about the 2003 Acura TL, the newest on July 12, 2025. Of these, 24 describe a crash (6%) and 4 a fire; owners reported 20 injuries and 1 death.
In complaints about the 2003 Acura TL, the component group named most often is the power train (63%), followed by the air bags (13%) and the vehicle speed control (5%).
1 of the 2003 Acura TL's 5 recalls also concerns the power train.
Where 2003 Acura TL owners gave the mileage (306 complaints), the median was 75,900 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Power Train246
- Air Bags50
- Vehicle Speed Control20
- Unknown Or Other18
- Electrical System15
- Structure15
Complaints received, by year
| 2002 | 8 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 29 | |
| 2004 | 40 | |
| 2005 | 25 | |
| 2006 | 23 | |
| 2007 | 18 | |
| 2008 | 28 | |
| 2009 | 27 | |
| 2010 | 44 | |
| 2011 | 19 | |
| 2012 | 15 | |
| 2013 | 12 | |
| 2014 | 10 | |
| 2015 | 22 | |
| 2016 | 24 | |
| 2017 | 14 | |
| 2018 | 9 | |
| 2019 | 7 | |
| 2020 | 5 | |
| 2022 | 6 | |
| 2023 | 3 | |
| 2024 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 1 |
Complaints about the 2003 Acura TL peaked in 2010, when NHTSA received 44. 32% arrived between 2002 and 2006, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2003 vehicles, the 2003 Acura TL drew 3.3× the complaints of the median Acura TL year in the same window: 2nd highest of the 13 ranked years.
That makes 2003 one of the Acura TL years to avoid by our method.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 4/5
The 391 complaints about the 2003 Acura TL are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Acura TL by model year
Other 2003 Acura models
Newest record on this page: July 12, 2025. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted