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#BS-2003-ACUTL-4035

2003 Acura Tl

Based on reports from 466 owners and 5 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
466
Crashes
36
Fires
5
Recalls
5
TSBs
187
🛑

Preliminary Verdict

Red Flag

Based on 466 complaints, 36 crashes, 5 fires, and 5 recalls. Complaint rate is 1.9x the class average.

See full verdict with buy/skip conditions

Top reported problems

1

transmission failure

29 complaints • Severity 9/10

$X,XXX
2

car shakes during acceleration

9 complaints • Severity 6.4/10

$X,XXX
3

clear coat is peeling

6 complaints • Severity 7.3/10

$X,XXX

Preview: What's in your full report

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the Power Train:automatic TransmissionHIGH

175 owners reported power train:automatic transmission issues — failures commonly reported around 77K miles.

!Inspect the DrivetrainMED
Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure
+ 6 more items in full checklistUnlock

Failure Timeline by Mileage

70
0–30K
64
30–60K
75
60–90K
65
90–120K
52
120–150K
42
150K+

Peak failure range: 60–90K miles (75 reports) • Median: 77K miles

Full report: which components fail at each mileageUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Power Train:automatic Transmission (175 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Power Train:automatic Transmission175 (38%)
Drivetrain69 (15%)
Airbags41 (9%)
Other23 (5%)
Speed Control14 (3%)
Engine14 (3%)
Suspension12 (3%)
Structure:body11 (2%)

2003 Acura Tl: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Power Train:automatic Transmission Issues

Power Train:automatic Transmission complaints account for 38% of all reports filed for the 2003 Acura Tl, with 175 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 77,000 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 77K-mile mark.

Drivetrain Issues

Drivetrain complaints account for 15% of all reports filed for the 2003 Acura Tl, with 69 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to drivetrain-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Airbags Issues

Airbags complaints account for 9% of all reports filed for the 2003 Acura Tl, with 41 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to airbags-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Speed Control Issues

Speed Control complaints account for 3% of all reports filed for the 2003 Acura Tl, with 14 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to speed control-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

10
02
34
03
47
04
31
05
25
06
21
07
28
08
28
09
51
10
22
11
18
12
15
13
15
14
22
15
38
16
18
17
14
18
8
19
7
20
7
22
4
23
2
24
1
25

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2003 Acura Tl. Recent trend: decreasing.

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Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (5 recalls)

02V226000Aug 2002

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, SEDANS, COUPES, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH V6 ENGINES, A TIMING BELT TENSIONER PULLEY ON THE WATER PUMP IS MISALIGNED AND COULD CAUSE THE TIMING BELT TO CONTACT A BOLT ON THE CYLINDER HEAD. EVENTUALLY THE BELT COULD BE DAMAGED AND FAIL.

04V176000Apr 2004

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

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.

15V320000Jul 2015

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, and 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.

19V182000Apr 2019

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

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.

19V499000Aug 2019

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot and 2006 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.

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

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The worst model year for the Acura Tl is the 2010 — worth knowing if you're cross-shopping years. The biggest problem area is transmission.

2003 Acura Tl vs. Class Average (Midsize Cars)

This vehicle

466

Class avg

250

1.9x the class average — significantly more complaints than typical midsize cars vehicles.

Complaint counts correlate with sales volume — popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 466 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 5 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

Other Acura Tl Model Years

2014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990
View all Acura Tl years →

2003 Acura Tl: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 2003 Acura Tl?
The most commonly reported issue with the 2003 Acura Tl is related to the power train:automatic transmission, with 175 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 2003 Acura Tl reliable?
The 2003 Acura Tl has 466 complaints, 36 crash reports, and 5 fire reports filed with NHTSA. This is 1.9x the class average — higher than typical for its segment.
How much does it cost to fix 2003 Acura Tl problems?
Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.
Does the 2003 Acura Tl have any recalls?
Yes, the 2003 Acura Tl has 5 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
What mileage do Acura Tl problems start?
Based on 368 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 77,000 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 60–90K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.
What’s in the full report?
10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records — then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.
How is this different from Carfax?
Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence — what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.
What if the report isn’t useful?
100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you — no questions asked.
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10 sections of AI analysis based on 466 owner reports. Know before you buy.

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