- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- 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.
- The fix
- 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.
Vehicle safety record
2001 Acura TL Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 162 complaints about the 2001 Acura TL with NHTSA, most often about the transmission & drivetrain (106) and the airbags (16). Those complaints describe 9 crashes, 2 fires and 5 injuries. It is covered by 3 recalls, the latest in January 2020 for the inflator module. For comparison, the 2000 has 248 and the 2002 has 350.
NHTSA data checked
CAbout as many problems as a typical TL year, for its age
#64 most complained-about 2001 vehicle
- Complaints
- 162
- Recalls
- 3
- Crashes
- 9
- Fires
- 2
- Injuries
- 5
- Deaths
- 0
Most common 2001 Acura TL problems
Share of all 162 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
2001 Acura TL recalls 3
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- Gear failure could result in transmission lockup, which could result in a crash.
- The fix
- 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.
- The problem
- 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."
- The risk
- In the event of a crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained.
- The fix
- 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.
What owners say
Problems or none - your experience is exactly what the next buyer is looking for. Write it now
162 complaints about the 2001 Acura TL
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 7.
I have reached out to Acura on three separate occasions to try and get them to inspect and possibly replace my recalled airbags. They have failed to contact us back every time and this is our only mode of transportation. I've expressed my concerns to them each time and let them know I'm forced to drive this vehicle until it's fixed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 acura tl. The contact stated that he received a nhtsa recall letter number 20v027000 (air bags). The contact took the vehicle into the dealer flow acura 4952 new centre dr, wilmington, nc 28403 (910) 218-7070. During the recall repair they told the contact they did not have the right parts and said they would call him back. The dealer called back and said that the manufacturer rep said they did not make that airbag part since the vehicle was old. The vehicle was not able to pass inspection since the repair shorted out several functions. The vehicle was unrepaired with a defective air bag while the dealer looks for another part. The failure mileage was 190,000.
For my acura tl 2001 we have been waiting over 6 months for the air bag to be replaced. The dealership and honda (called honda this week) will not even provide a date when the replacement air bags will be available. Very poor as this is a known safety hazard and we don't feel safe driving this vehicle!
Transmission slips between 3 and 4. Doesn't do this all the time, however; many, many forums are full of 2001 acura tl's having transmission solenoid issues. We bought car used (163,000), many cars out there with the exact same issue which should have been addressed in the 2000's.
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2001 acura tl. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v027000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact called acura of tempe (7800 s autoplex loop, tempe, az 85284; (480) 344-5800) and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available. *Bf
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2001 acura tl. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v027000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer rallye acura located at 1750 northern blvd, roslyn, ny 11576, and the manufacturer were made aware of the issue. The contact was informed that parts would be available the first quarter of 2021. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 acura tl. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v027000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. A dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available.
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2001 acura tl. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v027000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that the part was not available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 acura tl. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v027000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Both the dealer and the manufacturer were made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available. *Bf*jb
Tl* the contact owned a 2001 acura tl. The contact stated that while driving approximately at 25 mph, a second vehicle crashed into the drivers side of the vehicle. During the crash the driver side front and curtain air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained severe injuries to the head, neck, upper body, left eye and neck vertebrae that required medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed and towed away. A police report was taken at the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer was not notified. The contact indicated that the air bag was previously replaced. No further information was available. The failure mileage was unknown.
I have owned this car for 6 years and really like it. My problem is the passenger air bag light frequently lights up? It happens if the seat is empty, a purse is there or someone is sitting theret by the vin it is not suppose to be affected by the recall.
I drove my car out the garage into the common alley in reverse, once out the garage. When I was out of garage attempted to close the garage door with the genie , and the garage door wouldn't close . I drove the car further away from the garage/building in reverse to determine , whether the genie would operate from another position , next thing I knew the car was accelerating uncontrollably, between 20 - 25 miles per hour in reverse next to our building's garages . My car only stopped because I slammed into my...
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neighbor's garage , which was 4 doors down from my own garage . My accelerator was essentially, frozen...A runaway accelerator. Similiar instances while I was in the drive mode , but just for quite , short, times.
Few ways ago buy this car has only 84,300 miles ....While driving today suddenly malfunction sign comes and car slow down and making weared sounds... Go to advance auto part to scan the malfunction sign and after scanning no codes come but showing issue with transmission. So don't know where and how much its going to cost to fix or replace transmission. If anyone help me will be greatly appreciated. I live in ma ( western ma)
Interior rearview mirror (auto dimming) became impossible to see out of due to a defect that caused a liquid to leak and cloud the mirror. Had to replace it in order to see out the back. It occurred gradually over about a year. At first it was just the corner and eventually it covered the whole mirror. I believe this is a safety hazard.
TAKATA RECALL.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 acura tl. While driving 50 mph, the air bag light remained illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 90,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 acura tl. While driving 72 mph without warning, the vehicle failed to shift gears. The vehicle was taken to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was previously repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 acura tl. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle failed to shift from first to second gear as the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure and the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). The failure mileage was 120,000.
While driving my 2001, the tranny was not shifting. Scared my wife silly. Had less than 50000 miles and had taken the car to acura for this issue.They installed some kind of cooler device related to tranny issue. $3000 Later for a tranny repair at a reputable independent garage and acura refused to foot the bill. No more acuras for me and my family.Hit them where it hurts- in the pocket book! *Js
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 acura tl. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 mph the transmission jerked violently and failed to shift into second gear. The rpms began to increase with the illumination of the tcs and engine warning indicators. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. There was a recall under nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train) however, the secondary gear did not exhibit discoloration and the dealer refused to repair the vehicle . The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was o 200,000.
I live in toledo ohio bought this car in michigan was on my way home when my cars wheels locked up scared me too death jerked back and forth in gear check engine lite came on tcs lite came on and d5 lite was blinking this car only had 82,000 miles I can not believe the government closes its eyes too all these complaints someone is going to get seriously hurt we need to sue acura for crap transmissions I mean come on and then for them to take advantage of hard working americans who trust honda is not rite at all...
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someone is getting paid off is the only reason this issue hasnt been resolved and for the dealer not to do anything but want to give you another junk garbage transmission and charge you 3500 for the same problem to happen again is ridiculous we all need to file a lawsuit for this and they need to upgrade the transmissions to make them better and for the safety administration to turn a blind eye for a car that could lock up and kill someone and not fine or make acura eat the cost for there screw up shame on you. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 acura tl. The contact stated that the vehicle would sporadically lose engine power. The contact stated that the vehicle would start normally but as the transmission became hotter, the failure would occur. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact was not provided with the reason that the transmission needed to be replaced. The failure and the current mileage was 155,000. *Tr
After seeing my seat belt light on for a long time, I discovered that nhtsa campaign number: 01v166002. I called the acura number listed, as well as the dealership that sold and has serviced my car, and both are stating that there has been no recall for these seat belts. I verified they knew my car was a 2001 acura tl, and specifically asked about the seat belts. *Tr
I was exactly halfway through a 350 mile road trip, driving uphill along a busy interstate in the left lane when, without warning, my 2001 acura 3.2 Tl began losing speed despite continued throttle acceleration. The engine rpm's were climbing as if the transmission were in neutral. Luckily, I was able to roll to right shoulder and come to a safe stop. My transmission shut down completely. The reverse and all drive gears behaved as neutral. I was left with only park and neutral. I opened the hood and smelled...
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something burning. When I checked the transmission fluid it was black and smoking. Just 3 hours earlier when I checked all my fluids before leaving, I noticed the transmission fluid was the normal shiny red. I was given no warning signs, no symptoms of shifting problems, and no console indication that my transmission was running hotter than normal. I understand that there was a recall on my year make and model, and that my transmission was included in that recall. Why didn't acura fix this problem? My vehicle has only 103,000 mi; this shouldn't have happened. *Tr
I spoke to a gentleman from the nhtsa on 2/6/13 who informed me that the recall pertaining to the 2001 acura tl transmission, 2nd to 3rd gear slippage that can result in transmission lockup and crash, is still valid through april of 2014, with no mileage restrictions and is to be replaced at the full cost of the manufacturer (nhtsa recall i.D. 04V176, acura recall i.D. P39). In an attempt to have a productive conversation with an acura client relations representative on 2/19/13, in hopes of having the transmission...
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replaced as the vehicles transmission is deteriorating rapidly, I was told that the gentleman who I spoke with from the nhtsa was incorrect in the information he provided and that the recall has already expired. I would like the nhtsa to please contact myself and acura client relations, in writing, explaining that the recall pertaining to the 2001 acura tl transmission is still valid so that I may take the necessary steps in having the transmission replaced asap and avoid having a major incident as I fear for mine and my family's safety. *Tr
Acura TL: every year compared
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 388 | 7 | F |
| 2004 | 551 | 6 | F |
| 2003 | 397 | 5 | F |
| 2002 | 350 | 7 | F |
| 2001 | 162 | 3 | C |
| 2000 | 248 | 6 | D |
| 1999 | 157 | 4 | D |
| 1998 | 26 | 2 | A |
| 1997 | 33 | 2 | A |
2001 Acura TL vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 Acura TL | 162 | 3 | C | |
| 2001 Acura CL | 270 | 3 | F | Compare |
| 2001 Acura MDX | 224 | 4 | C | Compare |
| 2001 Acura RL | 25 | 2 | C | Compare |
| 2001 Acura Integra | 6 | 5 | A | Compare |
| 2001 Acura RSX | 2 | 0 | A | Compare |
| 2001 Acura NSX | 1 | 0 | A | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 2001 Acura TL
Does the 2001 Acura TL have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 3 recalls for the 2001 Acura TL: inflator module (January 2020); automatic transmission (April 2004); buckle assembly (August 2001). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
What are the most common problems with the 2001 Acura TL?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the transmission & drivetrain (106), airbags (16), acceleration & cruise control (10).
How many complaints has the 2001 Acura TL had?
162 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on October 5, 2000 and the latest on January 13, 2026. Of these, 9 describe a crash and 2 a fire, and together they report 5 injuries and 0 deaths.
Is the 2001 Acura TL a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 42 out of 100 (grade C: about as many problems as a typical Acura TL year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Acura TL years have the most complaints?
2004 (551), 2003 (397), 2005 (388). See every Acura TL year compared.
What should I do if my 2001 Acura TL has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data