- The problem
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013 Acura ILX, 2015 RDX, 2005-2010 and 2012 RL, 2009-2014 TL, 2010 and 2012 ZDX, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2011-2013 and 2015 CR-Z, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013 Fit EV, 2010-2011 and 2013 Insight and 2007-2014 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.
- The risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- The fix
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are S5B and W59.
Vehicle safety record
2012 Acura TL Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 130 complaints about the 2012 Acura TL with NHTSA, most often about the airbags (43) and the transmission & drivetrain (27). Those complaints describe 3 crashes, 5 injuries and 1 death. It is covered by 3 recalls, the latest in June 2019 for the inflator module. For comparison, the 2011 has 20 and the 2013 has 62.
NHTSA data checked
CAbout as many problems as a typical TL year, for its age
#80 most complained-about 2012 vehicle
- Complaints
- 130
- Recalls
- 3
- Crashes
- 3
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 5
- Deaths
- 1
Most common 2012 Acura TL problems
Share of all 130 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
2012 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
- 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.
- The risk
- An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- The fix
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.
- The problem
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2011-2015 CR-Z, 2010-2014 FCX, and Insight, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013-2014 Fit EV, 2007-2014 Ridgeline, 2013-2016 Acura ILX, 2013-2014 Acura ILX Hybrid, 2007-2016 RDX, 2005-2012 Acura RL, 2009-2014 Acura TL, and 2010-2013 Acura ZDX vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
- The risk
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- The fix
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are JY0, JY1, and JY2.
What owners say
Be the first TL owner to share.
Problems or none - your experience is exactly what the next buyer is looking for. Write it now
130 complaints about the 2012 Acura TL
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 6.
The vehicle has a faulty Hands free link module which runs the battery down when the vehicle is not in use. Acura has been aware of this problem since 2005. The government of this sorry ass country has done nothing about this issue except sit on their hands and accept payoffs from Acura. Acura dealers refuse to call back when this issue is mentioned. This results in money being paid for unnecessary repairs for batteries, alternators, and testing Just think if you were a handicap person who had to rely on your...
Read the full complaint
vehicle for medical services on a weekly basis and every time you went to your vehicle it would not start because of this issue that has been unresolved by Acura since 2005.What a national disgrace.
Airbag light came on and remained
Driving down the highway with my sun shade open but the actual sunroof closed and all of a sudden I just hear a loud pop and glass is all over my head and thighs. The sunroof shattered leaving me with glasses everywhere. No rock was in the sunroof when I was vacuuming the remaining parts of glass.
They changed the originality milleage of the car and sold it too expensive
Immobilizer unit (recognizes/reads chip in key fob) failure led to the car shutting off the fuel pump leading to the car shutting down. The car could not be started again leaving the driver stranded by the side of the road. Vehicle had to be towed to an Acura dealer since the electronic immobilizer unit cannot be replaced/programmed by non Acura dealers. Car has been sitting at Acura since the end of December 2024 waiting on parts.
Driving on the freeway on a particularly warm day in California with the sunroof tilted up. Heard a explosion and glass fell on top of me and my family. We pulled over to see what had happened because we didn't see any objects flying at us. Upon inspection of the vehicle we noticed that the sunroof had imploded. The glass didn't shatter all the way it looked as if something had been thrown from inside up and out of the sunroof window. A hole was blown out of it. I believe the panoramic shape of the window...
Read the full complaint
causes there to be a weak point in the center. Given that weak point and the weather that day it was hot outside and the sunroof was tilted upright the wind coming into the car from the sunroof and probably exiting as well may have caused a reaction between the hot weather and the cool air and imploded the window from inside the car out.
On 4/28/2023 per Balcones Heights Police officer Ford and Officer [[redacted]] there is an issue with the license plate light. The light has been replaced twice, to avoid traffic stops. Police continue to cite the issue of No License plate light. There are not any warning lights on the dash board only cited by law enforcement. On 12/19/2020 Officer [[redacted]] with Guadelupe Sheriffs Officer issued a warning. The warning cited No License Plate Light. I took photos of the license plate light and took had the vehicle inspected by the Acura dealership. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
In an auto collision where a car rear end the vehicle from an idle position into an 18-foot box truck in front which was also idle. The vehicle smashed in the front and back which it was deemed a total loss and the airbag did not deploy. This caused the driver to have several injuries including a head concussion. When contacted the dealer service department where recall maintenance had been performed, I was instructed to contact the airbag manufacturer. The vehicle inspected by insurance adjuster (GEICO). There were no warning lamps or messages prior to the failure of the airbag deploy.
unknown, i cant keep a mobil phone connected to the car bluetooth and tpms system always seems to show light as well as all the other senors. lots of parts have been tampered with
Check airbag sensor keeps coming on intermittently.
While driving in heavy traffic and making a right turn,the power steering screen began to blink and immediately the power steering locked up. I had to manually turn the wheel and was able to over to the side and stop. After several minutes, the wheel finally unlocked and I pulled into a parking lot where it occurred again. I turned the key on and the unlocked wheel began to work again After making it home, I checked the drivers manual and found nothing. I checked complaints and found 95 instances but no recalls. It was very frightening for this situation and dangerous. This happened on July 14,2021.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 acura tl. The contact was driving at 60 mph when she heard an explosion and pulled over on the side of the highway. The contact stated that the sunroof glass had exploded. The contact informed the manufacturer of the failure and was informed to contact her insurance company so they can pay for the sunroof replacement. The contact was informed that there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle. The contact was referred to the dealer for a diagnosis to verify whether the failure was caused by a foreign object or not. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 112,000.
There is some jerkiness when car switches gears. Read it could be the torque converter or be fixed with a software update. I had the software update already.
Has jummpy gear shifting when gear moves from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd. It feels like gear slips while change gear.
I bought my car from the dealership about april of 2019 with 59920 miles and the recall was not fixed now they asked me to do a test to bring the car back and fourth only to run up the miles and time frame to not fix the problems that has occurred from the recall not being fixed there was also a lawsuit document send to me home stating they would fix the recall for free and at this point my car could bring down any day I am a federal employee of the united states government something needs to be done immediately they are selling people defected car / lemons with out consequence and not fixing the recall before they are bought. *Tr
Car has been excessively using oil since I bought it. Have it documented by the dealer when taking it for oil changes about the oil consumption. Campaign is released for oil consumption and I am told don't qualify b/c now I supposed have three oil leaks. I have never saw oil in my driveway. Called acura client services, useless. Didn't help me at all. Feel they just released it to show they are doing something when, they aren't helping the owners. Now engine has a tick to it at 120,000 and I am told my rear...
Read the full complaint
cam shaft and rocker arms are deteriorating. I can't believe this. This car has been nothing but a nightmare. It was one thing after another. My repair file is into two file folders. I paid for reliability and that is not what I got. Very disappointed - this was a horrible engine design, no wonder they stop producing it. *Tr
Check air bag system message on and off randomly while driving.
The tachometer will hunt up and down a few hundred rpm under light acceleration. The automatic transmission seems to shift harshly and also shifts up and down during acceleration at times
While driving vehicle down the road vehicle shut off un-commanded. Car came to stop while in traffic. Placed car in park and re-started. Drove approximately 10 miles and car shut off again while driving. Car came to a stop in traffic placed car in park and re-started. Drove car approximately 6 miles home and parked it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 acura tl. While operating the vehicle, a knocking noise was heard coming from the engine compartment. Also, the vehicle experienced excessive oil consumption. The cause of the failures was not determined. Acura first (16 highland ave, rt 6 seekonk, ma) was notified of the failures. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 123,000.
Driving on interstate for 8 min at 70 mph on a 70 degree morning when I lost power to the engine. Luckily, I was able to pull over to the shoulder. My certified mechanic diagnosed the engine lost all compression. The car has 98,000 mi. I called acura client services and they stated it had to be diagnosed by acura dealer. The dealer stated it was a blown engine and they have no idea how it happened. I called acura again and they stated there was nothing they could do. I stated something unusual has happened and it...
Read the full complaint
should be researched to understand why. Engines shouldn't just fail. Acura stated the vehicle is out of warranty and the customer would have to pay for the diagnosis before they would review the claim. I paid the dealer to test. The dealer filled the system with fluids and set the vehicle outside. He checked for leaks every few hours. I told him it was a slow leak and he had to monitor it closely. The dealer stated he couldn't find any issue. I called acura and told them the test was not conducted properly. Acura stated the dealer can't find the issue and no more investigation can be done. I asked acura why they are not having their field team review this incident. Acura states it's a customer issue not an acura issue. Without conducting the proper testing & diagnosis that conclusion cannot be made. Acura refuses to authorize the dealer to investigate the defect properly. Acura refuses to have their field technicians, warranty group, and supplier review the defect, asks the customer to pay to diagnose the problem. Acura's policy to not review major field issues with their vehicles outside of warranty is a dangerous position especially when it is a major safety issue with a blown engine. Acura's corporate strategy to suppress an investigation until a major incident happens creates a potential risky product liability with all their customers.
The vehicle's electronic power steering system fails and the car is near to impossible to steer when driving due to the system failing. Difficult resistance is experienced in motion on city streets, highways and being stationary.
My red airbag light & my check airbag system lights comes on and off while stationary. When it comes on it stays on from one destination to the next. When I return back to the car to start it again its not on, but if I wait a while to go to another destination the check airbag system light comes back on again.
I have recieved recall on torque converter .So I took in for service but all they(acura service)did was flush transmission .My car running horible it had no power had no acceleration it judder between 35-45mph noise on bumpy road not safe if you try to pass other.I have taken in for service 5 times two differrent dralership90
Engine oil consumption when there are no leaks detected underneath. This past week my engine light came on, this is the third time this has happened. I added 2 quarts of oil when I am only 50% through the use until my next oil change.
Acura TL: every year compared
All TL years2012 Acura TL vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Acura TL | 130 | 3 | C | |
| 2012 Acura TSX | 133 | 6 | F | Compare |
| 2012 Acura TSX V6 | 133 | 0 | - | Compare |
| 2012 Acura MDX | 76 | 1 | A | Compare |
| 2012 Acura RDX | 15 | 2 | A | Compare |
| 2012 Acura TSX Sport Wagon | 12 | 4 | D | Compare |
| 2012 Acura RL | 1 | 6 | B | Compare |
| 2012 Acura ZDX | 1 | 8 | C | Compare |
| 2012 Acura TLX | 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 2012 Acura TL
Does the 2012 Acura TL have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 3 recalls for the 2012 Acura TL: inflator module (June 2019); inflator module (March 2019); inflator module (February 2016). 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 2012 Acura TL?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the airbags (43), transmission & drivetrain (27), steering (25).
How many complaints has the 2012 Acura TL had?
130 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on April 12, 2012 and the latest on February 21, 2026. Of these, 3 describe a crash and 0 a fire, and together they report 5 injuries and 1 death.
Is the 2012 Acura TL a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 49 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 2012 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