Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. While driving 35 MPH around a curve, the vehicle failed to brake or accelerate and the transmission seized. The steering wheel also became very difficult to turn. As a result, the contact lost control of the vehicle and left the road. The contact crashed into an embankment and a tree. The air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained injuries to the hands, wrists, head, ankle, chest, and shoulder. Medical attention was required and the contact visited his physician after the crash. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). The approximate failure mileage was 263,138.
2003 Acura TL: engine failure
5 of the 391 complaints about the 2003 Acura TL describe engine failure.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 112,000
- recalls
- 1
Engine failure by model year
- 20131
- 20124
- 20081
- 20071
- 20061
- 20052
- 20043
- 20035
- 20025
- 20011
- 19991
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. While driving at unknown speeds, the transmission seized while shifting between first and second gear. The failure recurred multiple times. The contact was made aware of the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered to pay for part of the repairs. The failure mileage was 122,000.
Transmission failure/transmission lock-up while driving at about 40 MPH. Luckily I was able to avoid a very close call collision when the transmission locked up. Someone could have been severely hurt or even died due to this known issue. What is it going to take for acura to issue a full recall? How many people need to experience this issue and how many people need to die? Something needs to be done and an investigation needs to be opened. Acura and honda are not standing behind their product, even with the fact that there is an open campaign. Extending the warranty does nothing for a car that is only driven a few miles to work daily. I have just over 80,000 miles on my 2003 tl. I guess it is shame on me for not driving 15k miles a year. Had I been driving the national average the transmission would have seized up many years ago and it would have been covered by the extended warranty. What a scam. Thanks for nothing honda/acura.
I already filed a claim, but have further information. My husband and I own a 2003 acura 3.2tl there is a recall on the transmissions of these cars (both in age and make and model), but our VIN # is not in the lot of VIN's under the recall. Three days after I filed the complaint with you the transmission seized while my husband was driving 40 MPH. Luckily he avoided an accident. He stopped driving the vehicle and had it towed to the acura dealership. We had them replace the transmission. Their original bid was for $4,600. We had bids from transmission shops to do the job for $2,000. The dealership negotiated and did the work for $2,000. I spoke with robert from the federal safety agency and he said that the recall was for transmissions seizing when the vehicles were being operated. I feel that it is important to add this information to my original complaint.
I have a 2003 acura tl type s. I bought it used in 2004 with 22,000 miles on it. Shortly after honda issued a recall for the transmission. The solution was to take it to the dealership and have them check for a damaged 2nd gear and if there was no visible sign of damage they would install a jet kit to keep the 2nd gear cooler. My car at this time had about 35,000 miles on it. The dealership installed a jet kit my car and reported no damage. Around 50,000 miles I noticed my car slipping while accelerating. I took my vehicle back to the dealership. They replaced my transmission stating that the jet kit did not work and that the transmission was damaged. I thought that everything was fixed. Around 95,000 I noticed that my transmission was starting to shift hard and slip a little. I took it to the dealership. They said that the transmission was fine and checked good. At 105000 miles I recently took my car down to charlestion sc and was returning home on i95 in nc. I pulled off an exit to get gas and noticed my car was jerking real bad and was having problems staying in gear. Soon after I started to smell something burning and my check engine light came on. I pulled into a auto tune shop and had the technicians read the engine code. The code came back as a transmission controller fail. I towed my vehicle to the nearest dealership about 50 miles away. They checked the car and reported that the transmission need to be replaced. This would be my third factory transmission! What if my vehicle had seized up while on i95 where vehicles are traveling at 70 MPH. Why does a car need three transmission at 105,000 miles! Something is wrong! Please look into it!
Service bulletins that may apply
- Dealer message
- Rough idle, stalls at stops, and dtc's P0172 or P0175 appear when inspected
- Product update - timing belt auto-tensioner oil leak
- Cranks won't start, immobilizer light flashes
- Alternator condition (no or low output) dealer visit request
- Alternator condition
- Alternator condition no or low output
- Engine coolant leaks
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling: engine
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- If the timing belt breaks, the engine will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the water pump and if it is one of the defective pumps, the water pump and timing belt will be replaced. Owner notification began august 30, 2002. 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 honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009 or acura at 1‑800‑382‑2238.
Recall number 02V226000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2003 Acura TL engine failure
Is engine failure a common problem on the 2003 Acura TL?
5 of 391 owner complaints about the 2003 Acura TL (1%) mention engine failure. The model year with the most reports is 2002.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Acura TL?
There is 1 recall and 23 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Acura TL
Transmission failure 103Slipping 45Jerking 39Check engine light 32Airbag light 17Hesitation 14Stalling 14Won't shift 14Adaptive cruise 10Headlights 10Grinding brakes 8No deployment 7Overheating 7Sudden acceleration 7Fire or smoke 6Harsh shifting 5Shudder 5
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