My battery would be dead if I didn't drive my car every day. Then I found out there is a parasitic drain on the battery from a faulty hands-free bluetooth module. I watched a video then disconnected mine myself, problem solved. I've used a headlight restoration kit because the lights are yellow and they have spider-cracks all in them, it really affects the brightness of the light itself. The dashboard is cracked beyond repair and I'm terrified of getting into a wreck in my car, the dash would become shrapnel!
Acura TL headlights problems
44 of the 3,117 owner complaints about the Acura TL describe headlights failing or too dim, most of them for the 2003 model year.
- owner complaints
- 44
- worst model year
- 2003
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,000
- typical mileage
- 80,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
Often reported together
Won't start 2Wipers 1Water leak 1Sudden acceleration 1Overheating 1Fire or smoke 1Battery drain 1Ball joint 1
What owners say
2005 acura tl- parked winters, garaged, babied and all service completed at the acura dealerships. Car has 141,000 on it and was near 50,000 when purchased (aspec package etc). Car has developed cracks in the dashboard from the windshield to the instrument panel, across the center speaker and now directly on the indentation where the airbag is located on the passenger side. Reached out to acura for assistance ((attached)) and they said the car is too old and outside warranty to help me. Irregardless of the fact I have always taken it to acura and one look at the cars exterior and interior *paint and leather interior* shows that this car has been spoiled. The dashboard is a known issue for this generation and even made the news from complaints. I am now concerned that the airbag will not work properly or cause harm due to the structural integrity of the dashboard being altered due to shoddy craftsmanship that is not being backed up by acura. I have also raised concern that the headlight assembly are both cracking and discolored. I have had them professionally *refurbished* but the dealership said that they need to be replaced as they too are a safety issue not allowing proper light to be illuminated on the highway due to manufacture defect- again -- car parked winters, just look at the paint and quality of the car that is 15 years old.*dt*jb
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 acura tl. The contact stated that the driver's side headlights failed to illuminate while driving at night. Also, the passenger side headlight assembly retained steam. The vehicle was taken to joe rizza acura (located at 8150 w 159th st, orland park, il 60462, (708) 403-7770) where it was diagnosed that the headlight units needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the repair fees. The contact stated that the failure intermittently occurred on several occasions. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 76,000.
Hi I'm wanting to complain about this year acura making models breaks because in the winter time when you go to press the brakes and start the car the brakes are completely frozen. Also wanted to complain about the headlights the headlights get dull and dingy with wear in tear and get very dull causing it to be very hard to see at night as well as the body all the molding on the top of the roof is peeling off the chrome trim molding please look into this further. My car is a daily driver I drive it everyday I get it a car wash every other day but that should be no reason for the top chrome trim on the roof to start peeling off and be coming undone from your car
Takata recall - my drive is flashing which is to do with my transmission and I'm having wiring problems also. Also I have no bright headlights they just completely stopped working and it's a wiring problem.
Previous recall on the power steering hose leaking, mine is leaking when in motion and stationary, previous recall on internal transmission fault, previous recall on wiper motor housing, current recall on ball joints, was told by mechanic I have a ball joint problem, current problem with passenger side headlight going out. Replaced ballast with new one and head light worked for a couple of weeks and went out again, notice while in motion and stationary.
Fluid in rear view mirror that acts as anti-glare, liquefied and leaked out of mirror casing. Anti-glare capability no longer exists, making night vision via rear view mirror to be obscured by brightness of headlights of other vehicles, liquid also very viscous and difficult to remove.
Automatic sensor ignition, headlights no light sensor automatically damaged.
While driving at speeds of 5 - 70 MPH the headlights will shut off. Most frequently the passenger side shuts off, on occasion both lights will shut off unexpectedly. Using the turn signal stalk switch and rapidly turning on and off will typically reset the lights. On one occasion this did not work even after 20+ tries. During these occasions the high beams will function properly. I have tried to duplicate this problem and have been unable to do so. It is a completely intermittent problem. Other manufactures have had to issue recalls due to this problem. Acura should also be required to address this. Other individuals on acura web discussion boards have experienced similar problems.
I was driving home from work on a very busy street, driving about 55 miles an hour. It was dark and raining and my car completely shut down! No headlights, no dashboard lights and nothing was running...it completely shut off no hazard lights either! Luckily I was able to pull off to the side. I pulled my key out of the ignition, then put it back in and nothing happened. I repeated putting my key in the ignition and it started back up. I was able to drive the car home. I pulled it in the garage and shut the car off...pulled the key out and put it back in the ignition and it does not start at all. I know it's not the battery because it was just replaced a few months ago. When I tried it this morning, the dashboard and over head lights come on in the car. When I put my key in the ignition and turn it, everything turns off and the car does not start! Help please!
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Acura TL headlights
Which Acura TL years have headlights failing or too dim problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2003 (10 complaints), 2004 (9 complaints) and 2005 (6 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix headlights failing or too dim on the Acura TL?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,000 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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