Open safety recalls, the components owners report failing most often, crash-test results and running costs for the 1997 Acura TL, assembled from NHTSA and EPA records.
Everything on this page applies to the model as a whole. Run its VIN to decode that exact car, its engine, trim, assembly plant and factory equipment, alongside these records.
Open a VIN recordRecalls and complaints are filed against a specific model year, so figures differ from one year to the next even within a single generation. See every Acura TL year.
No EPA fuel-economy match for this model. Naming may differ, or it predates EPA records.
NHTSA lists 2 recalls for this make, model and year. Recalls apply to the model, so some may already be fixed on this specific car. A dealer can confirm from the VIN.
Issue: VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. A TRANSMISSION CASE BOLT CAN LOOSEN AND FALL OUT ALLOWING THE TRANSMISSION TO DISENGAGE FROM THE DIFFERENTIAL.
Risk: THE VEHICLE COULD LOSE POWER TO THE DRIVE WHEELS WITHOUT WARNING. ALSO, SHIFTING THE TRANSMISSION INTO THE PARK POSITION WOULD NOT LOCK THE WHEELS, AND A PARKED VEHICLE COULD MOVE UNEXPECTEDLY IF THE PARKING BRAKE IS NOT SET.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A REDESIGNED BOLT.
Campaign 99V227000
Issue: VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. CERTAIN VEHICLES WERE MANUFACTURED WITH BALL JOINTS THAT CAN PREMATURELY WEAR OUT AND, IN THE WORSE CASE, THE BALL JOINT WOULD SEPARATE CAUSING THE FRONT SUSPENSION TO COLLAPSE.
Risk: THIS CONDITION WOULD RESULT IN VEHICLE DECELERATION AND A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. ALSO STEERING CONTROLLABILITY WOULD BE REDUCED.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS.
Campaign 99V069000
Rated configuration: 1997 Acura TL 4-DR.
The parts named most often across 33 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this make, model and year.
2 fires
1 crash
1 injured
2 crashes
1 crash · 2 injured
Complaints are self-reported and skew toward problems people find alarming, so read this as where to look rather than as a defect rate.
ALTHOUGH MY CAR IS ABOUT 20 YEARS OLD NOW, I'VE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH ABOUT THE PROBLEMS I'VE EXPERIENCED AND IT APPEARS CARS MADE FROM 1997 EXPERIENCED MALFUNCTIONING IGNITION SWITCHES. MY KEY WILL NOT START MY ENGINE AND HAS GOTTEN STUCK INSIDE THE CYLINDER MANY TIMES. I JUST REPLACED THE BATTERY AS WELL DUE TO MY VEHICLE STALLING WHEN I TURN IT ON. THERE SHOULD BE NO REASON OTHER THAN THE FAULTY MACHINERY THAT'S GIVING ME ALL THIS TROUBLE. MANY OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE THIS MAKE, MODEL, AND YEAR HAVE EXPIRENCED THESE EXACT ISSUES. I BELIEVE YOU GUYS HAVE ISSUED A RECALL WHICH IS WHY I'M INFORMING THE COMPANY. HOPEFULLY YOU CAN HELP. THANK YOU .
MY 1997 ACURA TL 2.5 SPONTANEOUSLY BURST INTO FLAMES IN THE AREA OF THE STARTER. THIS WAS CLEARLY AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. *TR
MY 1997 ACURA TL HAS BEEN ACTING UP. IT WOULD STALL PERIODICALLY WITHOUT ANY WARNING (I.E WHEN I WAS GOING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR RAN JUST FINE; BUT ALL THE SUDDEN I LOSE POWER AND THE CAR STALL. IT ALSO HAPPEN WHEN I TOOK THE INSIDE ROAD.) WHEN I TRIED TO RESTARTED THE CAR. IT WOULDN'T STARTED. I WAITED 10 MINUTES LATER, IT STARTED, BUT ONLY TO STALL AGAIN AFTER 5 MINUTES.) I HAD TO HAVE TOW IT TO MY MECHANIC BUT THE CAR STARTED FINE WHEN HE TRIED IT. HE RAN A COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC TEST BUT COULDN'T NOT FIND ANY THING WRONG WITH IT. THE CAR WORK FINE FOR ABOUT A WEEK; THEN IT START STALLING AGAIN. I HAVE TO WAIT FROM 10 MIN TO AN HOUR SOMETIME FOR THE CAR TO START UP AGAIN. THIS PROBLEM HAS CAUSE ME TO ALMOST GET INTO SEVERAL WRECKS AND MADE OTHER DRIVERS ANGRY AT ME. I CALLED THE DEALER AND THEY SAID MY CAR HAS SOME RECALLS WHICH PREVIOUS OWNER HAD ALREADY HAD IT FIXED. I DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO BRING IT TO MY DEALER. AND I CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT. *NM
DT: THERE WAS HEAVY RAIN THE NIGHT BEFORE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN DRIVEWAY WHEN THE CONSUMER GOT UP AND WENT TO GET IN THE CAR AND FOUND THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR, DRIVER SIDE DASH , AND DRIVER SIDE SEAT HAD BURNED. THE FLOORBOARD WAS DAMAGED BY DRIPPING PLASTIC. THE ONLY HOT WIRE WAS IN THE DOOR LOCKING MECHANISM. THE FIRE WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IF THERE WAS A FUSE OPERATIONAL IN THE CIRCUIT. THE BATTERY WAS ALMOST BRAND NEW, AND IT WAS ALMOST DEAD. THE CALLER STATED THAT THE ONLY REASON THE FIRE DIED OUT WAS BECAUSE IT RAN OUT OF OXYGEN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CALLED, AND HAS NOT RETURNED THE CALL. ALSO THE CALLER INDICATED THAT THE DOOR LOCK MADE A NOISE EVEN AFTER THE DOORS WERE LOCKED BUT NOT ALL THE TIME. *AK THE VEHICLE WAS DETERMINED UNREPAIRABLE. *SC *JB
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION KEEPS POPPING WHEN CHANGING GEARS. BROUGHT BACK FOR SERVICE WHEN UNDER WARRANTY. TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS FLUSHED. PROBLEM WENT AWAY FOR A MONTH. AFTER A MONTH PROBLEM WOULD ARISE AGAIN. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE PURCHASE OF VEHICLE. I FRIEND WAS THE SAME MODEL, HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. *JB
1997 ACURA 3.2 TL FAULTY AIRBAG. MY ACURA RECENTLY DISPLAYED A SRS ERROR. I BROUGHT THE CAR INTO RADLEY ACURA IN FALLS CHURCH WHERE THEY TOLD ME THAT A POTENTIALLY FAULTY AIRBAG IS NOT COVERED BY ACURA AND THAT TO HAVE THE AIRBAG REPLACED TO PREVENT IT FROM EITHER DEPLOYING RANDOMLY OR NOT DEPLOYING AT ALL IT WOULD COST ME OVER $1200. *AK
DIGITAL A/C DISPLAY STOPPED FUNCTIONING. DEALER SAID COMPONENT COST WOULD BE @ $1,600.00 (85% VALUE OF CAR). OFFERED NO ALTERNATIVE (AFTER-MARKET, USED PART). COINCIDED WITH DASH LIGHTS GOING OUT, INDICATED GEAR POSITION (NUETRAL, REVERSE, DRIVE, ETC).*AK
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATES, THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *NLM
TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON MY 97 ACURA 3.2TL
CALLED DEALERSHIP, ACURA OF BOARDMAN SERVICE DEPT., SAID THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS AND HAD NEVER HEARD OF INGNITION FAILURE BEING A PROBLEM. DID RESEARCH BECAUSE OF THE ODD AND DAMAGING BEHAVIOR OF THE IGNITION SWITCH TO MY VEHICLE AND BECAME AWARE OF MAJOR RECAL ON IGNITION SWITCHES. HOWEVER THE RECALL DOES NOT INCLUDE MY SPECIFIC MAKER IN MY SPECIFIC YEAR BUT IT DOES INCLUDE MY MAKE AND A DIFFERENT YEAR. WILL CONTACT ACURA/HONDA ABOUT HAVING THEM REPLACE. IT IS DEFINITELY A HAZARD! DT
ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND THEY STATED BRAKES WERE GOOD. ABS LIGHT IS STILL COMING ON, CONSUMER FEELS THERE IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE ABS LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
AT A 25MPH VEHICLE CRASH DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT FULLY DEPLOY. CAUSE UNKNOWN DEALER NOTIFIED.*AKI
Showing 12 of 33 complaints.