CarComplaints.com Notes: The 1999-2003 Acura TL has a known & widespread defect with the transmission.
Honda fixed some vehicles with a recall in 2004 by changing the oil cooler return line. To settle a class action lawsuit in 2006, Honda extended the transmission warranty on some of these Acura TL's to 93 months / 109,000 miles.
Now these vehicles are past the warranty limit, so buyer beware.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
108,945 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
My 99 will unexpectedly shut off while driving down the road whether it be 5 miles an hour or 60 miles an hour. When this happens all power is off then kicks itself back on but won-??t start until about 5 minutes to 10 minutes later and then runs smoothly but sometimes it will shut off again and take longer to start.
At random times the engine dies while driving the car which has resulted in unsafe handling and loss of power steering while in traffic conditions. I was unaware of a recall (02V120000) until recently. I have owned this car sense 2002 and the current millage is 109,000 miles. I contacted Findlay Acura in Henderson NV. and they stated there was no recall on the ignition switch which I have recently found that there was as noted above. Can you contact the Dealer on my behalf as I am under the impression that the dealer is suppose to replace the defective part at no cost as it does cause an unsafe condition when it occurs. Engine just dies without warning. There has not been an independent assessment of the condition as it occurs on a random basis and of course, never occurs when you want it to.
The contact owns a 1999 Acura TL. While driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the same failure occurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to hansel Acura (2979 corby ave, santa rosa, ca 95407) where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 02V120000 (electrical system). The vehicle was not repaired for the recent failure. The approximate failure mileage was 320,000.
The contact owns a 1999 Acura TL. The contact stated that while reversing out of the driveway, the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was taken to various independent mechanics who had provided several repair solutions but they did not repair the condition. The vehicle was not yet inspected and diagnosed by a dealer. The contact was not made aware and did not receive notification of NHTSA campaign number: 03V423000 (electrical system). The failure mileage was not available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 1999 Acura TL. While driving approximately 50 mph, the engine stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was previously repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 02V120000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 220,000.
The contact owns a 1999 Acura TL. When the gear shifter was in the drive position, the key fell out of the ignition. The VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign number: 05V025000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 120,450.
Engine shuts off while driving at about 65 mph causing the car to lose speed, hard to steer and hard to brake. I heard that there was a recall about this cars (Acura).with the same (switch) problem. Why my car is not included ??
The contact owns a 1999 Acura TL. While the vehicle was in gear and the brake pedal was depressed, the key independently fell out of the ignition and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to restart after multiple attempts. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed as an ignition switch failure. The contact was advised that the failure may be a part of an open recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
The contact owns a 1999 Acura TL. While driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 131,000. The VIN was not available.
This vehicle was bought used from a local dealer 9/11/2013 and about 2 months ago she started experiencing problems with it stalling on her with no warning what so ever, we tried restarting the vehicle and it would start for a very short time then shut off again almost immediately. Tried starting it a couple times till it finally started then we would put it in drive and move again, traveled about 6 blocks down the road and it stalled again!! did the same thing over till we got it where we needed it and left it parked overnight. Asked a few friends and they tell me the possibilities of what could be wrong and I was told that if we take it to a garage and they test drive it and if it doesn't happen while they are test driving it then they won't have any idea of what's going on...for real!!! I'm very upset and not sure what I can do. Plus I also some recall notices for this car and I'm wondering if these problems were ever fixed, what can be done and how do I go about finding out if these recalls were even taken care of? I'm very concerned about the safety of my daughter driving the car at all till it's fixed! thanks
The contact owns a 1999 Acura TL. The contact stated that while driving highway speeds, the vehicle stalled numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the ignition switch was melted. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number 02V120000 (electrical system) however, the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 92,066 and the current mileage was 115,000.
The contact owns a 1999 Acura TL. The contact stated the vehicle would jerk and the gears would slip intermittently while in drive, reverse or park. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the tcc solenoid and the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 198,000.
On July 23, 2011, my hand and elbow were permanently disabled, when my 1999 Acura TL rolled backwards down the driveway and knocked me down. As I tried to stop it from rolling down the driveway but the car won. The car was in park and the brake was engaged, but it still rolled backwards. The car had been in for service at least three times previous to the accident in 04-20-11,05-16-11, and 06-22-11. Each time, the car was taken to mungenast Acura for service yet not once did they mention the recall of the interlocking switch to repair this problem. Their negligence in this matter directly contributed to this accident and my permanent disability. They just replaced the switch when the car began to turn over but stall out as I reported to them 3-13-14. Their disregard for my safety and Honda's refusal to address my concerns about this problem has been outlandish. Tiffany in Honda client relations pretty much stated so what to bad we are not going to do anything and refused to allow me to speak to anyone above her. She told me to call the dealership this is not Honda's problem. She placed a call to the dealership and no one called her back. I was told to contact the BBB, NHTSA and anyone else that I wanted to contact. She was not going to do anything. I asked her to put her position in writing to me. I have not received any correspondence. I want restitution for the negligence of both of these parties. Letters will go out to all reporting agencies. Updated 04/21/14 updated 07/24/14
On 3/15/14 my 1999 Acura TL stalled/engine shut of completely without any warning while driving on the highway at 65 mph. 2nd time it happened, I was driving 40 mph on 3/22/14 & 3rd time it happened I was driving 10 mph on 3/27/14. Each time it happened the engine shut off completely but, the radio and warning light in the dash flashed on and off. I was able to coast to a stop without power steering. After 3-4 attemps to restart the car, I was able to drive off without incident. It happens so random and without warning that I am terrified to drive this car. The car has had a recall of the ignition switch performed in 2003 by the Acura dealer. On 3/24/14 I took the car to the dealer and they have trouble diagnosing the problem. They kept the car for 4 days. They replaced the main fuel relay, performed an engine diagnostic check, performed a recall on the ignition interlock and road tested the car. I picked up the car on 3/27/14 and it stalled later that day as I was driving away from my home. I took the car back to the dealer on 3/28/14 and they still have the car. I want the ntsa to investigate this engine stall issue with the 1999 Acura TL. I called Acura client relations to report the problem on 3/26/14. I asked them to seriously look into this complaint. I believe ntsa should get involved to get Acura to check/rebuild the faulty ignition switch and conduct a fresh recall. This is a dangerous & serious problem that is similar to the recent GM ignition switch recall. Any vehicle that suddenly and silently shut down while driving instantly and without warning needs ntsa's immediate attention before injurys and deaths occur. I have lost all faith in Acura to successfully repair this ignition switch/stalling issue and call upon ntsa to get involved to investigate this complaint to do what it is supposed to do..save lives and prevent injuty.
While driving numerous times engine shuts down. I took notice that there were no common issues related to speed, weather outside, time of year. This has happened too many times to list. There was a recall on this car that was performed but it still happens with the new ignition switch. I know that I have to replace the ignition switch.
Driving normally on city street when suddenly engine died & all electrical on console turned off. Car was diagnosed with faulty ignition switch. There had been a recall for this part. I've confirmed that my car was serviced by dealer under that recall & the ignition switch had been replaced some time ago; the replaced part failed. Incident placed my family in seriously dangerous situation--in middle of road/traffic without power or instruments & barely able to steer.
While driving, the car completely turned off electrically. I was required to pull off the road without any power assist to the brakes or steering. My mechanic indicated that there was an old recall of this part and after checking with Acura they stated it had been replaced previous to my ownership. While the dealership first stated that it was covered when they replaced the part they said it was not covered again under the recall by Acura. When I called the company to inquire about this at first the representative stated that it was covered and then someone else said it was not covered. Even though they agreed to replace this part free of charge the dealership was quite pushy that they were 'right' about it not being 'covered'. my complaint is that this was a very serious incident, and I believe that the part for what ever reason should be replaced w/O cost to any consumer.
The driver of this car has owned the car for 1 year. The driver exited his car at a gas station after turning the car off, removing his keys from the ignition and locking his vehicle. He came back out of the convenience store to find that his vehicle had rolled backwards down a slight grade to collide with another car, causing a lot of damage to the rear end of the driver's car (est. $3,000). He found upon inspection that the car had not been removed from drive, but yet the car allowed him to remove his keys from the ignition. Upon researching later, he found that his car had been subject to a recall for this very reason in 2004. He is not aware if the previous owner had complied with the voluntary recall. Honda made no effort to inform the new owner of the recall or if it had been fixed, but took the time and effort to offer him an extended warranty when he purchased the car. He'd like to know if the vehicle's been fixed or not, and if a replacement part had been installed.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Methow, WA, USA