2012 Acura TL: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 130 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (33% of complaints); the 2010 and 2011 and 2013 and 2014 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jun 2019
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 130 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“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.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jul 2025
“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.”Owner report · Electrical System · Dec 2024
“On 4/28/2023 per Balcones Heights Police officer Ford and Officer [XXX] 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 [XXX] 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).”Owner report · Electrical System · Apr 2023
Show 7 more owner reports
“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.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2022
“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”Owner report · Equipment · Dec 2021
“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.”Owner report · Steering · Jul 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.”Owner report · Visibility · Mar 2021
“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.”Owner report · Power Train · Nov 2020
“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”Owner report · Power Train · Nov 2019
“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.”Owner report · Power Train · Sep 2019
When filing, owners marked a crash in 3 of these complaints and injuries in 5 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2012 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact TL by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2012 Acura TL reliable?
NHTSA has 130 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2012 Acura TL. The most complained-about area is air bags (33% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2012 Acura TL problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 60,000 miles or less.
Does the 2012 Acura TL have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.