Most common 2001 Acura TL problems
Share of the 149 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Acura TL complaints by model year
Best TL years: 2011, 2014, 2009. Years to avoid: 2004, 2003, 2002, 2005, 2000. Compare all years →
2001 Acura TL recalls (3)
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2001-2002 Acura 3.2CL, 2000-2003 Acura 3.5RL, 2000-2001 Acura 3.2TL, Honda CR-V and Honda Odyssey, 2001-2002 Acura MDX and 2000 Accord Coupe, Accord Sedan, Civic Coupe, and Civic Sedan vehicles.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the air bags in the vehicles, replacing the driver frontal air bag inflator with an inflator of a different design, as necessary, free of charge.
Power train › Automatic transmission
On some Mini vans, sport utility and passenger vehicles, certain operating conditions can result in heat build-up between the countershaft and secondary shaft second gears in the automatic transmission, eventually leading to gear tooth chipping or gear breakage.
Remedy: On vehicles with 15,000 miles or less, the dealer will update the transmission with a simple revision to the oil cooler return line to increase lubrication to the second gear.
Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
Vehicle description: the following vehicles were repaired with incorrect parts: 2002 Acura 3.2tl sedans with replacement buckles installed per recall 01v-166001; certain 2000 Acura 3.2tl vehicles with replacement buckles installed as product update repairs; and certain 2000-2002 Acura 3.2tl vehicles with replacement buckles…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the front seat belt buckles. Owner notification began August 20, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not…
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2001 Acura TL:
Automatic transmission sudden downshift
See attached report.
What 2001 Acura TL owners say
Transmission & drivetrain all 103 →
TL* the contact owns a 2001 Acura TL. While driving 72 MPH without warning, the vehicle failed to shift gears. The vehicle was taken to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 04V176000 (power train). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Few ways ago buy this car has only 84,300 miles ....while driving today suddenly malfunction sign comes and car slow down and making weared sounds... Go to advance auto part to scan the malfunction sign and after scanning no codes come but showing issue with transmission. So don't know where and how much its going to cost to fix or replace transmission. If anyone help me will be greatly appreciated. I live in ma ( western ma)
Air bags
I have reached out to Acura on three separate occasions to try and get them to inspect and possibly replace my recalled airbags. They have failed to contact us back every time and this is our only mode of transportation. I've expressed my concerns to them each time and let them know I'm forced to drive this vehicle until it's fixed.
TL* the contact owns a 2001 Acura TL. The contact stated that he received a NHTSA recall letter number 20V027000 (air bags). The contact took the vehicle into the dealer flow Acura 4952 new centre dr, wilmington, nc 28403 [phone]. During the recall repair they told the contact they did not have the right parts and said they would call him back. The dealer called back and said that the manufacturer rep said they did not make that airbag part since the vehicle was old. The vehicle was not able to pass inspection since the repair shorted out several functions. The vehicle was unrepaired with a defective air bag while the dealer looks for another part. The failure mileage was 190,000.
Speed control & acceleration
I drove my car out the garage into the common alley in reverse, once out the garage. When I was out of garage attempted to close the garage door with the genie , and the garage door wouldn't close . I drove the car further away from the garage/building in reverse to determine , whether the genie would operate from another position , next thing I knew the car was accelerating uncontrollably, between 20 - 25 miles per hour in reverse next to our building's garages . My car only stopped because I slammed into my neighbor's garage , which was 4 doors down from my own garage . My accelerator was essentially, frozen...a runaway accelerator. Similiar instances while I was in the drive mode , but just for quite , short, times.
Various problems with the 2001 Acura TL. Bought used and has been in shop 6 or 7 times in less than one year. Brakes, transmission replacement, master cylinder. Brakes continue to seemingly have a problem...you have to almost go to the floor to stop, but dealership says this is normal on this type of vehicle. True or not-I don't know. Also, the check engine light keeps coming on, also the ABS and tc lights keep coming on. Also, it does not make sense that my car now has 50,000 miles on it when I hardly go anywhere. It seems the odometer is very inaccurate. There is no way I have put 30,000 miles on this car since April of 2003. Could not find any other information concerning the odometer issue, but was told by a mechanic that it's possible their could be a speed sensor issue in the transmission, which would also cause the check engine light to come on.
2001 Acura TL engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | FWD | 17 / 27 / 20 |
EPA ratings. Class: Midsize car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2001 Acura TL a good car?
Based on 149 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2001 TL rates use caution: 1.5× as many complaints as a typical year of the TL at the same age. It is one of the TL years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2001 Acura TL?
The transmission & drivetrain — 103 complaints, 69% of all complaints for this model year, most often about automatic transmission. Next are the air bags (15) and speed control & acceleration (9).
How many recalls does the 2001 Acura TL have?
There are 3 recalls for the 2001 Acura TL, the most recent from January 17, 2020 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Acura TL?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2011, 2014 and 2009. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2004, 2003, 2002, 2005 and 2000. See the full Acura TL years comparison.
At what mileage do 2001 Acura TL problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 82,000 miles; 33% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.