Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Acura TL owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was on the highway with heavy traffic and I was at a full stop on the right lane when my car lunged forward. I pressed the brakes harder and when nothing happened I tried to get into the exit lane which luckily was right next to me. Unfortunatley I hit the rear right hand side of the vehicle in front of me and the car still did not stop. It kept going at which time I released the brake and pressed it again thinking maybe it locked up or something. The vehicle still did not stop. I was almost out of the highway when I put the car in neutral and it finally slowed down. I put it in park and turned off the engine. Needless to say I was in shock and trembling uncontrollably. The car went off so far it took the other driver approximately 5 minutes to reach me. I read about 7 complaints of the same thing happening and nothing was done in 5 incidents. …
While slowly pulling into a parking space at my local fitness club vehicle suddenly made a roaring noise, accelerated, plunged forward, and struck two parked vehicles. This happened in a matter of seconds. After the car stopped, I put it in park and turned off the engine. I notified the owners of the other vehicles, and promptly called the police. When the police officer arrived, he completed exchange of information forms for all involved parties. He also told me to be sure to have the car checked out mechanically. The car was towed to a body shop for repairs. Then, it was taken to the car dealer service department to have it checked for internal mechanical malfunctions. The service manager said they could not find anything wrong with the car. He said there were no error messages or indications of malfunction. …
!!!warning this is a safety issue and needs to be addressed!!! "cruise control control box defect!" 2003 TL type s automatic 4 door without cruise control on car engine began to rev out of control while driving, tried to apply brakes but engine is too strong, once vehicle hit 80 MPH from this on highway I calmly turned ignition off one click so steering wheel would not lock and coasted to safety. I had to detach module as well as speed control wire going to the idle control of engine. If I was inexperienced I could have been killed either by getting into an accident or by my airback being deployed and killed from the Takata inflator. "clear coat" 2003 TL type s black clear coat paint flaking off and massively discolored due to the dry winter cold and the uv heat during summer. …
I was applying the brake due to stopped traffic ahead of my car. As I did so, the car accelerated rather than slowed down. My car contacted the left rear of the car in front of mine, and as I tried to straighten out the car, it again accelerated. Veered to the right, and struck the stone wall of the bridge on the shoulder of the highway. According to the police report, there was a malfunction with the throttle mechanism. "officers witnessed, when starting the vehicle, the RPM indicator quickly rise to approximately 5,000/5,500 without any pressure applied on the gas pedal. The floor area did not exhibit items, including the floor mat, which would potentially be the cause."
Summer of 2014 I can to a stop light at a complete stop. My TL type s kept idle at 3500 - 3700 RPM. Drove the car about quarter of a mile before having to shut of the engine. That fix the problem for the time being. This would happen 2-5 times a week for three weeks until I figured out the cause. Come to find out it was the cruise control lever at the throttle that was getting stuck. Eventually just unhooked the cable for the cruise control. Hasn't been fix since.
As I was accelerating onto the highway, the car continued to accelerate. At 89mph I hit the brakes hard to see if I could slow down. Would not happen. Put the transmission into neutral and shut off the engine and braked to the side of the road. When the dealer examined the throttle body they found the plastic cam for the cruise control had broken and the cable for the cruise had jammed the throttle wide open. When asked if that part was replaceable I was informed the whole throttle body would have to be replaced at ~$500. The alternative was to remove the cruise cable and tie it up away from the throttle body. Since the dealer told me this was the second one they have had with this problem, it was rare. Oops if this would have happened in town I would have hit several cars before getting it shut down. …
TL* the contact owns a 2003 Acura TL. The accelerator would repeatedly get stuck, which caused unintended acceleration. She took the vehicle to the dealership, and the accelerator was replaced. However, the failure resurfaced. She took the vehicle to another dealer, and the technician stated that the accelerator was installed too tightly. He then re-installed the accelerator pedal. The repair remedied the failure. The current mileage was approximately 85,000. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000. Updated 12/07/09 the consumer stated the problem was the accelerator under the hood. The throttle cable was adjusted. Updated 12/09/09.
I was pulling off the interstate and came to a red light on a hill right before haywood road. I had to stop because the light was red and when the light turned green I pulled onto haywood road and the car went through 1st gear, 2nd gear and right before it went into 3rd it slipped out of gear and just revved to around 4000 RPM. When the car went into 3rd and started sipping I had a pile of cars that bunched on my behind. I had two guys in a truck scream and yell obscene gestures.
TL* the contact owns a 2003 Acura TL. The contact stated that while attempting to brake, the vehicle erroneously accelerated. The contact shut off and restarted the vehicle as it began to function properly. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the failure could not be replicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the issue. The failure and current mileages were 103,000.
2003 Acura TL type s experiencing transmission problems. The transmission shifted roughly in addition to missing when the cruise control was engaged. When the consumer pressed the cruise control to increase the speed the engine surged on two occasions back to back as the consumer tried to disengage the cruise control. (faulty TL transmissions were a widely known problem for Acura)
Acceleration complaints in other TL years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2003 Acura TL?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2003 Acura TL, 5% of the model year's 391 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Acura TL acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2003 Acura TL, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Acura TL acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 45,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.