Brake complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 4 | 3% | 10,000 miles |
| 2011 | 1 | 5% | — |
| 2010 | 3 | 5% | 40,000 miles |
| 2009 | 2 | 5% | 120,000 miles |
| 2008 | 6 | 5% | 36,000 miles |
| 2007 | 7 | 6% | 17,000 miles |
| 2006 | 13 | 5% | 63,000 miles |
| 2005 | 9 | 2% | 45,000 miles |
| 2004 | 16 | 3% | 69,000 miles |
| 2003 | 9 | 2% | 76,000 miles |
| 2002 | 21 | 6% | 41,000 miles |
| 2001 | 5 | 3% | 36,000 miles |
| 2000 | 12 | 5% | 46,000 miles |
| 1999 | 6 | 4% | 150,000 miles |
| 1998 | 1 | 5% | 115,000 miles |
| 1997 | 2 | 9% | — |
| 1996 | 5 | 19% | 114,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Hi I'm wanting to complain about this year Acura making models breaks because in the winter time when you go to press the brakes and start the car the brakes are completely frozen. Also wanted to complain about the headlights the headlights get dull and dingy with wear in tear and get very dull causing it to be very hard to see at night as well as the body all the molding on the top of the roof is peeling off the chrome trim molding please look into this further. My car is a daily driver I drive it everyday I get it a car wash every other day but that should be no reason for the top chrome trim on the roof to start peeling off and be coming undone from your car
I was trying to make a stop at an intersection and there was a car in front of me. I slowed down and when I attempted to make the stop and placed my foot on the brake the car began to accelerate. At this time, I hit the back of a vehicle which was stopped in front of me and did very little damage as I was traveling only at 12 MPH. There was more damage done to my vehicle than to the other party because he was driving an SUV which sat up high and it damage my hood and pushed the front of my vehicle in and broke the vent and radiator.
On every cold morning about 40 degrees or colder. When starting the car the brake pedal is rock solid then turns to normal. Took to dealership in spring and they changed out the brake fluid. No problem until the next fall when temps hit 40s at night. A few times there have been a very brief grinding sound while the pedal softened.
I've now experienced three incidents with my vehicle's braking performance in very cold temperatures (-10-0 degrees f). When starting the vehicle the brake pedal is extremely hard and the stopping performance is greatly reduced. Upon pumping the brakes for a while the pedal will suddenly soften and braking performance is completely restored. I've now experienced this same issue on the highway after driving the vehicle for 10-15 minutes and exiting onto an off-ramp. While traveling at highway speeds and attempting to slow on the ramp again the pedal is extremely hard and stopping power is greatly reduced causing me to pump the brakes until the pedal suddenly softens and braking is again restored.
I was driving down HWY 101 in Oregon State in the rain. I was accelerating because I had just turned onto the highway, I got up to about 60 mph whe the car started dinging as it does when you open the door with the keys still in the ignition. The VSA light, as well as the engine, oil, abs and battery lights all started flashing on the dash and the car turned off. The steering wheel locked up and I had to throw it in neutral, turning the key back and forth from the off position to the start position to get it to unlock right before I crashed into on coming traffick! There has been nothing wrong with the car other than routine maintenance an absolutely no signs anything is wrong with the car. It has 168436 miles on it and has been religiously maintained. There is a SERIOUS problem with this vehicle for something like this to happen. …
February 2020 going downhill at 30mph on a curved road, and my wheel snaps to the right thanks to recalled ball joints!!!!!!!!! Hit the curb, snapped my rotor in half and the brake line. Lower control arm went thru my cradle. Spinning out of control with no steering and no freaking brakes at all. Out of nowhere! Totaled suspension all the way around. Only freakin airbag to go off was the passenger window airbag. Whole car was [redacted] because of manufactor issues! Sounds like Acura should replace my freaking car. Oh wait.. I did. And today the one im driving right now randomly had the power steering explodeeeeee and I almost got hit by a semi while turning and randomly losing steering out of nowhere once again!! Which fried my cooling fan, and overheated my motor on my attempt to drive home with no power steering.... So yeah. …
I was driving to work early morning around 3.am ,driving on hwy 74ortega witch cuts thru the mountains from riverside county into orange county. Its a curvy road and it's claimed a lot of lives,as I got close too exiting the curvy roads and mountains. The last curve is really bad as I went to step on the breaks to slow on the curve the break pedal sank all the way to the floor.and I could not (stop) .the car reached 70mph.on the hwy down hill .their was a lot of traffic in front of me .as I was about to slam into the car in front of me I remember to down shift and it skidded for a few feet then I got some control of the car.I managed to pull onto a shoulder and I got out to check what went wrong with the breaks but it was still dark and could not see anything. …
TL contact owns a 2007 Acura TL. The contact had to make a sudden stop and experienced brake and steering failure. She swerved and crashed into a building. The air bag deployed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The diagnosis concluded that the braking system and steering were working properly. The speed was unknown. The failure mileage was 76,059 and current mileage was 76,100.
Frequently asked questions
Which Acura TL years have brake problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2002 (21), 2004 (16), 2006 (13), 2000 (12) and 2003 (9) model years. Brake complaints make up 6% of all complaints for the 2002.
Is there a recall for Acura TL brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for any Acura TL model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Acura TL brake problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 54,000 miles; 52% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (16 mentions), followed by the foundation components › disc › rotor (13).
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.