Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2003 Acura TL submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 9 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 ACURA TL. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V182000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE BRAKES SQUEAKED. THE DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
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." *TR
BRAKE LIGHT COMES ON AND I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT IT WAS CAUSED BY A STICKY FLOAT IN THE MASTER CYLINDER RESERVOIR THAT HAD TO BE REPLACED WITH ANEW DESIGN THAT WOULD ELIMINATE THE ISSUE. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 ACURA TL. WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 0-35MPH THE VEHICLE BEGAN SHAKING AND MAKING A CONTINUOUS LOUD NOISE. WHEN THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP, HE HAD TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND IT BEGAN SHAKING RAPIDLY ON THREE OCCASIONS. THE REVERSE GEAR BOX AND THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. HE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO THE DEALER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE WAS 96,400. THE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 01-11-08. *KB THE DEALER STATED VIBRATION WHEN BRAKING. UPDATED 12/12/07 *TR
MY '03 ACURA TL IS HAVING THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED AT 50,000 MILES. ALSO THE ROTORS ARE DEFECTIVE AND WARP CAUSING ME TO HAVE THEM RESURFACED ALL THE TIME.
MY 2003 ACURA TL CURRENTLY HAS 3500 MILES ON IT. THE OTHER DAY IT STARTED MAKING A GRINDING NOISE - NO NOISE WAS PRESENT PRIOR - TURNS OUT THE REAR BRAKES AND ROTORS WERE BAD (THE FRONT ONES WERE FINE). *AK
"YAW RATE SENSOR" FOR THE VEHICLE STABILITY ASSIST (VDS) SYSTEM MAY BE IMPROPERLY MOUNTED. THIS CAN CAUSE EITHER OF THE FRONT WHEEL BRAKES TO BE SUDDENLY AND FIRMLY APPLIED WITHOUT WARNING FOR UP TO ONE SECOND. A POSSIBLE RESULT IS LOST OF CONTROL OR REAR END COLLISION (BRAKE LIGHTS ARE NOT ACTIVATED). IMPROPERLY MOUNTED SENSOR WILL ALSO CAUSE THE VDS TO DEACTIVATE UNTIL ENGINE RESTART, ACTIVATE VSA SYSTEM INDICATOR WARNING LIGHT ON THE TACHOMETER FACE, AND SET A YAW RATE SENSOR DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE. HONDA HAS STARTED SUPPLYING YAW RATE SENSORS WITH A LOCATING PIN WHICH PREVENTS IMPROPER MOUNTING. BUT THERE IS NO INDICATION THAT HONDA HAS RECALLED TO CHECK THOSE VEHICLES BUILT OR REPAIRED WITH UNITS LACKING THE LOCATING PINS. THE UNIT IS EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO CHECK FOR PROPER MOUNTING. THIS PROBLEM PERTAINS TO 2003 & 2002 TYPE-S VERSIONS OF BOTH THE 3.2TL AND 3.2CL MODELS. *LA
TOOK DELIVERY OF NEW ACURA 2003 3.2TL TYPE S ON MAY 10, 2002. WITH ABOUT 7,000 MILES ON VEHICLE STARTED TO NOTICE SLIGHT "SHIMMY" / "SHUTTER" WHEN APPLYING BRAKES...GREATER IMPACT AT SPEEDS 40 - 70MPH. THIS INDICATES WARPED BRAKE ROTORS. FINALLY INSISTED THAT DEALER ADDRESS ISSUE. DEALER FIRST OFFERED TO "TURN" ROTORS; I DECLINED AND ASKED THAT THEY CONTACT HONDA FOR REPLACEMENT OF ROTORS. HONDA AGREED ON, "GOOD-WILL ONE TIME BASIS." FURTURE WARRANTY COVERAGE WILL BE BY "TURNING" ROTORS. ROTORS AND BRAKE PADS REPLACED AT 9,675 MILES. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE CAUSE IS "OWNER DISTINCTIVE DRIVING HABITS." WHEN ASKED FOR A DEFINITION, I WAS TOLD THAT I MUST LIVE ON AND OR DRIVE ON LONG - STEEP HILLS WHICH NECESSITATES EXTENED USE OF BRAKES. THIS IS TOTALLY INCORRECT AND THEY WERE ADVISED OF THAT. IF NORMAL USE OF THE BRAKES WILL CAUSE WARPING, THEN THE BRAKES ARE NOT FIT FOR THEIR IMPLIED USAGE AS DEFINED UNDER THE UNIFORM COMMERICAL CODE-IMPLIED WARRANTY MECHANTABILITY. IN DISCUSSION WITH A MEMBER OF THE ACURA STAFF, IT WAS DISCLOSED THAT ABOUT 50% OF THE VEHICLES EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM. HONDA/ACURA TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS HAVE BEEN MADE UNAVAILABLE TO CONSUMERS; HOWEVER, I HAVE BEEN ADVISED THAT THE TSB ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE CALLS FOR ROTOR REPLACEMENT OR "TURNING" ROTORS. IT IS CLEAR THAT HONDA/ACURA IS IN IT'S NORMAL MODE OF DENIAL OF A PROBLEM. A PROBLEM WHICH IS MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY ENGINEERING DESIGN DEFECT AND/OR IMPROPER HEAT TREATMENT/HARDENING OF THE ROTOR MATERIAL IN CONJUNCITION WITH THE COMPOSITION OF THE BRAKE PAD MATERIAL. THIS IS A SERIOUS DEFECT AND SAFETY HAZARD.
CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING, A CAR SUDDENLY CUT INTO CONSUMER'S LANE. CONSUMER TURNED THE VEHICLE TO AVOID HITTING THE OTHER CAR AND USED THE BRAKES IMMEDIATELY. VEHICLE SPAN OUT OF CONTROL, MAKING 2 COMPLETE ROTATIONS AND THEN HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WAS DAMAGE TO BOTH VEHICLES, BUT NO ONE WAS INJURED. CONSUMER FEELS THE ABS AND TRACKING SYSTEM FAILED TO PREVENT THE ACCIDENT. *TT
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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