Owner-reported complaints naming the powertrain system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2012 Acura TL submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 27 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.
The 25 most recent of 27, in the owner's own words
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.
HAS JUMMPY GEAR SHIFTING WHEN GEAR MOVES FROM 1ST TO 2ND AND 2ND TO 3RD. IT FEELS LIKE GEAR SLIPS WHILE CHANGE GEAR.
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
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.
I HAVE RECIEVED RECALL ON TORQUE CONVERTER .SO I TOOK IN FOR SERVICE BUT ALL THEY(ACURA SERVICE)DID WAS FLUSH TRANSMISSION .MY CAR RUNNING HORIBLE IT HAD NO POWER HAD NO ACCELERATION IT JUDDER BETWEEN 35-45MPH NOISE ON BUMPY ROAD NOT SAFE IF YOU TRY TO PASS OTHER.I HAVE TAKEN IN FOR SERVICE 5 TIMES TWO DIFFERRENT DRALERSHIP90
THIS VEHICLES 6 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION RANDOMLY DOWNSHIFTS AND SLIPS ON 3RD AND 4TH GEARS ON BOTH CITY AND HIGHWAYS. IT MAKES THE CAR UNSAFE TO DRIVE CAUSE YOU COULD GET REAR ENDED CAUSE RANDOM DOWNSHIFT WILL CAUSE THE CAR TO SLOW DOWN FROM 65MPH TO 15MPH IN A MATTER OF SECONDS
ON 7/20/2017, I WAS DRIVING ON I-680 S TOWARDS FREMONT CA. I WAS DRIVING ROUGHLY 70 MPH. WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO PASS A CAR, ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. I HIT THE GAS PADDLE ALL THE WAY DOWN, AND IT DIDN'T WORK. AS I FELT A SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF POWER, I PULL OVER TO THE SIDE AND STOPPED THE VEHICLE. THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN IMMEDIATELY WHEN I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. I TRIED TO RESTART MY CAR, BUT IT DOES NOT WORK, AND THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT POPPED UP. I HAD MY INSURANCE TOWED MY CAR TO OAKLAND ACURA, AS I DID AN OIL CHANGE THERE ON 7/19/2017. AFTER AN INSPECTION, OAKLAND ACURA INDICATED THAT THE INTAKE AND EXHAUST VALVE DOES NOT OPEN AND CLOSE NORMALLY. A VALUE ADJUSTMENT WILL SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I FELT THAT IT'S PRETTY IMPOSSIBLE FOR ALL THE VALVES TO BE MALFUNCTION ALL AT ONCE. THUS, I ASKED THE TECHNICIAN ARE ALL THE VALVES MALFUNCTIONING, THE TECHNICIAN SAID SHOULD BE. I THEN ASKED WHETHER SUCH A PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY AN IMPROPER OIL CHANGE SINCE THEY DID MY OIL CHANGE THE DAY BEFORE, AND I ONLY DROVE 25 MILES AFTER THE OLI CHANGE. THE TECHNICIAN SAID, "I DON'T THINK SO". I FURTHER ASKED WHETHER IT'S AN ENGINE DESIGN PROBLEM THAT IS SUBJECT TO A RECALL, THE TECHNICIAN COMMENTED THAT THESE ENGINES LAST FOREVER. THUS, THEY DID A VALVE ADJUSTMENT FOR ME, EVEN THOUGH I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY REALLY DID. I GOT CHARGED FOR $499 FOR THIS VALVE ADJUSTMENT. I ALSO NOTICED THAT WHEN I STARTED MY ENGINE (ESPECIALLY IN COLD WEATHER), MY CAR HAS A BUBBLING NOISE. I NOTICED THAT ON MANY ACURA FORUM, MANY ACURA TL OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I ASKED OAKLAND ACURA TO LOOK INTO THIS. THE CONCLUSION THEY GAVE ME WAS INCONCLUSIVE. I WANT TO REPORT THIS ISSUE BECAUSE IT WAS REALLY DANGEROUS THAT AN ENGINE LOST POWER COMPLETELY ON A HIGH WAY. I AM NOT SURE IF IT'S AN ENGINE DESIGN PROBLEM OR NOT, SO I THOUGHT I SHOULD REPORT THIS.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DOES NOT SHIFT SMOOTHLY, DEALER COMPLETED A SOFTWARE UPDATE WHICH ONLY TEMPORARILY MADE THE SITUATION BETTER. DEALER CLAIMS THERE IS NOTHING FURTHER THAT CAN BE DONE. SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR IS ROUGH AT TIMES AND TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS MAKING IT FEEL LIKE A DRAG ON THE ENGINE. TRANSMISSION IS ABRUPT AT TIMES.
2012 ACURA TL. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE TRANSMISSION HESITATION AND GEAR SHIFTER AUTOMATICALLY DOWN SHIFTS WHILE DRIVING. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE GEAR SHIFT MALFUNCTIONED. IT WOULD LAG THEN AUTOMATICALLY THROW ITSELF INTO GEAR. THE VEHICLE AUTO-DOWN SHIFTED ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT WITH A SEMI TRUCK. THE CONSUMER WAS ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED A SOFTWARE UPDATE. *JS
TAKATA RECALL, RPM MOVING UP AND DOWN AT 45 TO 50MPH, WEIRD SHAKING WHILE ACCELERATING. ACURA SHOULD SOLVE THIS PROBLEM ASAP
2012 ACURA TL. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO UNSATISFACTORY CUSTOMER SERVICE WITH RECALL 16V-061 AND TORQUE CONVERTER SERVICE BULLETIN REPAIRS. *SMD THE CONSUMER ALSO SENT IN A RECALL LETTER FOR THE AIR BAG. *JB
I HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING TO ACURA ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION "TACH HUNTING" AND CAR VIBRATIONS SINCE THE CAR WAS BETWEEN 1-2 YEARS OLD. NO ONE COULD FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. THEY DID FIND AND REPAIR A LEAK ON THE DRIVE SHAFT THAT THEY SAID MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE OF MY COMPLAINTS. THAT DID NOT FIX IT AND I WAS TOLD THAT HONDA/ACURA TRANSMISSIONS WERE ABRUPT IN THEIR CHANGES, AND TENDED TO FAVOR LOWER GEARS, AS A METHOD OF INCREASING FUEL ECONOMY. PROGRESSIVELY THE PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN WORSE AND NOW THE ACURA DEALER IS TELLING ME THAT THE PROBLEM IS THE TORQUE CONVERTER.
TRANSMISSION NEEDING REPLACEMENT IN LESS THAN 100K MILES. HARD SHIFTING NOTICED SUBSTANTIALLY WHILE DRIVING. CAR ONLY AT ONLY 65K MILES.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 ACURA TL. WHILE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS GRADUALLY DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE HESITATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,700.
TORQUE CONVERTER FAILURE. STALL WHEN PASSING AT 35-40 MPH. WIDESPREAD PROBLEM.
2012 ACURA TL. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE ACCELERATION ISSUES. *SMD THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED A HESITATION OR LAG WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE AT LOW SPEEDS AND THEN THE VEHICLE WOULD SURGED FORWARD IN A VIOLENT MANNER. THE CONSUMER STATED IT OCCURRED MORE OFTEN AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 8 TO 17 MPH. *JB
THERE HAS TO BE A RECALL ON 4TH GENERATION ACURA TL'S WITH THE 6 SPEED AUTO TRANSMISSION (MINE IS A 2012 SH-AWD TECH PACKAGE). MY CAR PRODUCES THE TACHOMETER JUMPING APPROXIMATELY 300-500 RPM WHEN CRUISING IN 5TH GEAR AROUND 35-45 MPH. THE TACH JUMP IS SO LARGE I ACTUALLY HAVE LOOKED AT IT WHILE DRIVING, IT'S DISTRACTING AND NEEDS TO BE FIXED, I AM WILLING TO BET IT'S THE TORQUE CONVERTER. CAR IS GOING TO ACURA DEALER ON 12/3/2015 FOR "DIAGNOSTIC TESTING:". BELOW IS A LINK TO A YOUTUBE VIDEO WHICH IS ALMOST IDENTICAL TO THE VIDEO ON MY CELL PHONE THAT THE SERVICE MANAGER WILL SEE THIS COMING THURSDAY (AROUND 19 SECONDS IN, THE CAR IS IN FIFTH GEAR AND DOES EXACTLY WHAT MINE DOES). READ THE ACURAZINE.COM FORUMS, THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM AND ACURA IS HOPING THEIR CUSTOMERS IGNORE IT OR JUST PLAIN DON'T NOTICE IT. HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=A-DWNEJ3G74.
ACURA TL 2012, DRIVING WITH LIGHT THROTTLE, SUFFERING JERKING AND SHUDDER. COASTING WITH LITTLE UPHILL ROAD SHOWS MORE JERKING AND SHIFTING HESITATION. WHEN ENGINE REV KEEPS AROUND 1000-1200, CAN FEEL THE VIBRATION AND SHAKING FROM GAS PEDAL AND DASHBOARD.
THIS IS A *WELL DOCUMENTED* PROBLEM WITH ACURA TORQUE CONVERTERS AFFECTING THE 4TH GENERATION TL WITH THE 5-SPEED AUTO--SO MUCH SO THAT A TSB LETTER WAS SENT OUT. WHEN LEISURELY ACCELERATING (LIGHT THROTTLE APPLICATION), THE VEHICLE EXHIBITS A CHARACTERISTIC "LOW GROWL" AND SORT OF RHYTHMICALLY SURGES FORWARD AS POWER IS ALTERNATELY APPLIED AND REDUCED BY THE TORQUE CONVERTER; THIS SYMPTOM IS ALSO VISIBLE ON THE TACHOMETER, AS THE REVS OSCILLATE UP AND DOWN A COUPLE HUNDRED RPM. ON MY 2012 TL, THIS MOSTLY OCCURS BETWEEN 1ST/2ND GEAR (THIS IS THE 6-SPEED AUTO), BUT ALSO BETWEEN 2ND/3RD. BASED ON ONLY CURSORY SEARCHING OF OWNER FORUMS, THIS IS ALSO BECOMING COMMONPLACE ON THE 2012 MODELS. FAILING TORQUE CONVERTERS IN THESE CASES HAVE ALSO LED TO FAILURES IN THE TRANSMISSION ITSELF, A MUCH COSTLIER REPAIR. HERE IS AN EXAMPLE LINK TO A FORUM PAGE WITH MANY EXAMPLES OF THE BEHAVIOR, INCLUDING LINKS TO OTHER FORUMS AND VIDEOS: HTTP://ACURAZINE.COM/FORUMS/PROBLEMS-FIXES-297/ANYONE-DO-TORQUE-CONVERTER-TRANSMISSION-PROGRAM-RECALL-870425/
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 ACURA TL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY FAILED AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.
AFTER OWNING MY 2012 ACURA TL FOR ROUGHLY 2YRS, I'VE BECOME CONCERNED WITH THE ENGINE WORKMANSHIP. ACCELERATION SEEMS TO BE AT A LOSS BETWEEN 30-45MPH IN BETWEEN GEAR CHANGES. IT'S ALMOST AS THOUGH THE TRANSMISSION DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. YOU HAVE TO EITHER LET UP ON THE ACCELERATION OR INCREASE YOUR SPEED TO AVOID THAT ANNOYING HESITATION. THE SECOND PROBLEM IS WHAT I WOULD DESCRIBE AS LIFTER/VALVE NOISE. THE NOISE OCCURS WHEN ACCELERATING, INTERMITTENTLY THOUGH. ALTHOUGH IT IS EMBARRASSING DRIVING A VEHICLE THAT LOOKS AS GOOD AS THE TL LOOKS AND HAVE IT SOUND LIKE AN OLD CHEVY WHEN YOU ACCELERATE, I HATE IT. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE NOISE, OF COURSE. THEY TOLD ME THE CAR WAS FINE. I TOLD THEM SPECIFICALLY I BELIEVED THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM LIFTER/VALVE. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS PROBABLY POOR GAS SELECTION. I EXPLAINED TO THEM I USED THE RECOMMENDED PREMIUM OCTANE/CHEVRON. THEY HAD NO ANSWER. LASTLY, MY BRAKES ARE SQUEALING, I TOLD THE ACURA MECHANIC TO PLEASE CHECK MY BRAKE PADS, HE SAID THEY WERE PERFECTLY FINE AND SHOULD NOT WORRY. HE SAID THE ROTORS DEVELOP A BLUE FILM OVER TIME, AND THE SQUEALING NOISE IS NORMAL. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT, I AM SUPPOSED TO ACCEPT THAT ANNOYING BRAKE NOISE. THIS IS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED FROM ACURA/HONDA, IS THIS BAD WORKMANSHIP OR POOR MATERIALS BEING USED BY ACURA TO KEEP COSTS DOWN ON MANUFACTURING. *TR
AFTER ACCELERATING FROM A STOP AND SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR, THE VEHICLE LOST ALL ENGINE POWER. THE ENGINE DID NOT STALL AND THE RPM'S DID NOT DROP, BUT THE GAS PEDAL DID NOT RESPOND TO INPUT. THE VEHICLE JUST COASTED. AFTER PRODDING THE GAS PEDAL MULTIPLE TIMES, IT BEGAN TO RESPOND AND I WAS ABLE TO ACCELERATE ONTO THE HIGHWAY. THE ISSUE LASTED FOR ABOUT 3-5 SECONDS. IT FELT AS IF THE GAS PEDAL WAS DISCONNECTED. *TR
2012 ACURA TL. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE ACCELERATION AND STALLING PROBLEMS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN ACCELERATING BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND GEAR, THE VEHICLE HESITATED AND LOST POWER AND IT ALMOST SEEMED TO STALL OUT.
PURCHASED MY NEW 2012 SH-AWD ACURA TL ADVANCE IN MARCH OF 2012. THE CAR HAD LESS THAN 100 MILES WHEN PURCHASED AND CURRENTLY HAS 5K MILES (JANUARY 2013). THE CAR VIBRATES WHEN DRIVING AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 40 AND 80 MPH. IT FEELS LIKE THE TIRES ARE FLAT SPOTTED OR WHEELS ARE OUT OF BALANCE. THE WHEELS AND TIRES HAVE BEEN CHECKED AND CONFIRMED BY THE DEALER ON 2 SEPARATE OCCASIONS AS OK. THE DEALER CLASSIFIED THIS VIBRATION AS A "VEHICLE CHARACTERISTIC." I'M WORRIED IT IS THE SIGN OF A MAJOR ISSUE THEY DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH. *TR
TURNED CORNER IN LARGE CENTER CITY AND HIT A CONSTRUCTION LARGE POT HOLE AND/OR OBSTRUCTION ON THE LEFT REAR. AFTER COMPLETING TURN ONTO A NARROW ONE-WAY STREET ACCELERATION INCREASED, BRAKES DID NOT WORK, ENGINE COULD NOT BE TURNED OFF, GEARS COULD NOT MOVE. AFTER GOING THROUGH TWO MAJOR INTERSECTIONS WITHOUT ACCIDENT I KEPT PULLING ON THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THE CAR SLOWLY STOPPED AND WAS THEN PERFECTLY NORMAL. COULD USE THE BRAKES, SHIFT, ETC. I PARKED OVERNIGHT IN A GARAGE. HAD THE CAR TOWED TO DEALER THE NEXT DAY (7/21/12), WHERE IT IS STILL UNRESOLVED. DEALER SAID CAR IS OK, BUT IS NOW BEING ANALYZED BY ACURA CORPORATE ENGINEERS. I HAD THREE OTHER PEOPLE WHO WERE IN THE CAR AT THE TIME, INCLUDING MY WIFE, WHO WILL NOT EVER GO INTO THIS CAR. THE CAR WAS ONLY 10 DAYS AFTER PURCHASING. *TR
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
Data on this page last refreshed .