There are 7 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2005 Acura TLin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
IN THE ACURA 3.2 MOTORS, THE CYLINDERS HAVE OIL RELEASE HOLES THAT ARE NOT SMOOTH WHICH IS CAUSING METAL SHAVINGS TO GET STUCK, SHAVE AND DAMAGE THE CAM SHAFTS AND CAUSE MOTOR FAILURE. THEY ARE CAUSING SERIOUS GROOVES ON THE OUTER 2 CAM BEARINGS THAT HAVE THE LARGER RELEASE HOLES. MY MOTOR FAILED DUE TO THIS. I WAS DRIVING, CAR STOPPED RUNNING, I THOUGHT MY TIMING SLIPPED. I PULLED THE MOTOR APART AND MY CAM WAS SEIZED UP AFTER LOOKING INTO IT FURTHER. I ORDER A NEW MOTOR SAME YEAR, MAKE, MODEL, THINKING IT WAS JUST MY MOTOR. I PULLED THE NEW MOTOR APART AND I FOUND THE SAME ISSUE! THE CAM WAS GETTING SCORED DUE TO THE OIL RELEASE HOLE NOT BEING SMOOTH. I ALSO REALIZED THAT ON THE SIDE THAT WAS NOT GETTING DAMAGED IT HAD AN OIL SYLPH, AND WHICH THE SIDE THAT WAS GETTING DAMAGED DID NOT. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 ACURA TL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 3 MPH, THE VEHICLE STOPPED MOVING ALTHOUGH THE ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING. THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE THEN RESET AND WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PERSONAL MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE HAD INITIATED IN OPEN LOOP MODE, CAUSING THE VEHICLE NOT TO RESPOND TO THE THROTTLE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 136,800.
WAS DRIVING IN STOP & GO TRAFFIC AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. APPROX 50 MILES LATER WHILE DRIVING AT 55MPH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING AND THE ENGINE STARTED RUNNING VERY ROUGHLY. PULLED OFF ROAD AND HAD CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP IDENTIFIED THAT THE IGNITION COIL HAD WATER ON IT WHICH SHORTED IT OUT. SHORT ALSO REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF ONE COMPUTER IN THE CAR. WATER WAS FROM BLOCKED HOSE FROM AREA DIRECTLY UNDER WINDSHIELD WHICH HAD BEEN BLOCKED BY DEBRIS. DEALER ADVISED THAT THEY HAD SAME PROBLEM COME IN A FEW WEEKS EARLIER. IN THAT CASE, THE IGNITION COIL HAD BURNED INTO THE ENGINE HEAD, REQUIRING A REPLACEMENT ENGINE. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 ACURA TL. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND SLOWED TO APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH BEFORE IT STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTO CENTER WHERE THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR WERE REPLACED. THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN DAYS LATER AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE AUTO CENTER; THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR WERE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 80,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 ACURA TL. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN NOVEMBER OF 2007, IT BEGAN IDLING ROUGHLY AND THE ENGINE VIBRATED. A FEW MONTHS LATER, WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60-65 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND WOULD NOT RESTART. APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES LATER, THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AND THE CONTACT DROVE TO HIS RESIDENCE. LATER THAT WEEK, THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC AND THEY STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO BUILD UP IN THE FUEL INJECTOR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD CRANK SLOWLY IN THE MORNINGS. HE RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE BATTERY WAS DEFECTIVE. THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURES PERSISTED. THE OXYGEN SENSOR, FUEL RATIO SENSOR, AND THE ALTERNATOR BELT WERE ALL REPLACED. AFTER THE MOST RECENT REPAIRS, THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN AND HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED SINCE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 41,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 37,000. REMAILED 12/05/08
THE CAR EXPERIENCES FLUCTUATIONS IN VEHICLE RPM AT ALL SPEEDS WHILE KEEPING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CONSTANT. THIS IS NOTICED WITH AND WITHOUT THE AIR CONDITIONER ON AND AT VARIOUS SPEEDS BUT MORE NOTICEABLE AT AROUND 40MPH. I BROUGHT IT TO MY DEALERS ATTENTION AT THE SECOND YEAR STATE INSPECTION SERVICE (15,793 MILES) BUT NOTHING WAS DONE AS I THOUGHT I WOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR IT. *TR
ONLY AFTER 4 WEEKS OF PURCHASING A NEW ACURA TL 2005, THE ENGINE STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. THE BATTERY AND LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR LAMPS BOTH CAME ON. THE CAR HAD TO BE SHUT OFF AND RE-STARTED FOUR TIMES BEFORE THE ENGINE RE-STARTED. THE CAR WAS AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR 9 DAYS GETTING TESTS RUN, BUT THEY FOUND NOTHING AND WANTED TO RETURN THE CAR IN THE SAME CONDITION!
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026