1996 Acura TL
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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These records cover every 1996 Acura TL. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
2 recalls name the 1996 Acura TL. Newest first.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. a transmission case bolt can loosen and fall out allowing the transmission to disengage from the differential.
Risk and remedy
Risk
The vehicle could lose power to the drive wheels without warning. also, shifting the transmission into the park position would not lock the wheels, and a parked vehicle could move unexpectedly if the parking brake IS not set.
Remedy
Dealers will install a redesigned bolt.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. certain vehicles were manufactured with ball joints that can prematurely wear out and, in the worse case, the ball joint would separate causing the front suspension to collapse.
Risk and remedy
Risk
This condition would result in vehicle deceleration and a sudden loss of power. also steering controllability would be reduced.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the front suspension lower ball joints.
Owner complaints
26 complaints3 involved a crash2 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Electronic stability control (esc) · Engine · Fuel/propulsion system
Yea the vehicle was purchased september 2019 @185K miles and started having problems around april 2020 @ 250K miles my , this month after driving for about an hour you could say , my car over heated and the battery and electricity sensors and such stopped working which causes all my lights to come…
Yea the vehicle was purchased september 2019 @185K miles and started having problems around april 2020 @ 250K miles my , this month after driving for about an hour you could say , my car over heated and the battery and electricity sensors and such stopped working which causes all my lights to come on my dash including my engine light so I hope the battery doesn't cause my car to barely switch gears or idle unlock the gasket has blown but I don't even drive fast so pls help , the reservoir was shooting water and steam and I looked up recalls recently and saw that there were 2 on these so I was hoping could I get a replacemt or repairmant ? I'm going through the moving process so I'D now some type of transportation please
- Power train
I was headed up a hill when I pulled over to the side of the road to let an emergency vehicle pass. When I attempted to reenter traffic, there was a loud bang, some grinding noise, and a jolt as the vehicle began to roll backwards. I was startled when I immediately placed the vehicle in park but it…
I was headed up a hill when I pulled over to the side of the road to let an emergency vehicle pass. When I attempted to reenter traffic, there was a loud bang, some grinding noise, and a jolt as the vehicle began to roll backwards. I was startled when I immediately placed the vehicle in park but it continued to roll down hill. Then I engaged the parking brake, (i never use the parking brake due to an unfortunate happening in the past with a different vehicle). I attempted to put the vehicle in drive, thinking the transmission needed only to reset itself when a loud grinding noise began to emanate from the underside of the vehicle, along with smoke coming from my hood. At that point, I left the vehicle there and had it towed to a shop where I was informed that the differential had somehow become disengaged from the transmission. *tr
- Air bags · Steering · Wheels
May 2013, on a straight road, at 8:55pm. motorist traveling towards me speeding with bright lights on. motorist made contact with my car on passenger side fender and door. motorist hit and ran and later told police she thought she hit an object. at the time of impact there was a loud…
May 2013, on a straight road, at 8:55pm. motorist traveling towards me speeding with bright lights on. motorist made contact with my car on passenger side fender and door. motorist hit and ran and later told police she thought she hit an object. at the time of impact there was a loud explosion as the airbags deployed, darkness, an awful smell, smoke, I could not see, I lost control of the car as the car veered across the street to on- coming traffic. I thought I had died, but as the car stopped in the grass, I felt the brakes and realized I had not died. I exit the car coughing as my chest felt like it was on fire, I could barely see, my eyes were burning, then I realized I was hit. neighbors came and offered to help; I told them that I was not feeling any pain, yet . after effects: burn on both forearms, right side of face felt like someone slapped with an object-like a hot bath towel, feeling of dust in my eyes, watery eyes, loss of taste of food, constant tiredness, feeling lethargic even 9 months later, severe pain and numbness in right leg and right arm, lower back pain not severe, the urge to keep my eyes close, cannot remain asleep for extended period, and when I wake I want to keep my eyes close, three times did not go to work because my heart palpitating all day like I am having an heart attack, used a cake because I was limping. *tr
- Power train › Automatic transmission
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 acura 2.5 TL. the vehicle was serviced at the repair shop for a dead battery. the repair shop advised that the vehicle would not shift into gear. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign ID 99v227000 (power train: automatic transmission). the current and failure mileages were 56,569. Returned usps, 2ND attempt made 07/24/07 failed. *Lj ,
- Air bags › Frontal · Seat belts › Front
1996 acura seat belt didn't lock and air bag didn't deploy during accident**cc the consumers wife hit a tree and consequently her head went over the steering wheel and hit the windshield. *Jb
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip › Control unit/module
Got estimate from dealer for 2600.00 dollars for mechanical repair on a free 41 point inspection. took car to another shop and had repaired for 119.00 dollars. *nm
- Electrical system
2. *nm
- Power train › Automatic transmission
The problem IS: at certain combinations of rpm and speed, the engine labors. It causes excessive vibrations, which continue until either the speed or rpm IS changed. It IS not related to traveling up or down an incline. Taken to acura dealership several times and they stated they were unable to…
The problem IS: at certain combinations of rpm and speed, the engine labors. It causes excessive vibrations, which continue until either the speed or rpm IS changed. It IS not related to traveling up or down an incline. Taken to acura dealership several times and they stated they were unable to reproduce the problem but noted that it shifted hard on 1-2 upshift and flushed the transmission system. this did not fix the vibration. when I took the car back in for same problem they stated the front brake rotors were warped and replaced front brake rotors and pads. took car back to dealership with same problem again and the tires were then balanced. problem continued so I determined they couldn't find the problem and gave up. *Jb
- Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor
1996 acura TL windshield wipers failed on the vehicle.*mr the wiper motor has been replaced twice. this wiper failure resulted in poor visibility while driving in rain. *nm
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip › Control unit/module
Our 1996 acura 3.2 TL has 40,000 miles on it. ABS light came kept coming on. Brake fluid was added, which resolved the problem for a few days. the car was taken to the local acura dealer, jerry damson honda/acura and was checked out. according to the service dept., the ABS modulator would need…
Our 1996 acura 3.2 TL has 40,000 miles on it. ABS light came kept coming on. Brake fluid was added, which resolved the problem for a few days. the car was taken to the local acura dealer, jerry damson honda/acura and was checked out. according to the service dept., the ABS modulator would need to be replaced, a cost of approximately $2100 - they did drain and bleed the ABS system but that only solved the problem for about 2 months. the dealer IS not inclined to resolve this problem to everyone's satisfaction, as the car IS out of warranty as to its age, not necessarily mileage. this IS a safety feature, and a product that must be reasonably durable, and this failure occurred long before it should have. as this IS a major safety feature, and the ABS system IS tied to the traction system, its failure to operate properly may have serious consequences. our research has shown that most owners simply disconnect the system as the cost to fix it IS exorbitant. according to the service department, they see the failure of the ABS systems on this year of car more in cars that are driven in a reasonable manner.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
While driving at any speed vehicle overheated. Vehicle was taken to the dealership, and mechanic determined that the intake manifold cracked and coolant spilled inside the engine. *Ak
- Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower ball joint
This letter was sent to acura: have a 1996 acura 2.5 TL that was purchased at radley acura. my vin # [xxx]. I now know that there was a recall and saw that an acura 2.5 TL vin # [xxx] collapsed due to the lower joint breaking on may 22, 2003. I had to replace my lower ball joints on the front…
This letter was sent to acura: have a 1996 acura 2.5 TL that was purchased at radley acura. my vin # [xxx]. I now know that there was a recall and saw that an acura 2.5 TL vin # [xxx] collapsed due to the lower joint breaking on may 22, 2003. I had to replace my lower ball joints on the front of my car on 11/19/2003. as I drove into the car dealership, I was not driving on a rough road surface. I mentioned nothing about driving on a rough road surface. My car was making a very loud noise when I drove into the surface area. for the past 3 years I told the radley dealership about the noise in my passenger front suspension. each time they told me they would lubricate the area because the bushings needed lubrication. no one ever told me that they would check the ball joints. pam vaughan (acura service advisor) should remember that my vehicle was lubricated because I talked with her each time I had the problem. At this time my car was still under warranty because I had purchased an extra 3-year warranty on the car. I did have a problem with a noise in my front suspension as early as 7/22/96 (see receipt). radley said they just tightened the suspension. the dealership did not have the parts to replace the ball joints and they did not have a loaner car to give me so that I could leave the car. not until I read the recall notice after the repair that 124,875 cars were recalled that I realized that I should not have driven that car home because the ball joint could have separated causing the front suspension to collapse and steering controllability to be reduced. the dealership should have informed me of this.*ak updated 07/30/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6)
- Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower ball joint
I purchased an 1996 acura 2.5 TL in october of 1998 and I have never received a recall notice of any kind for this vehicle. My address has been the same for the last 9 1/2 years. The only personal information that has changed IS my last name, from washington to gordon which changed july 13, 2002. *ak
- Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower ball joint
I own a 1996 acura 2.5TL. A couple days ago while driving my passenger side wheel collapsed due to the lower ball joint breaking. I conducted research to see if there had been a recall on that part ,and in fact there was. The problem im facing IS that it only covered certain vehicles with certain…
I own a 1996 acura 2.5TL. A couple days ago while driving my passenger side wheel collapsed due to the lower ball joint breaking. I conducted research to see if there had been a recall on that part ,and in fact there was. The problem im facing IS that it only covered certain vehicles with certain vin numbers([xxx].... Through [xxx]...)my vin # IS [xxx]. I understand that my vehicle doesn't fall within those numbers but I experienced the same problem and don't think I should have to pay if in fact this IS the same defect that happened to all those other vehicles. *nlm information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6). *tr
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
There IS a loud growling sound coming from the enging compartment of my 1996 acura 2.5 TL. The dealer informed that it IS a cracked manifold and he has seen it many times before. However, they still did not offer to subsidize the repair in any way. I would think that an exhaust manifold should not…
There IS a loud growling sound coming from the enging compartment of my 1996 acura 2.5 TL. The dealer informed that it IS a cracked manifold and he has seen it many times before. However, they still did not offer to subsidize the repair in any way. I would think that an exhaust manifold should not crack this early in the life of the car. What IS even worse, IS it IS known problem and the manufacturer IS doing nothing about it. The manifold IS the same as that from the old acura vigor's. I would think the manufacturer would have fixed the problem by now. I sincerely hope the manufacturer corrects this problem, especially as it may pose a fire hazard.
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline
The following problem was reported to the dealer 35 days after it was purchased, but we were told there was no problem. the dealer never looked at the vehicle. the service manager made that determination based on our description of the problem. the problem IS: at certain combinations of rpm and…
The following problem was reported to the dealer 35 days after it was purchased, but we were told there was no problem. the dealer never looked at the vehicle. the service manager made that determination based on our description of the problem. the problem IS: at certain combinations of rpm and speed, the engine labors. it causes excessive vibrations, which continue until either the speed or rpm IS changed. it IS not related to traveling up or down an incline. we've had three separate dealers look at it, but none were able to find what was wrong. they all agreed, there was something wrong. we would like the original dealer to fix the problem, since we identified so soon after purchasing it. thank you. dt
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline
While driving vehicle shutdown, and lost control.*ak
- Air bags › Frontal
Driving down the road with no impact, and both airbags deployed. Consumer contacted dealer *ak
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
Consumer has been experiencing brake defects. Every eight month or less consumer had to have brake repairs done. Every repair work was done by the dealer at cost to the consumer. *Ak
- Equipment › Electrical › Radio/tape deck/cd etc. · Visibility › Power window devices and controls
Window regulator failed.
- Structure › Body › Bumpers
Rear bumper IS loose. qcaw
- Electrical system › Ignition › Switch · Power train › Driveline
Ignition switch replaced due to buzzing noise.
- Visibility › Windshield
While driving the front passenger's side window shattered, cause unknown. *ak
- Latches/locks/linkages › Trunk lid › Lock
Trunk lock inoperative.
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Drum
Rear brakes failed.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10211608Special Tool Loan Program: Under TOOLS AVAILABLE FOR LOAN, the list has been updated.
- 10193392Sending vehicle data to tech line.
- 10037486Acura: there are guidelines for various situations and procedures including: tire pressure valve stem installation, trailer stability malfunction light IS on, engine oil application guide, new software, new transmission fluid, notchy steering feeling.
- 10014092Dtc (diagnostic trouble code) p1457 (evap leak at canister)
- 10013825Dtc p0441( incorrect purge flow) after engine or throttle body replacement.
- 10012910Airbag on off switch.
- 10009256Intermittent sra diagnostic trouble code 1-1 to 1-5, driver's airbag inflator circuit. October tech line information.
- 10009254A/c compressor control logic. October tech line information.
- 10009253Clearing antilock braking system diagnostic trouble codes. October tech line information.
- 10009058Airbag on/off switch application chart. Acura. Tech line summary.
- 10009042Don't test-drive with the malfunction indicator lamp or d indicator on. Acura. Servicenews. April 2004.
- 10005860Air conditioning (a/c) compressor control logic. Acura service news.
- 636758Subject regarding front suspension squeaks in cold weather.
- 629322Information on troubleshooting diagnostic trouble codes p1705, p1768, p0753, p0758.
- 629320Subject regarding a squeal noise at front suspension at low temperature.
- 626607Subject regarding safety restraint system diagnostic trouble code 5-1 through 8-3, internal safety restraint system unit failure.
- 612493Experiencing growling or whining from one or both of the rear wheels when driving.
- 610250Brief information regarding starter motor replacement.
- 605147Customer may complain of 1 - 2 shift.
- 604037Information regarding automatic transmission 1-2 complaints.
- 602354Complaints of brake squeal when you lightly depress the brake pedal.
- 52025The driver's footrest IS too far away.
- 52021Radio interference from the ignition coil(s).
Every Acura TL model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.