2001 Acura TL Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2001 Acura TL report transmission problems far more than anything else in this sample: slipping between gears, delayed or sluggish shifting, sudden downshifts, and complete loss of drive. Many describe the condition worsening over days or weeks rather than failing without warning, and several mention repeat transmission replacements. Other reports cover air bag concerns, rear-view mirror dimming failure, and isolated sudden-acceleration and cooling-fan incidents.

1. 1
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission slipping, harsh or delayed shifting

   • 91 complaints (61%)
   • median 84,300 mi at 6.0 yrs old (57 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $3,850 (median of 14 quotes)
   • filed 2001–2020

   Complaints describe the automatic transmission slipping between gears, hesitating or lurching on acceleration, jerking into gear, and holding high rpm without matching road speed. Several owners say the shifting problem appeared gradually and got worse over days or weeks, with warning lamps such as the check engine, TCS, or blinking D5 indicator appearing along with it. Dealers commonly told owners a replacement transmission was needed, and complaints frequently mention prior repairs under warranty or recall that did not resolve the symptom. Reports span a wide range, from under 30,000 miles to over 200,000, with many clustered between roughly 80,000 and 130,000 miles.

   Recall 04V1760005 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test drive at highway speed and note whether upshifts and downshifts feel smooth, and ask for service records showing transmission fluid changes or replacement history. Have a shop scan for stored transmission codes such as P1739 or P1750 before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “In march 2007 I purchased a 2001 Acura 3.2tl, after a couple of months I noticed the transmission was slipping, I took the vehicle to a local Acura dealer to find that the transmission needed to be replaced. After doing some investigating I found Acura had recalls on the transmissions, mine was considered out of warranty because the miles exceeded the recall. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10232511, filed 2008-06, 129,000 miles

   “One week ago I noticed that my car's transmission (2001 Acura TL) was slipping between 2nd and 3rd gear as well as when shifting into reverse. I went to Acura honolulu yesterday and they confirmed the issue was with the transmission slipping. They estimated that the repair costs would total $6600 (nearly what the car is worth). …”

   NHTSA complaint #10326905, filed 2010-04, 70,000 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Sudden loss of drive or violent downshift while driving

   • 58 complaints (39%)
   • median 92,500 mi at 5.7 yrs old (40 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $4,000 (median of 11 quotes)
   • filed 2001–2016

   Owners describe the car losing power to the wheels without warning at speed, with engine rpm climbing as if in neutral, or downshifting abruptly and slowing sharply in traffic. Complaints describe the vehicle becoming unable to accelerate uphill or on the highway, sometimes leaving only park and neutral usable, and one owner reported a burning smell afterward. In these accounts dealers usually replaced the transmission, and some owners note they were told the vehicle was outside the coverage period for the transmission program. Reports range from about 31,000 to over 200,000 miles, with many in the 60,000 to 110,000 mile range.

   Recall 04V1760003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the transmission has ever been replaced or rebuilt and under what program, and get the coverage terms in writing. During a test drive, listen for hesitation or a thump when shifting from a stop and when merging onto a faster road.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2001 TL needs another transmission job, and Acura is not willing to pay for this 3rd transmission as of yet. Always loved the cars and when they sent me the recall notice in 2003/04 thought it was very honorable. When I drove the car to the dealership it nearly killed me as it dropped down to 2nd gear on the highway. I was able to get to the dealership in one piece and they fixed it . Thought it was honorable that they proactively resolved situation. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10259173, filed 2009-02, 95,000 miles

   “Vehicle suddenly slows down to approximately 15 MPH almost causing the vehicle behind to rear-end me. In this particular incident, the vehicle behind me slammed on their brakes. Nhtsa has a recall campaign id#04v176000 that my Acura dealer will not honor since it was previously salvaged, but now has a clean title. Spoke with customer service at honda motor and they also refused to honor the recall. I had the entire transmission replaced with Acura's updated parts. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10120659, filed 2005-05, 57,297 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Unintended acceleration or stuck throttle complaints

   • 7 complaints (5%)
   • median 25,011 mi at 4.4 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2019

   A small number of complaints describe unintended acceleration: the car surging forward or in reverse with the accelerator not pressed, in one case ending only when the engine was shut off, and another where the accelerator cable broke and the pedal went to the floor. Dealers in these accounts found little on inspection, and one owner says the car had recently been in for transmission recall work. These are individual accounts rather than a consistent pattern. Reported between roughly 20,000 and 80,000 miles, in mixed driving conditions.

   What to check: Check the accelerator cable and pedal for fraying, sticking, or slack, and make sure floor mats cannot slide over the pedal. Ask whether the throttle body and cruise control system have been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I drove my car out the garage into the common alley in reverse, once out the garage. When I was out of garage attempted to close the garage door with the genie , and the garage door wouldn't close . I drove the car further away from the garage/building in reverse to determine , whether the genie would operate from another position , next thing I knew the car was accelerating uncontrollably, between 20 - 25 miles per hour in reverse next to our building's garages . …”

   NHTSA complaint #11194834, filed 2019-04, 217,000 miles

   “Accelerator cable/wire snapped in half without warning.. The gas pedal went straight to the floor. Luckily, I was not on the freeway doing 70mph since there was absolutely no control of my vehicle after the cable broke. The part was replaced, however, the car only had 25,011 miles on it. The car is only 2001 Acura which has been maintained with safety maintenance checks every 7,500 miles. However, there is no check on the automotive check list for accelerator cable. As a matter of fact, this is not suppose to happen at all. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10110638, filed 2005-02, 25,011 miles

Buying note. The transmission is the main thing to vet on this model year: get documentation of any replacement or repair and a pre-purchase scan for transmission codes, since many complaints describe repeat failures. Also confirm the driver air bag inflator recall has been completed and check the rear-view mirror and accelerator cable.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.