KnownCarProblems2004 Acura TL Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 551 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Acura TL, most often about the body and structure (42% of complaints, typically around 90,000 miles). It is the most complained-about TL model year since 2000 and has 4 recalls.
Most common 2004 Acura TL problems
Body and structure
232 complaints · 42%Half of these problems showed up before 90,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
2004 Acura TL with huge cracks in dash around airbags. Car has been garage kept and totally babied. Dash needs to be replaced. Not sure the airbags will work properly if needed.
This involves my 2004 Acura TL, which I have owned since october 2007. In the two and a half years since the purchase, significant cracks have appeared on the dashboard of this car. There are several cracks on the dash in front of the driving panel. There are also two major cracks on the passenger side, each one…
Air bags
199 complaints · 36%Half of these problems showed up before 98,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
The contact owns a 2004 Acura 3.2tl. While the contact was driving approximately 50 MPH, the airbag warning indicator illuminated until the engine was turned off. The failure occurred whenever the engine was in operation. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The technician informed that the…
This complaint is in regards to 2004 Acura TL dash boards cracking in the area of the passenger airbag. My car with 94k mile dash cracked yesterday perfectly along the passenger dash. While researching this online I see that several people have complained and have pictures of the exact same issue which can possibly be…
Transmission
56 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 94,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline.
TL contact owns a 2004 Acura 3.2tl. While driving 60 MPH, the vehicle lost power. The contact attempted to accelerate, but the vehicle failed to move. The dealer performed an oil change on the vehicle the day prior to the failure and they stated that everything looked fine. When a tow truck was called, the vehicle…
Sudden loss of power to the wheels while driving. When I pressed on the accelerator the engine rpms would increase but the car would not move forward or speed up. This first happened while driving down a residential street. Had I been making a left turn with on-coming traffic it could have been dangerous. This…
Wheels and tires
55 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 11,000 miles. Parts named most often: tread/belt, rim, sidewall.
I own a 2004 Acura TL with original equipment bridgestone el-42 tires. While the tire preformed acceptably during the summer the preformance on wet roads and particulary in snow and ice was absolutly terrible. My family and I took a 500 mile trip in michigan over the christmas holidays and I almost had to park the car…
Dt: the contact stated vehicle had a blow out. The three remaining tires were bald and needed to be replaced as well. The blow out occurred on the right rear of the vehicle. There was vibration before the blow out. The spare tire was in place at this time. The tire were not covered under warranty. The tires have been…
Other or unspecified
49 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 117,000 miles.
There was no accident. The dashboard on my 2004 TL began to crack. I've had the car since 2008 without any problems until now. The dash is cracked in two places, one from the front all the way to the edge of the cover of the instrument panel. The other crack comes from the front up to the middle speaker. No further…
The transmission is lacking at any moment that happens to me in the middle of the street. No safe another car almost hit me. No safe .... My dash is horrible completely cracke and this definitely is going to affect the airbags in my Acura 2004 TL. Sorry is the wors of worst .yes I was driving going in to the gas…
Steering
34 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 131,500 miles. Parts named most often: hydraulic power assist, linkages.
TL contact owns a 2004 Acura TL. While driving approximately 20 to 45 MPH, the power steering pump made a loud whining noise as if there was no fluid. The dealer stated that the power steering fluid was leaking out. The power steering pump and power steering fluid were replaced; however, the failure continued. The…
After having my car in the shop for 2 weeks trying to figure out why the power steering won't stop freaking exploding when there is nothing wrong with any of the parts except the hoses going bad. I once again was left in the middle of a busy street with no power steering trying to muscle my way back to the shop. This…
Suspension
30 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 62,500 miles. Parts named most often: front, rear.
While driving the car on highway, right front ball-joint broke in half with no warning or reason. Right front tire became perpendicular to the vehicle. Wife and child were in vehicle with complete loss of control of vehicle. The ball joint was absolutely defective and Acura refused to assist in repair, claiming no…
2004 Acura TL right front ball joint broke in half. The consumer believed the incident happened because of a manufacturing defect. The dealer blamed the failure on after market rims that the consumer purchased, the business where the rims were purchased stated they were a proper fit for the vehicle.
Visibility and wipers
20 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 95,000 miles. Parts named most often: windshield wiper/washer, windshield, sun/moon roof assembly, rearview mirrors/devices.
The contact owns a 2004 Acura TL. While driving in rainy weather conditions the window wipers became inoperative without warning. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The failure was contributed to an electrical circuit shortage in the window wiper system motor. The vehicle was previously…
1. Recall campaign id# 08v092000 - 2004-2005 Acura TL (windshield wiper motor); manufacturer report date: february 25, 2008 2. As per Acura, a wiper motor kit was installed june 27, 2008 on my 2004 Acura TL. 3. On september 11, 2009 my windshield wipers became inoperable. I contacted the dealership and Acura client…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2004 Acura TL recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began april 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is o41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is u40.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling specific 2003 acura 3.2cl, 2013-2016 ilx, 2013-2014 ilx hybrid, 2003-2006 mdx, 2007-2016 rdx, 2002-2003 3.2tl, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 tl, 2010-2013 zdx and 2001-2007 and 2009 honda accord, 2001-2005 civic, 2003-2005 civic hybrid, 2001-2005 civic gx ngv, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 cr-v, 2003-2011 element, 2007 fit, 2002-2004 odyssey, 2003-2008 pilot, and 2006-2014 ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.
Steering: hose, piping, and connections
Risk: Power steering fluid leaking onto a hot catalytic converter will generate smoke and possibly lead to an under-hood fire.
Fix: Dealers will install a new heat resistant power steering hose free of charge. The recall began on april 28, 2008. Owners may contact acura at 800-382-2238. This is an expansion of a previous recall (please see 07v551).
Full defect summary
Honda is recalling 273,000 my 2004-2008 acura tl vehicles. Prolonged high under-hood temperatures may cause the power steering hose to deteriorate prematurely causing the hose to crack and leak power steering fluid.
Visibility and wipers: motor
Risk: If the circuit breaker fails, it will cause the windshield wiper motor to become inoperative, which can increase the likelihood of a crash in certain conditions.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the windshield wiper motor for signs of corrosion. If no signs of corrosion are present, a snorkel tube will be added to the wiper motor breather port to prevent water from entering the wiper motor housing and foam tape will be installed on the cowl above the wiper motor to direct water away from the wiper motor. If signs of corrosion damage are observed on the wiper motor, the motor will be replaced, and the breather tube and foam tape will also be installed to prevent water intrusion on the new wiper motor. The recall began on april 28, 2008. Owners may contact acura at
Full defect summary
Honda is recalling 129,600 my 2004-2005 acura tl vehicles. If water enters the windshield wiper motor breather port, which is designed to allow the motor to vent warm air during normal operation, it can result in corrosion inside the motor housing. This could cause a failure of the electrical circuit breaker inside the motor housing.
Transmission: automatic transmission
Risk: Gear failure could result in transmission lockup, which could result in a crash.
Fix: On vehicles with 15,000 miles or less, the dealer will update the transmission with a simple revision to the oil cooler return line to increase lubrication to the second gear. On vehicles with more than 15,000 miles, the dealer will inspect the transmission to identify gears that have already experienced discoloration due to overheating. If discoloration exists, the transmission will be replaced if discoloration is not present, the dealer will perform the revision to the oil cooler return line. The recall began on april 21, 2004, for pilot, odyssey, and mdx owners. Owners of the accord vehicle
Full defect summary
On some mini vans, sport utility and passenger vehicles, certain operating conditions can result in heat build-up between the countershaft and secondary shaft second gears in the automatic transmission, eventually leading to gear tooth chipping or gear breakage.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Windshield wiper motor failure
Summary
The manufacturer notified NHTSA by letter dated february 26, 2008, that a safety related recall has been initiated to correct this problem on certain model year 2004 and 2005 acura tl vehicles.the recall affects approximately 129,600 subject vehicles manufactured between march 2003 and may 2005.the defect involves water intrusion into the wiper motor housing that may result in corrosion and failure of a circuit breaker that will disable the wiper motor.corrective action consists of installing a new wiper motor where corrosion is found as well as a breather tube on both new and existing wiper motors to prevent water intrusion into the housing.NHTSA has assigned number 08v-092 to this recall a
Questions about the 2004 Acura TL
- What are the most common problems with the 2004 Acura TL?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: body and structure (232 complaints, typically around 90,000 miles); air bags (199 complaints, typically around 98,000 miles); transmission (56 complaints, typically around 94,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2004 Acura TL have?
- 4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from March 6, 2019 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2004 a bad year for the Acura TL?
- It is the most complained-about TL model year since 2000, with 551 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.