Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2008 Acura TL, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Air bags34
- Steering26
- Structure20
- Electrical system15
- Unknown or other13
- Engine10
- Vehicle speed control9
- Power train8
- Suspension7
- Seats6
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 3 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 40 2008 TL vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 20 people died inside them, and 1 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2008 Acura TL failed the safety check 2.14% of the time — 14% less often than the average 2008 passenger car (2.48%). Median odometer at inspection: 139,089 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In the United Kingdom
1 cars built in 2008 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025.
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 3 variants: combined 11.1–11.8 L/100 km (about 20–21 mpg US), CO₂ 255–271 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| TL · Mid-size · Premium gasoline | 13.1 | 8.7 | 11.1 |
| TL · Mid-size · Premium gasoline | 13.1 | 8.9 | 11.2 |
| TL · Mid-size · Premium gasoline | 13.8 | 9.3 | 11.8 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
2 Transport Canada recalls for the 2008 Acura TL.
| 2012160 16 May 2012 | Steering On certain vehicles, high under-hood temperatures can cause the high-pressure power steering hose to deteriorate and crack, which could result in a fluid leak. … |
| 2008080 4 Mar 2008 | Steering On certain vehicles, prolonged high under-hood temperatures may cause a power steering hose to deteriorate prematurely, causing the hose to crack and leak. Pow… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Honda is recalling certain model year 2007 and 2008 Acura TL and model year 2003-2007 Accord V6 vehicles. In May 2012, Honda filed a defect report to recall certain model year 2007 and 2008 Acura TL vehicles. In September 2012, Honda informed the agency that it was including an additional 573,147 vehicles including certain model year 2003 through 2007 Accord V6 vehicles. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 625,762. Prolonged under-hood and power steering fluid temperatures may cause the power steering hose to deteriorate prematurely, resulting in cracks and power steering fluid leakage.
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.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Acura told its dealers about the 2008 Acura TL: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10237044 | Service News - The navigation clock and date are incorrect. This is due to a limited GPS receiver capacity resulting in rollover of internal chip memory. The rollover occurred on January 1, 2022 at 12:00AM local time |
| 10211608 | Special Tool Loan Program: Under TOOLS AVAILABLE FOR LOAN, the list has been updated. |
| 10207004 | ServiceNews Article - The clock shows the incorrect time. This issue is due to a limited GPS receiver capacity resulting in "rollover" of the internal chip memory; the "rollover" will occur on January 1, 2022, at 12:00AM local time. As a result, the navigation date and time will be incorrect. |
| 10204257 | The HandsFreeLink (HFL) system doesn?t work, and/or the battery sometimes won?t start the vehicle. |
| 10198910 | HandsFreeLink (HFL) Doesn?t Work, or Battery Is Too Low to Start the Engine: The HandsFreeLink (HFL) system doesn?t work, and/or the battery sometimes won?t start the vehicle. |
| 10191130 | SYMPTOM The HandsFreeLink (HFL) system doesnt work, and/or the battery sometimes wont start the vehicle. PROBABLE CAUSE The HFL control unit has an internal problem, which creates a parasitic current draw of 250 mA CORRECTIVE ACTION Do the REPAIR PROCEDURE, which includes a diagnosis, and if necessary, replace the HFL control unit. |
| 10165333 | This SKU is a Front Upper Ball Joint. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for the outer diameter of the ball joint housing being too small. The outer diameter being too small would prevent the part from being installed, and would therefore have no impact on the end user besides time to complete installation. |
| 10141148 | Dealer message - American Honda (AHM) is investigating certain 2004-2008 TLs & TSXs with a complaint of the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) on with the DTC P2138 (Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor A/B Incorrect Voltage Correlation) stored and poor engine performance. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect specific parts from the vehicle prior to you attempting any further repair of any kind. |
| 10139576 | Dealer message - Today, May 24, 2018, Acura is announcing a warranty extension for 2002-17 Acura vehicles. This warranty extension applies in cases where any of the replacement driver?s and/or front passenger?s airbag inflators have failed internally. |
| 10129822 | Dealer message - In May 2010 and June 2012, American Honda announced a safety recall for 2004-08 TSX and 2007-08 TL due to a potentially leaking power steering feed hose. For some time, the countermeasure hoses and required repair parts have been in stock as part of special campaign parts kits available for dealer ordering. |
| 10129812 | Dealer message - American Honda (AHM) is investigating certain 2004-2008 TLs & TSXs with a complaint of the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) on with the DTC P2138 (Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor A/B Incorrect Voltage Correlation) stored and poor engine performance. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect specific parts from the vehicle prior to you attempting any further repair of any kind. |
| 10129517 | Dealer message - American Honda (AHM) is investigating certain 2004-2008 TLs & TSXs with a complaint of the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) on with the DTC P2138 (Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor A/B Incorrect Voltage Correlation) stored and poor engine performance. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect specific parts from the vehicle prior to you attempting any further repair of any kind. |
| 10115221 | Service bulletin - For any TPMS-related warranty repairs, all recorded DTCs must now be entered into the warranty claim. Make sure your repair order includes those DTCs. |
| 10100462 | SERVICE BULLETIN - NAVIGATION SYSTEM INFORMATION. |
| 10099406 | SERVICE BULLETIN - HANDSFREELINK (HFL) DOESNT WORK, OR BATTERY IS TOO LOW TO START THE ENGINE |
| 10086288 | LETTER SENT IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FLORIDA HIGHWAY SAFETY AND MOTOR VEHICLES DEPARTMENT TO REMIND FLORIDA OWNERS OF THE TAKATA RECALL AND TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT AT THEIR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE. |
| 10084285 | AHM IS INVESTIGATING CUSTOMER COMPLAINT OF THE HANDSFREELINK NOT WORKING OR THE BATTERY BEING TOO LOW TO START THE ENGINE. PLEASE SEND SPECIFIC PARTS TO AHM PRIOR TO ATTEMPING ANY REPAIRS. |
| 10084268 | AHM IS INVESTIGATING CUSTOMER COMPLAINT OF THE HANDSFREELINK NOT WORKING OR THE BATTERY BEING TOO LOW TO START THE ENGINE. PLEASE SEND SPECIFIC PARTS TO AHM PRIOR TO ATTEMPING ANY REPAIRS. |
| 10084265 | ENGINEERING REQUEST FOR INVESTIGATION OF THE HANDSFREELINK (HFL) NOT WORKING OR THE BATTERY BEING TOO LOW TO START THE ENGINE. |
| 10084166 | DEALER MESSAGE - AHM IS INVESTIGATING CLIENT COMPLAINT OF HANDSFREELINK NOT WORKING OR BATTERY BEING TOO LOW TO START THE ENGINE. PRIOR TO PERFORMING ANY REPAIR, PLEASE SEND SUSPECT PARTS BACK TO AHM. |
| 10083835 | DEALER MESSAGE - REQUEST FOR PARTS TO INVESTIGATETHE HANDSFREELINK (HFL) NOT WORKING OR THE BATTERY BEING TOO LOW TO START THE ENGINE. |
| 10075668 | SUMMARY TO BE PROVIDED ON A FUTURE DATE. |
| 10055120 | ACURA: THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) IS ON, WITH DTC P2138 (ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR A/B INCORRECT VOLTAGE CORRELATION), AND HAVE POOR PERFORMANCE IN ENGINE. MODEL 2004-2008 TL, TSX. *PE |
| 10054809 | HONDA: SOME VEHICLES MAY DISPLAY A MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP WITH THE STORED DTC P2138 (ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR A/B INCORRECT VOLTAGE CORRELATION). THERE MAY ALSO BE POOR ENGINE PERFORMANCE. AHM IS ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT SPECIFIC PARTS FROM THE VEHICLE BEFORE ANY FURTHER EFFORT TOWARD REPAIRS. *JS |
| 10054478 | ACURA: DUE TO ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR A/B INCORRECT VOLTAGE CORRELATION, ENGINE POOR PERFORMANCE AND MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) IS ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) 02138, AN INVESTIGATION WILL CHECK CAUSE OF CONDITION. MODEL 2004-2008 TX, TSX. *PE |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)