Selling a junk Acura TL
Any TL sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Acura TL
NHTSA has 4,056 owner complaints on file for the Acura TL, model years 1995 to 2014, the 113th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are transmission and drivetrain (921, 23%), air bags (835, 21%), body and structure (549, 14%). 224 complaints involved a crash, 62 a fire, and 73 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 90,000 miles. The 2004 model year has the most complaints (766). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is transmission and drivetrain, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car with a bad transmission: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Acura TL by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 3 | Brakes | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1996 | 33 | Brakes | 8 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 1997 | 29 | Electrical system | 3 | 2 | 2 | — |
| 1998 | 22 | Engine and cooling | 4 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 1999 | 197 | Electrical system | 27 | 5 | 4 | 112,000 |
| 2000 | 325 | Transmission and drivetrain | 30 | 6 | 6 | 113,000 |
| 2001 | 163 | Transmission and drivetrain | 8 | 2 | 3 | 81,500 |
| 2002 | 404 | Transmission and drivetrain | 39 | 2 | 7 | 73,000 |
| 2003 | 466 | Transmission and drivetrain | 36 | 5 | 5 | 80,000 |
| 2004 | 766 | Body and structure | 17 | 8 | 6 | 90,000 |
| 2005 | 553 | Body and structure | 10 | 6 | 7 | 96,000 |
| 2006 | 345 | Air bags | 13 | 4 | 6 | 94,500 |
| 2007 | 167 | Air bags | 5 | 7 | 4 | 76,059 |
| 2008 | 181 | Air bags | 6 | 12 | 4 | 89,200 |
| 2009 | 51 | Air bags | 5 | 0 | 3 | 91,153 |
| 2010 | 75 | Air bags | 7 | 1 | 3 | 65,000 |
| 2011 | 23 | Air bags | 1 | 2 | 3 | — |
| 2012 | 162 | Air bags | 4 | 0 | 3 | 62,900 |
| 2013 | 74 | Steering | 1 | 0 | 3 | 69,503 |
| 2014 | 17 | Air bags | 0 | 0 | 3 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Acura TL recalls
NHTSA lists 27 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (9), electrical system (4), transmission and drivetrain (2). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 1999 model year, air bags (campaign 20V026000, Jan 2020): Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 1998 Acura 2.2CL, 1998-1999 Acura 2.3CL, 1998-1999 Acura 3.0CL, 2001 Acura 3.2CL and Acura MDX, 1998-2000 Honda Accord Coupe, Accord Sedan, Civic Sedan, Odyssey and A…
- 2000 model year, air bags (campaign 20V027000, Jan 2020): Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2001-2002 Acura 3.2CL, 2000-2003 Acura 3.5RL, 2000-2001 Acura 3.2TL, Honda CR-V and Honda Odyssey, 2001-2002 Acura MDX and 2000 Accord Coupe, Accord Sedan, Civic Coup…
- 2004 model year, speed control (campaign 19E068000, Oct 2019): Dorman Products, Inc. (Dorman) is recalling certain Accelerator Pedal Assemblies part numbers 699-114 and 825-5029-1, sold as replacement parts for 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2004-2008 Acura TL and TSX, 2003-2007 Honda Accord,…
- 2002 model year, air bags (campaign 19V499000, Jun 2019): Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 E…
- 2009 model year, air bags (campaign 19V500000, Jun 2019): Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013 Acura ILX, 2015 RDX, 2005-2010 and 2012 RL, 2009-2014 TL, 2010 and 2012 ZDX, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2011-2013 and 2015 CR-Z, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013 Fit EV, 2010-2011 and 2…
What a Acura TL is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk TL on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car with a bad transmission 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Acura models
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Acura TL worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same TL gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Acura TL that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Acura TL?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Acura TL numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.