2013 Acura TL reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 62 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Acura TL over 14 years — 1 per year. That is the fewest complaints per year among the 3 TL years on this site. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Inflator.

2012 Acura TL — Photo by U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons Public domain

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Steering (28 of 62), then Air bags (19) and Electrical system (6). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash and 2 that report an injury.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 TL has 130 complaints, 8 per year, and the 2014 has 17 complaints, 4 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2013 Acura TL. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (3)

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2019-06-27 · NHTSA campaign 19V500000

Summary 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 2013 Insight and 2007-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Remedy Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are S5B and W59.

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2019-03-06 · NHTSA campaign 19V182000

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.

Remedy 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.

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2016-02-03 · NHTSA campaign 16V061000

Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2011-2015 CR-Z, 2010-2014 FCX, and Insight, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013-2014 Fit EV, 2007-2014 Ridgeline, 2013-2016 Acura ILX, 2013-2014 Acura ILX Hybrid, 2007-2016 RDX, 2005-2012 Acura RL, 2009-2014 Acura TL, and 2010-2013 Acura ZDX vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.

Remedy Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are JY0, JY1, and JY2.

Complaints by component (62 total)

Steering

Air bags

Electrical system

Powertrain

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Structure

Engine

Suspension

Engine and engine cooling

Exterior lighting

Fuel system, gasoline

Lane departure

Speed control

Wheels

Show 6 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"On Monday, July 27, 2026, my vehicle suffered a complete failure of the EPS system at startup in my garage, making the steering wheel lock and rendering the vehicle completely non-operational. The vehicle did start and…"
Steering · filed 2026-07-29
"I am writing to formally report a significant paint defect on my 2013 Acura TL. Large sections of the clear coat are peeling off the vehicle and the issue continues to spread. The vehicle has been well maintained and…"
Unknown or other · filed 2025-04-08
"The 2013 Acura TL has a problem with the pistons in the engine causing excessive oil consumption. This was the subject matter of a class action described in the website Acura Oil Consumption Settlement. This part should…"
Powertrain, Engine · filed 2023-05-24
"The airbag warning indicator keeps appearing. When message is pressed it says that airbag may not deploy when needed. States to turn car off and restart to see if indicator disappears- if reappear take to dealership to…"
Air bags · filed 2022-02-07
"The contact owns a 2013 Acura TL. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and running, he heard abnormal rattling sounds coming from the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated.…"
Engine and engine cooling · filed 2022-01-10

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2013 Acura TL 4 DR 4WD	4 stars	4 stars	4 stars	5 stars
2013 Acura TL 4 DR FWD	4 stars	4 stars	4 stars	5 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
TL two-wheel drive	3.5L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	20	29	23 MPG	$3450
TL four-wheel drive	3.7L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	18	26	21 MPG	$3800
TL four-wheel drive	3.7L, 6-cyl	Manual 6-speed	All-wheel drive	18	24	20 MPG	$4000

Specs and fitment

Fourth generation (UA8/UA9), 2012–2014

Body styles Sedan

Oil 0W-20 (preferred) or 5W-20 , 4.5 qt capacity

Tire size 245/50R17, 245/45R18, 245/40R19 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 19V-182 covers certain 2009-2014 Acura TL vehicles among many Honda and Acura models for Takata driver frontal air-bag inflators that may rupture on deployment. Recall 19V-500 likewise covers certain 2009-2014 TL vehicles in a related Takata driver inflator population. These are multi-model campaigns; dealers replace the inflator. Owners should check NHTSA VIN lookup for open Takata remedies on a specific vehicle.

Compare

Previous year 2012 Acura TL Next year 2014 Acura TL See every Acura TL model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Acura TL reliable?

What are common problems with a 2013 Acura TL?

The complaints owners file most often name Steering (28 of 62), then Air bags (19) and Electrical system (6). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash and 2 that report an injury.

Is the 2013 Acura TL more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 TL has 130 complaints, 8 per year, and the 2014 has 17 complaints, 4 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Acura TL been recalled?

The 2013 Acura TL has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2013 Acura TL?

Owners have filed 62 complaints about the 2013 Acura TL with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Acura TL get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Acura TL is 21.3 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does an Acura TL take?

0W-20 preferred or 5W-20; capacity is about 4.5 quarts with filter.

What does recall 19V-182 cover on the TL?

Certain 2009-2014 TL vehicles among many Honda and Acura models for Takata driver frontal air bag inflators—see the NHTSA campaign for the remedy.

What tire sizes did the UA8/UA9 TL use?

245/50R17, 245/45R18, or 245/40R19 depending on trim.