The 1996 Acura TL has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 221,393 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 33 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the suspension. Last updated July 5, 2026.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. A TRANSMISSION CASE BOLT CAN LOOSEN AND FALL OUT ALLOWING THE TRANSMISSION TO DISENGAGE FROM THE DIFFERENTIAL.
THE VEHICLE COULD LOSE POWER TO THE DRIVE WHEELS WITHOUT WARNING. ALSO, SHIFTING THE TRANSMISSION INTO THE PARK POSITION WOULD NOT LOCK THE WHEELS, AND A PARKED VEHICLE COULD MOVE UNEXPECTEDLY IF THE PARKING BRAKE IS NOT SET.
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A REDESIGNED BOLT.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. CERTAIN VEHICLES WERE MANUFACTURED WITH BALL JOINTS THAT CAN PREMATURELY WEAR OUT AND, IN THE WORSE CASE, THE BALL JOINT WOULD SEPARATE CAUSING THE FRONT SUSPENSION TO COLLAPSE.
THIS CONDITION WOULD RESULT IN VEHICLE DECELERATION AND A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. ALSO STEERING CONTROLLABILITY WOULD BE REDUCED.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Yea the vehicle was purchased september 2019 @185k miles and started having problems around april 2020 @ 250k miles my , this month after driving for about an hour you could say , my car over heated and the battery and electricity sensors and such stopped working which causes all my lights to come…”
“Yea the vehicle was purchased september 2019 @185k miles and started having problems around april 2020 @ 250k miles my , this month after driving for about an hour you could say , my car over heated and the battery and electricity sensors and such stopped working which causes all my lights to come…”
“Yea the vehicle was purchased september 2019 @185k miles and started having problems around april 2020 @ 250k miles my , this month after driving for about an hour you could say , my car over heated and the battery and electricity sensors and such stopped working which causes all my lights to come…”
“I was headed up a hill when I pulled over to the side of the road to let an emergency vehicle pass. When I attempted to reenter traffic, there was a loud bang, some grinding noise, and a jolt as the vehicle began to roll backwards. I was startled when I immediately placed the vehicle in park but…”
“May 2013, on a straight road, at 8:55pm. Motorist traveling towards me speeding with bright lights on. Motorist made contact with my car on passenger side fender and door. Motorist hit and ran and later told police she thought she hit an object. At the time of impact there was a loud explosion as…”
“May 2013, on a straight road, at 8:55pm. Motorist traveling towards me speeding with bright lights on. Motorist made contact with my car on passenger side fender and door. Motorist hit and ran and later told police she thought she hit an object. At the time of impact there was a loud explosion as…”
“May 2013, on a straight road, at 8:55pm. Motorist traveling towards me speeding with bright lights on. Motorist made contact with my car on passenger side fender and door. Motorist hit and ran and later told police she thought she hit an object. At the time of impact there was a loud explosion as…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1996 acura 2.5 tl. The vehicle was serviced at the repair shop for a dead battery. The repair shop advised that the vehicle would not shift into gear. The vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id 99v227000 (power train: automatic transmission). The current and failure…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1996 Acura TL as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.