Which year to buy
Bar height: serious owner complaints to NHTSA for that year per car on the road, against this model's usual year.
2010GOOD BUYSerious complaints 0.8× usual Extended coverage
55 serious complaints of 64, the most about air bags (34) and power train (10); per car on the road, 0.8× this model's usual year. 3 recalls.
What owners report
“Takata recall. The contact owns a 2010 acura tl. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v061000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue.”
An owner's complaint to NHTSA about the air bags, Jun 2016
“When parking my vehicle on an incline and placing my manual transmission into first and turning off the car, without applying the parking brake, the car would slowly jerk backwards down the hill.”
An owner's complaint to NHTSA about the power train, Feb 2020
Fixes and extended coverage
- Extended coverage The oil control rings may become clogged with carbon deposits. To increase client confidence, American Honda is extending the engine warranty related to oil consumption to 8 years from the original date of purchase or 125,000 miles, whichever comes first. (B19-006, Feb 2019)
- Extended coverage American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects in the replacement driver's airbag inflator only. (B18-020, May 2018)
- Extended coverage Today, January 16, 2019, Acura is announcing a warranty extension for certain 2009-14 Acura vehicles equipped with the 3.7L V6 engine to address client concerns related to excessive oil consumption. Acura is extending the powertrain warranty coverage to cover engine issues related to excessive oil… (BBOM01162019901, Jan 2019)
- Extended coverage On January 16, 2019, Acura announced a warranty extension for certain 2009-14 Acura vehicles equipped with a 3.7L V6 engine to address client concerns related to excessive oil consumption. Acura extended the powertrain warranty coverage to address engine issues related to excessive oil consumption… (BBOM08312019, Aug 2019)
- Extended coverage Due to high demand for repairs under this warranty extension, pistons and rings required to complete this repair are currently backordered. (B19-052, Oct 2019)
- Extended coverage Since the posting of service bulletin 16-033 for 09-11 tl software update for lock-up function there has been a sharp rise in claims for torque converter shudder for this model and year compared to the first 6 months of the year before the sb was posted. (BPAS12142016901, Dec 2016)
From the manufacturer's bulletins filed with NHTSA. A dealer can look up whether a car has had the work done or is still covered.
64 owner complaints · 3 recalls (check a car's VIN for open recalls) · EPA combined: 20–21 mpg · NHTSA: Not rated · 2010 trims and features
Verdicts computed from NHTSA owner complaints, defect investigations and recalls. Cars on the road from New York State registrations. (How we judge.) Data checked 2026-10-06.
Trims and features
Engines: 3.5L 6-cyl; 3.7L 6-cyl · Drive: AWD, FWD
2010 TL trims
| SH-4WD | SH-4WD Tech | Tech |
|---|
base price, seating and driver-assistance equipment from NHTSA's vehicle database (vPIC), as Acura reports it. Tech and comfort features (CarPlay, heated seats, sunroof) for Acura aren't in our data yet. "—": not verified in our sources. "Varies": standard on some versions of the trim.
Year by year
| Year | Engines | Drive | Fuel economy | Crash rating | Recalls | Owner complaints | Most-reported problem | CarPlay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 3.5L 6-cyl 3.7L 6-cyl manual available | AWD, FWD | 20–23 mpg | 4 of 5 | 3 | 17 | Air bags (8) | — |
| 2013 | 3.5L 6-cyl 3.7L 6-cyl manual available | AWD, FWD | 20–23 mpg | 4 of 5 | 3 | 62 | Steering (28) | — |
| 2012 | 3.5L 6-cyl 3.7L 6-cyl manual available | AWD, FWD | 20–23 mpg | 3–4 of 5 | 3 | 130 | Air bags (43) | — |
| 2011 | 3.5L 6-cyl 3.7L 6-cyl manual available | AWD, FWD | 20–21 mpg | Not rated | 3 | 20 | Air bags (13) | — |
| 2010 | 3.5L 6-cyl 3.7L 6-cyl manual available | AWD, FWD | 20–21 mpg | Not rated | 3 | 64 | Air bags (34) | — |
Owner complaints are unverified reports to NHTSA, counted as filed: older years have had longer to collect them and sales aren't adjusted for, so see Which year to buy for a fair comparison. Most-reported problem: the component named in the most complaints that year. Sources: EPA, NHTSA, Apple.
Every NHTSA-rated version: crash ratings, safety tech, recalls, complaints
| Year | Version | Stars | Forward collision warning | Lane departure warning | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Acura TL 4 DR 4WD | 4 | No | No | 3 | 17 |
| 2014 | Acura TL 4 DR FWD | 4 | No | No | 3 | 17 |
| 2013 | Acura TL 4 DR 4WD | 4 | No | No | 3 | 62 |
| 2013 | Acura TL 4 DR FWD | 4 | No | No | 3 | 62 |
| 2012 | Acura TL 4 DR FWD Later Release | 4 | No | No | 3 | 130 |
| 2012 | Acura TL 4 DR 4WD Later Release | 4 | No | No | 3 | 130 |
| 2012 | Acura TL 4 DR 4WD Early Release | 3 | No | No | 3 | 130 |
| 2012 | Acura TL 4 DR FWD Early Release | 3 | No | No | 3 | 130 |
| 2011 | Acura TL 4 DR AWD | Not Rated | No | No | 3 | 20 |
| 2011 | Acura TL 4 DR FWD | Not Rated | No | No | 3 | 20 |
| 2010 | Acura TL 4-DR. w/SAB | Not Rated | No | No | 3 | 64 |
Source: NHTSA.
Every EPA-rated version: engines and combined mpg
| Year | EPA model | Engines | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | TL 2WD | Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.5 L | 23 |
| 2014 | TL 4WD | Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.7 L Man 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.7 L |
20–21 |
| 2013 | TL 2WD | Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.5 L | 23 |
| 2013 | TL 4WD | Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.7 L Man 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.7 L |
20–21 |
| 2012 | TL 2WD | Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.5 L | 23 |
| 2012 | TL 4WD | Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.7 L Man 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.7 L |
20–21 |
| 2011 | TL 2WD | Auto (S5), 6 cyl, 3.5 L | 21 |
| 2011 | TL 4WD | Auto (S5), 6 cyl, 3.7 L Man 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.7 L |
20 |
| 2010 | TL 2WD | Auto (S5), 6 cyl, 3.5 L | 21 |
| 2010 | TL 4WD | Auto (S5), 6 cyl, 3.7 L Man 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.7 L |
20 |
Source: fueleconomy.gov.