The paint job on the first TL Type S, which was purchased on 11/13/02, was defective.
Cup holder door covers were deformed.
Drivers and rear passenger seats were torn.
Car was replaced with another 2003 3.2 TL Type S. The dashboard is making a
rattling noise.
The 3.2 TL Type S is a very fast car. The car handles very well, but it would be better if Acura would get rid of those mediocre Michelin's, (HXMXM4). During fast and aggressive driving the tires tend to lose their grip, even on dry pavement. After 600 miles there is a rattling noise emitting from underneath the dashboard.
My TL also suffers from dash board rattling. It's very annoying, given the price of the car. It's fairly fast, but the car does not have immediate throttle response. In fact, there is a noticeable delay between the time you depress the gas pedal and the time it takes for the throttle to kick in. I wonder if the problem is actually the transmission, given the number of failed automatic transmissions Honda / Acura has had (over 10,000, according to LA Times). Lots of annoying problems with a so called "near-luxury" car. There are much better options out there.
The person who wrote the above comment has no idea what he's talking about. The TL and TL type s are without question best buys, and the new TL that just came out for 2004 and is currently in showrooms seems even better. Can't wait for the next type s!
Actually, that comment sounds about right... except for the last sentence. The 00-03 TL's have had notorious transmission problems, one of the few exceptions in the usually reliable Acura line. I agree though, the 04's look great and I will consider one if they've fixed this problem.
Acura has extended the transmission warranty to 100,000 miles on most of the TL's...but what happens after that?
I salute to the pros & cons of comments from the above TL owners. Let's face it the so-called sport shift automatic transmission is only meant for the wanna be sports car drivers who cannot manage clutch and shift stick all at the same time. Mine you even the Porsche's tiptronics had gone through a rough time. So love your TL, get a stick shift if shifting gear is your priority.
At 37,328 I am on my 2nd and it's going in for it's third soon. SAD really.
Goto acuratl. com and check out the forum thousands of people cannot be wrong, acura/honda screwed up.
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