"How reliable is the 1998 Acura Tl?"

"Based on 22 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Acura Tl has a median complaint mileage of 98000 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE."

1998 Acura Tl: Reliability Data

Q: "What are common problems with the 1998 Acura Tl?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Acura Tl is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE, accounting for a significant portion of the 22 total complaints filed."

Source: NHTSA — 22 complaints

Total Complaints

98,000mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

73,462 25th Percentile

98,000 Median Mileage

115,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

STEERING

STRUCTURE:BODY

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE

STRUCTURE:BODY:TRUNK LID

SUSPENSION:FRONT

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE BOTTON FOR THE HORN IS TOO SMALL TO LOCATE IN A PANIC SITUATION. DEALER SAYS THAT NOTHING CAN BE DONE BECAUSE OF THE DESIGN. *AK"

"HORN BUTTON ON THE STEERING WHEEL IS A DESIGN DEFECT. IT IS TOO SMALL (3/4" BY 1"} AND IN A EMERGENCY OR PANIC SITUATION, THE HORN IS IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND. CORRECTED ACTION HAS BEEN DONE TO THE 1999 MODELS, BUT MANUFACTURER SAID NO CORRECTION CAN BE DONE TO THE 1998 MODELS, BECAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL..."

"WHILE DRIVING ALONG AT A SPEED 45-55 MPH ON A STRAIGHT ROAD IN SUNNY WEATHER CONDITIONS CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD NOISE, AND THEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY WENT OUT OF CONTROL, ALMOST STRIKING SEVERAL VEHICLES.THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A BODY SHOP. PLEASE THE STRUT ROD HAD BROKEN OFF THE REAR WHEEL SPINDLE A..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE 7 complaints

25th: 73,462 mi Median: 73,731 mi 75th: 76,625 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 5 NJ: 3 WA: 3 GA: 2 SC: 2 NV: 1 NC: 1 AR: 1 CO: 1 KY: 1

Who Files Complaints?

31.8%

Original Owners

68.2%

Second+ Owners

Acura Tl — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1996	33	114,000	SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT	8
1997	29	91,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	3
1999	197	112,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	27
2000	322	113,000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	30
2001	163	81,500	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	8
2002	403	73,000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	38
2003	466	76,167	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	36
2004	766	90,000	STRUCTURE	17
2005	549	95,600	AIR BAGS	9
2006	342	90,000	AIR BAGS	13
2007	167	75,529	AIR BAGS	5
2008	181	88,000	AIR BAGS	6
2009	51	50,037	AIR BAGS	5
2010	75	60,000	AIR BAGS	7
2011	23	89,500	AIR BAGS	1
2012	162	48,000	AIR BAGS	4
2013	73	66,328	STEERING	1

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28