2011 Acura TL

midsize luxury car / 4-door sedan

2011 Acura TL 4-door sedan
2009 Acura TL shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Evaluation criteria Rating
Small overlap front: driver-side
G
Moderate overlap front: original test
G
Side: original test
G
Head restraints & seats
G

Key

GGood
AAcceptable
MMarginal
PPoor
Superior
Advanced
Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Tested vehicle: 2012 Acura TL 4-door
Rating applies to 2009-14 models

The Acura TL was redesigned for the 2009 model year. Two tests of the TL were conducted because the onboard (car interior) cameras failed during the first test. As a result, the restraints and dummy kinematics rating is based primarily on the second test although camera views from outside the car suggest that there were very similar results in the first test. Injury and structural ratings are based on both tests.

Evaluation criteria Rating
Overall evaluation
G
Structure and safety cage
A
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
G
Chest
G
Hip/thigh
G
Lower leg/foot
G
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
G
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Evaluation criteria Measurement
Test ID CEN1201 CEN1214
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 15 20
Footrest (cm) 11 6
Left toepan (cm) 2 2
Brake pedal (cm) 4 5
Parking brake (cm) 0 0
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 5 2
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column 2 3
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 9 12
Upper dash (cm) 9 11
Lower instrument panel (cm) 10 10

Driver injury measures

Evaluation criteria Measurement
Test ID CEN1201 CEN1214
Head
HIC-15 41 55
Peak gs at hard contact no contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.7 0.7
Extension bending moment (Nm) 16 9
Maximum Nij 0.17 0.15
Chest maximum compression (mm) 25 27
Femur (kN)
Left 4.3 4.9
Right 0.2 0.1
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 10 5
Right 0 0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 2 3
Right 0 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.51 0.47
Right 0.42 0.48
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 3.3 2.3
Right 0.3 0.3
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 75 73
Right 40 23

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Tested vehicle: 2009 Acura TL 4-door
Rating applies to 2009-14 models

The Acura TL was redesigned for the 2009 model year. Frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Honda.

Evaluation criteria Rating
Overall evaluation
G
Structure and safety cage
G
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
G
Chest
G
Leg/foot, left
G
Leg/foot, right
G
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
G
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Evaluation criteria Measurement
Test ID VTF0814
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 3
Left (cm) 12
Center (cm) 12
Right (cm) 8
Brake pedal (cm) 4
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 0
Right (cm) 0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 0
Rearward (cm) 6
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Evaluation criteria Measurement
Test ID VTF0814
Head
HIC-15 197
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.8
Extension bending moment (Nm) 33
Maximum Nij 0.18
Chest maximum compression (mm) 24
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 1.1
Femur force - right (kN) 3.2
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.47
Maximum tibia index - right 0.52
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.4
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 2.8
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 76
Right 54

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Tested vehicle: 2009 Acura TL 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags
Rating applies to 2009-14 models

The Acura TL was redesigned for the 2009 model year.

Evaluation criteria Rating
Overall evaluation
G
Structure and safety cage
G
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
G
Torso
A
Pelvis/leg
G
Driver head protection
G
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
G
Torso
G
Pelvis/leg
G
Rear passenger head protection
G
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0847
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -13.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Evaluation criteria Measurement
Test ID CES0847
Head HIC-15 245
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Compression (kN) 0.0
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 56
Lateral force (kN) 1.6
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 47
Average deflection (mm) 41
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.96
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.81
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 2.7
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.1
Combined force (kN) 4.5
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.7
L-M moment (Nm) 122
A-P moment (Nm) 50

Passenger injury measures

Evaluation criteria Measurement
Test ID CES0847
Head HIC-15 230
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.0
Compression (kN) 0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 41
Lateral force (kN) 1.2
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 33
Average deflection (mm) 27
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.64
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.44
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.3
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.6
Combined force (kN) 1.7
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.9
L-M moment (Nm) 159
A-P moment (Nm) -31

About the original side crash test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Power leather seats AHR

Overall evaluation
G
Dynamic rating
G
Seat/head restraint geometry
G
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Power leather seats AHR
Geometry
Backset (mm) 36
Distance below top of head (mm) 31
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 12.8
Head contact time (ms) 61
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 3
Max neck tension (N) 222

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.