U.S. public vehicle records

2002 Acura CL problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

44 owner complaints analyzed

2 distinct recall campaigns

45,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2002 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 23 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Power Train:Automatic Transmission is the most frequently named component, appearing in 28 of 44 complaints (63.6%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Transmission and shifting	33	75.0%
Braking behavior	3	6.8%
Engine operation	2	4.5%
Steering behavior	2	4.5%
Electrical and battery issues	1	2.3%
Fuel system concerns	1	2.3%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Power Train:Automatic Transmission

Air Bags

Electrical System

Electronic Stability Control (Esc)

Power Train:Manual Transmission

Vehicle Speed Control

Engine And Engine Cooling

Power Train

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Power Train:Automatic Transmission	28
Air Bags	5
Electrical System	3
Electronic Stability Control (Esc)	3
Power Train:Manual Transmission	3
Vehicle Speed Control	3
Engine And Engine Cooling	2
Power Train	2

Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 28; Air Bags: 5; Electrical System: 3; Electronic Stability Control (Esc): 3; Power Train:Manual Transmission: 3; Vehicle Speed Control: 3; Engine And Engine Cooling: 2; Power Train: 2

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 6; 25,000 to 49,999: 7; 50,000 to 74,999: 1; 75,000 to 99,999: 1; 100,000 to 149,999: 3; 150,000 and above: 5

25,000 to 49,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (7). 21 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2010

2011

2012

2014

2016

2017

2019

2020

2023

2001: 2; 2002: 9; 2003: 13; 2004: 2; 2005: 3; 2006: 1; 2007: 2; 2008: 1; 2010: 2; 2011: 1; 2012: 1; 2014: 1; 2016: 1; 2017: 1; 2019: 1; 2020: 2; 2023: 1

Pattern summary

Power Train:Automatic Transmission leads the component reports. Transmission and shifting appears in 33 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 3 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 2 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10000722 · 2003-01-04 (January 4, 2003)

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED WITHOUT WARNING, ALMOST CAUSING ACCIDENTS

Owner-reported narrative. 20,415 miles reported. Look up ODI 10000722 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10002916 · 2003-01-18 (January 18, 2003)

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE. CARS TRANSMISSIONS FOR 6 MONTHS HAS BEEN SHIFTING ERRATIC, HARD, SURGING, DOWNSHIFTING WITHOUT NOTICE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, AND SLIPPING. CAR ONLY HAS 13K OF MILES AND NOW IS IN AT THE DEALER FOR A NEW TRANNY. THERE ARE MANY REPORTS OF THIS FAILURE AND A FEW FATALITIES IT SEEMS. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED FAST. I PLAN TO DITCH THIS CAR IN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS BECAUSE IT JUST DOESN'T FEEL SAFE ANYMORE TO DRIVE. EVEN THE REPLACEMENT TRANNYS ARE DIEING.

Owner-reported narrative. 13,300 miles reported. Look up ODI 10002916 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10010995 · 2003-03-25 (March 25, 2003)

FRONT END (BRAKES) VIBRATION TO STEERING WHEEL AND ENTIRE VEHICLE WHEN BRAKING @ 60MPH WHEN DECENDING A RELATIVELY STEEP GRADE

Owner-reported narrative. 15,804 miles reported. Look up ODI 10010995 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10046295 · 2003-11-04 (November 4, 2003)

ROTORS ARE WARPING PREMATURELY. AS A RESULT, WHEN APPLYING BRAKES A GRINDING NOISE IS PRODUCED. THE DEALER CAN'T FIND THE SOLUTION. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. 45,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10046295 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10006094 · 2003-01-31 (January 31, 2003)

THE VEHICLE STALLED INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE OR DETERMINE THE CAUSE. (CL TYPE-S) TS SCC

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10006094 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10453834 · 2012-04-02 (April 2, 2012)

FOR A COUPLE DAYS MY CAR WOULD BEGIN STALLING WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. I FELT LIKE IT SLOWED DOWN TO SHIFT OUT OF GEAR BUT NEVER COMPLETELY SHIFTED. THEN, ONE DAY WHEN I WAS DRIVING, ON MY WAY HOME MY CAR SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR COMPLETELY AND I COULDN'T DRIVE FORWARD. MY CAR ONLY ALLOWED ME TO GO IN REVERSE. 2AFTER ALLOWING IT TO SIT FOR A WHILE IT WOULD DRIVE BUT WHILE TRYING TO DRIVE HOME IT CONSTANTLY SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR WHICH WAS VERY DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY WHEN IT HAPPENED AT AN INTERSECTION. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10453834 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 746910 · 2001-06-15 (June 15, 2001)

STEERING BECAME SLUGGISH AND VERY NOISEY IN BRAND NEW VEHICLE. DEALER STATED THAT THE SEALS IN GEARBOX WERE DEFECTIVE THUS ALLOWING FLUID TO ACCUMULATE IN GEARBOX AND BOOTS. DEALER REPLACED COMPONENT. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 746910 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10119198 · 2005-03-23 (March 23, 2005)

2002 ACURA CL 3.2 EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, SEAT BELTS, TIMING BELT, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, AND THE ENGINE.***NO ANSWER REQUIRED***. *MR THE CONSUMER HAS EXPERIENCE NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SEAT BELTS, SUSPENSION AND ENGINE. THE CONSUMER DID STATED THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE TRANSMISSION AND BELT TENSIONER. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10119198 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11015278 · 2017-08-14 (August 14, 2017)

I BOUGHT A USED CAR FROM CHICAGO SUBURB INDIVIDUAL OWNER ABOUT 15 DAYS AGO. CLEAN TITLE WITH NO ACCIDENT HISTORY. THE GAS TANK DURING LAST 15 DAYS WAS NEVER LITTLE ABOVE HALF TANK. TODAY I FILLED GAS FULL TANK AND DROVE ABOUT 8 MILES AND PARKED IN HOME GARAGE. LIQUID FUEL LEAK FROM REAR SIDE OF THE TANK WAS OBSERVED FORMING A PUDDLE IN GARAGE GIVING STRONG GAS SMELL IN FEW MINUTES. WHEN I LOOKED UNDER THE CAR, I COULD CONTINUOUS DROP BY DROP LIQUID FUEL LEAK. I CONFIRM THAT I DID NOT OBSERVE ANY LEAK IN LAST TWO WEEKS WHEN GAS TANK WAS LESS T…

Owner-reported narrative. 194,600 miles reported. Look up ODI 11015278 at NHTSA ↗