2002 Acura TL problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
332 owner complaints analyzed
7 distinct recall campaigns
64,500 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2002 model year. Data snapshot: . 213 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Power Train:Automatic Transmission is the most frequently named component, appearing in 173 of 332 complaints (52.1%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Transmission and shifting | 201 | 60.5% |
| Braking behavior | 25 | 7.5% |
| Engine operation | 13 | 3.9% |
| Steering behavior | 12 | 3.6% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 3 | 0.9% |
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.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | 173 |
| Power Train | 37 |
| Air Bags | 31 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 13 |
| Electrical System | 10 |
| Power Train:Manual Transmission | 7 |
| Engine | 6 |
| Service Brakes | 6 |
Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 173; Power Train: 37; Air Bags: 31; Vehicle Speed Control: 13; Electrical System: 10; Power Train:Manual Transmission: 7; Engine: 6; Service Brakes: 6
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 30 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 59 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 29 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 37 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 38 |
| 150,000 and above | 20 |
Under 25,000: 30; 25,000 to 49,999: 59; 50,000 to 74,999: 29; 75,000 to 99,999: 37; 100,000 to 149,999: 38; 150,000 and above: 20
25,000 to 49,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (59). 119 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.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 4 |
| 2002 | 56 |
| 2003 | 44 |
| 2004 | 50 |
| 2005 | 35 |
| 2006 | 10 |
| 2007 | 7 |
| 2008 | 13 |
| 2009 | 5 |
| 2010 | 26 |
| 2011 | 20 |
| 2012 | 9 |
| 2013 | 9 |
| 2014 | 8 |
| 2015 | 6 |
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 9 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 |
2001: 4; 2002: 56; 2003: 44; 2004: 50; 2005: 35; 2006: 10; 2007: 7; 2008: 13; 2009: 5; 2010: 26; 2011: 20; 2012: 9; 2013: 9; 2014: 8; 2015: 6; 2016: 4; 2017: 9; 2018: 6; 2019: 6; 2020: 1; 2021: 1; 2023: 1; 2025: 2
Pattern summary
Power Train:Automatic Transmission leads the component reports. Transmission and shifting appears in 201 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 25 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 13 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 10000043 · 2002-12-13 (December 13, 2002)
I OWN A 2002 ACURA TL TYPE S, PURCHASED APRIL 24, 2001. I NOW HAVE APPROXIMATELY 44,600 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE (2) TRANSMISSION FAILURES THAT DID NOT RESULT IN ANY COLLISIONS OR INJURIES. HOWEVER, I FEEL LUCKY THAT NO SUCH INCIDENTS OCCURED AS THE CAR DID DECELERATE RAPIDLY, WITHOUT WARNING WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE CAR ALSO DID NOT ACCELERATE AS IT SHOULD WHEN PULLING OUT INTO BUSY INTERSECTIONS. DRIVING DURING THESE EPISODES OF TRANSMISSION FAILURE WAS QUITE FRIGHTENING. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED…
Owner-reported narrative. 8,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10000043 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10000049 · 2002-12-14 (December 14, 2002)
TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SWITCH GEARS WILL DRIVING.
Owner-reported narrative. 12,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10000049 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10003598 · 2003-01-29 (January 29, 2003)
TODAY I HAVE EXPERIENCED WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE MORE THAN A DEFECT IN MY 2002 ACURA 3.2 TL-S. PRIOR TO TODAY I HAVE DELT WITH NUMEROUS MINOR DEFECTS SUCH AS A BROKEN SWAY BAR LINK, LEAKING TRANSMISSION SEALS AND BRAKE FITTINGS, PAINT/TRIM DEFECTS AND TWO DEFECTIVE TIRES. TODAY'S INCIDENT WAS UNACCEPTABLE AND THE ONLY REASON I MADE IT HOME SAFELY TONIGHT WAS PURE LUCK! ON CA-101 IN SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA DURING RUSH-HOUR I WAS IN BUMPER-TO-BUMPER TRAFFIC TRAVELING AT 65 MPH SURROUNDED BY CARS WHEN MY FRONT TIRE LOCKED UP SENDING MY CAR INTO THE LAN…
Owner-reported narrative. 20,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10003598 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10005042 · 2003-01-31 (January 31, 2003)
I WAS PULLING OUT OF A DRIVEWAY (STORE) ONTO A MAIN ROAD AT LESS THAN 5 MILES PER HOUR. STEPPED ON BRAKE BECAUSE CARS WERE STOPPED FOR RED LIGHT. CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND WOULDN'T STOP, NO MATTER HOW HARD I HIT THE BRAKES. I GRAZED THE REAR BUMPER OF THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME AS I SWERVED TO AVOID HITTING IT. WENT INTO A TREE TO AVOID HITTING ANYTHING OR ANYONE ELSE. ACURA DEALER SWORE IT COULDN'T HAPPEN AND THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR, BUT I FOUND SIX OTHER INSTANCES OF THIS PROBLEM ON YOUR WEB SITE. REPORTED IT TO METUCHEN, NJ POLIC…
Owner-reported narrative. 12,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10005042 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10000900 · 2003-01-10 (January 10, 2003)
EVERY DAY WHEN I BACK OUT OF MY GARAGE WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD, THE IDLE IS ALL OFF ON MY CAR. IT WOULD FLUCTUATE BETWEEN 300RPM (ALMOST STALLING) TO 1000RPM. I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED SOMETHING, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS.*JB
Owner-reported narrative. 10,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10000900 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10013557 · 2003-03-27 (March 27, 2003)
TRANSMISSION DISENGAGES WHEN ACCELERATING. ALSO, TRANSMISSION FALLS OUT OF GEAR CAUSING UNEXPECTED LOSS OF POWER. DEALERSHIP ADJUSTED BASE IDLE OF THE ENGINE THE FIRST TIME I TOOK IT IN FOR THIS PROBLEM. TRANSMISSION TOTAL FAILURE AT 24000 MILES. REPLACED TRANSMISSION AND HAD THE SAME PROBLEM THREE WEEKS LATER. POWER LOSS WHEN TURNING LEFT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION, BARELY AVOIDED COLLISION. I DO NOT TAKE MY CHILDREN IN THIS CAR FOR FEAR OF POWER FAILURE. *NLM
Owner-reported narrative. 19,099 miles reported. Look up ODI 10013557 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10053641 · 2004-02-26 (February 26, 2004)
CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A BRAKE PROBLEM. DEFECTIVE ROTORS ARE CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO SHIMMY.*AK THE ROTORS WERE RESURFACED NO NUMEROUS OCCASIONS BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE A PERMANENT REPAIR OR ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE. *NM
Owner-reported narrative. 40,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10053641 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10129403 · 2005-07-20 (July 20, 2005)
THE FRONT DISC BRAKES ROTORS ON THE 2002 ACURA TL WEAR UNEVENLY OR SWELL IN THE HEAT. THIS CAUSES THE STEERING WHEEL OF THE CAR, AND THUS THE CAR, TO SHAKE DURING STOPS. THIS CONDITION HAPPENS WHILE STOPPING SLOWLY OR QUICKLY. THIS CONDITION IS UNSAFE. WE HAVE TAKEN OUR CAR IN 4 TIMES TO HAVE THE ROTORS GROUND AND EACH TIME THERE HAS BEEN SOMEONE ELSE WAITING IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY AFTER SERVICING BUT ALWAYS RETURNS. ACURA HAS REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE A PROBLEM WITH THESE ROTORS.
Owner-reported narrative. 15,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10129403 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10137623 · 2005-09-26 (September 26, 2005)
DT: THE CONSUMER FILED A PREVIOUS COMPLAINT ON THE SRS OF THE AIRBAG, ODI 10137149 . THE CONSUMER REFUSED TO ADD THIS INFORMATION TO HER PREVIOUS COMPLAINT AND WISHED TO FILE A SEPARATE COMPLAINT ON THE SAME VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE BLOWER MOTOR RESISTOR THAT WENT TO THE HEATER, THE AIR CONDITIONER, AND WITH THE WIRING HARNESS UNDER THE DASHBOARD. THE WIRES MELTED. THE CONSUMER DID NOT SEE FLAMES, BUT FELT THERE WAS A FIRE. THE CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO A DEALERSHIP WHERE SHE WAS TOLD IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. TH…
Owner-reported narrative. 103,040 miles reported. Look up ODI 10137623 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10734289 · 2015-07-15 (July 15, 2015)
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 ACURA TL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE KEYS WERE ABLE TO BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION WITHOUT THE VEHICLE BEING SHIFTED INTO PARK. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO TWO OTHER VEHICLES WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 03V423000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000. UPDATED 9/25/15 *LN
Owner-reported narrative. 140,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10734289 at NHTSA ↗