2002 Acura CL problems & reliability
44 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Acura CL, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
0 complaints report injuries (0 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2002 Acura CL vehicles were involved in 4 fatal crashes with 4 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train → | 33 | 75% |
| Air Bags | 5 | 11% |
| Electrical System | 4 | 9% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 9% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 3 | 7% |
| Equipment | 2 | 5% |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Air | 2 | 5% |
| Suspension | 2 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 17 reported components →Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 23 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 45,000 miles (middle 50% between 26,175 and 140,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2002 acura cl. The contact stated the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed the front driver air bag needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been diagnosed nor repaired. The contact received…”
Air Bags · filed Apr 20, 2020
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2002 acura cl. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v027000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Acura of…”
Air Bags · filed Mar 24, 2020
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 acura cl. When the vehicle was started, the "srs" warning indicator illuminated and remained lit all day. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing, but an appointment was scheduled with goodson acura of dallas (4801 lemmon ave, dallas, tx 75219) for september 11, 2019…”
Air Bags · filed Sep 10, 2019
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SUDDEN DOWNSHIFT
Preliminary Evaluation PE02081 · opened Oct 28, 2002 · closed Mar 5, 2003
Technical service bulletins
143 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 Acura CL. The 10 most recent:
Test
- · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 23, 2024
Servicenews article - Is the navigation screen clock reading 00:00? We?re aware of this issue and have it under investigation.
B18010I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2018
Servicenews article - Is the navigation screen clock reading 00:00? We?re aware of this issue and have it under investigation.
B18010I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2018
Tech line summary article - Is the navigation screen clock reading 00:00? We?re aware of this issue and have it under investigation.
BTS170801 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 26, 2017
Tech line summary article - Is the navigation screen clock reading 00:00? We?re aware of this issue and are looking for a solution.
BTS170801 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 31, 2017
Service bulletin - You are required to install a remanufactured A/T (automatic transmission) and torque converter on any vehicle with an internal failure that calls for A/T disassembly that is covered under any of the…
B90-009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 30, 2017
Service bulletin - navigation system information.
B05-018 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 23, 2016
Special Tool Loan Program: Under TOOLS AVAILABLE FOR LOAN, the list has been updated.
B98015 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 18, 2016
"service bulletin - this bulletin updates the troubleshooting procedures for dtc p1456 (evap control system leakage [fuel tank system]) and dtc p1457 (evap control system leakage[evap canister system]). Depending on the…
B99-040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 8, 2015
Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, Acura announced three recalls for various 2002-06 Acura models. As of August 4, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and VIN status inquiry has been updated.
DLR MSG - Acura · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 6, 2014
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2002 Acura CL has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2002 Acura CL?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 45,000 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.