NHTSA — Power Train: Automatic Transmission Problems

2002 Acura CL (Page 1 of 2)

4.7

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
22,408 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2002 Acura CL transmission problems

transmission problem

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2002 Acura CL Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #28

May 102010

CL

  • 85,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Automatic transmission fails abruptly. Vehicle accelerates abruptly when gears shift. Potential safety hazard if failure occurs in highway.

- Cambridge, MA, USA

problem #27

Mar 072010

CL

  • 45,500 miles
Transmission failure car has only 45K on it. Minor trans repair by prior owner under warranty. Class action applied but past time limit. Acura offered 50% of repair cost not 100%. I believe time limit inappropriate. Time does not damage trans.

- Newark, DE, USA

problem #26

Jan 062005

CL

  • Automatic transmission
  • 103,000 miles
2002 Acura 3.2cl with defective transmissions. Consumer states that her 1st transmission failed while driving 50 mph. Dealer informed her that they knew the transmissions were bad. The first time the transmission failed, it would not go into reverse. Now, it is 2 years later and the transmission is slipping. The dealer stated there was an internal failure.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #25

Nov 102007

CL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 171,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Acura is knowingly putting defective transmissions in these cars. When my first trans went out, I was doing 50 mph on lake shore dr. And if I weren't wearing my seatbelt, I would've gone through the windshield. They admitted that they knew all these trans were bad and replaced the 1st one @ 103,000 miles and said they would "good will" these trans as long as im the original owner. My husband was a master tech. Mechanic at Acura for 10 yrs. And said they never came out with a good trans. For these cars. They just keep rebuilding them and replacing them when they go out! now my replacement trans is going out @ 30,000 less miles than the 1st and they refuse to replace it without me paying for it! pay for another bad transmission" they wrote on my car work order "test drove vehicle found trans slipping - customer advised of trans operation, not recommended to drive vehicle!" they put me back on the street with their unsafe transmission. It's not right that they are putting 'accidents waiting to happen' on the streets. Is it cheaper for them to pay for peoples deaths than to take all these vehicles off the street" Honda biggest settlement cannot replace somebody's loved one. There has to be justice somewhere. Please help save someone's life, thank you..

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #24

Jun 012007

CL

  • miles
2002 Acura Cl has had the transmission changed out 4 times; the car is ending it's warranty, and again the transmission is acting up.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #23

Jun 012005

CL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 42,900 miles
Transmission problem: Erratic shifting, hard downshifts, shifts from 5th gear into 2nd gear at high speed: Close-to-death experience on the highway!! this has happened 3 months after the recall service was done concluding nothing wrong. From my research I have found that the recall - "band-aid fix" does not fix whats actually wrong with the transmission because it is a trick to make consumers think that the car is fine. The recall was put out but does not work!! this matter should be looked into properly and thuroughly again. I do not wish to injure or kill myself or others because my car is poorly designed. My car is out of warranty and will not be covered under recall since it was already provided. Furthermore, the symptoms of my problem are different than the recall symptoms. The Honda motor co. Knows very well that all these symptoms are combined but does not want to recall the correct parts because it would cost too much and cover too many vehicles. Right now my choices are very limited but expensive: Replace whole transmission with few other parts. Many consumers' transmissions fail multiple times so there is no permanent fix as the company claims with the recall service and I'm sure this is not the first complain. Please look into the problem again and make them issue a real solution to this problem or refer me somewhere that I could get help resolving this matter.

- River Grove, IL, USA

problem #22

Mar 182005

CL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 41,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Since the second day of having my car, my car has been continuously plagued with problems. I have taken my car in for repair over 10 times for various and sometimes repeating problems. This all has occurred within a three year period. I have never had a vehicle that has had so many problems. Some of the problems have been so severe that I no longer feel safe driving my car. One of these problems was my transmission spontaneously downshifting from 5th gear to 2nd gear at highway speeds. This caused a tremendous decrease of speed. Had someone been in back of me, I would have been seriously injured. The transmission was replaced, but it continues to act spontaneously. After making complaints directly to Acura of America, I feel snubbed by them in that they have not sought to assist me other than warranty repairs.

- Davie, FL, USA

problem #21

Sep 292002

CL

  • miles
2002 Acura Cl 3.2 experiencing problems with automatic transmission, seat belts, timing belt, electrical system, and the engine.** answer required***. 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.

- Bowie, MD, USA

problem #20

Aug 302004

CL

  • Automatic transmission
  • 33,000 miles
While driving at any speed transmission slipped. The part was replaced three times, however the problem recurred.

- Sylmar, CA, USA

problem #19

Dec 302003

CL

  • miles
While driving the transmission light flashed on the dashboard then the driver heard a loud popping noise from beneath the vehicle. The transmission down shifted on it's own. The driver took the vehicle to the dealer for analysis. The technician determined that the pinion shaft needed to be replaced.

- Avondale, AZ, USA

problem #18

Jul 302002

CL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 12,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I own a 2002 Acura Cl type S. since purchasing the car I have had nothing but trouble with the transmission. After only 12,000 miles, my transmission was replaced. After the replacement, the transmission still had problems and was slipping but my dealership told me that there were no issues with it when I knew that there definitely was. After going the winter with a slipping transmission, it's now summer and it is getting worst every day. I took the car to my dealership today and once again I'm faced with first a transmission flush then another replacement transmission. I feel Acura, not the dealership, has shown that a great reputation can be dissolved quickly by poor customer service, slow reaction to problems, and not fixing a clear problem. Acura has extended the warranties to 100K on their transmissions but this does me no good. This is a business car and I do not have time for the headache of taking my car in constantly for service. I bought my Acura because of their reputation and because of owning a great Honda automobile in the past. I will now never buy another Honda/Acura product and they have lost a good customer.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

problem #17

Feb 142003

CL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 24,000 miles
2002 Acura Cl 3.2 type S transmission problem. I have about 24K miles and recently my transmission slipped. While going 30mph with the 3rd gear, if you accelerate so that the second gear kicks in, in kicks in very sharply, creating an unbearing jerk that is very obstrusive inside the cabin. Honda should place a recall on this model. Dealer was willing to replace it but I'm not sure if new transmission will be better than the old one.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #16

Jan 282003

CL

  • miles
I have had transmission problems with my 02 Cl for about 4 months now. I have gone to my dealer, metro Acura, several times and they have done nothing. I have even been pulled over by the police due to the fact that the car downshifts at highway speeds causing the car to immediately slow down. Finally my dealer has agreed to replace the transmission with a "rebuilt" one. Since this is a safety issue, I believe that Acura should take this much more seriously.

- La Verne, CA, USA

problem #15

Jan 232003

CL 6-cyl

  • miles
The motor mounts had become loose and transmission had blown up. Ts scc

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #14

Jan 092003

CL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Car spontaneously downshifts when not needed to and doesn't respond to the upshift.

- Timonium, MD, USA

problem #13

Jan 232003

CL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 7,960 miles
Driving on the dan ryan expressway into the city of Chicago, I experienced a sudden and non-provoked downshift in my 2002 Acura Cl type S transmission. I was traveling approximately 65 miles per hour when the transmission downshifted from 5th to 2nd gear. Fortunately, no one plowed into the back of me, and the car was still drivable after this occurred. The car is now at the dealer, waiting for it's transmission to be replaced. I purchased the car in December 2001 and at drop-off at the dealer, the car only has 7998 miles on it. I don't care if I have a 7yr/100K warranty extension on the transmission, this type of failure is a safety hazard and something that need to be addressed by the Acura. I am concerned about not only my safety, but also the safety of my wife.

- Highland, IN, USA

problem #12

Jan 112003

CL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 13,300 miles
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.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #11

Dec 312002

CL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 20,415 miles
Automatic transmission downshifted without warning, almost causing accidents

- Shawnee, KS, USA

problem #10

Dec 062002

CL

  • miles
My problem is the transmission issue. I have had my transmission replaced at about 12,000 miles and now agian I brought the car to a new dealer and its in for a new tranny at 36,300 miles. This is very disturbing to hear. I also have had warped rotors at about 13,000 which I had to pay over 500 dollars in repair with Acura. Which this problem is repeating. I am very disturbed because today I was on the highway and my car down shifted unexpectly and the rpms jolted up which forced my car to reacting in a unexpected speed increase which could've caused a major acident.

- Yonkers, NY, USA

problem #9

Jul 052002

CL 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 28,350 miles
Consumer states transmission has failed 2X while driving since vehicle purchased. First incident was on 7/5/02. Transmission was replaced by dlr on 7/15/02, but then failed again on 7/21/02 while driving 30mph. Consumer states was almost rear-ended in the during the last incident. Mr there was clunking/grinding noise and the brakes felt as if they were depressed. The dealer stated that they could not remedy. The vehicle veered into another lane during a rain storm. The dealer stated that the problem was traction control device. Scc

- Rocklin, CA, USA

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