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Acura CLYears to avoid, problems & recalls

Based on 586 NHTSA owner complaints across 8 model years, the Acura CL years to avoid are 2001, and the strongest years are 1998, 1999, 2002 and 2003. The CL has 11 safety recalls on record.

Acura CL
Years to avoid'01Based on weighted complaintsBest years'98 '99 '02 '03Fewest complaints for their ageOwner complaints586Top: Power trainSafety recalls111997–2004 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years. Photo: IFCAR, Public domain.

Best & worst years

Acura CL years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the CL median. Tap a year for its full report.

'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
2004Not rated–/1001 complaint · 0 recalls2003Solid46/10073 complaints · 5 recalls2002Solid63/10044 complaints · 2 recalls2001Avoid20/100271 complaints · 3 recalls2000Not rated–/10011 complaints · 0 recalls1999Solid56/10049 complaints · 3 recalls1998Solid55/10055 complaints · 5 recalls1997Solid44/10082 complaints · 2 recalls
Complaints by system

Most common Acura CL problems

All model years combined: 586 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Power train32513
Air bags7716
Electrical system612
Suspension261
Vehicle speed control255
Engine and engine cooling241
Visibility230
Service brakes, hydraulic201
Steering173
16 other systems10214
11 recalls

Acura CL recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

8%Driver side: inflator module20V-027 · 2001–2002 · Jan 17, 2020 · 875,966 vehicles4%Driver side: inflator module20V-026 · 1998–2001 · Jan 17, 2020 · 1,439,841 vehicles22%Driver side: inflator module19V-499 · 2003 · Jun 27, 2019 · 3,947 vehicles49%Driver side: inflator module19V-182 · 2003 · Mar 6, 2019 · 1,101,534 vehicles68%Driver side: inflator module15V-320 · 2003 · May 28, 2015 · 6,281,043 vehicles–Power train: automatic transmission04V-176 · 2001–2003 · Apr 15, 2004 · 1,099,796 vehicles–Ignition: switch03V-423 · 1998–1999 · Oct 27, 2003 · 563,861 vehicles–Engine and engine cooling: engine02V-226 · 2003 · Aug 28, 2002 · 17,551 vehicles–Ignition: switch02V-120 · 1997–1999 · May 16, 2002 · 1,000,000 vehicles–Control arm: lower ball joint99V-069 · 1997–1998 · May 10, 1999 · 124,875 vehicles–Automatic transmission: park/neutral start interlock switch98V-018 · 1998 · Feb 10, 1998 · 33,966 vehicles
4 investigations

NHTSA investigations of the CL

  1. Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA21002 · 2003 · still open
    Open
  2. Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA15001 · 2003 · still open
    Led to recall 14V-668
  3. Air Bag Inflator RupturePE14016 · 2003 · closed Mar 2, 2015
    Led to recall 13V-172
  4. AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SUDDEN DOWNSHIFTPE02081 · 2001–2003 · closed Mar 5, 2003
    No recall