Most common 2002 Acura RL problems
Share of the 43 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Acura RL complaints by model year
Best RL years: 2012, 2003, 2011. Years to avoid: 2005, 2000, 2002, 2006. Compare all years →
2002 Acura RL recalls (2)
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2001-2002 Acura 3.2CL, 2000-2003 Acura 3.5RL, 2000-2001 Acura 3.2TL, Honda CR-V and Honda Odyssey, 2001-2002 Acura MDX and 2000 Accord Coupe, Accord Sedan, Civic Coupe, and Civic Sedan vehicles.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the air bags in the vehicles, replacing the driver frontal air bag inflator with an inflator of a different design, as necessary, free of charge.
Exterior lighting › Brake lights › Switch
On certain passenger vehicles, during the manufacturing process, oil was applied to the brake pedal assembly to prevent rust. This oil can leak into the brake stop switch and contaminate the electrical contacts.
Remedy: Dealers will clean any excess oil from the pedal assembly and replace the stop switch. Owner notification began May 16, 2002.
What 2002 Acura RL owners say
Air bags
"Takata recall" the vehicle was traveling in city at approximately 10mph. I had just finished gasing up. As I was driving I noticed the SRS light was illuminated. Once arriving home, I began to research and troubleshoot the issue. I came up with 2 codes. The first was 3-5, and the second was 1-1. 3-5 was pertaining to a ground for the seatbelt pretensioner, driver's side. 1-1 was pertaining to a module for an airbag. I can't remember which side. As aforementioned, the research I did confirmed there were some recalls pertaining to the air bag system. If someone could please get back to me regarding these matters as soon as feasible it would be greatly appreciated!
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Acura RL. The contact stated that the air bag indicator illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed by a dealer or independent mechanic. The manufacturer issued eight tsbs on the air bags, but no air bag recalls. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 201,373.
Transmission & drivetrain
The car has a known TSB that the car May stall and shut down if it is at very low speeds. This has happened to me twice and the last time it happened 3 days ago. I was in traffic waiting in traffic the car just stalled and rolled back and hit the guy in the back lucky for me it was sitting traffic. One other time the car was making a slow speed turn and the car shut off and lost power. The car has a known TSB that this happens due to a malfunctioned PCM. Also this car has a TSB stating that a drive plate is mismanufactured and happens to all cars in my year and model a grinding noise when start up intermittently. This it the weblink for TSB for stalling of car problem http://www.acurhttp://www.acuraworld.com/TSB/2002/b02-031.pdfaworld.com/TSB/2001/b01-044.pdf and this is for the grinding noise problem.
Get a very bad 'grind' going into 2nd gear, when the transmission is cold. It takes about 25 minutes of driving until it starts to shift smoothly. The colder the weather is outside the worst the problem is. This is not normal behavior, you can feel the gears grinding in the transmission. Yes, the clutch pedal is being pushed all the way to the floor and the shifter is being pulled straight back. I have spoke with many Acura rsx type-s owners and they are all having this problem. I have a petition with over 60 signatures from other rsx owners with name VIN's and descript of the same problem. Please report this problem to Acura it can be very dangerous if you are trying to get into 2nd gear and the transmissions is grinding so bad it locks you out.
Electrical system
This is a continuation complaint with national cemter for dispute settlement to fix safty issues and discontinued parts. The car is not 40 years old and i cannot find a maintenance repair book. The power door locks are coming on and off and the fob key do not work Sutton acuta in macon said it needs the antenna but the antenna is discontinued. The navigation system doesn't work because the 6 chamger dvd in the trunk is not working with no electrical tech support from on star. ABS VSA TRACHION CONTROL IS ON for motr tan 3 years but the VSA switch is discontinued part. The SRS light was turn off at the nally acura in Marietta but they came back on and been on for 3 or 5 years. The car is not safe for driving after spending 10000 dollars to repair the same issue. This is my frustration with safty and no support.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Acura RL. The contact was driving 45-50 MPH when the SRS light illuminated. The dealer advised that the vehicle would need an occupant position detection system. The dealer replaced the occupant position detection system. The failure recurred within eight months. The dealer then advised the contact to cycle the ignition faster to correct the failure and reprogrammed the computer to deactivate the SRS light. The contact was concern that with the reprogramming of the computer, the air bag May not deploy in the event of a crash. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 69,000. Updated 01/03/11
2002 Acura RL engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 16 / 22 / 18 |
EPA ratings. Class: Midsize car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2002 Acura RL a good car?
Based on 43 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2002 RL rates use caution: 1.9× as many complaints as a typical year of the RL at the same age. It is one of the RL years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2002 Acura RL?
The air bags — 18 complaints, 42% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the transmission & drivetrain (10) and electrical system (5).
How many recalls does the 2002 Acura RL have?
There are 2 recalls for the 2002 Acura RL, the most recent from January 17, 2020 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Acura RL?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2012, 2003 and 2011. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2005, 2000, 2002 and 2006. See the full Acura RL years comparison.
At what mileage do 2002 Acura RL problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 77,000 miles; 20% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.