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#BS-2002-ACUTL-4035

2002 Acura Tl

Based on reports from 403 owners and 7 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
403
Crashes
38
Fires
2
Recalls
7
TSBs
194
🛑

Preliminary Verdict

Red Flag

Based on 403 complaints, 38 crashes, 2 fires, and 7 recalls. Complaint rate is 1.9x the class average.

See full verdict with buy/skip conditions

Top reported problems

1

transmission failure

11 complaints • Severity 9.6/10

$X,XXX
2

transmission slipping

7 complaints • Severity 8.6/10

$X,XXX
3

trunk release stopped working

1 complaints • Severity 8/10

$X,XXX

Preview: What's in your full report

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the Power Train:automatic TransmissionHIGH

175 owners reported power train:automatic transmission issues — failures commonly reported around 73K miles.

!Inspect the DrivetrainMED
Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure
+ 6 more items in full checklistUnlock

Failure Timeline by Mileage

47
0–30K
61
30–60K
52
60–90K
35
90–120K
22
120–150K
37
150K+

Peak failure range: 30–60K miles (61 reports) • Median: 73K miles

Full report: which components fail at each mileageUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Power Train:automatic Transmission (175 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Power Train:automatic Transmission175 (43%)
Drivetrain37 (9%)
Airbags31 (8%)
Speed Control14 (3%)
Other11 (3%)
Electrical10 (2%)
Brakes9 (2%)
Engine8 (2%)

2002 Acura Tl: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Power Train:automatic Transmission Issues

Power Train:automatic Transmission complaints account for 43% of all reports filed for the 2002 Acura Tl, with 175 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 73,000 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 73K-mile mark.

Drivetrain Issues

Drivetrain complaints account for 9% of all reports filed for the 2002 Acura Tl, with 37 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to drivetrain-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Airbags Issues

Airbags complaints account for 8% of all reports filed for the 2002 Acura Tl, with 31 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to airbags-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Speed Control Issues

Speed Control complaints account for 3% of all reports filed for the 2002 Acura Tl, with 14 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to speed control-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

5
01
67
02
50
03
52
04
42
05
13
06
11
07
13
08
6
09
27
10
22
11
12
12
11
13
15
14
7
15
4
16
16
17
10
18
12
19
2
20
2
21
1
23
3
25

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2002 Acura Tl. Recent trend: increasing.

Don't negotiate blind — know what this car costs to own

Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (7 recalls)

01V161000May 2001

VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SEDANS EQUIPPED WITH AN "AUTO-UP" POWER WINDOW FEATURE ON THE DRIVER'S DOOR. THE DRIVER'S SIDE POWER WINDOW CONTROL UNIT CAN FAIL, AND DEPENDING ON THE FAILURE MODE, THE WINDOW COULD BECOME INOPERATIVE, OPEN OR CLOSE INDEPENDENT OF SWITCH ACTIVATION, OR THE AUTO-REVERSE SYSTEM MAY NOT OPERATE.

01V166001May 2001

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 209, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES." CERTAIN DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEAT BELT BUCKLES WERE IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED.

01V166002Aug 2001

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: THE FOLLOWING VEHICLES WERE REPAIRED WITH INCORRECT PARTS: 2002 ACURA 3.2TL SEDANS WITH REPLACEMENT BUCKLES INSTALLED PER RECALL 01V-166001; CERTAIN 2000 ACURA 3.2TL VEHICLES WITH REPLACEMENT BUCKLES INSTALLED AS PRODUCT UPDATE REPAIRS; AND CERTAIN 2000-2002 ACURA 3.2TL VEHICLES WITH REPLACEMENT BUCKLES INSTALLED AS WARRANTY OR COLLISION REPAIRS. REPAIRS WERE MADE FROM MARCH 9 THROUGH JULY 27, 2001. SOME OF THE NONCOMPLIANT BUCKLES WERE MISLABELED AND REDISTRIBUTED TO ACURA DEALERS TO BE USED AS RECALL REPAIR PARTS. HONDA ALSO DETERMINED THAT INCORRECT FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE REPLACEMENT PARTS WERE USED FOR SOME PRODUCT UPDATE REPAIRS OF 2000 ACURA 3.2TL VEHICLES, AND WARRANTY OR COLLISION REPAIRS OF 2000-2002 3.2TL VEHICLES. THESE SEAT BELT BUCKLES MAY NOT COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 209, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES."

04V176000Apr 2004

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

ON SOME MINI VANS, SPORT UTILITY AND PASSENGER VEHICLES, CERTAIN OPERATING CONDITIONS CAN RESULT IN HEAT BUILD-UP BETWEEN THE COUNTERSHAFT AND SECONDARY SHAFT SECOND GEARS IN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, EVENTUALLY LEADING TO GEAR TOOTH CHIPPING OR GEAR BREAKAGE.

15V320000Jul 2015

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, and 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.

+ 2 more recalls in the full report

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

Unlock

The worst model year for the Acura Tl is the 2010 — worth knowing if you're cross-shopping years. The biggest problem area is transmission.

2002 Acura Tl vs. Class Average (Midsize Cars)

This vehicle

403

Class avg

208

1.9x the class average — significantly more complaints than typical midsize cars vehicles.

Complaint counts correlate with sales volume — popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 403 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 7 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

Other Acura Tl Model Years

2014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990
View all Acura Tl years →

2002 Acura Tl: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 2002 Acura Tl?
The most commonly reported issue with the 2002 Acura Tl is related to the power train:automatic transmission, with 175 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 2002 Acura Tl reliable?
The 2002 Acura Tl has 403 complaints, 38 crash reports, and 2 fire reports filed with NHTSA. This is 1.9x the class average — higher than typical for its segment.
How much does it cost to fix 2002 Acura Tl problems?
Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.
Does the 2002 Acura Tl have any recalls?
Yes, the 2002 Acura Tl has 7 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
What mileage do Acura Tl problems start?
Based on 254 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 73,000 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 30–60K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.
What’s in the full report?
10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records — then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.
How is this different from Carfax?
Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence — what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.
What if the report isn’t useful?
100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you — no questions asked.
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10 sections of AI analysis based on 403 owner reports. Know before you buy.

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