2001 Acura CL Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other CL years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 8 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 271 complaints with NHTSA about the 2001 Acura CL. That is the most of any CL model year in the database (8 years). The most reported problem area is power train (206 complaints, 76%), typically at around 53,041 miles. Complaints mention 13 crashes, 2 fires, 8 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 271owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 13complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2001 Acura CL problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train problems | 206 | 76% | 53,041 | “transmission failed” (13%) | $6,850 |
| Air Bags | 32 | 12% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 12 | 4% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 9 | 3% | 103,620 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 8 | 3% | 37,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 8 | 3% | 139,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 5 | 2% | 93,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 1% | 87,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 1% | 159,500 | — | — |
| Engine | 3 | 1% | 151,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 3 | 1% | 91,400 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 2 | 1% | 139,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 1% | 57,541 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 1% | 149,500 | — | — |
| Steering | 2 | 1% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 1% | 94,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 0% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 0% | 150,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2001 Acura CL recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 1998 Acura 2.2CL, 1998-1999 Acura 2.3CL, 1998-1999 Acura 3.0CL, 2001 Acura 3.2CL and Acura MDX, 1998-2000 Honda Accord Coupe, Accord Sedan, Civic Sedan, Odyssey and Acura 3.5RL, 1999-2000 Acura 3.2TL, 1996-2000 Civic Coupe, 1997-2000 CR-V, 1997-1998 EV Plus, and 1998-1999 Isuzu Oasis vehicles. These vehicles were equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) and do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, causing the inflators to rupture or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag cushion may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver frontal air bag inflator, and replace it if necessary, with an inflator of a different design, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2020. Owners may contact American Honda's Customer Support & Campaign Center at 1-888-234-2138 or Isuzu customer service at 1-800-255-6727.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: 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. These vehicles may have received a replacement driver frontal air bag module as part of a vehicle repair. Due to a manufacturing issue, the replacement NADI inflator may absorb moisture, causing the inflator to rupture or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag cushion may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.
Fix: 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. The recall began October 1, 2020. Owners may contact American Honda's Customer Support & Campaign Center at 1-888-234-2138.
Power train:automatic transmission
Problem: 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.
Risk: Gear failure could result in transmission lockup, which could result in a crash.
Fix: On vehicles with 15,000 miles or less, the dealer will update the transmission with a simple revision to the oil cooler return line to increase lubrication to the second gear. On vehicles with more than 15,000 miles, the dealer will inspect the transmission to identify gears that have already experienced discoloration due to overheating. If discoloration exists, the transmission will be replaced if discoloration is not present, the dealer will perform the revision to the oil cooler return line. The recall began on april 21, 2004, for pilot, odyssey, and mdx owners. Owners of the accord vehicles will start receiving letters on june 28, 2004, and on june 29, 2004, for owners of the tl and cl vehicles. Owners should contact honda at 1-800-999-1009 or acura at 1-800-382-2238.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Automatic transmission sudden downshift (PE02081) — opened Oct 28, 2002, closed Mar 5, 2003.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2001 Acura CL. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. On another occasion, while making a left turn on a city street, the vehicle stalled and experienced a loss of power steering…
I have a safety concern. When my vehicle was assembled, someone decided to have the workers not remove the protective film from the plastic screen on the navigation system that would typically be released. I assume this saved money and time during production. However, that film has deteriorated and…
In and around July 2024 my Acura cl started to have erratic shifting and locking up at highways speeds the vehicle is so unsafe to drive I cannot get the air bags fixed it shifts from 5th gear to 2nd gear in 2004 a remedy was applied to the transmission to aid and fix the downshifting issues and…
The contact owned a 2001 Acura CL. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, there was a vehicle driving toward the contact's driver's side that ran the red light and crashed into the front of the vehicle. The entire front of the vehicle was damaged. The air bags did not deploy…
I was stopped in heavy traffic. The traffic light turned green and the cars in front of me started to move. I tapped my accelerator with my right foot and the gasoline was delivered to my engine with maximum force. I could not stop the car with my foot on the brake. I steered the car to the right…
Other Acura CL years
See all Acura CL problems by year, every Acura model, or the Acura VIN decoder.
Similar Acura models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2001 Acura CL?
Owners most often report power train, air bags, visibility problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 206 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Acura CL?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2001 Acura CL a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other CL model years, the 2001 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.