Reliability & cost of ownership
Acura Cl Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Acura Cl? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Acura Cl problems by model year
20 recall entries and 585 owner complaints on file across 8 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Cl | 0 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2003 Cl | 5 | 74 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 Cl | 2 | 44 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2001 Cl | 3 | 270 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2000 Cl | 0 | 11 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1999 Cl | 3 | 48 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1998 Cl | 5 | 55 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1997 Cl | 2 | 82 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Acura Cl, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- power train324 complaints
- air bags76 complaints
- electrical system58 complaints
- suspension26 complaints
- service brakes26 complaints
- vehicle speed control25 complaints
- engine and engine cooling24 complaints
- visibility23 complaints