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2002 Acura Rsx Problems and Recalls

Owners filed 76 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Acura Rsx, most often about the transmission (26% of complaints, typically around 48,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Rsx model year since 2000.

Complaints76
Recalls0
Crashes reported10
Fires reported1
Injuries reported11

Most common 2002 Acura Rsx problems

  1. Transmission

    20 complaints · 26%

    Half of these problems showed up before 48,000 miles. Parts named most often: manual transmission, automatic transmission.

    My 2002 Acura Rsx-s was difficult to shift into 2nd and 3rd gears. This is a safety issue because you may pull out and need to accelerate and you can not. Rosenthal Acura looked at the car and said it needed some parts for 3rd gear. They took the car apart and found a broken shift fork lever. Acura corp said that this…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2004, at 48,000 miles
    I've had transmission problems ever since I purchased the new Rsx in 02... This problem has been widely reported on the internet... However Acura has failed to address this issue... The problem only got worse over time and finally the engine blew out completely and starting smoking while driving on the freeway... Was…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2009, at 50,000 miles

  2. Engine

    17 complaints · 22%

    Half of these problems showed up before 25,500 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system, engine.

    I took my Rsx-s to valencia Acura for them to check my transmission for grinds and wearing of the clutch. I leave my car there and decide to go to the mall. As I am coming back from the mall, I see my car on the street being driven very hard, and for what reason? There's no reason to be driving like that in order to…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2003, at 29,290 miles
    While driving 60 MPH a fire started in the engine. Consumer managed to pull over, and had the vehicle towed. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2004, at 21,280 miles

  3. Air bags

    14 complaints · 18%

    Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.

    : the contact stated the SRS indicator light illuminated causing the air bags to deactivate. There was a service bulletin released by the manufacturer (tsb # 02-015) indicating the failure was due to a faulty occupant position detection sensor unit. The service dealer and manufacturer were contacted.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2006, at 50,000 miles
    While driving at 55 MPH, the consumers son was cut off by another motorist. Her son lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a metal divider head on. The vehicle then flipped over and rolled three times, landing on it's roof. None of the frontal air bags, or the side air bags deployed upon impact. The driver and…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2004, at 27,000 miles

  4. Brakes

    6 complaints · 8%

    Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, disc.

    Consumer states that the brakes on the vehicle will not work properly, when slowing down and hitting any minor bumps in the road the ABS system will activate.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2002, at 14,000 miles
    The brake calipers on my 2002 Acura Rsx (base model) intermittently "seize" and cause the vehicle and steering column to vibrate while the car is in motion, making it difficult to control and apparently causing rotor damage. Since brake problems are a safety issue, the dealership's service department replaced both the…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2003, at 12,800 miles

  5. Body and structure

    5 complaints · 7%

    Parts named most often: body, frame and members.

    Acura Rsx: radiator and condenser have absolutely no protection (grill) in this model. The Rsx is very susceptible to road debris damaging the condenser and radiator rendering the car inoperative, due to overheating and rapid loss of radiator fluid. This is especially true at highway speeds. Acura considers this an…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2003, at 17,100 miles
    *open body seam at drivers a-pillar. I reported this problem twice as suspension noise which I though was the problem; dealer found no problem with the suspension. A few months went by and I realized the noise was coming from the driver side specially when turning wheels all the way to the left. Dealer kept the car…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2004, at 3,500 miles

  6. Fuel system

    5 complaints · 7%

    Half of these problems showed up before 124,000 miles.

    Ever since I purchased the car it has had a smell of gas. I thought it would go away after a certain time but it didn't so I got the car checked out. I come to find out it has a gas leak. This is something very dangerous because it puts my life at risk and if anything happens the car could blow up. I purchased this…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2016, at 124,000 miles
    My car had a strong gas smell inside and outside vehicle whenever I drove it. I looked and found that the gas pump plastic housing was cracked in multiple places and a large amount of gas had leaked into the compartment under the seat and down below my vehicle.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2019, at 140,000 miles

  7. Electrical

    4 complaints · 5%

    Parts named most often: instrument panel.

    Odometer fraud. The contact owned a 2002 Acura srx. The contact stated that the vehicle was sold to a friend in a private sale. The new owner then attempted to sell the vehicle to another person, and upon obtaining the carfax report, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. At the time of purchase, the…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2026, at 213,288 miles

  8. Lights

    4 complaints · 5%

    Parts named most often: headlights, fog lights.

    Tl contact owns a 2002 Acura Rsx. The contact stated that the light bulbs in the headlights fail every month and have to be replaced. There is a safety recall on his vehicle's headlights, however the dealer stated that a recall does not exist. The engine size was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 77,000.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2007, at 77,000 miles

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

2002 Acura Rsx recalls

NHTSA lists no recalls for this model year.

Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.

Questions about the 2002 Acura Rsx

What are the most common problems with the 2002 Acura Rsx?
By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (20 complaints, typically around 48,000 miles); engine (17 complaints, typically around 25,500 miles); air bags (14 complaints, typically around 50,000 miles).
How many recalls does the 2002 Acura Rsx have?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2002 Acura Rsx. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls in case one is issued later.
Is the 2002 a bad year for the Acura Rsx?
It is the most complained-about Rsx model year since 2000, with 76 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.

Other Acura Rsx years

Acura Rsx problems by year