1997 Acura CL
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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These records cover every 1997 Acura CL. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
2 recalls name the 1997 Acura CL. Newest first.
On certain sedans, coupes, hatchbacks, and sport utility vehicles, electrical contacts in the ignition switch can degrade due to the high electrical current passing through the switch when the vehicle IS started.
Risk and remedy
Risk
Worn contacts could cause the engine to stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the ignition switch. owner notification began june 14, 2002. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact honda at 1-800-999-1009 or acura at 1-800-382-2238.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. certain vehicles were manufactured with ball joints that can prematurely wear out and, in the worse case, the ball joint would separate causing the front suspension to collapse.
Risk and remedy
Risk
This condition would result in vehicle deceleration and a sudden loss of power. also steering controllability would be reduced.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the front suspension lower ball joints.
Owner complaints
82 complaints5 involved a crash5 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Air bags
Airbag recall was issued in march 2020. Honda advises that no replacement parts are available as of 8/14/2020.could be up to a year (from march 2020) before parts are available.
- Air bags
TL* the contact owns a 1997 acura cl. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v026000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact reached out to norris acura (8559 baltimore national pike, ellicott city, md 21043; 443-574-1240) where it…
TL* the contact owns a 1997 acura cl. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v026000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact reached out to norris acura (8559 baltimore national pike, ellicott city, md 21043; 443-574-1240) where it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer had not been made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available. *Js
- Air bags
TL* the contact owns a 1997 acura cl. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v026000 (air bags) however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. Pikes peak acura (655 automotive dr, colorado springs, co 80905) was contacted and confirmed that parts were not available for…
TL* the contact owns a 1997 acura cl. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v026000 (air bags) however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. Pikes peak acura (655 automotive dr, colorado springs, co 80905) was contacted and confirmed that parts were not available for the recall remedy. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available.
- Air bags
TL* takata recall. The contact called on behalf of his mother-in-law the owner and driver of a 1997 acura cl. Contact stated that while his mother-in-law was stopped and waiting to make a left turn a semi- truck turned running over her vehicle. The front passenger to the driver side of the vehicle…
TL* takata recall. The contact called on behalf of his mother-in-law the owner and driver of a 1997 acura cl. Contact stated that while his mother-in-law was stopped and waiting to make a left turn a semi- truck turned running over her vehicle. The front passenger to the driver side of the vehicle was damaged. No air bags deployed in the vehicle. The contact sustained bruised ribs and separated collar bone, and other injuries that required medical attention as she was transported to the hospital by ambulance. A police report was made. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and then to the contact's residence. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. The contact stated that the dealer was not contacted as the vehicle was deemed a total loss and he was an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact stated recently received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v026000 (air bags) which could possible be the cause to the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 176,000.
- Air bags · Engine · Unknown or other
I noticed an srs light on every time after I start the engine and the engine mounting are broken and lose..
- Unknown or other
I am on my 3RD transmission since I bought the car in 2012
- Electrical system
Sometimes don't start
- Engine · Steering
The 1997 acura cl harmonica balencer bolt snaped off had to get it replaced and three weeks later happend again in the middel off the street trafic almost casing an acedent
- Unknown or other
Sometimes the key will not turn or it seems as if the car IS locked. The key will get stuck in the ignition and will not turn. Sometimes the key will turn but will not allow me to take it out very easily. Lastly the key sometimes will not enter the hole. tried switching the sides over and sometimes it works after 2 or 3 tries.
- Electrical system
TL* the contact owns a 1997 acura cl. The contact stated that the ignition key was difficult to remove from the vehicle without warning. In addition, the key failed to start the vehicle intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The…
TL* the contact owns a 1997 acura cl. The contact stated that the ignition key was difficult to remove from the vehicle without warning. In addition, the key failed to start the vehicle intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 02v120000 (electrical system). The failure mileage and vin were not available.
- Power train · Suspension
TL* the contact owns a 1997 acura cl. the contact stated that while driving 3 mph and making a hard right turn, there was a loud pop sound heard as the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the contact's house. the contact stated that the driver's side lower ball joint was fractured and…
TL* the contact owns a 1997 acura cl. the contact stated that while driving 3 mph and making a hard right turn, there was a loud pop sound heard as the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the contact's house. the contact stated that the driver's side lower ball joint was fractured and became detached. the manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 190,000. updated 6/10/14*cn also, the driver's side cv axle was replaced. Updated 07/08/1
- Electrical system
TL* the contact owns a 1997 acura cl. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was then pulled over to the shoulder of the road. After turning the key in the ignition the vehicle restarted. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle…
TL* the contact owns a 1997 acura cl. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was then pulled over to the shoulder of the road. After turning the key in the ignition the vehicle restarted. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostics. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was previously repaired under recall 02v120000 (electrical system:ignition:switch). The vehicle was not repaired a second time. The approximate failure mileage was 190,000. The vin was unavailable.
- Power train › Automatic transmission
1997 acura cl. Consumer states transmission locked up while driving interstate speed. *Tgw the consumer stated the vehicle came to an abrupt and violent stop, without any forward or reverse. *jb
- Electrical system · Vehicle speed control
1997 acura cl cuts off/quits while driving. It will not restart at first but after a rest it will restart. This happened over 6 month period. Then it would not start back at all. Many repairs were attempted which included changing fuel relay and ignition switch. Car IS still stalling unexpectedly and now revs at intervals while driving. Very unreliable and dangerous to drive. *Tr
- Electrical system › Ignition › Switch
TL* the contact owns a 1997 acura 3.0 cl. The contact stated that the key could not be removed from the ignition while in park or drive. The contact noticed nhtsa campaign ID number: 02v120000 (electrical system:ignition:switch) but was advised by the manufacturer that his vin was not included in the recall campaign. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 152,072.
- Power train › Automatic transmission
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 acura 3.0CL. While driving 50 mph, the vehicle stopped in the middle of the road when the check engine light came on. The dealer advised the contact that it would cost $3000 to repair the transmission. There are no related recalls or warranties available. The failure mileage was 88,000.
- Structure
My car IS serviced at an authorized dealer, tischer of laurel who has provided me with excellent care for more than a decade. my manual and my mechanic have detailed pretty much what can be expected as a replacement cost through the life of the vehicle. that IS what leads me to this point, being…
My car IS serviced at an authorized dealer, tischer of laurel who has provided me with excellent care for more than a decade. my manual and my mechanic have detailed pretty much what can be expected as a replacement cost through the life of the vehicle. that IS what leads me to this point, being diagnosed with a ball bearing falling out of the packing in the front drive of my 2.2 cl with the mileage and a record that anyone would want was a huge disappointment. i?ve done some research which reveals a design defect in the acura cl 2.2 which may have contributed to why acura voluntarily discontinued this model. there IS no indication in my owner?s manual that this will ever be a problem. again I have maintained my car and my mechanics can verify that it IS in excellent condition for its age. this leads me to trying to understand why I have had to pay for this service that seems unlikely? I believe this IS a design defect that should be covered by the manufacturer and not the consumer. the axle was replaced in 1999 and has no type of problem that can be considered major. if we were discussing a car that was its current age and 250,000 or more miles I would not care, considering my driving skills and maintenance record. based on my research, there are design flaws in my beloved cl 2.2 which were not disclosed to the buyer and were not a voluntary recall issued. instead, the decision was made to discontinue this model. in later models acura RL and TSX the axel IS designed differently. honda/acura knew of this problem. I contacted mr. Iwamura of acura who said they can't do anything because the car IS out of warrenty? there IS no way a consumer would know about this problem until the warranty IS out. can you help with acura to resolve this issue? *Tr
- Electrical system
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 acura cl. while driving 65 mph, the vehicle stopped in the middle of the road. the contact attempted to move to the side of the road and the vehicle restarted. when this occurred, she had to hold the key in the ignition in the on position to drive to his residence.…
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 acura cl. while driving 65 mph, the vehicle stopped in the middle of the road. the contact attempted to move to the side of the road and the vehicle restarted. when this occurred, she had to hold the key in the ignition in the on position to drive to his residence. she also had to hold the keys in the on position to take the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the ignition switch was not working. the vehicle stalled without warning. the weather and road conditions were not a factor. once at the dealer, they stated that there was a recall; however, her vin was not included in the recall. the failure mileage was 170,000.
- Power train › Automatic transmission
Purchased vehicle @ 103,000 miles, drove it 2000 miles and check engine light came one, "d" started to flash and vehicle would not come out of 2ND gear. after proper diagnosis, found internal transmission failure(after research found out it was a common problem) replace transmission with oem unit…
Purchased vehicle @ 103,000 miles, drove it 2000 miles and check engine light came one, "d" started to flash and vehicle would not come out of 2ND gear. after proper diagnosis, found internal transmission failure(after research found out it was a common problem) replace transmission with oem unit, still (and have had since day one, a hesitation upon acceleration)prior to transmission problem had throttle body cleaned, still had hesitation with or without ac on-prior owner had same problem, unable to correct problem to this day. *tr
- Power train › Driveline · Steering · Suspension
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 acura 3.0CL. while driving approximately 30 mph, the contact heard a loud noise and felt excessive vibration from the vehicle. she experienced difficulty controlling the steering wheel. there were no warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. prior to the…
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 acura 3.0CL. while driving approximately 30 mph, the contact heard a loud noise and felt excessive vibration from the vehicle. she experienced difficulty controlling the steering wheel. there were no warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. prior to the failures, the power steering was not working properly. the contact was able to pull to the side of the road and the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer. the failures caused damages to the tire and bumper. the dealer stated that the lower ball joints and drive shaft caused the failures. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 122,000.
- Suspension › Front
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 acura 3.0CL. in 2004, four new tires were placed on the vehicle. in 2005, the contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic due to brake failure. the contact hears a squeaking noise coming from the wheel well in the front end of the vehicle. it felt as if the wheels…
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 acura 3.0CL. in 2004, four new tires were placed on the vehicle. in 2005, the contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic due to brake failure. the contact hears a squeaking noise coming from the wheel well in the front end of the vehicle. it felt as if the wheels were going to fall off, so she took the vehicle to her local mechanic again. the ball joints were identified as the cause for the failure. the contact researched complaints that other acura owners had with there 3.0 cl and located nhtsa campaign ID number 99v069000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). the manufacturer stated that her vin does not apply to the recall. the current mileage was 79,000 and failure mileage was 77,000.
- Suspension › Front › Control arm
Front suspension had to be replaced as the arm on the driver's side had broken. *nm
- Tires › Sidewall
A sidewall bubble of approximately 1.5 inches has formed on each of two right side tires, nitto nt 555 zrs. One tire IS just over 1.5 years old with under 10,000 miles on it. The other IS older with more wear. The tires are working fine currently, but I am concerned that this might be hazardous.…
A sidewall bubble of approximately 1.5 inches has formed on each of two right side tires, nitto nt 555 zrs. One tire IS just over 1.5 years old with under 10,000 miles on it. The other IS older with more wear. The tires are working fine currently, but I am concerned that this might be hazardous. Searching the nitto site, I was unable to find an manufacturer's warranty, so appear to have no recourse to get the tire replaced. (Both tires were on the car when I purchased it used so there IS no receipt). thank you, [xxx]. *nm information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6). *tr
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip › Control unit/module
Car skidded out of control. no one got hurt. ABS instrument panel warning light came on. leakage occurs on the ABS modulator which probably got on left tire to cause skid. *nm
- Vehicle speed control
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle accelerated without warning. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where it was determined the throttle was stuck in the open position. the dealer has been alerted.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10211608Special Tool Loan Program: Under TOOLS AVAILABLE FOR LOAN, the list has been updated.
- 10190486This SKU is a bushing kit. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect the retail package label for accuracy. If the label is incorrect, the customer may have difficulty locating the desired product. If the labels are left incorrect, sales may be less than forecasted.
- 10099960"Service bulletin - this bulletin updates the troubleshooting procedures for dtc p1456 (evap control system leakage [fuel tank system]) and dtc p1457 (evap control system leakage[evap canister system]). Depending on the model, there are two individual procedures in this bulletin."
- 10052080Acura: see document search button for owner letter. Information regarding product update on battery sensor system may not been completed on vehicle. No model years provided.
- 10037486Acura: there are guidelines for various situations and procedures including: tire pressure valve stem installation, trailer stability malfunction light IS on, engine oil application guide, new software, new transmission fluid, notchy steering feeling.
- 10018109Homelink won't program with aftermarket remotes.
- 10014766P1706 a/t switch short or open.
- 10009257Reconnecting accessories after ignition switch recall. October tech line information.
- 10009256Intermittent sra diagnostic trouble code 1-1 to 1-5, driver's airbag inflator circuit. October tech line information.
- 10009255Keyless remote transmitter inoperative, . Check keyless, ceiling light, ignition key reminder beeper before troubleshooting keyless remote system. October tech line information.
- 10009254A/c compressor control logic. October tech line information.
- 10009253Clearing antilock braking system diagnostic trouble codes. October tech line information.
- 10009042Don't test-drive with the malfunction indicator lamp or d indicator on. Acura. Servicenews. April 2004.
- 10008533Safety recall: ignition switch key interlock. This bulletin supersedes 03/034, dated 01/15/2004.
- 10005865Ceiling light, ignition key beeper foil keyless entry.
- 10005860Air conditioning (a/c) compressor control logic. Acura service news.
- 10004665Letter to service manager regarding ignition switch recall campaign.
- 10004474Recall campaign for certain CLS and tls equipped with automatic transmission to all sales, service and parts managers. The ignition switch may wear excessively and prevent proper interlock operation, making it possible to turn the ignition key to the off position and remove the key without shifting the transmission to park.
- 10002583Straining the automatic transmission fluid to diagnose automatic transmissions.
- 636758Subject regarding front suspension squeaks in cold weather.
- 633346Service bulletin information regarding power windows that do not work.
- 631035Some 2000 MDX models as well as other models may exhibit brief hesitation when accelerating at high engine speed.
- 629320Subject regarding a squeal noise at front suspension at low temperature.
- 627128Information regarding egr port clogging.
- 626607Subject regarding safety restraint system diagnostic trouble code 5-1 through 8-3, internal safety restraint system unit failure.
- 626468Subject regarding the cl security system last tripped sensor memory.
- 626463Subject regarding all models ,except slx, -dtcp0740, lock-up system error.
- 626428Information on warranty extension on egr system clogging.*jb
- 626267V6 engine oil leaks. This bulletin supersedes 01-041, dated 10/29/2001.
- 626225Subject regarding warranty extension on exhaust gas recirculation port clogging.
- 623629Subject on security system last tripped sensor memory. Nlm
- 623218Subject regarding malfunction indicator lamp coming on with a/t diagnostic trouble code.
- 619882Information pertaining to a copy of the revised service bulletin 00-029, product update - front balancer shaft oil seal with two new labor operation numbers added.
- 619879Product update regarding the front balancer shaft oil seal for vehicles within vin 19uya1 ... Vl000001 thru 19uya1 ... Vl020752.
- 618745Subject regarding cl front balancer shaft oil seal campaign update.
- 618740On some vehicles, the front balancer shaft oil seal may back out of the oil pump housing over time resulting in the oil rapidly pumping out of the engine without warning.
- 618739Subject regarding a letter to service managers pertaining to service bulletin 00-029, product update - balancer shaft oil seal.
- 617707Campaign responsibility report for the front balancer shaft seal update campaign.
- 615753Subject regarding p1259 after bare block replacement for 2001 3.2CL, 2001 MDX, 1999 - 2001 3.2TL and 1997 - 1999 3.0CL model vehicles.
- 615578Some 2.2CL models may exhibit the malfunction indicator lamp on, and the powertrain control module has stored an automatic transmission sae diagnostic trouble code of p0740.
Every Acura CL model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.