There are 17 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2002 Acura RSXin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The car stopped at an traffic intersection when making a left turn. Fortunately, the traffic was light. Later, a broken driver side cv axel was identified, which had sever corrosion inside the damper. the narrowest diameter is only 16mm vs 25mm of the axel.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 ACURA RSX TYPE S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10-60 MPH, THE THIRD GEAR SHIFTED OUT OF GEAR. IN ADDITION, THERE WAS A VERY LOUD GRINDING NOISE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY A DEALER NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 119,000.
2002 FORD EXPLORER XLT 4.0 LITER JERKS WHEN ENGAGING INTO REVERSE. VEHICLE JERKS HARD ENOUGH THAT THE BRAKES ARE NOT ENOUGH TO STOP IT FROM MOVING. NO OTHER GEAR IS LIKE THIS. UPON FURTHER STUDY FROM ONLINE JOURNALS AND DISCUSSIONS PAGES AS WELL AS SPEAKING WITH TRANSMISSION TECHNICIAN, THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM IN THESE. *TR
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 VERY FORTUNATE THAT NO CRASH OCCURRED BUT INJURIES/FATALITIES COULD HAVE EASILY RESULTED. ACURA HAS FAILED TO OWN-UP TO THIS ENGINE/TRANSMISSION FAILURE ISSUE, EVEN IN CASES WHERE THE WARRANTY IS STILL VALID... I FEEL VERY MUCH MISLEAD AS I HAVE COMPLAINED TO MY DEALER SINCE PURCHASE AND THEY ALWAYS REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM... I THINK THE FACT THAT ACURA HAS STOPPED MAKING THE RSX IS AN INDICATION OF THE SEVERITY OF THESE "HIDDEN" ISSUES. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 ACURA RSX. WHEN SWITCHING FROM SECOND TO THIRD GEAR, THE SHIFTER WOULD POP OUT OF GEAR AND MAKE A GRINDING NOISE. THE MANUFACTURER COULD NOT ASSIST BECAUSE THERE WERE NO RECALLS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 76,500.
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE SRS LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHICH MADE THE CONTACT CONCERNED THAT THE AIR BAGS MAY NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. THERE WAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN #637638. THE CONTACT EXPRESSED THIS WAS SAFETY DEFECT. THERE ALSO HAS BEEN TROUBLE WITH SWITCHING GEARS FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR. IT MADE A GRINDING SOUND WHILE GOING INTO SECOND GEAR. THIS PROBLEM DEVELOPED AT 12,7000 MILES. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TO A SERVICE DEALER TO ADDRESS EITHER PROBLEM.
I WAS DRIVING AND SHIFTED FROM 2ND TO THIRD AND I LET OUT THE CLUTCH AT 30 MPH AND THE TRANSMISSION CAME APART WITH GEARS ON THE GROUND. ACURA NEVER CALLED THE WARRANTY COMPANY SO IT WAS NEVER FIXED AND THEY REPOSED IT. *TR
I RECENTLY PURCHASED 2002 ACURA RSX WITH 21,200 MILES, 5SP MANUAL TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE PASSED 150- POINT INSPECTION THAT WAS PERFORMED AT WHITE BEAR LAKES ACURA SUBARU, MN DEALERSHIP. THE VEHICLE WAS ACURA-CERTIFIED, BUT I DECIDED NOT TO PURCHASE $1,600 CERTIFICATION PROGRAM BECAUSE OF MONEY CONSTRAINTS. NOW, WHEN TEMPERATURES AROUND HERE DROPPED TO 0 DEGREES F, THE VEHICLE DEVELOPED 1-2 SHIFTING PROBLEM. SHIFTING TO 2ND GEAR IS REALLY HARD TO DO. MY 2ND GEAR SYNCHROS ARE ALWAYS GRINDING AND ESPECIALLY, NOW AT 20F I AM GETTING CONSTANT THE 1-2 NOTCH SHIFTS. I'VE NOTICED LOTS OF PEOPLE IN INTERNET NEWS GROUPS AND FORUMS ARE HAVING THE SAME IDENTICAL PROBLEM. JUST READ IT: HTTP://WWW.PETITIONONLINE.COM/RSXGRIND/PETITION.HTML I KNOW FOR THE FACT THAT HONDA MOTORS COMPANY ON JULY, 1, 2002 ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN 02-016 DESCRIBING GEARS GRINDING WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS SHIFTED BETWEEN GEARS. THEY CONCLUDED- WORN SYNCHRONIZERS! CORRECTIVE ACTION: REPLACE THE EFFECTED SYNCHRONISM SLEEVES SET(S). THE TSB ONLY APPLIES TOWARDS 2002 RSX TYPE S FROM VIN JDC530.2C000001 THROUGH JDC5302C033312. GOOD LUCK GETTING IT FIXED FOR OTHER VEHICLES. I CALLED LOCAL BUERKLE ACURA BROOKLYN PARK MN, NEW AND USED CAR DEALER AND INFORMED THEM MY FINDINGS. IN ADDITION, I INFORMED THAT I HAVE A COPY OF TSB DESCRIBING THE IDENTICAL SYMPTOMS THAT HAVE DEVELOPED WITH MY VEHICLE. THEY RESPONSE WAS TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN AND PAY US $150 FOR INSPECTION. WHEN PRESSED FOR MORE INFORMATION, THE SERVICE WRITER AT ACURA CATEGORICALLY DENIED ANYTHING AND STATED THAT THEY HAVE NO SUCH TSB IN THEIR POSSESSION. IN MY OPINION, ACURA RSX HAS A SERIOUS TRANSMISSION FLAW THAT CAUSES NORMAL SHIFTS INTO SECOND GEAR TO GRIND. THIS PROBLEM HAS HIGH FREQUENCY IN ALL MODEL YEARS. ACURA CONTINUES TO IGNORE THE PROBLEM.ACURA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND ACURA DEALERS EITHER IGNORE THE PROBLEM OR BLAME OWNERS ABUSE AND/OR POOR DRIVING TECHNIQUE. *JB
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 WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH MY 50,000 MILE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY IS STILL IN EFFECT. THEY DID NOT GIVE ANY REASON FOR DENYING MY CLAIM. AS OF NOW ACURA IS REFUSING TO COVER THIS UNDER WARRANTY AND IS QUOTING ME OVER 2000 DOLLARS TO FIX A CAR THAT IS NOT EVEN 2 YEARS OLD! THERE ARE OVER 900 PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET THAT HAVE ALL SIGNED A PETITION TO GET ACURA TO RECALL ALL THE TRANSMISSIONS IN THE 2002 AND 2003 ACURAS. PLEASE HELP ME OUT HERE.*AK
2ND GEAR GRIND ON 6SPEED TRANSMISSION. SOMETIMES 3RD GEAR POPS OUT WHILE DRIVING. RICK CASE ACURA HAS REBUILT THE TRANSMISSION TWICE IN ONE YEAR. THE TRANSMISSION STILL HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. THEY ARE NOW PUTTING IN A NEW TRANSMISSION. I AM NOT THE ONLY WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.*AK
TRANSMISSION MISTAKENLY DOWNSHIFTED TO 2ND RATHER THAN UPSHIFTED TO 4TH AFTER AN UPHILL CLIMB. AT THE START OF THE DESCEND WHEN CAR GAINED SPEED I INTENDED TO UPSHIFT FROM 3RD TO 4TH BUT SHIFTED TO 2ND INSTEAD. I SPUN OUT OF CONTROL AND FOUND THE CAR FACING WHERE I CAME FROM. THE ENGINE DIED AND WILL NOT RE-START. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER AND CLAIMED ENGINE WAS OVER REVVED AND BEYOND REPAIR. ACURA REFUSED TO REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THE SHIFTING MECHANISM AS IT IS VERY EASY TO MISTAKENLY SHIFT TO 2ND GEAR WHEN ACCELERATING OR DRIVING DOWNHILL. LUCKY NOBODY HURT. *JB
SECOND GEAR GRINDING LED TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE. NOW I HAVE TO GET MY TRANSMISSION REPLACED, AND DEALER WANTS ME TO BELIEVE ITS MY FAULT WHEN I RARELY DRIVE IT HARD.
TRANSMISSION IS HORRIBLE IN THE CAR THIS IS THE 2ND ONE THAT WENT ON ME. THE FIRST TIME IT WENT IT POPPED OUT OF 2ND GEAR AND GRINDED INTO 3RD. THE SECOND TIME IT STARTED THE SAME WAY AS THE FIRST ONE WENT, BUT IT ONLY GOT WORSE BECAUSE IT GOT STUCK IN 3RD GEAR AND THAT WAS THE ONLY GEAR THAT WOULD WORK, NOT EVEN REVERSE!
WHEN SHIFTING GEARS IT SHIFTS ROUGH . MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING 30MPH THE VEHICLE INADVERTENTLY JUMPED OUT OF 3RD GEAR. TS
WHEN SHIFTING GEARS FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR THE SECOND GEAR ALLWAYS GRINDS. I HAVE TALK TO OTHER OWNERS OF THE SAME TYPE OF CAR AND ALL OF THEM SAY THEY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. DT
USING HEADLIGHTS DURING DAYTIME CONDITIONS RESULTS IN ODOMETER, AND GEAR SELECTION INDICATIORS BECOMING UNREADABLE
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026