Selling a junk Acura CL
Any CL sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Acura CL
NHTSA has 731 owner complaints on file for the Acura CL, model years 1997 to 2004, the 333rd-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are transmission and drivetrain (333, 46%), air bags (77, 11%), electrical system (63, 9%). 49 complaints involved a crash, 4 a fire, and 11 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 85,000 miles. The 2001 model year has the most complaints (317). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is transmission and drivetrain, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car with a bad transmission: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Acura CL by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 106 | Transmission and drivetrain | 5 | 0 | 2 | 122,000 |
| 1998 | 69 | Electrical system | 2 | 2 | 5 | 95,000 |
| 1999 | 66 | Transmission and drivetrain | 10 | 0 | 3 | 112,252 |
| 2000 | 11 | Transmission and drivetrain | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | 317 | Transmission and drivetrain | 23 | 2 | 3 | 65,000 |
| 2002 | 71 | Transmission and drivetrain | 3 | 0 | 2 | 41,000 |
| 2003 | 89 | Transmission and drivetrain | 5 | 0 | 5 | 75,000 |
| 2004 | 2 | Air bags | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Acura CL recalls
NHTSA lists 11 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (5), electrical system (2), transmission and drivetrain (2). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 1998 model year, air bags (campaign 20V026000, Jan 2020): 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 A…
- 2001 model year, air bags (campaign 20V027000, Jan 2020): 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 Coup…
- 2003 model year, air bags (campaign 19V499000, Jun 2019): Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 E…
- 2003 model year, air bags (campaign 19V182000, Mar 2019): Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 20…
- 2003 model year, air bags (campaign 15V320000, May 2015): Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 …
What a Acura CL is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk CL on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car with a bad transmission 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Acura models
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Acura CL worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same CL gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Acura CL that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Acura CL?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Acura CL numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.