American Honda Motor Co.: Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
American Honda Motor Co. reported this defect to federal regulators on Aug 28, 2002 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 17,551. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, SEDANS, COUPES, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH V6 ENGINES, A TIMING BELT TENSIONER PULLEY ON THE WATER PUMP IS MISALIGNED AND COULD CAUSE THE TIMING BELT TO CONTACT A BOLT ON THE CYLINDER HEAD. EVENTUALLY THE BELT COULD BE DAMAGED AND FAIL.
The risk
IF THE TIMING BELT BREAKS, THE ENGINE WILL STALL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE WATER PUMP AND IF IT IS ONE OF THE DEFECTIVE PUMPS, THE WATER PUMP AND TIMING BELT WILL BE REPLACED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 30, 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.
6 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Acura CL | 73 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 2003 Acura TL | 391 | 5 | 4 | 24 |
| 2003 Honda Pilot | 720 | 14 | 11 | 38 |
| 2002 Acura MDX | 205 | 4 | 2 | 11 |
| 2002 Honda Accord | 1,050 | 16 | 10 | 129 |
| 2002 Honda Odyssey | 960 | 10 | 5 | 41 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 02V226000.
Full record for the 2003 Acura CL → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →