Decode Your VIN
Enter your vehicle's VIN code to discover all technical specifications. The VIN consists of 17 alphanumeric characters.
Acura CL VIN Decoder
Decode any Acura CL VIN free in under three seconds. Type the 17-character vehicle identification number into the decoder above and pull the generation, model year, engine, trim, plant of origin, and open NHTSA recalls. No account, no credit card, no email gate.
This page is the dedicated Acura CL hub. Below you’ll find the real engine and plant codes the CL carries inside its own VIN, both factories that built it, a position-by-position guide, and where to physically find the VIN on the car. Every code on this page was checked against real, checksum-valid CL VINs decoded through NHTSA’s vPIC database, spanning both generations, all four engines, and both plants.
About the Acura CL
The Acura CL is a two-door coupe that Acura sold in two separate, non-consecutive generations. It launched in February 1996 as a 1997 model, built off the same platform as the contemporary Honda Accord, and was pitched as a sportier, cheaper alternative to the Legend-based coupe it replaced. Acura pulled the CL after the 1999 model year, skipped 2000 entirely, then brought it back for 2001 with a new, more powerful generation that ran through 2003. It was discontinued after that with no direct successor; the redesigned 2004 Acura TL absorbed most of its positioning, though the TL itself is a sedan.
| Generation | Model years | Engines | Platform | Built at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st gen | 1997-1999 | 2.2L F22B1 I4, 145 hp (1997 only); 2.3L F23A1 I4, 150 hp (1998-1999); 3.0L V6, 200 hp (1997-1999) | Shares its platform with the 5th-generation Honda Accord | East Liberty, Ohio |
| 2nd gen | 2001-2003 | 3.2L V6 (J32A1), 225 hp, base; 3.2L V6 (J32A2), 260 hp, Type-S | Shares its platform with the 6th-generation Honda Accord | Marysville, Ohio |
One detail worth flagging because it’s easy to get wrong: the two generations were not built at the same Honda Ohio plant. Every 1997-1999 CL VIN we decoded came back to East Liberty, Ohio, the plant that also built the Civic in that era. Every 2001-2003 CL VIN we decoded came back to Marysville, Ohio, the plant that built the Accord and, later, the TL. If you assumed “Ohio-built Acura” always means Marysville, the first-generation CL is the exception.
The second generation added the Type-S nameplate to the CL for the first time, a 260-horsepower, higher-compression version of the 3.2L V6 with a firmer suspension tune. For 2003 only, Acura offered a 6-speed manual transmission alongside the standard 5-speed automatic on the Type-S; every other CL, in both generations, used an automatic (4-speed on the 2.2L/2.3L/3.0L, 5-speed on the 3.2L).
Acura CL WMI codes (positions 1 to 3)
The first three characters of a VIN form the World Manufacturer Identifier, assigned by SAE on behalf of ISO. Every CL VIN we decoded, first generation and second, base and Type-S, carried the same WMI:
| WMI | Country | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19U | USA | American Honda Motor Co. (Acura) | Every CL, both generations, both plants |
Unlike a nameplate spread across several factories with different WMIs, the CL’s WMI stayed fixed at 19U even though the physical plant changed between generations; the plant shows up later, at position 11, not in the WMI. If a VIN presented as a CL starts with anything other than 19U, decode it with the tool at the top of this page before trusting the listing.
How to read an Acura CL VIN: position by position
Every CL VIN uses the 17-character ISO 3779 standard, split into a World Manufacturer Identifier, a Vehicle Descriptor Section, a check digit, and a Vehicle Identifier Section.
Positions 1 to 3: World Manufacturer Identifier
See the WMI table above. Because every US-market CL carries the same 19U, this block doesn’t help you tell the generations apart; you need positions 4 to 8 and position 10 for that.
Positions 4 to 8: Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS)
Positions 4 and 5 read YA on every CL VIN we decoded, from a 1997 base 2.2 all the way to a 2003 Type-S. That two-character string is effectively the CL’s model code inside American Honda’s VIN system, and it doesn’t change between generations, which is different from a nameplate like the TLX where the chassis code itself flips at a generation change.
Position 6 is where the engine shows up, and this one held up cleanly across every VIN we checked:
| Position 6 | Engine | Model years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2.2L F22B1 I4, 145 hp | 1997 only |
| 2 | 3.0L V6, 200 hp | 1997-1999 |
| 3 | 2.3L F23A1 I4, 150 hp | 1998-1999 |
| 4 | 3.2L V6 (J32A1 base / J32A2 Type-S), 225-260 hp | 2001-2003 |
Positions 7 and 8 are a different story, and we’re going to be straight about it instead of inventing a clean rule. Position 7 read 2 on nearly every VIN we decoded from 1997 through 2002, then switched to 1 on 2003 Type-S cars, which lines up with the running changes (the 6-speed manual option, updated federal safety hardware) that landed for the final model year. Position 8 moved around even within the same model year and trim; two 2003 Type-S VINs we decoded, both 6-speed manuals, read 6 and 7 respectively at position 8, and two 2002 Type-S VINs, both 5-speed automatics, did the same. We could not tie position 8 to transmission, trim, or any single published variable from the sample we checked, so we’re not going to guess at a table for it. The decoder above reconstructs full trim and equipment from the complete 17-character string, not from position 8 in isolation.
Position 9: Check digit
The check digit catches typos. It’s calculated from the other 16 characters using a fixed weighting table and modulo-11 math. Every VIN used to build this page passed NHTSA’s check-digit validation; mistype a single character anywhere in a CL VIN and the math stops matching, which is why any compliant decoder, state DMV, or the NHTSA recall lookup will reject it.
Position 10: Model year
The 10th character maps to model year on the standard 30-year cycle every VIN-compliant vehicle uses. For the years the CL was actually built:
| Char | Year |
|---|---|
| V | 1997 |
| W | 1998 |
| X | 1999 |
| Y | 2000 |
| 1 | 2001 |
| 2 | 2002 |
| 3 | 2003 |
We confirmed V, W, X, 1, 2, and 3 directly against real, checksum-valid CL VINs. Y (2000) is included above only for completeness of the cycle; Acura built no CL for the 2000 model year, so you should never see a genuine CL VIN with Y at position 10. The letters I, O, and Q are never used anywhere in a VIN because they can be mistaken for 1 and 0.
Position 11: Assembly plant
This is the position that actually separates the two generations, and it tracks perfectly with what NHTSA’s plant data returned for every VIN we checked:
| Char | Plant | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| L | East Liberty Auto Plant, East Liberty, Ohio | 1st gen (1997-1999) |
| A | Marysville Auto Plant, Marysville, Ohio | 2nd gen (2001-2003) |
If you have a CL VIN with V, W, or X at position 10 and it doesn’t show L at position 11, or a VIN with 1, 2, or 3 at position 10 that doesn’t show A, treat it as worth a closer look; every legitimate US-market CL VIN we decoded followed this pairing without exception.
Positions 12 to 17: Serial number
The final six characters are the production sequence stamped on your specific CL as it left the line. Combined with the previous 11 characters, this makes every CL VIN globally unique; two cars with the same generation, year, and engine still differ here.
Where to find the VIN on an Acura CL
- Lower-left corner of the windshield, visible from outside the car
- Driver’s side door jamb sticker
- Stamped on the engine bay firewall or radiator support
- Vehicle title, registration, insurance card
The windshield and door jamb are the fastest to check on a used-car lot. The firewall stamp is the one to check if you suspect a cloned or re-titled car; it’s physically tied to the vehicle and far harder to alter than an adhesive label, and it’s especially useful on a car this old, where a door jamb sticker may have faded or peeled.
Check Acura CL recalls and safety information
The CL is old enough now that most of its factory-issued recalls closed out years ago, but a handful still show up on VIN lookups, particularly the Takata airbag inflator campaigns that touched a huge swath of early-2000s vehicles across nearly every manufacturer, Acura included. Because the CL predates several major recall programs that were later expanded to cover older Honda and Acura platforms, it’s worth checking even if you’ve owned the car a long time and never had a notice.
To check your specific CL:
- Decode the VIN with the tool above to confirm the exact model year and generation
- Cross-reference the 17-character VIN with NHTSA’s recall database
- Contact your nearest Acura dealer for any open campaign repair
Recall repairs are free regardless of vehicle age, mileage, or ownership history, even on a car this old.
Frequently asked questions
How do I decode an Acura CL VIN?
Type the 17-character VIN from the windshield, door jamb, or title into the decoder at the top of this page. Results return in seconds and include generation, model year, engine, plant of origin, and any open NHTSA recalls. No sign-up.
Why did my Acura CL VIN decoder skip the 2000 model year?
Acura never built a 2000 model year CL. The first generation ended after 1999, and the redesigned second generation didn’t launch until the 2001 model year, so no genuine CL VIN will ever carry the Y (2000) character at position 10.
Was the Acura CL built in Marysville, Ohio?
Only the second generation. Every 2001-2003 CL VIN we decoded traces to Marysville, Ohio, position A at character 11. The first-generation CL, 1997 through 1999, was built at Honda’s East Liberty, Ohio plant instead, position L at character 11. This is a genuinely common mix-up because Marysville built so many other Acura and Honda models of the same era.
How do I tell an Acura CL Type-S from a base CL by VIN?
Position 6 tells you it’s a 3.2L-engined second-generation car (character 4), and the model year at position 10 (1, 2, or 3) confirms 2001-2003. The VIN alone doesn’t cleanly separate the 225-hp base 3.2 from the 260-hp Type-S beyond that; both use the same engine-family code at position 6, and we could not find a single reliable position that separated them across every VIN we checked. The decoder above pulls the specific trim from the full build data on file, not from one character.
Is the Acura CL VIN decoder really free?
Yes. VinDecoderPlus decodes every Acura CL VIN free of charge with no sign-up. The basic decode covers everything the factory stamped into the VIN. A full vehicle history report (accident records, odometer history, prior ownership, salvage status) is available as a paid upgrade if you need it.
Can an Acura CL VIN be faked?
The 17 characters can be retyped on a counterfeit plate, but the check digit at position 9 catches most single-character changes through math, and the firewall stamp is physically tied to the original car. If the windshield and door-jamb VINs match but the firewall stamp doesn’t, treat the car as potentially cloned, which matters more on a 20-plus-year-old car that’s changed hands several times. The guide how to check if a car is stolen by VIN walks through the verification steps.
What’s the difference between decoding a CL VIN here versus a full vehicle history report?
A VIN decode reads what the factory built into the car: generation, engine, plant, model year. It doesn’t tell you about accidents, title branding, or odometer rollbacks. For a car this old, that distinction matters more than usual. The guide VIN decoder vs. vehicle history report walks through what each one actually covers.
Decode any Acura CL VIN free
Type your 17-character CL VIN into the decoder at the top of this page for an instant breakdown. To go deeper into VIN structure or check other Acura models:
- Acura VIN decoder hub for the brand-wide guide
- How to read a VIN number for the general standard
- What every character in a VIN means for a position-by-position reference
- Classic car VIN decoder for pre-1981 vehicles
- VIN decoder vs. vehicle history report for what a decode covers vs. what it doesn’t
- Check if a car is stolen by VIN for theft and title verification
