Three problems related to manual transmission have been reported for the 2002 Acura RSX. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2002 Acura RSX based on all problems reported for the 2002 RSX.
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.
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.
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.