What breaks most · 1996 to 2015 model years
Acura RL problems by year
Owners have filed 422 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Acura RL across model years 1996 to 2015. One year stands out: 2005 for exterior lighting complaints. The quietest years are 2011, 2009 and 2003.
- Years to check closely: 2005
- Fewest complaints: 2011, 2009, 2003
- Complaints on file
- 4221996 to 2015, all trims
- Worst year
- 2005125 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 228 fires · 12 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 81kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 76Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 2 | 3 | Visibility (5) | |
| 19 | 2 | 2 | Electrical system (4) | |
| 11 | 0 | 3 | Seat belts (2) | |
| 24 | 0 | 2 | Air bags (9) | |
| 59 | 5 | 4 | Air bags (26) | |
| 12 | 0 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (5) | |
| 43 | 1 | 2 | Air bags (18) | |
| 9 | 0 | 1 | Air bags (6) | |
| 11 | 1 | 0 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 125 | 4 | 11 | Exterior lighting (49) | |
| 32 | 3 | 8 | Air bags (9) | |
| 20 | 1 | 7 | Air bags (7) | |
| 13 | 1 | 6 | Air bags (8) | |
| 8 | 1 | 6 | Air bags (3) | |
| 9 | 1 | 7 | Air bags (7) | |
| 3 | 0 | 6 | Air bags (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 6 | Exterior lighting (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Stability control (1) |
What fails on the 2005 Acura RL
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 39% |
49 | 1 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2005 Acura RL |
| Air bags | 29% |
36 | 1 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 14% |
18 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2005 Acura RL |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 6% |
7 | 1 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2005 Acura RL |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 6% |
7 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 4% |
5 | 0 | — |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 3% |
4 | 1 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2005 Acura RL |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 2% |
3 | 0 | Shop suspension parts for the 2005 Acura RL |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Check airbag system light on. Connection to headlight defective, headlight turns on and off randomly like when going over a bump, but turns back on if you turn light off then on again.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Acura RL years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2005 carries the most filings on the Acura RL. The 2005 alone has 125 complaints, led by exterior lighting.
What is the most common Acura RL problem?
On the 2005 model year, the most-reported component is exterior lighting with 49 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Acura RL problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Acura RL complaints that include mileage is about 81,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.