FaultScore

Acura RL electrical problems

60 of the 525 complaints filed about the Acura RL are about the electrical system — 11% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2005.

60

Complaints

11%

Share of all complaints

1

Crashes

5

Fires

Electrical System complaints by model year

1996 RL 3 5.0%

Median failure at 125,500 miles

1997 RL 4 6.7%

Median failure at 261,387 miles

1998 RL 1 1.7%

Median failure at 99,446 miles

1999 RL 2 3.3%

Median failure at 17,000 miles

2000 RL 9 15.0%

Median failure at 64,377 miles

2002 RL 5 8.3%

Median failure at 65,000 miles

2003 RL 1 1.7%

Median failure at 200,000 miles

2004 RL 5 8.3%

Median failure at 95,500 miles

2005 RL 18 30.0%

Median failure at 67,000 miles

2006 RL 8 13.3%

Median failure at 49,000 miles

2007 RL 2 3.3%

Median failure at 20,166 miles

2008 RL 1 1.7%

Median failure at 75,000 miles

2009 RL 1 1.7%

Median failure at 130,000 miles

What owners said

2002 Acura RL Riverdale, GA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This is a continuation complaint with national cemter for dispute settlement to fix safty issues and discontinued parts. The car is not 40 years old and i cannot find a maintenance repair book. The power door locks are coming on and off and the fob key do not work Sutton acuta in macon said it needs the antenna but the antenna is discontinued. The navigation system doesn't work because the 6 chamger dvd in the trunk is not working with no electrical tech support from on star. ABS VSA TRACHION CONTROL IS ON for motr tan 3 years but the VSA switch is discontinued part. The SRS light was turn off at the nally acura in Marietta but they came back on and been on for 3 or 5 years. The car is not safe for driving after spending 10000 dollars to repair the same issue. This is my frustration with safty and no support.

NHTSA complaint #11583589 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2005 Acura RL Georgetown, DE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The center display screen went blank (black) and I can't adjust anything

NHTSA complaint #11529219 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2005 Acura RL Allentown, PA Fire

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Small electric fire in driver side door panel melted all the way through outside door handle . After this happened to me I looked through forums and this seems to be a common issue with this car and there has been no recall for this issue . Very unsafe

NHTSA complaint #11430934 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2002 Acura RL Houston, TX

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

RACK AND PINION REPLACEMENT. EXTERIOR ISSUES: REAR BUMPER FELLED OFF; GASOLINE COVER WON'T CLOSED; DOOR HANDLES FALLING OFF; FUEL PUMP NEEDS REPLACEMENT

NHTSA complaint #11404011 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2002 Acura RL at 8,600 miles Weatherford, TX

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

DOORS LOCK WHEN INSIDE, SITTING STATIONARY, AND CAN'T GET THEM TO UNLOCK FROM DRIVERS POSITION. PASSENGER MAY NEED TO GET OUT TO USE KEY TO UNLOCK FROM OUTSIDE.

NHTSA complaint #11319330 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 Acura RL at 170,000 miles Phoenixville, PA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

FRONT PASSENGER DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR WAS REPLACED LESS THAN TWO YEARS AGO. THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH THE SAME DOOR LOCK HAS REOCCURRED. THE LOCKED DOOR WILL NOT OPEN WHEN THE DOOR HANDLE IS TOUCHED NOR WILL THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR LOCK CONTROL LOCK OR UNLOCK THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR. WHILE DRIVING THE ACTUATOR IS CONSTANTLY TRYING TO LOCK THE DOORS BUT IT DOESN'T WORK. I HAVE SEEN OTHER SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE DURING MY ON-LINE RESEARCH. I CONTACTED THE ACURA DEALER THAT REPAIRED AND REPLACED THE ORIGINAL ACTUATOR BUT WAS TOLD THAT THE PART WARRANTY IS 1 YEAR.

NHTSA complaint #11209096 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2009 Acura RL at 130,000 miles Middletown, NY Fire

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR HANDLE STARTED SMOKING AND BURNING ON MY VEHICLE. IT MELTED PART OF THE DOOR HANDLE AND LEFT MOST OF THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT INOPERATIVE INCLUDING THE INABILITY TO START THE CAR. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED/STATIONARY & OFF AT THE TIME OF OCCURRENCE.

NHTSA complaint #11202827 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2005 Acura RL at 250,000 miles Hamilton, OH

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

DOOR HANDLE STARTED SMOKING AND WILL NOT LET START GPS DISPLAY SCREEN DOES NOT WORK CLOCK DISPLAY DOES NOT WORK VSA LIGHT IS ON ALL THE TIME CAR WAS STATIONARY BURNT OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE.

NHTSA complaint #10945417 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

1999 Acura RL Torrance, CA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

CAR HAD ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION THE ODOMETER KEEP HAVING EQUAL NUMBERS ALOT OF THE TIME. ALSO ACCELERATION KEPT CHANGING ON ITS OWN. AS I WAS DRIVING AND ALSO ON THE HIGHWAY GOING TOWARDS OREGON. IN JULY OF 2016.

NHTSA complaint #10910110 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2005 Acura RL at 161,000 miles Allentown, PA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

MY HEADLIGHTS FLICKER A LOT WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. THEY GO OUT SOMETIMES ONE AT A TIME, DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT OR PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT. SOMETIMES THEY BOTH GO OFF AND I AM REQUIRED TO TURN THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON USING THE SWITCH. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND THE AFS LIGHT COMES ON EVERY SO OFTEN. THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED IMMEDIATELY. I READ FROM SEVERAL FORUMS THAT A LOT OF ACURA OWNERS FOR YEARS 2005 AND 2006 EXPERIENCED THIS SAME ISSUE THAT I AM GOING THROUGH. I NEED ACURA TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. IS THERE A RECALL FOR THIS? PLEASE HAVE SOMEONE CONTACT ME ASAP!

NHTSA complaint #10887908 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

1996 Acura RL at 179,000 miles Macon, GA Fire

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TL* CONTACT OWNS A 1996 ACURA RL. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, A STRONG BURNING ODOR WAS NOTICED COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS DIMMED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 179,000.

NHTSA complaint #10882156 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2005 Acura RL at 90,000 miles Severn, MD

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE RUNNING BUT NO ACCELERATION. SHUT OFF AND RESTART ENABLED 3 DAYS OF DRIVING WITH NO FURTHER ISSUES. SHOP DECLARED, " ... LOOSE BATTERY CABLE." (SEEMS NOT LIKELY) INCIDENT WAS ON US 3-LANE HIGHWAY IN TRAFFIC WITH SPEEDS POSTED AT 65 MPH UPDATED 01/31/17

NHTSA complaint #10881648 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2003 Acura RL at 200,000 miles OLD Hickory, TN

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE IGNITION IMMOBILIZER DEFECTIVE. WHEN THE CAR IS IN PARK AND I TRY TO START IT I PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND WAIT FOR THE GREEN LIGHT IN THE SHAPE OF A KEY TO GO OUT ON THE PANEL - THEN I TURN THE KEY. THE IGNITION DOES NOT ALWAYS RECOGNIZE THE KEY AND SO THE IMMOBILIZER IS ACTIVATED. WHEN THAT HAPPENS THE CAR EITHER STARTS AND SHUTS RIGHT OFF OR IT JUST WILL NOT START AT ALL. ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION I HAVE BEEN ALONE AFTER DARK AND UNABLE TO START MY CAR AND LEAVE. I HAVE A TYPE 1 DIABETIC GRANDCHILD THAT I WATCH AND I AM VERY FEARFUL OF NOT BEING ABLE TO GET HIM WHAT HE NEEDS BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. I PURCHASED 2 NEW KEYS AND IT IS ACTING UP EVEN WORSE NOW. I GOOGLED THE PROBLEM AND SAW THAT THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM. I FOUND ANOTHER COMPLAINT ON THIS SITE.

NHTSA complaint #10872731 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2000 Acura RL at 162,090 miles Greenwood, MS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE SRS SENSOR JUS POP ON THE ABS SENSOR POP ON ALSO THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT POPS I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO AND ALSO I HEARD TICKING AND TAPPING AND THE ENGINE STARTED JUMPING WHETHER I'M GOING SLOW OR FAST I REALLY NEED SOME SERIOUS HELP WHY IS BECAUSE I CAN POSSIBLY BE IN GREAT DANGER DO TO THE SENSORS THAT ARE GOING OUT IN MY VEHICLE .

NHTSA complaint #10789136 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2005 Acura RL at 174,000 miles Eden Prairie, MN

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

HEADLIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY FLICKER AND SHUT OFF, SEEMINGLY REGARDLESS OF VEHICLE SPEED OR DRIVING CONDITIONS. AT TIMES, THE RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE LIGHT SHUTS OFF. LESS FREQUENTLY, THE LEFT DRIVER SIDE OR BOTH LIGHTS SHUT OFF. ALSO, OF LATE, THE ACTIVE FRONT LIGHTING INDICATOR ("AFS") TURNS ON, SEEMINGLY AT RANDOM, AND WHETHER OR NOT AFS IS ON OR OFF.

NHTSA complaint #10693315 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2005 Acura RL at 25,790 miles Greenville, NC

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

WHEN TRYING TO USE KEYLESS ACCESS SYSTEM WHEN LOCKING THE 2005 ACURA RL I PRESS THE BUTTON ON THE DOOR HANDLE TO LOCK THE DOORS BUT IT IS NOT LOCKING THE CAR. THE REMOTE IS IN MY POCKET. THE KEYLESS ACCESS DOES LET ME UNLOCK THE DOOR WITH THE PULL ON THE DRIVER DOOR HANDLE. THE PROBLEM IS WHEN TRYING TO LOCK THE VEHICLE WITH THE DRIVER DOOR HANDLE IT WILL NOT LOCK THE CAR. SO NOW I HAVE TO JUST USE THE KEYFOB TO LOCK THE CAR WITH PRESSING THE LOCK BUTTON ON THE REMOTE. I HAVE READ AND DONE ALL REQUIRED TO DO WHAT THE MANUAL SAYS BUT IT IS STILL NOT WORKING. I HAVE JUST READ A SERVICE BULLETIN SAYING THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE DOOR HANDLES THAT WEATHER LIKE RAIN OR MOISTURE HAS GOTTEN INSIDE AND DAMAGED THE DOOR HANDLE SENSORS.

NHTSA complaint #10692740 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2000 Acura RL at 76,500 miles OLD Bethpage, NY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

WHILE STOPPED IN TRAFFIC, UPON ACCELERATION. ENGINE STALLED. VEHICLE PLACED IN PARK AND CAR WAS RESTARTED AND DRIVEN AWAY. MAIN FUEL RELAY WAS REPLACED. PER ACURA SERVICE BULLETIN 01-044, THE INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED COULD BE DUE TO A FAILED POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE. PER ACURA SERVICE BULLETIN 01-044, THERE WAS AN UPDATED POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE, BUT THIS PART HAS SINCE BEEN DISCONTINUED AND IS NO LONGER BEING PRODUCED BY ACURA. I HAVE CALLED ACURA CUSTOMER SERVICE WHO STATED THAT EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE AWARE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES PER TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 01-044, THERE IS NOTHING THEY ARE ABLE TO DO TO REPAIR THE CAR. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A SAFETY RELATED ISSUE DUE TO THE RISK THAT THE VEHICLE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CONTINUE TO STALL AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED.

NHTSA complaint #10640035 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2004 Acura RL at 123,200 miles Belmont, CA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I PARKED THE CAR AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH BLINKED RIGHT AFTER TURNING OFF THE CAR. I KNEW I HAD A PROBLEM BECAUSE THE DOOR LOCKS WOULDN'T WORK. I TRIED TO RE-ENGAGE THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM TO OPEN THE DOOR LOCKS, BUT THE CAR WAS TOTALLY ELECTRICALLY DEAD. I TRIED A COUPLE MORE TIMES TO START THE CAR, BUT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I SAT IN THE CAR A COUPLE MINUTES WITHOUT TOUCHING ANYTHING. I TRIED ONCE AGAIN TO START THE CAR AND IT WORKED. ALL THE RADIO AND NAV SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE RESET. THIS HAS OCCURRED 3 MORE TIMES OVER 3 MONTHS. EACH THE SAME WAY. AS I PARKED AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION, IT BLINKED AND ELECTRICALLY FAILED. LAST TWO TIMES BEING ONLY 5 DAYS APART. SO IT'S HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY AND CLOSER TOGETHER. I HAD MY MECHANIC LOOK AT THE CAR. HE'D NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM AND HAD NO CLUE AS TO HOW OR WHY IT HAPPENED. HE EXAMINED THE WHOLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND FOUND NADA. SO FAR, IT HAS NOT RE-OCCURRED 3 WEEKS AFTER BEING LOOKED AT. FRUSTRATING, CONCERNING.

NHTSA complaint #10639769 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2004 Acura RL at 82,000 miles Boynton Beach, FL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I TRIED STARTING MY CAR AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, MY BATTERY WENT DEAD. ALL THE GADGETS ON MY DASH AND NOT ONE COULD TELL ME MY BATTERY WAS DYING OR LOW ON CHARGE. SO I CALL AAA AND THEY REPLACE THE BATTERY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR IS WORKING BETTER AND MY AC IS WORKING BETTER. ALL THE TIMES I COMPLAINED TO THE ACURA DEALERSHIP THAT MY AC WAS NOT COOLING PROPERLY IN THIS FLORIDA HEAT AND THEY CHECK IT AND THEY TELL ME IT'S WORKING JUST FINE. ALL OF A SUDDEN, I GET A NEW BATTERY AND MY AC IS WORKING MUCH BETTER AND NOW MY CAR IS REALLY COOLING DOWN. NO WARNING LIGHT CAME ON TELLING ME LOW BATTERY. A CAR WITH ALL THESE ELECTRONICS AND NO WARNING AND THE ACURA DEALERSHIP IN DELRAY BEACH CHECKED IT OUT NUMEROUS TIME AND DID NOT KNOW THAT THE AC WAS NOT FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY BECAUSE THE CAR NEEDED A NEW BATTERY. SHAME ON ACURA.

NHTSA complaint #10629860 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2005 Acura RL Jacksonville, FL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

WHILE DRIVING, OR STATIONERY, DRIVER HEADLIGHT FLICKERS AND SHUTS OFF, FOLLOWED BY THE PASSENGER LIGHT. THE ONLY WAY TO REGAIN HEADLIGHT FUNCTION, LIGHTS MUST BE TURNED OFF AND BACK ON CONSTANTLY.

NHTSA complaint #10566645 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other Acura RL problems