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Acura RLModel year report

2004 Acura RL Problems

Complaints
11filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
104,000miles, 8 complaints with mileage
Recalls
0campaigns on record
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2004 Acura RL (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests. Report an error

NHTSA recorded 11 consumer complaints for the 2004 Acura RL. The part named most often is electrical system, with 5 complaints (45% of the total), followed by air bags (2) and steering (2). 8 of the complaints include a mileage, and 0% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 104,000 miles. Of all complaints, 1 involved a crash, 2 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 0 recall campaigns and 24 technical service bulletins for this model year. Electrical system complaints overlap with 6 technical service bulletins filed under the same part. Air bags complaints overlap with 2 technical service bulletins filed under the same part.

This model year has fewer than 25 complaints on record, so the numbers below can change a lot with a few new reports.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Example complaints

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. …”

NHTSA complaint #10639769, filed 2014-09, 123,200 miles

Air bags: “My wife was entering a bend in the road and came upon a car stopped in her lane, with no brakes lights!!! She attempted to swerve to the shoulder but it was too late. She impacted the car in the rear, slightly offset to the right (passenger) side. The front of her car impacted slightly offset to the left (driver's) side. She braced for impact with her left hand on the wheel. The passenger side airbag (empty seat!) deployed but the driver's airbag did not!! The full force of the impact was absorbed by her hand, shattering her wrist. …”

NHTSA complaint #10481005, filed 2012-10, 107,000 miles

Steering: “Failure of power steering tilt/reach. Power steering tilt/reach stopped working. The gears Acura have used are plastic and fragile. Acura does not sell the gears, they want people to buy new steering column. One person can get steering positioned at comfortable place but then if a person of different size has to drive he/she gets tired that can lead to accident and fatality. Searching web shows that problem is common in Acura rls. Acura should fix this issue asap.”

NHTSA complaint #10945358, filed 2017-01, 131,000 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

0% of the 8 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 90,000 and 122,000 miles.

0%0–100%10–250%25–500%50–7538%75–10063%100–1500%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (8 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 104,000 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Fewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

2004201220133201432017
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2004 Acura RL. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

VersionOverallFrontalSideSide poleRollover
RL · sedan not rated4 / 4———

Ratings before the 2011 model year come from an older, less demanding test and are not comparable with ratings for 2011 and later.

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.

Recalls and investigations

NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for the 2004 Acura RL in the data used here. A recall can apply to some vehicles of a model year and not others, so check a specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 24 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 24 bulletins →

Other model years of the Acura RL

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
2010920,1007—18—Not enough data
2009845,1606—18—Not enough data
20081318,1776—19—Not enough data
20072034,7507—19—Falling
20063246,0008—19Not compared (before 2008)Stable
200512573,00011—19Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200411104,0000———Not enough data
2003980,8181———Not enough data
20024376,5002——Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200112112,2002———Not enough data
20005977,0004——Not compared (before 2008)Falling
19992492,7512———Falling
19981199,4463———Not enough data
199719145,0002———Stable
199622144,0002———Stable

All Acura RL model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2004 Acura RL have?

NHTSA recorded 11 consumer complaints for the 2004 Acura RL as of Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2004 Acura RL is reported most often?

Electrical system is named most often, in 5 complaints (45% of the total), followed by air bags with 2.

Has the 2004 Acura RL been recalled?

NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year in the data used here. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

At what mileage are problems with the 2004 Acura RL reported?

Among the 8 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 104,000 miles and the middle half falls between 90,000 and 122,000 miles; 0% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program.

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.