2005 Acura RL Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 18about this part
- Share
- 14%of 125 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 67,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 18 complaints about the electrical system of the 2005 Acura RL, 14% of the 125 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 67,000 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was driving at about 30 MPH on rufe snow in north richland hill, tx about 2:00pm, when my engine suddenly stopped. All electrical was shut down. Traffic was approaching me from behind and I was afraid of being hit from behind. I was unable to open my doors, lower windows or even put the emergency flashers on. I was trapped. I called 911 and reported my situation. However, just before the police arrived, a man walked over to my vehicle and tried to open the door from the outside without success. …”
NHTSA complaint #10551476, filed 2013-11, 136,100 miles“My headlight on my Acura RL are intermittent and going out every so often, more often then not. The problem just started to happen. It happens all the time off and on. The problem is with the light ballast and it will run you from $500 to $1200 to repair.”
NHTSA complaint #10279072, filed 2009-08, 62,750 miles“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, filed 2016-07, 161,000 miles“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. …”
NHTSA complaint #10692740, filed 2015-03, 25,790 miles“2005 Acura RL active front headlighting I first complained about the problem to my dealer, and nothing was done. During driving at night the drivers head light flickers and goes off completely I live in tennessee so I drive on mountain roads alot, to get the light back on to work properly I have to actually stop in the middle of the road, or pull over safely and turn off the headlights then back on again, this happens when going around curves, as well as over rough pavement I have researched online and this is a problem that occurs with this system and there has not been a positive fix as of…”
NHTSA complaint #10334913, filed 2010-06, 52,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10237044May 17, 2023Service News - The navigation clock and date are incorrect. This is due to a limited GPS receiver capacity resulting in rollover of internal chip memory. The rollover occurred on…
- 10207004Jan 25, 2022ServiceNews Article - The clock shows the incorrect time. This issue is due to a limited GPS receiver capacity resulting in "rollover" of the internal chip memory; the "rollover"…
- 10135109Apr 17, 2018Tech line summary article - Can?t get past this screen when adding keys with the Immobilizer Setup Tool in the i-HDS? "Tester is not communicating with immobilizer unit". Here?s…
- 10043249Jan 12, 2012Acura: update on some model vehicles regarding testing of alternators with the gr8 alternator/starter tester (ast) module that is installed on gr8 diagnostic battery station.
- 10041725Oct 12, 2011Acura: pcm software update product may not allow the transmission to upshift or cause engine to shudder.
- 10032775May 9, 2008Acura: warranty extension: vehicle warranty mileage. A federal court provided final approval of the settlement of a class action lawsuit alleging that the odometers on certain…
- 10018866Dec 16, 2005Srs diagnostic trouble code 81-64.
- 10018322Nov 16, 2005Accessory power socket inoperative.
- 10016275May 16, 2005Outside temperature display calibration.
- 10016274May 16, 2005Driver 1 keyless access intermittently recalls driver 2 settings used to unlock the doors.
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 1 | 13% |
| 2008 | 1 | 8% |
| 2007 | 2 | 10% |
| 2006 | 8 | 25% |
| 2005 | 18 | 14% |
| 2004 | 5 | 45% |
| 2003 | 1 | 11% |
| 2002 | 5 | 12% |
| 2000 | 9 | 15% |
| 1999 | 2 | 8% |
| 1998 | 1 | 9% |
| 1997 | 4 | 21% |
| 1996 | 3 | 14% |
Other parts of the 2005 Acura RL
49 complaintsAir bags
36 complaintsBrakes
8 complaintsBody and structure
7 complaintsOther or unknown
6 complaintsVehicle speed control
4 complaintsEquipment
3 complaintsFuel system
3 complaintsSuspension
3 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
3 complaintsElectronic stability control
2 complaintsEngine
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2005 Acura RL
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology