Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2003 Acura RL, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Air bags6
- Engine1
- Fuel/propulsion system1
- Electrical system1
- Power train1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2003 Acura RL failed the safety check 2.05% of the time — 3% less often than the average 2003 passenger car (2.11%). Median odometer at inspection: 131,307 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Recalls in Canada
1 Transport Canada recall for the 2003 Acura RL.
| 2020015 17 Jan 2020 | Airbag Issue: On certain vehicles, exposure to moisture over time could cause the driver-front airbag not to inflate properly in a crash. In some cases, this could c… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2001-2002 Acura 3.2CL, 2000-2003 Acura 3.5RL, 2000-2001 Acura 3.2TL, Honda CR-V and Honda Odyssey, 2001-2002 Acura MDX and 2000 Accord Coupe, Accord Sedan, Civic Coupe, and Civic Sedan vehicles. These vehicles may have received a replacement driver frontal air bag module as part of a vehicle repair. Due to a manufacturing issue, the replacement NADI inflator may absorb moisture, causing the inflator to rupture or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Acura told its dealers about the 2003 Acura RL: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10211608 | Special Tool Loan Program: Under TOOLS AVAILABLE FOR LOAN, the list has been updated. |
| 10193392 | Sending vehicle data to tech line. |
| 10165333 | This SKU is a Front Upper Ball Joint. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for the outer diameter of the ball joint housing being too small. The outer diameter being too small would prevent the part from being installed, and would therefore have no impact on the end user besides time to complete installation. |
| 10130044 | Servicenews article - Is the navigation screen clock reading 00:00? We?re aware of this issue and have it under investigation. |
| 10128558 | Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, Acura announced three recalls for various 2002-06 Acura models. As of July 23, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and service bulletins 14-023, Safety Recall: Front Passenger?s Airbag Inflator Can Be Over-Pressurized, 14-029, Recall: Front Driver?s Airbag Inflator May Produce Excessive Pressure After Long-Term Exposure to High Absolute Humidity Recall, and 14-030, Recall: Front Passenger?s Airbag Inflator May Produce Excessive Pressure After Long-Term Exposure to High Absolute Humidity have been posted to ISIS. However, due to the large number |
| 10128529 | Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, Acura announced three recalls for various 2002-06 Acura models. As of August 4, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and VIN status inquiry has been updated. |
| 10127358 | Servicenews article - Is the navigation screen clock reading 00:00? We?re aware of this issue and have it under investigation. |
| 10118544 | Tech line summary article - Is the navigation screen clock reading 00:00? We?re aware of this issue and have it under investigation. |
| 10117869 | Tech line summary article - Is the navigation screen clock reading 00:00? We?re aware of this issue and are looking for a solution. |
| 10100462 | SERVICE BULLETIN - NAVIGATION SYSTEM INFORMATION. |
| 10099960 | "SERVICE BULLETIN - THIS BULLETIN UPDATES THE TROUBLESHOOTING PROCEDURES FOR DTC P1456 (EVAP CONTROL SYSTEM LEAKAGE [FUEL TANK SYSTEM]) AND DTC P1457 (EVAP CONTROL SYSTEM LEAKAGE[EVAP CANISTER SYSTEM]). DEPENDING ON THE MODEL, THERE ARE TWO INDIVIDUAL PROCEDURES IN THIS BULLETIN." |
| 10037486 | ACURA: THERE ARE GUIDELINES FOR VARIOUS SITUATIONS AND PROCEDURES INCLUDING: TIRE PRESSURE VALVE STEM INSTALLATION, TRAILER STABILITY MALFUNCTION LIGHT IS ON, ENGINE OIL APPLICATION GUIDE, NEW SOFTWARE, NEW TRANSMISSION FLUID, NOTCHY STEERING FEELING. *RM |
| 10032775 | ACURA: 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 MODELS WERE OVERSTATING MILEAGE. VEHICLES AFFECTED BY THIS SETTLEMENT INCLUDE CERTAIN 2002-2006. ON AFFECTED VEHICLES, THE SETTLEMENT REQUIRES YOU TO HONOR A 5 PERCENT INCREASE IN THE MILEAGE COVERAGE PERIOD FOR ALL WARRANTIES. NO MODELS WERE LISTED. *PE |
| 10025524 | LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY REDUCED LABEL FOR ALL ACURA VEHICLES. *PE |
| 10024561 | ACURA SERVICE CAMPAIGN: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. WARRANTY EXTENSION: OPDS UNIT OR OPDS SENSOR TRIGGERS SRS DTC'S 15-1, 15-2, 15-3. CSC WAS RECEIVED. *NJ |
| 10018109 | HOMELINK WON'T PROGRAM WITH AFTERMARKET REMOTES. *JB |
| 10018038 | SPEEDOMETER SHOPS CAN TRANSFER ODOMETER MILEAGE. ACURA. SERVICENEWS. *TT |
| 10014774 | REPLACEMENT OR UPDATED NAVIGATION DVD DISKS. *EH |
| 10014175 | ONSTAR CENTER SAYS NO VEHICLE INFORMATION. *NM |
| 10014093 | NAVIGATION ERROR MESSAGE-DVD DISK READ ERROR. *SC |
| 10014075 | SRS WARNING LIGHT ON AFTER BODY SHOP REPAIR. *NM |
| 10014071 | ODOMETER ACCURACY. *NM |
| 10014067 | THE HOMELINK SYSTEM MAY HAVE TEST INFORMATION STORED IN MEMORY THAT MUST BE ERASED BEFORE IT CAN BE PROGRAMMED. *NM |
| 10014049 | IF NAVIGATION SYSTEM INTERMITTENTLY DISPLAYS THE MESSAGE, DATABASE OLD SEE YOUR DEALER, APPLY THE NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM OPERATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE PATCH. *NM |
| 10013738 | SENDING HONDA DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM (HDS) SNAPSHOTS. ACURA TECH LINE SUMMARY FOR DEALER DISTRIBUTION. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)