10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
75,778 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2005 Acura RL lights problems

lights problem

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2005 Acura RL Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #43

Jan 202020

RL

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #42

Nov 302018

RL

  • 237,000 miles
Hid headlights. My problem has been with my headlights ever since I bought the vehicle used in July of 2015. Every now and then the passenger side headlight would flicker and go out. I can get the headllight to come back on by turning off the headlights and turning them back on. The problem can be so bad at times that I have to do it repeatedly while I'm driving. I do most of my driving at night so this has become a very real issue for me. I've read how others have had the same problem but Acura refuses to acknowledge it. It's a costly repair especially if they can't find exactly what the issue is. I've already gotten stopped by a policeman about the headlight being out. And when I explained to him what the issue was he let me go once I showed him that it came back on. The car itself has been amazing to drive especially how hard I've driven it over the years and it now has about 238,000 miles on it of which I put about 95,000 miles. Other major repairs like the air conditioning I had replaced within a month after purchasing the car under warranty. I was not so lucky with the radiator that went up. The whole ordeal ended up costing over $1000 at a aaa auto repair center. I still say it is an amazing car for the technology, road miles, and age of vehicle. I purchased it because it was all-wheel drive and the price was just under $10K back in 2015. This car new was more like $50K-$55K. I wish that Acura would issue a recall and make the necessary repairs for the hid system. I actually read how one owner had both headlights go out while driving. Scary to even think about that happening at the wrong time and they not knowing how to fix it the way I learned which is to turn them off and on. Sometimes I can go several months with no issues and then others it happens just about every night depending on climate I sometimes think, specifically, humidity, but I can't be sure.

- Nottingham, MD, USA

problem #41

Feb 272017

RL

  • 145,000 miles
The headlights intermittently go off while driving. Sometimes its one and sometimes both. You have to turn the lights off and back on and they turn back on. This is a major safety issue.

- Littleton, CO, USA

problem #40

Dec 062016

RL 6-cyl

  • 120,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Passenger side low beam flickers and will completely go off. Have taken into dealer with no results (claim they could not find the problem). This I believe is a safety issue. People have complained of this since 2005 with no solution. If when driving you turn your lights off then back on they come back on till the flickering starts again.

- Bloomington, MN, USA

problem #39

May 132016

RL

  • 161,000 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!

- Allentown, PA, USA

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problem #38

May 192016

RL

  • 145,000 miles
2005 Acura Rl, headlights have flickered since purchase in 2005, have reported this over the past 9-10 years corporately and to the local Acura dealers, Acura of pleasanton and Acura of the desert. This has now become a safety issue, flickering lights now turn off at night in the dark while in motion creating a driving hazard for both the occupants of the Acura and any surrounding vehicles. This is a common problem with the 2005 Acura Rl according to numerous online blogs and sites. Acura continues to ignore and refuses to assume responsibility. Please intervene on behalf of current 2005 Acura Rl owners, a fix or recall is necessary before some is killed or injured.

- La Quinta, CA, USA

problem #37

May 292016

RL

  • 118,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Front passenger light flickering more frequently these day. Went to dealer and replaced the low beam light bulb. Still experienced the issue when you made a right turn and noticed light start flickering and sometime it off. Very annoying and bothersome to driver. Saw numerous complaints about the flickering light and think it's time for NHTSA to start looking into this problem before they get worse. Honda knew the problem but avoid acknowledge until someone get hurt. Dealer are charging consumer over $1000 just to replace the whole headlight. Sometime, still wouldn't fix the problem, I urge nthsa to investigate immediately.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #36

Apr 012015

RL

  • 130,451 miles
One night while driving the driver's side headlight began flickering constantly and the afs light was illuminated and has been steadily on since then, whenever my headlights are in operation. Also, the headlight went dark. This began when the car was in motion heading from a rural area into a more populated one. I was able to turn the lights on and off very quickly and the headlight was illuminated. However. This is extremely dangerous and looks illegal from a law enforcement point of view. Every since then I have had issues with intermittent operational headlights. One of them will flicker constantly and more often than not, turn off completely. Also, the afs doesn't work so my headlights no longer shift when I turn. In addition to myself, I have read several forums where this has been happening to owners of this same generation Rl. From research, replacing the bulb itself and/or the igniter is not solving the problem. It will start again and any other solutions are extremely expensive. It seems with this being such a widespread problem that something is faulty about the equipment used in production. I think Honda needs to research this and own up to their mistake by issuing a recall when they discover the source of the problem.

- Florence, SC, USA

problem #35

Jul 152014

RL

  • 174,000 miles
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.

- Eden Prairie, MN, USA

problem #34

Mar 182014

RL 6-cyl

  • 186,454 miles
I was driving at night front headlight started flickering and cut off. I turned lights off then back on and headlights came back on. The next day both headlights started flickering and both went off turned lights off and on until they came back on.

- Lisbon, OH, USA

problem #33

Feb 282014

RL 6-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #32

Jul 102013

RL

  • 73,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Acura Rl. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the headlights would flicker on and off without warning. The contact mentioned that the failure would recur intermittently. The vehicle was taken a dealer where the failure was unable to be replicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 73,000 and the current mileage was 75,240.

- Kansas City , MO, USA

problem #31

Sep 022013

RL

  • 115,000 miles
Was struck by a drunk driver while traveling North on gsp. Left driver side of the car was side swiped from the back to the front. I hadn't notice the light prior to the accident however according to the body shop there was a problem prior to the accident. The afs light was not triggered by the incident and it is a safety issue. Insurance refused to repair under claim as stated by them.....Acura should repair due to the recall.

- Linden, NJ, USA

problem #30

Aug 052013

RL 6-cyl

  • 148,500 miles
I recently had issues with the headlights on my Acura 2005 Rl(which I've only had four months). I was driving down a rural road at night when I put my signal on to make a left turn and the headlights suddenly went out. I kept turning the knob trying to get them to come back on but it took a few seconds before they would come on again. Fortunately I only had to go a short distance before pulling into a friend's driveway. I was told the left headlights hadn't been on since I had left the gas station. We tested the lights to discover that sometimes only the right side would work, or they would flicker and then immediately go off. Sometimes they would all go off. Not what I would expect for a $50,000 car from Acura. I can't believe there have been so many complaints and Acura isn't standing behind their product. Why hasn't Acura put out a recall for this problem....and when did Acura stop caring about their customers? this is the third Acura I have owned, the other two were great vehicles but this one is a $50,000 lemon! if Acura doesn't remedy the situation it will be the last vehicle I buy from them. I will make sure everyone knows how they are no longer standing behind their products, especially as serious as this one.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #29

Jun 202013

RL 6-cyl

  • 125,000 miles
Hid headlights go out intermittently and flicker all the time. When I check on line, it seems like this is a very big problem with this model vehicle. Many other people are having the same problem with this model and the dealers are trying to charge astronomical prices to fix this safety item.

- Frisco, TX, USA

problem #28

Sep 152012

RL

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Acura Rl. The contact stated that he was made aware that the headlights were not functioning by another driver. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

- Kirkland , WA, USA

problem #27

Aug 312009

RL 6-cyl

  • 64,000 miles
There is an intermittent safety issue with the active headlights on the Acura Rl vehicle. Occasionally, the headlights will shut themselves off during operation at night. Sometimes it's just one and sometimes it's both. This is an issue that has been brought to the dealers attention. They cannot find anything wrong so they just suggest changing out all of the active components at the owners expense. I do not feel this should be paid for by the owner as this is a long running vehicle safety issue which should be cleared up by the Honda corporation.

- Stone Mountain, GA, USA

problem #26

Jan 062012

RL 6-cyl

  • miles
The head lights will flicker off randomly while driving. I have been experiencing the issue since I have owned the car back in 2007. Acura can never duplicate the problem, but claim that I need new headlights. If I needed new head lights I doubt they would turn back on after it happens. The problem happens randomly. I could go 4 or 5 days without a problem and then go 4 or 5 days with constant issues. If you do a search online, it is a common problem that most people with a 2005 Acura Rl are having. This is a safety issue because in bad weather such as heavy rain you cannot see if the headlights are on or off and if an on coming driver can not see me it increases the chance on being in a collision.

- Hartford, CT, USA

problem #25

Aug 022011

RL 6-cyl

  • 106,837 miles
2005 Acura Rl low beam headlights totally failed, unexpectedly, and the car was not moving forward. This has been a recurring problem with the left side low beam, sometimes I didn't know it until told and now it happens to both at the same time while idling in my driveway. My daughter told me both had cut out on her earlier this month, but I could not verify until today. Turning the switch off / on will bring the lights back on, but then again for how long is questionable. Dealers deny it exist or can't verify, but a quick web search has now validated my problem has existed for a very long time with this car. This is much more serious than I thought, clearly a problem you should be aware of.

- Mount Gretna, PA, USA

problem #24

Apr 052004

RL

  • 45,000 miles
Our 2006 Acura Rl has a flickering front driver's side headlight that goes on and off over any bump in the road. The car is dangerous to drive at night. We just took the car to a dealer and it cost over $300 to replace the light bulb! they even had to remove the bumper to change the bulb. We will never buy another Acura again, $50,000 lemon.

- East Moline, IL, USA

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