Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||
| 09/15/2012 | 50000 | ||
| Tl- 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. kmj | |||
| 09/15/2012 | 50000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 acura rl. while driving at different speeds the contact was made aware by another driver that the vehicle headlights were not functioning. the failure occurs 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. dr | |||
| 08/31/2009 | 64000 | ||
| There is an intermittent safety issue with the active headlights on the acura rl vehicle. occassionally, 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. | |||
| 01/06/2012 | |||
| 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. | |||
| 08/02/2011 | 106837 | ||
| 2005 acura rl low beam headlights totally failed, unexpectedly, and the car was not moving forward. this has been a reoccurring 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. | |||
| 04/05/2004 | 45000 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 02/02/2011 | |||
| 2005 acura rl has headlight problems. the headlights start to flicker and then all of a sudden will shut off. i try to shut off the lights and turn on the lights and it works for a while. now the problem has been occurring more frequently. acura should resolve this issue before someone gets involved in a fatal accident due to no headlights. it is hard to tell when the headlights are not working in a well lit street. acura its time for you to take responsiblity of this manufacturers default and fix the problem. | |||
| 11/12/2010 | 80000 | ||
| Driving on mountian road at night. headlights flicker, with one side going out, turn key off then restart and all is well untill you hit a bump inthe road or turn a sharp corner. | |||
| 09/01/2010 | 61000 | ||
| In sep 2010, noticed for the first time that the left side headlight on my 2005 acura rl works intermittently. at the dealership, it was working at first, but then they noticed the problem and said it had to do with the inverter and igniter. the repair quote was $1,750. the car is 5 yrs old with 61k miles. | |||
| 08/12/2010 | |||
| I recently bought a 2005 acura rl--what a great car! the problem is these headlights keep flickering on and off, same as a lot of people here. this is very dangerous, and acura needs to step up to the plate and initiate a recall before someone dies in an accident. other than the headlight issues, i am very satisfied with the car. | |||
| 06/14/2010 | 56000 | ||
| 1. dangerous driving conditions 2. headlights flickering and shutting off 3. need to go to dealership. reading online about problems from google.com when i typed 2005 acura rl headlights, a search came up where multiple people have had the same problem that i have had. the dealership keeps saying it's just the headlight that needs to be replaced and from what i know and read it is much more than that. | |||
| 03/01/2008 | |||
| A couple years ago, i was stopped by a policeman because my driver's side headlight was out. he gave me a warning and told me to get it fixed. i took it into a local repair shop and when we checked the light, it was working. i have noticed that the light flickers quite a bit, and also that it will work for a while and then it won't. sometimes i can remedy the problem by turning the lights on and off, but not all the time. meanwhile, i found out that the price for the bulb was $200 so decided to forego changing the bulb, since it didn't appear that was the problem. it continues to flicker and doesn't work all the time, but it's hard to notice when i'm in the city and on a lit street. i believe the problem is something called the invertor or ballast and that can cost up to $1,000.00 because you have to take the bumper off to get to it. i have been unhappy with the lighting system ever since we got the car.....not what i expected from an acura product. i expressed my displeasure initially with the dealership but was told that's just the way they worked. very dangerous on dark, rural roads which is what we drive on. i've read an acura forum on-line and lots of people have the same feelings about the headlights. love the car, hate the headlights! i hope this makes some sense, i don't seem to be able to scroll to read what i've written. | |||
| 04/14/2010 | 60444 | ||
| My 2005 acura rl has defective headlights. for no reason understood the headlights begin to flicker on and off then eventually go totally black when driving. this happens almost every time i drive now. my car only has 60,000 miles. this is inexcusable. the only way to get them to work is to turn the light switch all the way in the off position and then back to the on position. this is a very dangerous defect that happens while driving. i almost got into an accident because of this and have heard of other 05-06 acura rl owners getting into accidents becuse of this. there have been numerous complaints of this with all 2005-2006 acura rl's. acura does not want to admit there is a serious defective lights system with the 05-06 rl. whats it going to take for them to offer a recall on this problem. someones life in an accident. | |||
| 02/07/2010 | 89000 | ||
| Lights go out on acura rl 2005. the lights will periodically turn off when hitting a bump or going down hill. the dealer said the balast needs replaced which will cost and estimated 800 + dollars. aside from the sever safety concern the cost to fix a broken head light is insane. forget about it if you have to fix two of them. i have now read several forums on this and seen hundreds of post on all years of the rl models and tl and none of this has been addressed. this problem is obviously sistemic of the lighting system and a recall should be enforced for the sheer insanity of driving without lights! | |||
| 02/26/2010 | 34012 | 1 | |
| My headlights flicker when going over road bumps. it becomes very difficult, and dangerous to see the road clearly at night. acura wants to charge me approximately $1000 to replace the headlights. *tr | |||
| 09/10/2009 | 54000 | 1 | |
| Headlights flicker when car hit bumps or when headlights turn. it is very annoying. the flickering comes and goes, but it is getting more frequent. have called the dealer about taking the car in and will make an appointment to take my cpo rl to dealer for inspection this week. car has 56k miles and it is a cpo acura. *tr | |||
| 12/12/2009 | 65000 | 1 | |
| 2205 rl headlight briefly go out when i hit a bump in the road. has been happening for past 6 months but now i am noticing it happening more frequently. very dangerous at night. *tr | |||
| 12/06/2009 | 65000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2005 acura rl. the headlights flicker and periodically go out. the only way to get them to come back on is if i turn the headlights off and then back on. this, of course, happens at night and is extremely dangerous when i'm traveling down the road at 65 mph! this has been occurring for the past 4 months. the dealer replaced the sop hid control unit two days ago and it has not fixed the problem. it did cost me $553.95. *tr | |||
| 11/15/2009 | 75000 | 1 | |
| 2005 acura rl: head lights flicker when hitting bump in the road. occurs daily (nightly) now and getting worse. i expect they will eventually go out. now getting quotes to correct. hundreds of dollars and probably over $1000 that i don't think i should pay. *tr | |||
| 07/31/2009 | 62750 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 03/12/2007 | 1 | ||
| Head light flickers on/off intermittently. *tr | |||
| 02/01/2009 | 50000 | 1 | |
| My 05 rl's right side low beam headlight started flickering several months ago and now the flickering has progressed to headlight going completely out. when the light switch is turned from auto to off and then back on, the lights come back on. *tr | |||
| 04/15/2009 | 81000 | 1 | |
| Own 2005 acura rl, that has afs light system. while driving vehicle on interstate, the headlights are intermittent and goes off at times, leaving me without visibility of the road ahead. i've contacted acura and they state that vehicle is out of warranty and cannot service. my concern is that is a safety issue. i have also googled issue and have seen numerous complaints abut the afs system. *tr | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | |||
| 11/12/2005 | 2894 | 1 | 11/12/2005 |
| The headlights on my car pose serious safety problems on unlit roads. the lights only shine 50-70 feet out on the street. when there are no street lights, i can not see more than 50 feet and i must travel at slow speeds due to extremely poor visibility. the navigation system identifies an upcoming turn, but i can't see the street or street sign. at speeds over 20 mph; i feel this is very unsafe. the dealer said this is normal and within specification. the headlights are terrible! *jb | |||
| 12/01/2005 | 60 | 1 | 10/19/2005 |
| The vertical self adjusting headlights pose serious safety concerns on unlit roadways, often illuminating only 40 feet in front of the car. on hilly terrain, the headlights will adjust down as the vehicle starts uphill, illuminating approximately 40 feet in front of the vehicle. this also occurs when the vehicle travels over bumps and any minor changes in vehicle attitude. it is very easy to overdrive the headlights, often at speeds less than 20 mph. you simply can not see road hazards or pedestrians. the dealer advised this is normal and within specification. *nm | |||
| 01/21/2005 | 1000 | 01/21/2005 | |
| Dt*: the consumer stated when using low beam, the headlights do not illuminate more than 50 feet. the lack of visibility decreases further while traveling down hill. the dealership could not reposition the headlights. the manufacturer was contacted which determined this is how the vehicle was manufactured. *jb | |||
| 09/06/2005 | 1 | 08/15/2005 | |
| The headlights on the 2005 acura rl do not provide sufficient light unless the high beam is engaged which you often cannot do. *nm | |||
| 09/10/2005 | 1 | 1 | 06/30/2005 |
| Ref 2005 acura rl the high beam headlights do not shine far enough down the road. i was driving in vermont on dark country roads and almost hit a tree. driving at the speed limit of 50 mph i outrun the lights. acura says there is no way to adjust the halogen lights & that the parameters were approved by dot. i feel that a mistake has been made on your part that will result in unnecessary single vehicle accidents on the nations highways. *jb *nm | |||