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2012 Acura RLProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 1 owner complaint about the 2012 Acura RL, most often about the exterior lighting. It is covered by 6 safety recalls, and for recall 19V-501 the manufacturer reports only 42% of affected cars repaired.

2012 Acura RL
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CarFlaw IndexNot enough dataHigher is better (0–100)
Safety recalls6Lowest repair rate 42%Owner complaints10 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage16kExterior lighting, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through June 27, 2019. Updated daily. Photo: IFCAR, Public domain.

Complaints by system

Where the 2012 Acura RL has problems

1 complaint grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Exterior lighting10

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

6 recalls

2012 Acura RL recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

67%repaired · 2020 Q4

Driver side: inflator module

Recall 19V-500 · Jun 27, 2019 · 1,558 vehicles · 1,048 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

42%repaired · 2020 Q4

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 19V-501 · Jun 27, 2019 · 1,657,752 vehicles · 703,124 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

83%repaired · 2020 Q1

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 18V-662 · Sep 27, 2018 · 57,095 vehicles · 47,393 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

79%repaired · 2019 Q2

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 18V-041 · Jan 9, 2018 · 24,945 vehicles · 19,585 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 2 more recalls
68%repaired · 2018 Q2

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 17V-029 · Jan 10, 2017 · 308,884 vehicles · 209,114 repaired

Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

82%repaired · 2018 Q2

Driver side: inflator module

Recall 16V-061 · Feb 3, 2016 · 2,232,187 vehicles · 1,828,033 repaired

Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Acura.

Best & worst years

2012 vs. every other RL year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the RL median. How we score

'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'15
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2012 Acura RL safety ratings

2012 Acura RL 4 DR 4WD in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

  • Rollover: 5 stars (9.7% risk)
  • Stability control: Standard
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No

Own a 2012 RL?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.