The 1996 Acura RL has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 221,393 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 26 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the visibility. Last updated July 5, 2026.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. A TRANSMISSION CASE BOLT CAN LOOSEN AND FALL OUT ALLOWING THE TRANSMISSION TO DISENGAGE FROM THE DIFFERENTIAL.
THE VEHICLE COULD LOSE POWER TO THE DRIVE WHEELS WITHOUT WARNING. ALSO, SHIFTING THE TRANSMISSION INTO THE PARK POSITION WOULD NOT LOCK THE WHEELS, AND A PARKED VEHICLE COULD MOVE UNEXPECTEDLY IF THE PARKING BRAKE IS NOT SET.
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A REDESIGNED BOLT.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. CERTAIN VEHICLES WERE MANUFACTURED WITH BALL JOINTS THAT CAN PREMATURELY WEAR OUT AND, IN THE WORSE CASE, THE BALL JOINT WOULD SEPARATE CAUSING THE FRONT SUSPENSION TO COLLAPSE.
THIS CONDITION WOULD RESULT IN VEHICLE DECELERATION AND A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. ALSO STEERING CONTROLLABILITY WOULD BE REDUCED.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Anti-theft system ; locking system malfunctioning. Frequent alarms.”
“Tl* contact owns a 1996 acura rl. While driving 40 mph, a strong burning odor was noticed coming from the front of the vehicle. The instrument panel lights dimmed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the…”
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 1996 acura rl. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v061000 (air bags); however, the part for the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact…”
“When driving normally, the engine will completely die, as if the ignition had been turned off. The code set indicates misfire on all cylinders. Starts again immediately, but does not always continue to run. This will happen numerous times then not again for days. Electrical system tests ok, fuel…”
“When driving normally, the engine will completely die, as if the ignition had been turned off. The cose set in obd ii indicated misfire on all cylinders. It starts again immediately, but does not always continue to run. This will happen numerous times per day, several days in a row, then not…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1996 acura 3.5rl. On october 22, 2007, the contact entered the vehicle and smelled smoke. She then heard a popping sound and noticed smoke coming from the dashboard. The odometer and speedometer lights were not illuminated. She was able to drive the vehicle to a mechanic and…”
“When I first start vehicle I hear a noise in the engine compartment near the firewall. The noise sounded for a 20 to 30 seconds, the abs light came on and the abs systems went out. When the noise was short the abs system went out after a mile or two drive. During the mile or two drive. I heard the…”
“Speedometer defective. *tr”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1996 Acura RL as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.