The 2003 Acura RL has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 875,966 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 11 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS20V0270002020-01-17875,966 affected
Defect
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…
Consequence
In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag cushion may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.
Remedy
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the air bags in the vehicles, replacing the driver frontal air bag inflator with an inflator of a different design, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2020. Owners may contact American Honda's Customer Support & Campaign Center at…
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
5
UNKNOWN
1
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
ENGINE
1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
1
POWER TRAIN
1
Total complaints11
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2003 acura rl. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v027000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall…”
“2003 acura rl. Consumer writes in regards to driver frontal airbag safety recall. *ld the consumer stated the manufacturer did not make a reasonable attempt to assist with the 500 mile round trip to an authorized dealer. The manufacturer was no longer authorizing local dealerships to complete…”
“I received a recall notice in march and was told to park my car. I did for 9 months, forced to buy another car. Acura refused to provide a rental. We filed a class-action suit. Acura required an inspection of the airbags/inflator. I received an invoice I could not understand and called the dealer.…”
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2003 acura rl. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v027000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.…”
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2003 acura rl. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v027000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The…”
“The ignition immobilizer defective. When the car is in park and I try to start it I put the key in the ignition and wait for the green light in the shape of a key to go out on the panel - then I turn the key. The ignition does not always recognize the key and so the immobilizer is activated. When…”
“Was driving on interstate 71 north, at the posted speed limit (70) when the car stopped running. All dash warning lights came on. The engine stopped running, so all of the power-assist stopped working. I pulled to the side of the road, came to a complete stop, turned off the ignition and tried to…”
“Was driving on interstate 71 north, at the posted speed limit (70) when the car stopped running. All dash warning lights came on. The engine stopped running, so all of the power-assist stopped working. I pulled to the side of the road, came to a complete stop, turned off the ignition and tried to…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2003 Acura RL as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.