Total Complaints
12 filings
ACURA RL · model year
12 NHTSA complaints, and 2 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2001ACURARL carries 12 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2001 RL is air bags with 5 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (2) and power train:driveline:differential unit (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 2 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 2001 RL, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
12 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 5 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
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
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, DURING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS, OIL WAS APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL ASSEMBLY TO PREVENT RUST. THIS OIL CAN LEAK INTO THE BRAKE STOP SWITCH AND CONTAMINATE THE ELECTRICAL CONTACTS.
I RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL LETTER IN THE MAIL IN MARCH 2020. WHEN I CALLED THE ACURA DEALER IN CHARLOTTE THEY TOLD ME THAT THE PART WOULD BE THERE IN JULY, CALLED IN JULY THEY SAID AUGUST CALLED IN SEPTEMBER AND THEY SAID THAT THE PART IS STILL NOT THERE
I CALLED ACURA TO SEE IF THE TYPE AIR BAG INFLATOR IN MY CAR USED AMMONIUM NITRATE. MY CAR IS NOT ON THE RECALLED LIST BUT GIVEN THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM I WAS GOING TO REPLACE, AT LEAST THE DRIVER'S SIDE, IF THE INFLATOR WAS USING THE UNSTABLE PROPELLANT. ACURA WOULD NOT PROVIDE ME ANY INFORMATION. I CALLED NHTSA AND THEY TOLD ME TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO THIS SITE TO SEE IF I CAN GET THE INFORMATION TO PROTECT MYSELF AND FAMILY REGARDLESS OF THE CORPORATE DECISION.
Mileage: 175,580
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 ACURA RL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, SMOKE STARTED TO EMIT FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING PUMP WAS LEAKING ONTO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER OR THE ENGINE. AS A RESULT, THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND HOSE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 145,000. UPDATED 09/06/2012 *JS
Mileage: 140,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 ACURA 3.5RL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR DRIVER SIDE TIRE BECAME FLAT. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE TIRE WITH THE SPARE AND WITHIN A COUPLE OF MILES, THE ABS WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT THEN EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF BRAKING POWER AND THE REAR WHEELS WERE SPINNING ABNORMALLY AT DIFFERENT RATES. THE CONTACT THEN SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE AND WHEN RESTARTING, THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL BRAKING OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 110,000.
Mileage: 110,000
THE SRS (SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM) LIGHT CAME ON AND I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THEY FOUND AN ERROR CODE 15-1 AND THEY RESET THE LIGHT BUT SAID THEY DID NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE SRS SYSTEM. I FOUND ANOTHER COMPLAINT (#10251604) AND HAVE THE SAME QUESTION WHY THIS IS NOT REGARDED AS A SAFETY CONCERN. *TR
Mileage: 85,663
2001 ACURA RL. SRS LIGHT IS ON. DEALER CHECKED AND FOUND PROBLEM WITH OPDS UNIT AND SENSOR AND REPLACED. AFTER REPLACEMENT, RE-INITIALIZED THE SYSTEM BUT THE SRS STAYS ON. NOW, TURN OUT THAT THE SRS CONTROL UNIT IS BAD. DEALER SAID IT WILL COST APPROX $2000 TO REPLACE THE SRS CONTROL UNIT. WHY SRS CONTROL UNIT IS NOT CONSIDERED A SAFETY ITEM? *TR
Mileage: 113,000
2001 ACURA 3.5 RL SRS LIGHT ELLUMINATES OPDS SENSOR OR MODULE ARE REPLACEABLE UNDER WARRANTY BUT OPDS BRAIN OR UNIT IS NOT COVERED AND THIS IS THE PART THAT IS CAUSING THE SRS LIGHT TO ELLUMINATE. DEALER SAYS IT IS FAULTY AND CAN NOT BE REPLACED FREE. SO NOW I HAVE NO AIR BAGS IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT.
Mileage: 111,400
THE DIFFERENTIAL LEAKED OIL, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO MAKE A NOISE.*JB
THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WAS REPLACED 4 TIMES.*JB
TRANSMISSION GRINDS WHEN UPSHIFTING FROM FIRST GEAR INTO SECOND GEAR.*AK
TRANSMISSION ON THIS MODEL FAILING ACROSS THE NATION, ACURA NOT ACKNOWLEDGING. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT SLOWER SPEEDS, VEHICLE STALLED. TRANSIMMISON HAS BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS ACCELERATING & DECELERATING. *AK
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.