Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Acura RL owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
One night while driving the driver's side headlight began flickering constantly and the afs light was illuminated and has been steadily on since then, whenever my headlights are in operation. Also, the headlight went dark. This began when the car was in motion heading from a rural area into a more populated one. I was able to turn the lights on and off very quickly and the headlight was illuminated. However. This is extremely dangerous and looks illegal from a law enforcement point of view. Every since then I have had issues with intermittent operational headlights. One of them will flicker constantly and more often than not, turn off completely. Also, the afs doesn't work so my headlights no longer shift when I turn. In addition to myself, I have read several forums where this has been happening to owners of this same generation RL. …
2005 Acura RL, headlights have flickered since purchase in 2005, have reported this over the past 9-10 years corporately and to the local Acura dealers, Acura of pleasanton and Acura of the desert. This has now become a safety issue, flickering lights now turn off at night in the dark while in motion creating a driving hazard for both the occupants of the Acura and any surrounding vehicles. This is a common problem with the 2005 Acura RL according to numerous online blogs and sites. Acura continues to ignore and refuses to assume responsibility. Please intervene on behalf of current 2005 Acura RL owners, a fix or recall is necessary before some is killed or injured.
Front passenger light flickering more frequently these day. Went to dealer and replaced the low beam light bulb. Still experienced the issue when you made a right turn and noticed light start flickering and sometime it off. Very annoying and bothersome to driver. Saw numerous complaints about the flickering light and think it's time for NHTSA to start looking into this problem before they get worse. Honda knew the problem but avoid acknowledge until someone get hurt. Dealer are charging consumer over $1000 just to replace the whole headlight. Sometime, still wouldn't fix the problem, I urge nthsa to investigate immediately.
My headlights flicker a lot while driving at night. They go out sometimes one at a time, driver's side headlight or passenger side headlight. Sometimes they both go off and I am required to turn the headlights off and back on using the switch. This is very dangerous and the afs light comes on every so often. This needs to be fixed immediately. I read from several forums that a lot of Acura owners for years 2005 and 2006 experienced this same issue that I am going through. I need Acura to resolve this issue. Is there a recall for this? Please have someone contact me asap!
Was struck by a drunk driver while traveling north on gsp. Left driver side of the car was side swiped from the back to the front. I hadn't notice the light prior to the accident however according to the body shop there was a problem prior to the accident. The afs light was not triggered by the incident and it is a safety issue. Insurance refused to repair under claim as stated by them.....Acura should repair due to the recall.
Headlights intermittently flicker and shut off, seemingly regardless of vehicle speed or driving conditions. At times, the right passenger side light shuts off. Less frequently, the left driver side or both lights shut off. Also, of late, the active front lighting indicator ("afs") turns on, seemingly at random, and whether or not afs is on or off.
Passenger side low beam flickers and will completely go off. Have taken into dealer with no results (claim they could not find the problem). This I believe is a safety issue. People have complained of this since 2005 with no solution. If when driving you turn your lights off then back on they come back on till the flickering starts again.
I recently had issues with the headlights on my Acura 2005 RL(which I've only had four months). I was driving down a rural road at night when I put my signal on to make a left turn and the headlights suddenly went out. I kept turning the knob trying to get them to come back on but it took a few seconds before they would come on again. Fortunately I only had to go a short distance before pulling into a friend's driveway. I was told the left headlights hadn't been on since I had left the gas station. We tested the lights to discover that sometimes only the right side would work, or they would flicker and then immediately go off. Sometimes they would all go off. Not what I would expect for a $50,000 car from Acura. I can't believe there have been so many complaints and Acura isn't standing behind their product. …
HID headlights. My problem has been with my headlights ever since I bought the vehicle used in July of 2015. Every now and then the passenger side headlight would flicker and go out. I can get the headllight to come back on by turning off the headlights and turning them back on. The problem can be so bad at times that I have to do it repeatedly while I'm driving. I do most of my driving at night so this has become a very real issue for me. I've read how others have had the same problem but Acura refuses to acknowledge it. It's a costly repair especially if they can't find exactly what the issue is. I've already gotten stopped by a policeman about the headlight being out. And when I explained to him what the issue was he let me go once I showed him that it came back on. …
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 because 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. What's it going to take for them to offer a recall on this problem. Someone's life in an accident.
Headlight complaints in other RL years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2005 Acura RL?
NHTSA has 49 complaints about the lights of the 2005 Acura RL, 39% of the model year's 125 complaints. The component named most often is headlights (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Acura RL headlight problems?
No. NHTSA lists no lights recall for the 2005 Acura RL, though it has 11 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Acura RL headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to lights problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.