The 1997 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 24 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the suspension. 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.
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 acura rl. The contact stated that there was a clicking noise upon turning the steering wheel and it seized several times. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.”
“On-board diagnostic (obd) system is detecting 5 codes p1304-p1305-p1306-p1300-p1399 and I dont think they are the right codes. *tt”
“On-board diagnostic (obd) system is detecting 5 codes p1304-p1305-p1306-p1300-p1399 and I dont think they are the right codes. *tt”
“On-board diagnostic (obd) system is detecting 5 codes p1304-p1305-p1306-p1300-p1399 and I dont think they are the right codes. *tt”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1997 acura rl. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the ball joint separated causing the front suspension to collapse. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer advised the contact that his vehicle was…”
“Switch would fail to engage after starting. I had to hold the switch between start and on in order to maintain engine running. Drove 70 miles like that until I reached home. It did it once before two years ago, but after spraying with cleaner it stopped. *tr”
“Car will not crank every time. We thought it was the battery and put a new battery in and it worked fine for about a week and then started all over again. I talked with acura of memphis and they said it could not be fixed. They said that the 97 3.5 rl does that sometime and that it has not…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1997 acura rl. While pulling into a parking space at approximately 5 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into four parked vehicles. There were no injuries. The insurance company stated that the vehicle was destroyed; however, they did not investigate the…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Acura RL as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.