Today my car went into the dealer due to a dead ac and I called Acura Customer Relations to bitch about the national backorder on a new compressor and was told they didn't know why but there are no recalls or service bulletins regarding the ac so it's not a wide spread problem. After searching threads on this board I think it is a wide spread problem and it's time Acura steps up and addresses the issue with a plentiful supply of compressors and warranty extension for the ac for all RL owners. I am writing a letter to American Honda and the BBB but first wanted a poll to see how wide spread the problem is.

 

I voted yes, but this was on my Honda pilot, they said the freon got out, but they fixed it. its a 2004 with 22k miles.

 

As far as I can tell, the A/C problem was primarily on the '05's. I have no idea why that was, but apparently something was changed on the '06's and the problem hasn't reappeared.

My '06 has been performing perfectly.

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Then all they have to do is figure out how to retrofit a 06-08 ac into an 05 and I wouldn't be stuck waiting 5 weeks for a new one.

 

The A/C on my 06 is much better than the one on the 05 that I had. It blows cool air much quicker (almost immediately). The 05 would take a while to start blowing cool air on hot days.

 

Good point. I gathered somewhere, though, that the '05's with problems are actually getting the newer compressor fitted to the '06-'08's. Problem seems to be getting enough of them out of the factory.

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Another 2006 owner here. AC working great after 11 months, 12 days with my RL. (Almost time for the neuronbob™ one-year report....)

 

I'm also at the one year mark also with a '06. No issues with the a/c.

 

Yes, this affected me as well. I bought my 2005 RL in Florida last July, then drove it back home to California, around 3,000 mi. Less than a month after I got the car out here, the Air Conditioning would just blow hot air. When I brought it to my dealer, they were oblivious to the problem and told me it would be a couple weeks to get the parts needed for the repair.

It turned out to be nearly a month long ordeal. Acura couldn't get the parts in and also couldn't tell me how long they would take, or why. Any questions asked to the dealer about this were met with "we don't know" or "we are not aware of any widespead issues with the A/C system", etc...

Even Acura corporate in Torrance didn't know anything about it, even when I pushed and escalated the issue. I told them that I would likely trade this car like a hot brick should the A/C fail next time when my car is out of warranty! There is no way I am going to pay $1,500 for a mechanical defect that is clearly widespead.

I really do hate to trade in my '05, but with all the problems I keep hearing about over and over again (squeeks, rattles, A/C problems, mirror issues, electrical gremlens, etc) I am getting more and more tempted to pull the trigger and get that Lexus GS430 I am looking at...

 

My AC failed this weekend (95+ degree 2 hour trip back home). I have an '05.

 

I really have to take issue with you on this ... the notion that RL's are plagued with the problems you cited is just not accurate.

It is true a lot of 2005 RL owners have had A/C problems, for reasons that apparently relate to a bad batch of compressors or possibly a design flaw. But that issue has been resolved in '06 and later models as far as we can tell.

Beyond that, there is no widespread incidence of rattles, squeaks, electrical gremlins, etc. You'll see occasional posts on here about a door lock touchpad that doesn't work right, or some other minor issue, but I'll bet those things don't affect more than a tiny percentage of RL owners. And you have to keep in mind forums like this magnify problems, because that's what occasions most posts. There aren't many threads about how well a car is running, or how rattle-free it is or how trouble-free is it, because "dog bites man" isn't a story. Let a man bite a dog, though, and you'll get a post.

Having come from an '06 TL, I can tell you there is a car with rattles and squeaks. But my RL is one of the best-built cars I've owned.

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'05 with 70,000 miles. A/C just stopped yesterday. I noticed a whining belt noise about a week ago (very faint) and sure enough, the comp. failed. The car has been absolutely reliable for nearly three years with no issues, but a month ago, the AFS failed. I've been car shopping so I didn't bother getting a quote to fix, and now with no A/C, I've just committed to hurry my decision and trade 'as is'.

If she had less miles and wasn't such a gem for all this time, I might consider pitching a fit, but things do break, even on an Acura (after 70k miles).

 

All the 04 TSX's are having the same problem. The AC's are failing. Also the honda CRV is having the same problem. First the transmission fiasco and now AC. So far our 06Rl has been Ok with 11K city miles.

 

I agree, you should check out the TSX forums and see how many A/Cs have failed! The TSX also has problems with the relay in addition to the compressor. My relay failed this summer and I had no A/C for almost a month because the dealer couldn't figure out what was wrong. Not only is this problem annoying, it's very expensive when you have to fix it out of warranty! TSX owners have had to pay big $$ to fix compressors when out of warranty (talking around $1800 here, that's not small change). I agree that it is widespread and should be addressed by Acura. I know that I will be trading in the car if the compressor or console lights go out again when I pass my warranty period.

 

'05 RL here, going 32k miles, so far no problems with the AC. Thank God because it's been been in the triple digits here in Sacramento.

 

Hi Mike,

Yea, I know that I should not go bashing on the RL. I never said I hate the car, and in fact, it's got to be one of the best and most comfortable road vehicles I have owned.

That said, it seems that the issues I keep reading about here which I cited are indeed a problem. For whatever reason, the squeaks, rattles, nav system LCD screen issues, and whatnot are well known and documented. The fact that Acura seems oblivious to these issues when i bring them up to my dealer is in itself a concern. I love the car, but could do without all these "glitches". They are more than a bit annoying at times, trust me.

Maybe I just need to consider trading in my 05' for an '07 RL since they seemed to have radically refined things since then. I do like the GS430, but this is something I am going to need to mull over a bit more.

 

I was just in Cali on vakay (got back last night). 'Twas hot there! Although I was on the coast, then in Yosemite, and then wine country - it was freakin cold on the coast and SF!!

 

Knock on wood, salt over shoulder, whatever preventative measure required, I haven't had any issues on my '05 in 32,000 miles in 33 months.

 

Perhaps the survey would be more beneficial is the model year was linked with the reported problem? It does seem to be mostly 2005 models? Identifying the engineering differences in the AC units between models years may offer resolution to the problem.

 

2006 rl tech package 1.5 yrs ownership, about 15 k miles. a/c works fine.

 

2005 RL 2 yrs ownership, about 55 K miles. The A/C had to be replaced a couple of months ago, here in Houston. And yes there was a wait of about a week or more for the A/C compressor. At the time of the A/C failure the milage was about 50 K, and it was replaced under warranty. It was a very expensive job.

 

Yes, the vast majority of the A/C failure issues seems to be with the 2005's.

 

No issues here.

 

2006 RL with about 15.5k miles and approaching 1 yr ownership. Only problem so far was a license plate light bulb. I got the opposite of a lemon.

 

Air Conditioning on my 2005 RL just failed yesterday. 45,000 miles, 90+ degree weather, 2+ hours to the nearest dealership. God.

 

05 RL 66K miles: A/C, door handles, Nav screen, mirrors - no problem.

 

I just had the A/C replaced on my '05 RL [only 38,000 miles]. I guess I was lucky because the dealer only had to keep the car one day to get the replacement part.

My question is whether the A/C replacement part is different from the one that was replaced. This has been a significant problem that was corrected in the '06 model. When they replaced the compressor did I get the improved '06 model or just a new '05 one that will fail again in another couple of years?

 

We had our first 100 degree day in Phoenix...the A/C failed .. took to dealer on Monday and car was ready today. Invoice said that the compressor and clutch assembly replaced.. on warranty. My RL is 2005 with 25K

 

I've got a 05 RLwith 45k miles, and so far the AC works fine.

 

My AC quit today at mileage 52,444. The class action lawsuit extended the warranty by 5% which would be 52,500. I called the nearest dealer in Memphis and he said the fix would be covered by warranty and for me just to write down his name and the mileage at the time of failure and they would take care of it. How lucky can you get? I live about 110 miles north of Memphis so the mileage will be over the warranty.
Seems like this is a common problem with the 05's. I bought the car new in February of 2005, have never had any problems with it and it has never been to a dealer.

 

Is this thread resurrected? I originally reported no problems at 32k miles, but it went out at 42k miles. Can I change my vote?

 

72 k miles on an '05 and still blowing chilled air. I guess I should start worrying...

 

2005 w/51,400

Last two days in a row the air conditioner blew hot air at me. Both 85+ degree days with high humidity. I was in the car throughout the day with air on auto at 73 degrees with no problem. When I went to pick up the kids it worked fine. Both days on the way home from picking up the kids it blew hot air. It would blow cold air but only after I dropped the temp way down. Something isnt right.

While I'm at it..... need to check the transmission noise I hear between 35-50 mph, the door handles that unlock then lock before I can get them open, and the AFS message that wasnt removed when than needed fixed last month.

I should have done more research before I bought an 05 RL.

Didnt know about the 5% mileage extension so the good news is I can have all this looked at for free!

 

Yes. Failed on my '05 at about 36k miles. Dealer said he replaced the "clutch."

 

Failed! 2005 RL 46k miles.

 

2005 RL 27000 miles in the shop getting A/C fixed. It's 100+ degrees in Austin.

 

Good gosh! Sorry so many of you RL owners are having this problem.


The A/C on my TSX failed at about 65,000 miles. heard a big clunk, then the compressor went and sent little metal shards through the entire system. Did about $3500 worth of damage.

Acura repaired it at no cost to me as a good will.

 

Ours failed at 55K. It was goodwilled by Acura.

The car was an 05 RL