The 2008 Acura RL has 5 recalls, all involving the frontal airbag inflators on both the driver and passenger sides, which can rupture and send metal fragments into the cabin, causing serious injury or death.
These recalls cover the same core defect across both seating positions: the airbag inflators can explode rather than deploy cleanly, turning the inflator housing into a source of sharp metal shrapnel directed at the driver and front passenger. Prior repair attempts did not fully resolve the issue, which is why multiple recall campaigns exist for the same problem on this vehicle. Any unfixed airbag inflator on this car represents a significant risk any time the airbags deploy in a crash.