The 2008 Acura RL has 5 recalls, all involving Takata airbag inflators on both the driver and passenger sides that can rupture and send metal fragments into the cabin, causing serious injury or death.
Both the driver and passenger frontal airbag inflators are affected. When either airbag deploys in a crash, the inflator can burst apart rather than inflate the bag properly, throwing sharp metal shards toward anyone seated in the front of the vehicle. Prior repair attempts did not fully resolve the issue, which is why multiple recall campaigns exist covering the same underlying defect across both seating positions. The risk is present any time the airbags are called upon to deploy, making this one of the most serious defect types a vehicle can carry.