NHTSA Complaint #10201954 — 1999 ACURA RL

ENGINE QUIT WHILE DRIVING BECAUSE OF FAILURE OF EFI RELAY WHICH CUT OFF POWER TO THE FUEL PUMP. HAD TO HAVE CAR TOWED. PART WAS REPLACED - OLD PART NOT AVAILABLE. 1) I WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT INTO A LOCAL STREET WHEN THE ENGINE DIED. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC NEAR AND I WAS ABLE TO PUSH THE CAR BACK INTO AN ADJACENT LOT. 2) HOWEVER, IF I HAD BEEN ON THE FREEWAY JUST ONE BLOCK AWAY, I WOULD HAVE LOST POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES, AND HAVE BEEN IN MUCH HEAVIER TRAFFIC, WHICH COULD EASILY HAVE LED TO A HIGH-SPEED COLLISION. 3) I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT SHOP WHERE, FOR $300, THEY DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AND REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE PART. THE MECHANIC COMMENTED THAT THE DESIGN OF SUPPLYING POWER TO THE FUEL PUMP THROUGH TWO DIFFERENT RELAYS WAS POORLY THOUGHT OUT.