The Acura RL brake light utilizes a 7443 bulb size for the rear lighting system on the vehicle. Data for the specified component covers the period from 1996 through 2004.
The year-by-year compatibility chart below provides a quick reference to verify the correct bulb size for your vehicle.
The Acura RL uses the 7443 bulb for its brake lights across the full 1996-2004 model range.
The 7443 is a dual-filament wedge bulb in the T20 form factor, rated at 12V with a 21W high filament and a 5W low filament, conforming to ANSI standards for the US and Canadian markets.
The dual-filament design of the 7443 allows it to serve both a high-intensity brake function and a lower-intensity running light function within a single housing.
The center high mount stop light on the Acura RL uses the 3497 bulb across the same 1996-2004 model range.
The 3497 is a single-filament bulb rated at 12V and 21W, fitted with a BA15s bayonet base, and is classified as a variant of the 1156 bulb type under ANSI standards for the US and Canadian markets.
Because the 3497 is a single-filament bulb, it is not interchangeable with the dual-filament 7443 used in the main brake light positions, despite both sharing a 21W output rating.
The BA15s bayonet base of the 3497 is a single-contact base, which is physically and electrically distinct from the wedge base of the 7443, making cross-substitution between the two positions incompatible.
The 7443 wedge base and the 3497 BA15s bayonet base represent two separate socket types, meaning each position on the Acura RL requires its own specific replacement bulb.