Honda Ridgeline Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data
Comparing used Honda Ridgeline options? We analyzed 10 model years (2017–2026) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
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Model-year trends show patterns — they can't tell you whether this car was crashed, flooded, or rolled back. A VIN check can.
- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Honda Ridgeline has 1,379 owner complaints and 56 safety recalls across model years 2017–2026. The most reported issue area is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. 2017 drew the most complaints; 2026 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Honda
- Model
- Ridgeline
- Model years analyzed
- 2017–2026 (10 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 1,379
- Safety recall campaigns
- 56
- Crash-related complaints
- 25
- Fire-related complaints
- 15
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2017 (337 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2026 (8 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- Reliability signal
- Poor
By model year
Honda Ridgeline: which years to avoid & which to buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used — lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record — lower risk starting points.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA NCAP crash test ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings
What the complaint data suggests
PoorThe HONDA RIDGELINE has 1,379 NHTSA complaints and 56 recalls on record. 25 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 1,379 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 56 federal recall campaigns
- 25 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
Problems by model year (best vs. worst)
Source: NHTSA public complaints database. Updated: Sep 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
56 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
STEERING:RACK AND PINION
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER
EQUIPMENT
STRUCTURE:BODY:HOOD
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2017–2026. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
Common problems
What goes wrong most often
The vehicle systems owners complain about most, ranked from all 1,379 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
1,379 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
When stopped at a stop light the auto start feature sometimes - more often than not- fails to start back and the truck is stuck at the intersection. After putting it in park it will start after several tries. My dealership tells me there is nothing wrong with it even though it’s still under warranty. This has happened over 10 times to me
Receiving pop up faults on instrument panel. ie battery low voltage, adaptive cruise sys problem, road departure mitigation sys problem, Sys problem detected shift to park, to start engine brake and push start, idle stop engine will not restart all of these issue donot throw codes to the main ECM or BCM so dealer can't trace the problem. This has been going on since march 2025
My vehicle is currently sitting at a Honda dealership with a broken crankshaft counterweight and seized bearing. The engine needs to be replaced but Honda has refused to conduct the dealership warranty and blame shift it to a cracked oil pan that had happened in November of last year that was quickly addressed. Since then I have gone to [XXX] and back to [XXX] showing the vehicle was fine and operating. It is to my understanding that my 2024 Ridgeline has a 3.5L J-Series V6 engine. The NHTSA is actively investigating over 1.4 million Honda V6 engines for this exact connecting rod bearing seizure defect. I feel it is wrong for the dealership to pin a known defect on something unrelated and have insurance pay and avoid conducting the warranty repair. My vehicle is sitting at 39,000 miles and I was on a normal commute to work when the incident occurred and still covered under factory warranty. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Truck fails to restart after the auto idle shut off. The battery goes dead and I cannot restart. This has happened several times so I now turn the Idle Off feature off. However, since it does not stay off permanently, if I forget to turn if off the truck may fail to restart. It has left me stuck at intersections unable to restart on several occasions.
After coming to a stop and the idle stop feature engages, the vehicle does not automatically restart. I am presented with a message that says "system problem detected. shift to park". After shifting to park, I am presented with another message that says ""to continue to drive, depress the brake pedal and push switch." I then have to completely shut off the engine by pushing the "stop button". Then, I have to do a full restart before the vehicle starts again. This has happened 5 times in the last month. Here is a video of one incident - [XXX].[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2024 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while stopping at a red light, the Auto START feature failed to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle started rolling backwards. The brake pedal was depressed, and the PUSH to START button was depressed, and the vehicle was restarted. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,200.
Read 14 more owner reports
The contact owns a 2024 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle with the Push-To-Start feature, the vehicle failed to start. No warning light was illuminated. Additionally, while idling in traffic, the vehicle lost automotive power and failed to accelerate as intended while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was restarted as a temporary fix. Upon further inspection, the contact became aware of an abnormal electrical burning odor entering the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
I OWN A 2024 HONDA RIDGELINE TRAILSPORT. THE AUTOMATIC IDLE IS CONTINUOUSLY DRAINING THE BATTERY, MAKING IT HARD FOR THE TRUCK TO START. I HAVE PURCHASED 2 BATTERIES SINCE MAY 2024, WHEN I PURCHASED THE TRUCK. IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE AUTOMATIC IDLE ON THE TRUCK, BUT HONDA TELLS ME THERE IS NOTHING WRONG. WHEN ACTIVATED, THE AUTOMATIC IDLE WILL SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE IN TRAFFIC, CAUSING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION BECAUSE THE BATTERY DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO START THE VEHICLE WHENIT STALLS.
Windows and moon roof on 2024 Honda Ridgeline opens when parked. Lock button on Key fob is supposed to be pressed twice to activate this feature but opens when fob is on desk or in my pocket. No damage yet but could cause problems for theft or rain damage if parked outside when unattended
2024 Honda Ridgeline. Brakes stick or slow to release. Feels like brakes are dragging. Delayed acceleration. This is unsafe. Dealer has had vehicle 7+ days total across 2 repair attempts from March 25th 2026 thru April 1st 2026 and again April 29th 2026 and dealership still has the vehicle. Has not been able to fix the issue. Honda issued Dealer Message on August 7, 2025 stating "American Honda Motor Co.,Inc. is searching for certain 2023-2025 Odysseys, Passports, and Ridgelines with a customer complaint of the brakes sticking. Vehicle purchased April 1st 2024 and has 12,700 miles. Currently at dealership for 2nd attempt. this is a known safety defect Honda is actively investigating. Sticking brakes crash risk. Delayed acceleration. Feeling of brakes dragging. Ongoing intermittent issue. I have been offered a loaner vehicle on both occasions.
My husband was driving the vehicle to school with the sunroof shade closed. Without any impact or anything hitting the sunroof, it shattered. I tried filing a warranty claim with Honda, and they denied the claim without requesting any evidence.
The auto high beam is widely known to be so bad it behaves the opposite of how it should. It frequently blinds other drivers when it should not turn high beams on, often blinding them in the last few seconds before passing, causing a dangerous situation, not to mention the possibility of drivers thinking it was done on purpose maliciously. This has led to near road rage experiences. The high beams also rarely turn on when they should but at least there is a manual override.
LIGHTED RUNNING BOARD LIGHTS CONTINUOUSLY QUIT WORKING. HONDA HAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED BUT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM.
My Honda CMBS system has false warnings from cars coming from the other lane and road markers setting off the system. I had numerous incidents where the steering wheel shakes and a brake warning illuminates with no possibility of an accident. After this warning the car would automatically brake to stop you. I have taken this vehicle to the dealer twice they said it is perfect. Honda knows this system is defective. In the owners manual they describe all the false warnings. I have experienced every one in the manual. I have begged the dealer and Honda company that I believe the camera mounted in front of the mirror is too sensitive and defective but they won’t replace it. The camera also controls the automatic bright lights and they won’t stay on for more than 6 seconds. I contend that this camera also sets off the emergency braking due to oncoming lights or reflective lights in the road. There is a class action lawsuit over this system up to a 2023 Ridgeline. All I want is a new camera and the Cmbs system to work correctly but Honda won’t repair it. They deny it is defective. They claim they can’t duplicate it. Of course they drive it once and say it’s fine. Please make Honda replace this faulty system
The Automatic High Beam system does not work properly and are very inconsistent. When enabled, the high beams often turn on for a brief moment then turn off. Sometimes this occurs when there is a road sign reflection or a light on a home on the side of the road. When the system is enabled, the high beams often fluctuate on and off even when there is no oncoming traffic. What is worse is that the high beams sometimes remain on with oncoming traffic, blinding the oncoming driver. I am reporting that this has occurred ever since I purchased the vehicle in 2024. The dealer indicated this is a known problem and that Honda doesn't seem to be doing anything about it.
The Auto High Beams (AHB) fail to work correctly. When set to on, they will come on for maybe 3-4 seconds then turn off, and maybe repeat the next time. The bigger issue is they fail to turn off many times when approaching oncoming traffic. The feature is dangerous by not turning on when they should and not turning off when they should. This is a widespread problem reported by many. The Honda dealer said they adjusted the sensitivity of the AHB when in fact there is no such adjustment. There is clearly something wrong with the implementation on the Ridgeline as other same year Honda models (we have a 2924 CRV) do NOT have this problem.
Vehicle has stalled after being stopped at red light. Does not occur all the time. Only when in idle mode.
Auto Start/Stop Malfunction. On two occasions the Auto start/stop has shut the engine off at a stop light and after releasing the brake the vehicle went completely dead. Dashboard/radio and all electronics dead. After multiple attempts the vehicle finally restarted. Now the normal start is sluggish like a low battery. Battery was replaced under warranty and check out multiple times by the dealership with them not able to find any issues.
The vehicle’s engine and powertrain management system repeatedly fails with multiple DTC's triggering a full-system cascade of safety-critical warnings and automatic power-limiting. The issue affects the engine, transmission, emissions, AWD, brake system, stability assist, steering assist, ABS/VSA, hill-start assist. The vehicle is fully available for inspection upon request. During each failure, the vehicle abruptly enters reduced-power “limp mode” without warning—resulting in loss of engine power, disabled AWD, and disables all safety/stability systems. These events have occurred in normal traffic, including at red lights and in intersections, creating a risk of rear-end collisions, inability to accelerate, and loss of vehicle control. I transport an autistic child, making reliability and predictable vehicle behavior critical to passenger safety as well. The problem has been reproduced and documented by multiple authorized Honda dealerships. The vehicle has now undergone 13 repair attempts in the first 14 months of ownership, across 6 different Honda dealerships. All have been unable to diagnose or permanently repair the defect. The vehicle has been repeatedly inspected by Honda technicians, who escalated the issue to Honda Tech Line. Tech Line documents (dated 10/1/25) show that no aftermarket modifications exist and that the failure is verified but intermittent and ongoing. Warning Lamps / Symptoms: Each failure event triggers a full dashboard sweep including: – AWD System Problem – Emissions System Problem – Transmission System Problem – Power Steering System Problem – Vehicle Stability Assist Problem – Hill Start Assist Problem – Brake System Warning – Road Departure Mitigation Problem – Blind Spot Information System Problem There is a federal lawsuit filed filed in Oregon District court case 6:25-cv-02142-AP
Between 1,000-1,400 rpm there is a lower end engine knock.sounds like a bearing.
Showing 20 of 1,379 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact Honda Ridgeline
These pages show model-year patterns across 10 years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
The basics
How to read this data
Complaints, recalls, investigations — here’s what each number actually tells you about a used Honda Ridgeline, in plain English.
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Honda Ridgeline has 1,379 complaints on record across 10 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Honda Ridgeline has 56 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 25 of the Honda Ridgeline's 1,379 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Honda Ridgeline vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Honda Ridgeline vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Honda Ridgeline has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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Title-branding rules, flood-damage exposure, and salvage laws vary by state. Run a free VIN check or explore state-specific vehicle history guidance before buying a used Honda Ridgeline.
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Honda Ridgeline reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the Honda Ridgeline reliable?
Poor. The Honda Ridgeline has 1,379 NHTSA owner complaints and 56 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Honda Ridgeline years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2017 (337 complaints), 2019 (232 complaints), 2020 (168 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common Honda Ridgeline problems?
Top reported issues: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (315 complaints); ENGINE (275 complaints); UNKNOWN OR OTHER (185 complaints).
Does the Honda Ridgeline have recalls?
Yes — 56 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the Honda Ridgeline. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.