Honda Ridgeline
Reliability, NHTSA Complaints & Recall History
10 model years analyzed (2017β2026). All data sourced directly from the NHTSA public complaints and recall database β the same data used by federal regulators.
Checking a specific Honda Ridgeline? Run a VIN check for its exact history.
β 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.
AI Reliability Analysis
Below AverageThe Honda Ridgeline has a high number of complaints, particularly in electrical and engine systems, with 42 recalls indicating significant issues. While crash-related complaints are relatively low, the overall reliability is concerning for a modern vehicle.
Check for open recalls and ensure electrical and engine-related repairs are documented. Consider a thorough pre-purchase inspection by a trusted mechanic.
- Electrical system failures
- Engine problems
- Exterior lighting issues
π NHTSA Safety Recalls
42 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.
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Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2017β2026. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
π§ Most-Reported Problem Areas
Based on component keywords extracted from all 1,283 NHTSA complaints.
π NHTSA Complaint Reports
1,283 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.
Car was on the highway braking hard with the ACC even if the vehicle in front was atleast 4/5 car lengths away. Moved to the right lane to stop it and came up to a box truck and the car automatically broke very hard and LKA started jerking the wheel to the left lane causing the rear bumper to collide with the cars in the next lanes front bumper. My vehicle pit maneuvered into the median ditch and flipped once.
The contact owns a 2026 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that the vehicle was test-driven for two days prior to being purchased. The vehicle was then purchased brand new and was driven for 30 minutes to the residence, and was parked in the garage with the windows rolled up. The contact noticed that there was an abnormally strong odor coming from the inside and the outside of the vehicle. The contact experienced intermittent and persistent headaches, which the contact attributed to the vehicle's volatile organic compounds. The contact had scheduled an appointment with a medical Doctor. The dealer was notified of the failure, and a complaint was filed. The dealer offered to install an Ozone generator to absorb the strong chemical odor. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 129.
The contact owns a 2026 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated while driving 8 MPH on the highway, the vehicle started shaking and veered to the left while another vehicle was passing in the adjacent lane and slowed down independently. The brakes failed to work properly, and the vehicle skidded to a stop. The Automated Emergency Steering (AES) was engaged. The brake light and Active Safety System warning lights became illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer guided the contact in checking the Automotive Radar System. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20. The VIN was not available.
Automatic headlights have a delay in turning off the high beams that causes oncoming traffic to be subjected to high beams until they are way too close.
The Auto High Beam features turns on and off indiscriminately, often going off on a dark section of road or staying on with oncoming traffic. This is dangerous as I lose clear vision of the road or the oncoming driver could be blinded by the light. The dealer admits that the feature, which is listed on the car sticker and in the manual, effectively does not work. Honda will say that it works as designed. In which case it is a faulty design. My Subaru Outback has the same feature that works flawlessly, so I do understand what proper operation is. Additionally this and other safety features are suppressed under 45 miles an hour. Typically the safety features are most valuable on single lane roads where the speed is less than 45 MPH.
Auto dimming headlights, regardless of any changes settings will only engage the high beams a few seconds at a time regardless of current lighting conditions or light on the road. Even in the total lack of any extension light source the lights will change to high beams and a few seconds later revert to low beams
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 wonβt replace it. The camera also controls the automatic bright lights and they wonβt 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 wonβt repair it. They deny it is defective. They claim they canβt duplicate it. Of course they drive it once and say itβs 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 vehicleβs 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 βlimp modeβ without warningβresulting 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: β AWD System Problem β Emissions System Problem β Transmission System Problem β Power Steering System Problem β Vehicle Stability Assist Problem β Hill Start Assist Problem β Brake System Warning β Road Departure Mitigation Problem β 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.
I was driving alone on US-HWY 45 in Chunchula, AL......I heard the loudest noise ever sounded like a high power rifle blast in my ear then I was showered with glass. The sunroof exploded. I had a police report written, I literally thought I had been shot at. There was only myself and one other very small vehicle way ahead of me. No trees hanging over the road or anything.
While idling at a traffic light,2 systems shut down: Adaptive Cruise Control & Road Departure Mitigation System. Also the BRAKE SYSTEM light came on, but the brakes continued to work.
Using the Automatic High Beam system, the high beam may come on even if a car is coming toward me. Sometimes, the high beam will not transition to low beam until the incoming car is real close to me. The incoming car would put his high beam on to warn me. As well, the high bean can randomly transition to low beam for no reason. And a second after, come back to high beam. Really dangerous. I had other cars with this system and never had that kind of problems.
The contact owns a 2024 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the brakes were independently activated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate above 30 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the contact was not informed of the diagnostic results. The contact was informed that unknown repairs were being performed. In addition, the contact stated that the failure had occurred more than thirty times. The contact stated that with 137 miles on the vehicle, the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the failure was diagnosed as a failed brake switch, and the warning lights were reset. The failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. The contact requested that the dealer buy back the vehicle, and the request was denied. In addition, the contact stated that he feared driving the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 137.
Showing 20 of 1,283 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check a Specific Honda Ridgeline
This page shows fleet averages across all 10 model years. Enter a VIN to see the exact accident history, odometer records, title brands, and open recall status for a specific car.
π Understanding This Data
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 β but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Honda Ridgeline has 1,283 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 42 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. 24 of the Honda Ridgeline's 1,283 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions β a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the AI Rating Calculated?
The AI reliability rating (Below Average) 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. The rating provides a plain-English summary for buyers who want a quick verdict without parsing raw numbers. It is one input in your buying decision β always verify with 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 β 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 β 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 β 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.
Is This Data Saved in Firebase & Indexed by Google?
Yes β intentionally. When you first visit this page, our server fetches live data directly from the NHTSA public API (no key required), processes it, and caches it in Google Firebase Firestore for 24 hours. The fully rendered HTML β with all NHTSA complaints, recalls, NCAP ratings, and investigations β is then indexed by Google Search. This is by design: caching real government data in Firebase lets us serve comprehensive vehicle safety pages instantly, while giving Google Bots rich structured content to rank for searches like "Honda Ridgeline reliability" or "NHTSA recalls." No personal data is stored β only public NHTSA records are cached. You can always verify everything directly at nhtsa.gov.