Owners have filed 2,003 complaints on the Honda Ridgeline, covering 2006–2026. The system named most often is Electrical System (353 reports). Worst years by volume: 2017, 2019, 2006; cleanest: 2015, 2026, 2012. 58 reports describe a crash, 41 a fire, 1 a death. On average the car was 4.5 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Honda Ridgeline
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 2,003 Ridgeline complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 353 Read
Driving approximately 15mph on a gravel road in my subdivision I noticed smoke or steam coming from under the hood. The time was approximately 10: 30 am on June 4,2026 the 2023 Honda Ridgeline with 41,000 miles was immediately stopped and put in park. I exited the vehicle and started to open the hood and fire streamed…
Traveling at 50mph when warning lights started, AWD malfunction, auto idle malfunction, gear shift malfunction, then warning says shift to N and power shut down, coasted to a stop. Once stopped smoke coming from engine, unable to open hood (to hot). Within 2 min flames were coming around hood fire extinguishers not…
My wife and I had decided to empty our storage unit, so on Memorial Day we began moving everything into the garage. After five or six trips Honda, I pulled the car up beside the RV and close to the house for what turned out to be the last load. I unloaded my bicycle and nearly everything else, leaving only a few small…
Air Bags 314 Read
While turning left on a snowcovered road, my passenger airbags deployed when I slid into the curb. The only damage was to my rear passenger wheel. The force to the vehicle should not have been hard enough for the airbags to deploy. No warning lights prior to the accident
I was on [XXX] and turned into [XXX] . I was driving at 25 miles or so. I don't know if my first or second tire flat first but immediately after my airbags at right and left front and back side got deployed and created a little fire and thick black smoke. I got shock, panicked and lost control for second and hit right…
I was involved in a rear end collision earlier today. My vehicle sustained significant front end damage and the air bags did not deploy. The vehicle had to be flat bedded to a Massachusetts State Police Barracks, pending further action by my insurance company. There were no injuries
Engine 188 Read
New 2025 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition with under 4k miles on it. Driving one day (10/30/25), smoke started to bellow out from the sides. Nothing on the dashboard indicated a problem. Everyone jumped out and was safe from injury. The truck went up in flames and literally blew up. We have a video of the incident. The…
The contact owned a 2022 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, it caught on fire. The vehicle was unoccupied. The contact stated that the next-door neighbor knocked on the contact's door, screaming that the vehicle was on fire. The contact stated that the fire originated from under the…
Coming down a ramp in parking deck with right foot lightly riding the brake pedal to control the car’s descent when all of a sudden the vehicle accelerated full throttle as if the gas pedal had been “floored.” The acceleration was so intense that it drove my body backward into my seat and pulled my foot off the brake.…
Power Train 154 Read
While driving with the cruise control set at 52mph, I was coming to a known left curve with a stop sign four way intersection that follows it (I drive this route at least 50% of the time whenever leaving my home). I hit the 'Cancel' button to stop the cruise control as I came to the curve, and there was no response. I…
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while his wife was driving through a parking lot, the vehicle accelerated upon the depression of the brake pedal without warning. Due to the failure, the contact's wife hit a brick column which resulted in a chip. The air bags deployed upon impact. The…
I purchased the Ridgeline in 2017 and am the sole owner. I have never towed anything with the truck. The mileage is high currently at 129,000. In the beginning of July the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The way it failed caused a dramatic shifting and of gears and the inability for the transmission to…
Exterior Lighting 139 Read
A sudden unintended acceleration resulted in a crash 1-08-2020 at 6:55 am. This occurred while pulling into a parking space. While breaking the vehicle head lights went out, engine RPM suddenly increased dramatically causing vehicle to strike light pole, which fell to the side of vehicle. This resulted in to be…
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
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…
Structure 126 Read
On june 13, 2019, I hit a rock in a parking lot in the front of the vehicle. Later took to a body shop when radar sensor lights came on. Was told it was the misallignment of the radar sensor unit caused by the rock collision. Body shop says they recalibrated, but the warning lights still randomly come on. Counldn't…
The contact owns a 2013 honda ridgeline. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the antenna cover was not attached to the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was a heating failure that heated up the metal, causing the lens and antenna cover to…
I am the owner of a 2026 Honda Ridgeline, which I have owned for approximately seven months. Since taking delivery, the vehicle has emitted a persistent, very strong chemical odor consistent with volatile organic compound (VOC) off-gassing. This is distinct from a mildew or air-conditioning-related odor; the smell is…
Fuel/propulsion System 91 Read
Gasoline fumes originating from engine compartment and entering the cabin of vehicle via HVAC. Fumes are thick enough to cause eyes to water, mild respiratory distress (coughing) and clothing to smell of gasoline after exiting the vehicle. Concerns exist about possible fuel leak given how dense the fumes are. Multiple…
Emissions systems problem. Warning light for EVAP System for Very Large leak
The truck randomly smells very strong of raw fuel in the cabin and sometimes exhaust as well. This typically happens more after refueling as well as after 30+ minute drives and then idling at a stop light for example. There are no visual leaks of the fuel system. The smell seems to be coming from the passenger side of…
Back Over Prevention 78 Read
The contact recently purchased a 2024 Honda Ridgeline. The contact was informed by the dealer that the vehicle could not be delivered to due to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V321000 (Back Over Prevention) not being performed. The contact was informed that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact…
The contact owns a 2024 Honda Ridgeline. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V321000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was…
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Ridgeline. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V321000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was…
Ridgeline years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 | — | |
| 2025 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 2024 | Back Over Prevention | — | — | |
| 2023 | Air Bags | 2 | 2 | |
| 2022 | Air Bags | 2 | 3 | |
| 2021 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2020 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2019 | Air Bags,unknown Or Other,service Brakes | 6 | 2 | |
| 2018 | Back Over Prevention | 3 | 1 | |
| 2017 | Back Over Prevention | 3 | 5 | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | — | 1 | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 3 | 1 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | — | 1 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 3 | 4 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 5 | 5 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 19 | 15 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 682 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.9 |
| Worst single series | 15 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.5 years |
A model average of 2.9 hides a worst series at 15. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Ridgeline?
By complaint volume, 2017, 2019, 2006 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Ridgeline years are the cleanest?
2015, 2026, 2012 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Honda Ridgeline have?
2,003 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2006–2026. Of those, 58 describe a crash and 41 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.