2021 Honda Ridgeline problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (18) · Exterior Lighting (13) · Power Train (10)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Honda Ridgeline model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (7)
Suspension:rear 2026-06-04 · campaign 26V365000 · 965,561 vehicles
Defect: American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Honda Pilot, 2017-2023 Ridgeline, 2019-2023 Passport, and 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles that were sold in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. The rear subframe may corrode at the suspension mounting points,
Risk: Failure of rear suspension components, such as the rear control arm, can cause a loss of vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rear subframe and install a rear subframe reinforcement kit and, as necessary, repair or replace the rear subframe components, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed July 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in the fall of 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are AOU and AOT. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) in
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger 2026-05-21 · campaign 26V332000 · 98,892 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor ma
Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera 2024-05-09 · campaign 24V321000 · 187,290 vehicles
Defect: Honda (America Honda Motor Co) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Ridgeline vehicles. The rearview camera (RVC) tailgate wire harness may fatigue and break, which can prevent the rearview camera image from displaying.
Risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the RVC tailgate wire harness, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed November 8, 2024. Owners may contact Honda service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is YI7.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger 2024-02-01 · campaign 24V064000 · 750,114 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
Risk: An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder 2023-06-29 · campaign 23V458000 · 124,077 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Civic, 2020-2023 Ridgeline, 2021-2023 Passport, 2021-2022 Pilot, and 2020 Acura MDX vehicles. The tie rod fastener that connects the brake booster and the brake master cylinder may have been improperly assembled during manufacturing, which can cause the brake master cylinder to separate from the booster assembly.
Risk: Brake master cylinder separation can cause a loss of brake function and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair the brake booster assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 7, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are VEU, AEV, and ZET.
Visibility:rearview Mirrors/Devices:exterior 2023-03-16 · campaign 23V174000 · 339,404 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2020-2022 Passport and Odyssey vehicles. The heating pads behind both side-view mirrors may not be bonded properly, allowing the mirror glass to detach. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: Detached mirror glass can reduce driver visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace both left and right side-view mirrors, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 17, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is FE5.
Seat Belts:rear/Other:retractor 2021-11-18 · campaign 21V900000 · 4,346 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021 Accord Sedan, Accord Hybrid, CR-V, Ridgeline, 2022 Insight and CR-V Hybrid vehicles. The automatic locking retractor on the second-row center seat belt assembly may deactivate improperly, which can result in an unsecured child restraint system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the second-row center seat belt assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Service bulletins (83)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Electrical System 2025-11-07 · A24-061 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - the wireless charger starts charging the phone and then stops charging, even when the phone remains in the correct position on the charger due to software specifications that can cause some phones to have issues charging.
Structure:body 2025-08-01 · A20-022 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - one or more accessory running board lights are flickering or not working due to a faulty running board light assembly.
Engine 2025-07-07 · A23-009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and engaging idle stop, the vehicle may not restart automatically due to excessive cylinder pressure and/or low cranking torque. typically, the customer can immediately restart the vehicle by selecting park and pressing the engin
Structure:body 2024-11-22 · A24-048 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - the awd warning light is on potentially due to water intrusion into the rear differential pump motor connector area that corrodes the terminals.
Electrical System 2024-10-08 · A24-061 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - the wireless charger starts charging the phone and then stops charging, even when the phone remains in the correct position on the charger.
Electrical System 2024-09-21 · A24-061 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - the wireless charger starts charging the phone and then stops charging, even when the phone remains in the correct position on the charger.
Showing the 6 most recent of 83 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-28 · Engine“with no warning engine started making a loud ticking noise and within a couple of days it was a loud knocking noise. flashing check engine light came on and engine lost power. shut down and restarted engine, knocking noise still there but check engine light is not flashing. knocking noise is loud and vehicle cannot be driven. mileage is around 1700…”
2026-10-12 · Engine“engine seized honda dealership found a hole in block. estimated repair almost $13k for a used motor. contacted american honda and after several weeks they refused assistance. i was barely able to exit freeway. i had to walk as area was remote without cell coverage. i understand there is a lawsuit for this issue and an investigation. i feel i have n…”
2026-09-09 · Engine“the auto idle function- the car engine doesn't restart. this has happened in a busy intersection and won't restart until you have made several attempts to restart. i have brought this to the attention of honda certified techs. …”
2026-08-23 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“the complete advanced driver assistance systems (adas) has been disabled on my truck and all the warning lights are on. all the safety features ment to keep me safe on the road are no longer working.…”
2026-08-22 · Wheels“1.the rear wheel assembly, lug nuts, and potentially the wheel studs/rear suspension system failed due to improper torque and installation by the dealership. yes, the vehicle components are available for inspection 2.the dealership released my vehicle with completely untorqued lug nuts on the rear wheel assembly. a lug nut physically fell off onto …”
2026-08-11 · Vehicle Speed Control“this involves the paddle shift operation on the steering wheel. there are two paddles, one at 3 o'clock and 6 o'clock where the hands come into contact with the steering wheel. on four separate occasions, while driving at a relatively high rate of speed, my hands accidentally activated the gear mode by lightly touching one or both of the paddles. v…”
2026-08-03 · Engine“auto idle stop failed as i was sitting at a red light. as i came to a stop at the light, the truck entered the auto idle stop. when the light turned green and it was time to accelerate, i released my foot off of the brake and the engine stopped. it cut out right there. warning lights came on and i had to restart the engine by totally shutting dow…”
2026-07-23 · Lane Departure: Assist“when driving the vehicle suddenly displayed warning and failure lights for the following: adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, road departure, high beam support, and collision mitigation. the vehicle in the past regularly experiences issues with oncoming traffic (especially on 2 lane roads) when it comes to auto braking and forward crash war…”
2026-07-14 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking“my 2021 honda ridgeline sport experienced failure of the forward-facing honda sensing camera system. this camera controls safety features including collision mitigation braking, lane keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. the failure disables safety assistance features. honda acknowledged the issue but refused to provide full repair coverage …”
2026-05-29 · Lane Departure: Assist“front camera system failed lights that are on are brake system, lane assist lkas and acc…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.