Electrical System Problems of Honda Ridgeline - part 1

My 2020 Honda Ridgeline has an auto idle/start system. The truck engine turns off when it stops, then automatically turns on when brake is released or gas pedal pressed. There was a Honda notice issued that the system may not automatically restart. A fix (software update) from Honda was implemented on my truck on 03/29/23. This "fix" did not work. On 09/05/25 at 1:25 pm I pulled up to an intersection. The auto idle system automatically turned off the engine as intended. About 2 minutes later, when the brake was released and gas pedal pressed, the engine did not restart. The truck stalled. Various efforts (~ 1 minute of panic) ensued to start the engine. Eventually, put the truck in park, waited, then started the engine. This situation occurred during high traffic at a busy intersection. It caused other drivers to take risks pulling out in front of other cars to get around my stalled vehicle. It was a very dangerous situation. A class action lawsuit was filed against Honda about this. Honda claims their software update fixed the problem. My scary experience shows that it did not fix the issue. Their auto idle/start system is simply unsafe. Also, it is not possible to permanently disable it.

See all problems of the 2020 Honda Ridgeline 🔎.

The automatic high beam system is terrible. It is too sensitive so the beams flash hi/low on and off. Even a small road reflector on a dark empty road will force it back to low beam. Other cars I own with this type system work much better. It’s a safety hazard because auto hi-beam is on by default and you can’t count on it providing the correct amount of lighting when on dark roads, plus it annoys oncoming drivers because of the constant flashing.

See all problems of the 2023 Honda Ridgeline 🔎.

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the vehicle briefly lost motive power before slamming into gear. The contact was unsure if any warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while the vehicle was parked inside the garage, the horn and panic alarm activated independently, and the headlights started flashing. The contact disconnected the battery to stop the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. An unknown software update was performed on the vehicle. The contact stated that when the windows were completely closed, there was a musty odor inside the vehicle. The contact was unsure where the odor was coming from. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.

See all problems of the 2019 Honda Ridgeline 🔎.

Vehicle started on it's own without key fob triggering the alarming system to turn on. They only way to turn both off was to disconnect the battery.

See all problems of the 2017 Honda Ridgeline 🔎.

Truck was waiting at a stop light in drive mode and foot on brake pedal. When the light changed to green. I tried to accelerate to go and the whole vehicle shook/lunges forward and shut off. Vehicle went into neutral and wouldn't allow me to go into drive mode. I had to restart the vehicle twice before it allowed me to go into drive again. Vehicle was stuck in the middle of the street with oncoming/ongoing traffic. I had this vehicle at the Honda dealer(with documents) three times previous for this issue and its still not resolved. Please help.

See all problems of the 2021 Honda Ridgeline 🔎.

In then last 6 months my Honda Ridgeline fell to restart engine at the stoplight 7 times.

My rear camera failed again. The vehicle was recalled for rear camera failures and a supposed better cable was installed. In less than a year it failed again. So I once again are without a rear camera even though it was recalled and repaired. The repair apparently didn't work.

Keyless access control unit part number: 38320-t6z-a31 the vehicle headlights came on and dash lights flashed on and off. The alarm would also go off and on. This causes the battery to drain as well. Also I know of several other Honda Ridgeline owners who have had the same part failure.

See all problems of the 2018 Honda Ridgeline 🔎.

This is a brand new 2025 Ridgeline with only 900 miles. The collision mitigation breaking system and the lane keeping assist system does not work properly on my vehicle. The dealer where I bought the vehicle (dick brooks Honda in greer) has insisted there's nothing wrong with the vehicle on two occasions. However, I took the vehicle to another dealer; the master technician said there might be something wrong with the radar system in my vehicle and to take it back to the original dealer. The original dealer won't even acknowledge what the other service department said about the radar system. Honda is just parroting what the original dealer is saying. I have a brand new vehicle that is not safe to drive and nobody is helping me. I have captured video on a gopro of some incidents when this occurs. These systems go off for no apparent reason. When I manually turn off the cmbs, there's a persistent warning message that appears on the infotainment screen entitled, cmbs problem. That message says: "the collision mitigation braking system has a problem. Restart your vehicle. If the indicator remains on, have your vehicle checked by a dealer. " the cmbs is malfunctioning, but how do I know if the system is off when I turn it off when this message appears? the dealer where I bought the vehicle from says "this is normal", but I know that is not true because I have looked at other 2025 Ridgelines and this message does not appear.

2019 Honda Ridgeline alarm started going off at random times. This is a safety concern because it causes drain on battery and could affect vehicles ability to operate . The part is the keyless entry unit located behind glove box. I had to go out to check the car in the middle of the night several times. This part has been reported and listed here under bulletin sb-21-055. Honda offered extended warranty and fixed some vehicles as reported by some Ridgeline owners. This random alarm was reported by 86 Ridgeline owners according to Ridgeline owners club. The repair cost me $957 including a $287 charge for labor- according to the nhsta bulletin sb 21-055 labor should be . 03 to . 08 hours to repair - beware of over charge for labor. Courtesy Honda of palm harbor FL. Offered $100 off when informed of the keyless entry unit history. I escalated to american Honda who offered nothing, not even goodwill discount. This is the keyless entry unit for bind Ridgeline and pilots. There is a documented issue with this part (sb 21-055) it’s a safety concern considering the draw on battery power not to mention where you are when the alarm starts blaring. This part has a known history of being faulty, has been documented with nhsta (sb 21-055) Ridgeline owners club has 86 different entries for that part alone and could effect lighting and driver assist functions considering the draw on battery power. The alarm goes off without warning or indication and happens randomly.

On 5/10/25, while driving 5 warning icons came flashing on after another. 1) emissions system problem 2)vsa systems 3) hill assist problem 4)tsa 5)power steering system problem . This 2019 Honda Ridgeline with 49272 miles ended stalling 3 xs in the middle of traffic!! frank brown Honda was called and not very helpful! I’m waiting to hear on expensive warranty what can be done. I don’t have towing so stranded at my house with the car. This was scary and upsetting!! please help if you can.

On several occasions, while driving at night, the auto dimming headlights would not dim. Last evening, on 2 different occasions , on a rural road, no road signs, mailboxs . Nothing that would cause a issues, the headlights would not go from high beam to regular (or low beam. ) 2 different times , vehicles coming at us, the lights would not dim. Time was apx 9pm , not a cloud in the sky. I had all so noticed while driving on a interstate , the same thing would happen, the lights would not dim,, drive maybe 50' or 5-10 seconds later. They would dim. There seems to be no rime or reason of if or when they will dim. We had 18 and 22 outback and they worked perfectly , where the Ridgeline has malfunctions. Asking the dealer they have not heard of anything wrong . . I have not had them to check , but have heard from other owners of the Ridgeline and they are complaining about the same thing. Uptill either the 22's or 23 models the auto dimming worked perfectly . . Then Honda changed either the location of the sensor or changed the software.

While sitting at a stop light at an extremely busy intersection, after pressing the auto idle off button in trying to keep the air conditioner running, my vehicle just completely shut down like it had a completely dead battery. I couldn’t even turn on my hazard lights. The vehicle was completely dead. After pressing the on/off button several times, power to the vehicle was restored and I was able to restart the vehicle. It reminded me of when a computer glitches and reboots on its own. By happening at an extremely busy intersection, I felt like my safety and the safety of others may have been in jeopardy if other vehicles would have made aggressive maneuvers to get around my inoperable vehicle.

See all problems of the 2024 Honda Ridgeline 🔎.

Reference investigation: ea25004, no restart after auto start/stop engages 2 separate instances 1st instance during stop and go driving on highway in heavy traffic, engine failed to restart automatically after full stop, message stating something about neutral appeared, unsure exactly what message stated. I had to shift to park and hold the brake down for a normal start. 2nd instance 2 weeks after 1st 04/04/2025 while stopped at a traffic light engine failed to auto start - same result as above (1st incident).

Dog walked on neutral button while truck was in motion, causing moving vehicle to unsafely go into neutral. Same thing can happen with a child or passenger who accidentally pushes the fully exposed button.

Engine "stop/start" turned off when trying to make a turn. When it did the steering would not move. Also when "stop/start" turns off it was dangerous when turning. I email Honda and they called me back. They could have it disabled but it would cost $80 and I would have to buy the part and they would install it. This is a new truck bought last month.

I was driving home climbing a hill in the slight rain when the check engine light came on. I drove with the light on to get to the next closest city about 2 minutes out from where the light came on. The engine was running rough and shaking the car and was having issues stopping at a light before I could pull into a parking lot. I pulled into the parking lot, my book said that it was a misfire and to let the engine cool off so I sat for about 2 hours, checked fluids then started the car. The ticking noise was there but there were no lights on my dash at the time and assumed it could make it home after I let it idle for 5 minutes. I proceeded to get on the road and the vehicle did ok. I got on the freeway to get home, slowly let the car climb to 50 and kept it there. 1 minute later the whole dash glowed saying everything was not working and giving special pop-ups on the dash explaining the vsa, abs, and electronic power steering were not working to name a few. I stopped the car and pulled over immediately and called for a tow. I took it to my local electric shop to see because the brakes still worked and they said that it was possibly the ecm, that they couldn't fix it, and the ticking was a heatshield, and to take it to the dealer. I then towed it to the dealer. The Honda techs said that they didn't know what was wrong because the car wasn't throwing any codes. They replaced the tailgate harness that the previous dealer I took it to didn't and said to replace the pully and tensioner before they drove and diagnosed it further. I had it towed to another shop to get those replaced. This shop listed some of the same fault codes as the first shop and when they tested the vehicle they had called me to come in and inspect the vehicle as they started it after it was at the dealer and told me it was an engine knock and that the engine would need to be replaced with the drive shaft. I called Honda's corporate office and they took my complaint and documented it only.

The automatic engine stop/start system is a safety hazard. On multiple occasions with two different drivers (husband and wife owners), the engine has stopped just as the accelerator is pressed after waiting for traffic to clear at a stop sign or while waiting to enter a street from a driveway or parking lot. The delay when expecting the vehicle to accelerate has nearly caused accident(s) several times. Drivers are forced to switch off the automatic stop/start system every time the vehicle is driven since it defaults to active and it is not safe to use. The system should be permanently disabled or at least programmed to be disabled as default when engine is started. This issue was reported to the local Honda dealer during the first routine service--owners were told that nothing could be done by the dealer. The service advisor suggested that we contact manufacturer or NHTSA directly. The incident date and mileage were entered below for yesterday since that was the latest event. It has happened numerous times since the vehicle was purchased in July 2024.

Sunday March 23, 2025 vehicle would not restart after the auto engine idle shut off feature turned off the engine. Attempted to restart several time with no success. Vehicle finally did restart when jumped the battery. Could be a safety hazard being stuck in traffic. Have not reported to dealer but will on next scheduled service. No warning lamps indicated a problem but every lamp on the dash console lit up when attempting to restart.

See attached document for complaint.

Unsafe auto high beams. They do not come on over 45mph. They have a mind of their own and seem to always come on and off at the wrong time. Also is dangerous to the oncoming vehicles that become impaired due to the high beams coming on when another vehicle is approaching. Especially most dangerous when you are on a 2 lane highway. Also the adaptive cruise control is inconsistent and seems to be very laggy and brakes way too hard.

Vehicle has an open recall, but dealer still don't have the parts available to repair for almost a year.

While driving a slow speeds will stall. It has a stalled in the middle of an intersection almost causing us to get t-boned. The last time this happen I was driving in a shopping center going around 5 mph and it has stalled. The truck is currently at the dealership for the second time for the issue. Also the transmission while driving at slow speeds shutters and vibrates. Also the lane keeping feature tries to pulled us off the road while driving at slower speeds.

Considering purchasing but, after checking VIN, there was no report of camera harness or fuel pump recall being completed.

Stopping behind another vehicle. My vehicle engine was off because it was in asd((automatic shutdown mode). Vehicle ahead moves forward. Immediately the dashboard says vehicle ahead has moved. Depressing the gas pedal the vehicle will not move forward. It does not come out of asd. Message on dash says shift to park. Then I have to restart my vehicle the delay of moving is a safety hazard to me and obviously an irritant to the traffic behind me at least. Perhaps more than that. This has happened more than a few tmes.

The stop/start button does not start or stop the engine when pushed. Honda has an "extended warranty" but will only honor the warranty "if a code has been set" regardless of the error messages displayed on the dash or the failure of the button to function while an extended warranty is of some value, in my opinion, the failure of the "stop" button to stop the engine immediately when required (which happens frequently) creates a safety hazard and should result in a recall rather than simply an extended warranty, which has limitations of time and mileage in addition to the "circumstances" (I. E. The "trouble code must be present").

Automatic high beam function puts high beam on with oncoming vehicles, but not when no oncoming traffic. Dealership cannot identify problem.

The contact owns a 2022 Honda Ridgeline. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 24v321000 (back oven prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

See all problems of the 2022 Honda Ridgeline 🔎.

On two occasions the vehicles auto start/stop system has shut off the truck and not restarted it after releasing of the brake.

I attempted to have this recall address with no remediation. I went to the dealer 2 months ago and called Honda's recall line and was told that Honda is not equipped to repair the vehicle due to a parts shortage.

I purchased a 2025 Honda Ridgeline and noticed that the turn signal is hardly audible. If you have the radio on or the windows rolled down, you will not hear the warning tone. In the infotainment system there is an adjustment that allows you to raise the volume of the warning indicator and even at the highest volume you can barely hear it. I also found that I am not alone and that this IA a common problem with some Honda models. Every other car I have ever owned made a mechanical or audio tone to warn that the signal light is active. This makes the driver behind you question whether you are taking a turn or not, should they pass you or not? I took it to the service department, and they could not tell me how to increase the volume. I had them go to another 2025 Honda Ridgeline and it had the same problem. I think that it is supposed to work with the infotainment system but even with their settings the issue persisted. Even the blind spot detection is inaudible. I think this is negligence on behalf of Honda. You can search on "Honda turn signal inaudible".

4 times since I owned the truck it has stalled at traffic lights. The dashboard tells me there is an issue and tells me go in park. Then put my foot on the brake and start it normally. It does not restart. After 20 clicks twice it restarted only after I exited the vehicle, locked the door and reentered the vehicle. One time I was left at the light for an hour waiting for a tow truck. A police office tried to start it, and he put his foot on the gas. Eventually it started. The truck has less than 1,500 miles on it. The dealerships that have seen car did not find an error code so there is nothing they can do at this time. I took a video today when it happened for the 4th time to see if it helps. I saw online a similar problem with the pilot from 2020-2022.

In a blizzard in the mountains on November 5th/24. Right outside mirror did not heat up, completely iced over and could not see anything out of it. My parking transmission lights are also not coming on - cant see in the dark.

Initially the car would not turn on. We were able to start it but then the engine would not turn off. Shop indicated that the body control module is faulty. Honda of olathe has the component that malfunctioned as of today 11/1/2024. My understanding is that this system controls door locks, windows, lights, turn signal, horn, etc. Malfunction of some of these systems may put my safety or the safety of others at risk. There was a warning message indicating "keyless start system problem".

My car is equipe with a idle stop start assitant and in 3 ocasions did not restar the vehicle after stoping on a red light, I have to put the car in parking and then try to re-start the vehicle triying 1 or 2 time until starts up.