Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Honda Ridgeline - part 1

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).

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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.

On two occasions, immediately after re-fueling the vehicle, the engine auto idle stop failed to restart the vehicle. Both times this happened at busy intersections. A series of messages appeared on the display. I was flustered because cars behind me were honking as I was blocking traffic so I don’t exactly remember the error messages. One message said to put the transmission in park. Another said to hold the brake and the engine start button. Eventually the engine did re-start by holding the start button down.

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While sitting in traffic with my 2025 Honda Ridgeline, with the engine stopped as the brake had been fully applied, when I released pressure off the brake, my vehicle would not restart as it normally would in this situation, thereby stranding me in a serious traffic situation. I notified the police and my vehicle was eventually towed to the nearest Honda dealer to try to determine what the issue was . Scary situation since my vehicle only has approximately 25k miles on it.

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. Very little pressure is needed to activate the gears. When this occurs, the vehicle shifts to a lower gear, and the vehicle rapidly decelerates from a high rate of speed to a low rate of speed while traveling. In addition to the unexpected and dangerous change in speed while in traffic, the shift into low gear causes the engine to rev and the noise from this caused me to panic while in traffic. On one occasion this occurred when I was trying to cross a road with oncoming traffic. The paddles are very close to where the hands come into contact with the steering wheel and very little pressure, only a tap, will activate the paddles and switch the vehicle into low gear. I have contacted Honda and there is no way to deactivate the paddles.

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Car just shut off while I was driving. There was no power. It would not start. At first it sounded like it wanted to start and then it just made no sound at all. The brake was hard as well. I put the hazards on but was in the fast lane on cleveland avenue in fort myers. I believe there are traffic cameras that will show the car sitting while cars were trying to get through the traffic light. The car finally started however I have no idea why it happened. We could have been killed sitting in the fast lane of a three lane road. There were three of us in the car.

Start stop has failed to restart engine on several occasions.

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 down the truck on a busy highway road. It took 2 attempts to get it to start. After this, I turned the auto idle stop off using the button located on the lower console. I am taking it to the Honda dealership tomorrow to work on a remedy via the autoidlestopsettlement from Honda.

I am submitting a safety complaint regarding my 2023 Honda Ridgeline with approximately 23,995 miles. My primary concern is an intermittent transmission/powertrain malfunction. While driving on the highway, the vehicle unexpectedly entered limp/fail-safe mode and experienced a significant loss of power and acceleration. This created a potentially dangerous situation because I was unable to accelerate normally while traveling with highway traffic. I am concerned that this could happen again without warning while merging, changing lanes, crossing an intersection, or attempting to avoid another vehicle. The electronic transmission selector has also intermittently stuck or failed to operate smoothly. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether other 2023 Honda Ridgeline owners have reported similar transmission warnings, limp-mode events, loss of propulsion, reduced acceleration, transmission-selector malfunctions, or related powertrain problems. The vehicle also has premature deterioration of both headlamp lenses, including fading, hazing, and cloudiness. I am concerned this may reduce nighttime light output and roadway visibility. Additionally, the engine produces an abnormal rattling noise during cold starts. Rust/corrosion is developing beneath the door weather seals, and the exterior window/pillar trim is prematurely fading and deteriorating. My most serious concern is the unexpected transmission malfunction and loss of power at highway speed. At only approximately 23,995 miles, I believe this condition warrants investigation because an unexpected reduction in propulsion can increase the risk of a collision.

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The contact owns a 2017 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started shuddering and vibrating before becoming inoperable. The check engine warning light illuminated, and five seconds later the "low oil pressure" warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed with a spun rod bearing and engine knock. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.

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Engine idle start/stop feature shut off the engine while I was waiting to turn at a busy intersection. When I took my foot off the brake, the engine did not restart and all the lights in the dashboard came on. Multiple attempts to get the engine to re-start failed. Police had to block traffic while we waited for a tow truck. After about 15 minutes the system finally allowed the engine to start again, but the tow truck was already there so the car was towed to a local dealership. Problem was diagnosed as a starter pulling excessive voltage causing hard starts and failure of the auto start/stop system. The starter was replaced under warranty. Vehicle is just over a year old with 10k miles. I was lucky there wasn't an accident or any injuries but with cars swerving by me while I blocked the intersection before the police arrived, it could easily have been much worse. Even after the system was repaired, I do not feel safe driving with the automatic start/stop feature engaged. I know I can turn it off every time I get in the car, but it is too easy to forget to do that. I would like for Honda to reprogram the system to allow the driver to permanently disengage the auto stop feature, but I'm told that is not currently an option.

My Honda Ridgeline has experienced a dangerous malfunction involving the auto idle stop system. When the vehicle comes to a stop, the system automatically shuts off the engine as designed to conserve fuel. Normally, the engine should restart when the brake pedal is released. On multiple occasions, however, the engine has failed to restart when the brake pedal is released. A warning appears on the dashboard, and the vehicle becomes difficult to restart. This has left me unexpectedly unable to move the vehicle while stopped in traffic. This creates a serious safety hazard because the failure can occur at an intersection or in an active traffic lane. When traffic begins moving, the vehicle may remain stalled while surrounding drivers expect it to accelerate normally, creating a risk of a rear-end or other collision. The problem is unpredictable, and I am concerned that the auto idle stop system can disable the vehicle during normal operation without adequate warning. I believe this condition should be investigated as a potential safety defect.

This has happened for the last 2. 5 years and has happened between 5 and 10 times. While stopped at a traffic light the auto-stop feature activates. When the light changes and I attempt to move, the vehicle enters "cuts off" and the dash board directs me to shift to park or to step on the brake to restart the engine. It take multiple attempts but then it switches to accessory mode after which it generally starts. - two pictures have been included. The one at night was in [xxx] and the other during the day, was taken on the corner of [xxx] and [xxx] in [xxx]. I also have a short video clip of the [xxx] incident which occurred about two days before the [xxx] incident. Once this begins I put on my hazards to direct other vehicles to drive around. I have reported it to the dealer. The dealer assured me it was the battery and they tested the battery but the battery was fine. The issue is similar to other 2023 and is covered by TSB 23-008/23-010 (video link: [xxx] ) information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, there was a misfire coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and, upon inspection, the contact determined that one of the ignition coils had failed. The contact purchased a new ignition coil, replaced the part, and resumed driving; however, the vehicle made an abnormal rattling sound while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed due to a loosened connecting rod and needed to be replaced. The contact ordered a new engine. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

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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.

No restart after auto start/stop engaged. The engine failed to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light and road intersection with the auto start/stop function engaged. This occurred at a very busy intersection on a road under construction. I had passengers in the truck with outside temperatures above 100 degrees. Traffic was extremely heavy and other vehicles were honking heavily. The vehicle would not re-start even after many attempts to push the ignition re-start button. At first I thought it was a battery issue but when pushing the ignition button there was absolutely no response by the starter. I was in a panic so I did not take a photo of the dash but everything seemed to go dead. I opened the door, got out and popped the hood. I checked the battery terminals. They seemed tight. I got back in the truck and pushed the starter button and the engine started like nothing was wrong and worked fine the rest of the day. This is the only the next morning so I have not driven the vehicle today or contacted the dealer service department yet. I intend to do so. I believe my truck experienced an auto idle stop restart failure. I have read that opening and closing the door resets the vehicle's electrical system, allowing the push-button start to engage again. It seems this might be what happened when I got out to check the battery and then re-entered the vehicle. This situation left me and my passengers in a very dangerous situation. There were no warning lamps, messages or symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. I have read that this exact situation is a reoccurring issue with my model and year Honda Ridgeline and that Honda has not been able to effectively resolve this problem. This is a very serious problem and now I am almost afraid to drive my Honda truck which is almost new. Please help to correct this problem quickly as it creates very dangerous situations. I will be contacting the dealer service department today.

This is a followup to a complaint that I submitted on July 10, 2026 at 10:19:37 am, tracking #11749522. The incident that I am reporting today occurred on July 7, 2026 when my son was driving my 2025 Ridgeline alone. I was not aware of this incident until I happened to mention to him what I had experienced with the auto stop re-start failure (no restart after auto start/stop engages). He then reported to me that on July 7th while he was driving the Ridgeline he experienced a similar incident. When he pulled up to a busy intersection the vehicle failed to re-start after shutting off at the intersection. He said he did not know what was happening and panicked a bit. Until I brought up my incident to him he said that he thought he had done something wrong when operating the Ridgeline because he does not drive the vehicle very often. He said that he placed the vehicle in park and opened the door, similar to what I had done. He said that after he did this the vehicle did re-start which is exactly what I experienced. This is two failures with same vehicle within the same week. I called the Honda service department on Friday, July 10, 2026 and have scheduled an appointment for Tuesday, July 14, 2026. When I mentioned NHTSA odi had launched new investigation on March 26, 2026 and mentioned service bulletins 23-008 and 23-099 to the service advisor he told me that they did not apply to my model year including 10-year extended warranty with unlimited mileage also did not apply. He said that my vehicle was still under factory warranty and to bring it in so that they can complete an analysis and order parts if needed. The service advisor said "full disclosure, Honda has not developed or provided the updated part needed to fix the problem. " those were his words. I have read that sb 23-008 and 23-099 do not fix this problem and if not completed correctly can create additional problems making me very concerned with what the dealer will propose to fix this problem.

After braking to a stop, the default setting of the start stop system randomly fails at intersections and requires a complete restart of the vehicle. Has happened multiple times over the past two months. Dealer has checked all systems and can find no problems with battery or the system itself. Very hazardous when at a ramp end or a turn lane. The dealer recommended that the driver switch off the start stop system manually every time after starting.

I forgot to shut off truck when parking in my garage. 3 hours later a carbon monoxide alarm was triggered in the home. The truck was still running and garage was hot as hell, and truck was still running.

I have an engine failure at 99k miles. The car is in pristine condition inside out. Oil changes are done every 5k miles. Without any warning, check engine light or any indication from the car's computer, the engine just failed while driving. It sounded like there was something grinding inside the engine. The truck was towed to Honda dealer and they said I need a new engine replacement. They found metal shavings in the engine oil. The invoice indicates "found more has bad rod knock recommend replace engine assembly".

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Bought this vehicle in December 2025 used from a dealership. After about a month, I started hearing a noise coming from behind the steering wheel inside the dashboard area. Being that it was a new car to us. We weren’t sure if the noise was problematic so we didn’t take it in right away. The noise started getting worse after a few months and we brought it in. The mechanic couldn’t find the reason for the noise however did notice that there was metal in the oil and heard a knocking that was abnormal in the engine. After some investigation, we discovered that 2017 Honda ridge lines were known for connecting rod, bearing failures, and many of the vehicles were under recall. We checked the VIN number of our vehicle and were told that this was not under this warranty. We called Honda customer care to talk to them about the fact that this problem seem to be the same problem as the service bulletin problem. We asked if they could cover the cost of the repair. They suggested we needed to have it diagnosed by a Honda dealership. We brought it to the Honda dealership who told told us that it would cost $1000 out-of-pocket to be able to diagnose this problem properly. We now have a car that potentially has a extremely dangerous and potentially catastrophic engine problem with premature deterioration and failure of the crankshaft connecting rod bearings that we are afraid to drive and we don’t have the money to fix. When doing research it suggests that there are at least 1. 4 million vehicles that are under investigation for the possibility of having the problem that is addressed by the recall, and many of these vehicles are still having this engine failure and we think ours may be one of these. We have not seen any engine warning lights yet however, the mechanic suggested that it is premature crankshaft connecting rod bearing failure as evidenced by the amount of metals showing up in the oil. We just recently replaced the oil in early June (less than 2,000 miles ago).

The auto idle stop system in the truck has become an issue with the vehicle stalling out (sometimes) when I hold the brake pedal. I have to then put the car into park to restart the engine. This has been a safety issue when I'm driving in heavy traffic and the truck stalls and I can't move forward with the other vehicles. I have taken my truck to the Honda dealer and they could not reproduce the issue at that time. They inspected the vehicle, confirmed the battery is fine, etc. They did mention the vehicle seemed slow to start. I have experienced this as well. At this time, Honda says there is nothing they can do to help me. My truck is only a year old and still under warranty. But this is a serious safety issue and I've experienced some frightening conditions on the road because of it.

Engine self destructed while driving on the highway. Lot of smoke and the car came to a stop pretty quickly. Oil and coolant dumped out of the bottom.

The contact owns a 2022 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

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Driving approximately 15mph on a gravel road in my subdivision I noticed smoke or steam coming from under the hood. The time was approximately 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 out from the front of the vehicle. I backed up and went to the rear door and retrieved my dog from the back seat. The vehicle is a total loss as the fire spread incredibly fast. I’m lucky to be alive today. There were no warnings or messages.

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light was flashing on the instrument panel. The contact stated that there was a knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact associated NHTSA campaign number: 23v751000 (engine and engine cooling); with the failure; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and then to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with a lower-end rod bearing failure and a damaged crankshaft. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 87,000.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request?: the auto start stop feature failed, resulting in the vehicle lurching then dieing without any prior indication. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk?: the vehicle's lurch and sudden loss of power occurred at a red light when turning left. If I were the first car in line, it would have left me in the intersection with a 65 mph speed limit, creating the potential for a significant accident. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center?: no it has not, but was taken to a dealer in the last two weeks for this problem, in which all systems were operating as intended. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others?: yes it has where the problem could not be identified. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear?: no warning lamp or messages were displayed prior to this safety incident. This is the third occurrence, I made another report on xxx. If needed, I can find the report number vehicle failed to restart in 5 attempts, on the 6th attempt, the vehicle started but took an extended amount of time compared to normal. Video link immediately after the incident, the service advisor suggested I film this if it were to happen again. : [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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 items, and then removed the massage table from the back seat. The engine was off this entire time. That was when I noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. At first, I thought the radiator had overheated, so I tried to open the hood, but it was too hot. I went into the garage for gloves and a fire extinguisher and tried again, but still could not get it open. Realizing the situation was getting worse and that I could not stop it there, I jumped into the car and tried to start it. To my surprise, it started immediately, and I drove it as fast as I could out to the street in front of the house. Only later did I realize that this likely saved my RV—and possibly the front of my house as well—from catching fire. We were so blessed that I was able to move the car to a safer location and no one was hurt. It was a miracle.

On two separate instances in the past month, I have come to a complete stop, and the engine automatically shuts off. Upon restarting it either failed to restart the engine or on this last occurence turned the engine over once, made the car lurch and took a few seconds for the engine to idle, almost as if the engine wasn't fully started and the starting motor kicked off as well as turned over slowly. The vehicle has 24,000miles and the batery is approximatley 15 months old and oem.

The contact owns a 2023 Honda Ridgeline. The contact the contact stated he experienced knocking in the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with an air compressor failure; however, the issue persisted. The contact also stated another issue is the rearview camera displayed a distorted image. The contact also experienced loss of steering control with the vehicle pulling to the right. Intermittently veering towards the contact associated the issues with NHTSA campaign numbers 24v321000 (back over prevention) and 24v184000 (steering) the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for these issues. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000.

Camshaft failure, component not available for inspection. It was replaced at dealer. If this had failed on the highway at highway speeds it could have resulted in a serious accident. This issue was diagnosed and repaired at a dealership. There were numerous warning lights that came on. That is what alerted that there was a problem. Camshaft failure at 51,350 miles. . Premature failure of camshaft was wobbling and caused the failure of other engine components including camshaft, camshaft sensor, timing belt, timing belt tensioner, water pump, and other components, seals, and gaskets. Repair total was over 2,600.

While stopped in heavy traffic at a traffic signal, the engine stopped and would not restart. This was due to the ais system. The car became disabled in heavy traffic. I was only a few feet from the entrance to a gas station, however due to the interlock system that locks the transmission in park, the truck could not be pushed out of traffic. Honda, unlike other manufacturers the use the same transmission, does not supply an emergency over ride to get the transmission out of park ( hazard). After a few minutes of sitting in heavy traffic and nearly. Wing hit by fast moving cars, the engine did restart. This is not the first time this has happened. The dealership is over 100 miles drive to have to checked (r/t).

While operating my 2019 Honda Ridgeline at normal driving speed, the vehicle experienced a sudden and catastrophic engine failure without warning. Immediately prior to failure, a loud metallic knocking/hammering noise developed from the engine area. Within seconds, the engine lost power and shut off completely while the vehicle was in motion. After the shutdown, the vehicle would not restart. Attempts to start the engine resulted in minimal or no crank, even when using a jump start. The vehicle had to be towed. A subsequent inspection determined that the engine had no compression, indicating severe internal mechanical failure. The failure occurred abruptly and without any prior warning lights, temperature issues, or drivability concerns. This failure created a significant safety hazard, as the vehicle lost all power while driving, which could have resulted in a loss of control or increased risk of collision, especially in higher-speed or traffic conditions.

I had been hearing a ticking or clicking sound from the engine. When I brought it to a Honda dealership that I had used about a year ago for the 100,000 mile maintenance, I was told that the truck had a rod bearing failure and that I needed a new engine. I was told that if I kept driving it as is, that I could have catastrophic engine seizure without warning at anytime. This is a disaster waiting to happen. I saw that the same part on both the Ridgeline models of 2017 and 2019 had been recalled in 2023. The truck only has 110k miles and I have faithfully had routine maintenance. For an expensive $9,500 engine to fail at only 110,000 miles is not right. I will try to upload a picture of the invoice in a separate email. I hope this information will be part of the second investigation of the initial recall and also the present lawsuit against Honda in the state of California, thus sufficing as more evidence that the 2018 Ridgeline should be included in a second recall.

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Engine seized while driving on the highway. Diagnosed to be a failed rod bearing leading to catastrophic engine failure. Vehicle and engine have 84,000 miles. I have owned and driven it since new.