Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Honda Ridgeline - part 2

My check engine light came on and within minutes there was a loud noise, smoke and my vehicle lost power. I was on hwy 20 returning to boise, id from bend, or. Luckily this occurred just as I had cell service since I was without cell service just before this occurred. This happened in the evening on Nov 2, 2025. I had just had it serviced for regularly needed maintenance as recommended by Honda. 10/20/2025 I spent $2274. 28 on service at the Honda dealership. Service included transmission service, oil change, strut service, replace front struts, wheel alignment, and resurfaced front rotors. I've had all my regular maintenance handled timely and at the dealership. I was 75 miles from the dealership and had to spend $521 to have it towed to the dealership. My truck lost power so fast after the check engine light leaving me on the side of the hwy 15 miles from the nearest town as the sun set. I waited in the dark for a tow truck. So grateful that I had regained cell service to call for help. The truck is currently at the dealership awaiting resolution. Dealership notes: engine oil leaking all over the engine assembly, used bore scope and inspected behind bank 2 catalytic converter and found a hole in the engine block. Recommend replacement of the short block with new heads or replace the engine. Service department suspects the problem a connecting rod bearing failed. We've had multiple phone and in person discussions regarding the matter as we try to resolve this. There is a recall on the 2017 and 2019, but not the 2018. There is an open probe regarding the 2018. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2018 Honda Ridgeline 🔎.

Approximately six(6) months ago, my wife and I noticed a very noxious gasoline smell in the cabin of our truck, and upon further investigation determined that the smell was a direct result of gasoline that had infiltrated the oil in the engine. The oil was changed and the used oil smelled very strongly of gasoline. I sent an oil sample to blackstone industries to get the oil analyzed, and they, in fact found gasoline in the oil. Honda said that the results were useless because they wouldn't accept third party results. I took my truck to the local Honda dealership (napleton Honda in loves park, IL) to address the problem. They, in turn contracted the technician department of american Honda who said the strong gasoline smell was "normal. " I have contacted american Honda and they suggested getting a second opinion. The case number is, xxx. At this point a second opinion at another dealership would be useless because they're going to tell me the exact same thing. So, in conclusion, I would like the noxious, dangerous gasoline fume root cause to be identified and repaired. The fumes are making me, my wife, and any passengers nauseous. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2023 Honda Ridgeline 🔎.

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked or while driving, there was a loud knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that three rod bearings and that cylinders #3, #5, and #6 had failed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

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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 truck was a complete loss, and it was difficult to deal with Honda, so we decided settle with the insurance company. Honda after a while stopped taking my calls and would put me on hold indefinitely if I call in. They were given permission to inspect the vehicle from the insurance agency but to my knowledge have not.

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While driving to work, engine started knocking, engine and battery light came on, then engine shut off. . . . All of this in a matter of seconds. I coasted to a stop and had truck trailered to my dealer.

See all problems of the 2019 Honda Ridgeline 🔎.

I was driving to work, engine starting knocking, check engine and battery light came on, and truck shut down. I coasted to a stop and had truck trailered 110mi. To dealer.

On Wednesday, October 22, 2025, I was driving home from work about 5:00 pm. I started hearing a ticking noise coming from the front of the car. It would come and go, but then it got progressively worse, and finally there was a loud squelch and the engine shut off. I still had electrical control of the vehicle, steering, brakes, dash, etc. I just had no power. I had the vehicle towed to a mechanic, and they next day the mechanic confirmed the motor was seized. The car is well maintained, with service records. The mechanic and I found the existing recall on 2017-2019 Honda Ridgelines with the same issue, but I guess the recall does not apply to my vehicle. The mechanic advised me to call american Honda and see if my vehicle is covered. They said it was not. Started working with grapevine Honda to get the vehicle over there so the dealership could start communicating with american Honda to try and get this covered under the recall.

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Catastrophic premature in-service water pump failure at 28,330 miles on 10/20/25 with loud metal-to-metal noise with complete loss of coolant. Engine was shutdown to prevent further engine damage. Failure occurred as vehicle was being parked after leaving city street. Failure on city street could have resulted in an accident due to engine failure and collision with other vehicles, coolant spill resulted in a large slippery spill area and possible loss of steering of following vehicles. Vehicle was towed to the vehicle’s dealer who replaced the water pump and related parts [timing belt kit package]. The failed parts are not available for inspection as the dealer routinely discards damaged parts replaced during the repair. There were no warning lamps, or messages prior to failure. Regular under hood checks by owner for: fluid levels, leaks, unusual noise, belt damage showed no issues including during an oil change with fluid level checks [the radiator level bottle showed the proper level of coolant] 5 days prior to the water pump failure. Three dealer performed multi-point inspections on this vehicle on 3/20/19, 3/29/23 and 10/23/24 during ‘campaign recalls’ with no defects reported. The dealer multi-point inspections included inspections for: cooling system [leaks], hoses [cracks, damage, leaks], drive belts [cracks, damage, leaks] with no defects reported.

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 engine hood before the vehicle became engulfed in flames. The fire department was called. The fire department extinguished the fire. No injuries were sustained. The contact stated that the vehicle remained in the contact's driveway, and the fire consumed the vehicle. The vehicle was melted down and almost spread to the contact's house. The contact stated that it would probably take special equipment to remove the vehicle from the contact's driveway. In addition, the contact stated that when the vehicle was parked, there were no warning lights illuminated and no issues with the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,000.

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I began to hear a knocking noise at 2500 to 3500 rpms and I immediately took my vehicle to the dealer who confirmed rod bearing damage.

See all problems of the 2021 Honda Ridgeline 🔎.

At about 2:30pm oct 14, 2025 I had a catastrophic engine failure (called the “connecting rod bearings failure”) while driving my 2017 Honda Ridgeline truck back home from shopping (a 30 minute ride). I was driving on route 95 in massachusetts about 8 minutes from home when suddenly, out of nowhere, a noise from the front of the truck started making a knocking sound getting progressively louder while the truck was also slowing/ hesitating/seizing-up/jerking while its speed was slowing down. (I could not accelerate, and simultaneously all the lights/icons/warnings on the dashboard began blinking on and off). I struggled to get the Honda Ridgeline off the highway onto the ascending exit, and then off the exit, across the bridge to a large parking lot. I was concerned with my safety, worried I might be rear-ended while on rt95 and while ascending the exit I worried about barely making it to the end of the exit. Also, I was relieved and especially grateful to not have my 2 little grandchildren in the truck with me! I usually have 1 or both of them with me in the truck once or twice a week! later that same afternoon I had aaa come with a flat-bed truck and brought the truck to the nearby Honda dealer. The dealer inspected and confirmed the vehicle and advised that the engine was destroyed,!! . . . Caused by the “connecting rod bearings failures" !! my truck only had 96,200 miles on it on October 14, 2025 and it was always serviced regularly by Honda. I've learned there are many Honda 2017 & 2019 Ridgelines that have been re-called for that defect, but for some reason my VIN number was not included by nhsta. My truck should be included in the re-call category. It has experienced the same engine disaster as other Ridgelines that were included in the re-call. Please help. I hope the new August 25, 2025 probe will include my truck. Thank you.

On October 8th, 2025 I was driving my 2017 Honda Ridgeline home from work when I noticed the engine light started flashing. I stopped at a nearby meineke less than a mile from where I was. It seemed like a misfire and the truck had a tune up and ignition coils replaced. They also noted other suggested work such as a catalytic converter and oxygen sensor upstream & downstream. The next day on 10/09/2025, I was driving when suddenly I hear a knocking sound, the engine light and all electrical warning lights were flashing and the engine shuts off. It was scary and I had to react quickly because I was travelling in the middle lane of a 3-lane highway; there were vehicles on both sides, in front and behind me. Everything electrical soon disappeared, the power steering was practically gone and it got harder to steer, the braking system was slow reacting. I placed the truck in neutral steering to the right at the first side street off the main highway because there was no shoulder. As the truck was slowing down, two men came to my aid and quickly helped push the truck as I kept trying to turn the steering wheel and make sure, I could apply the brakes were not working as well with engine off. I called my insurance to report a claim for roadside assistance. The tow truck driver arrived he tried to jump start the battery and it started smoking and sparking. We were both surprised. I had the truck towed on a flatbed tow truck to the same Honda dealership where the truck had been serviced since I bought it 3yrs ago. By Friday 10/10/2025, the dealership stated that the truck needed a new battery before it could even be assessed. By Monday, 10/13/2025, I heard back from the dealership that the truck needed to have the engine replaced; they drained the oil and found metal shavings in the engine. I researched information since the indecent and found out that there was this recall investigation. How does a truck meant to last 300k miles ends this way? a Honda?.

Click noise everything car starts, coming is loose or moving afterwards.

Our 2017 Honda Ridgeline suddenly had clunking sounds and a rough sounding engine. Later that day, the engine entirely seized. We are being told. The engine is locked up, and needs to be entirely replaced. The person at the Honda dealership told us that they suspect this was something in the engine that was bad from the start, and just went. They thought it had something to do with a rod. They are quoting us almost $24,000 to replace the engine with a new one, or about $9000 to replace it with a used engine with comparable mileage. Our Ridgeline has always been fully maintained, all oil changes done on time or early, and only has about 71,000 miles on it.

The rod bearings had failed on cylinders 3,5, and 6 at 140 thousand miles with proper mantice being done to it. This has been confirmed by the dealer Honda maryslviie in maryslive, ohio. The vehicle has just been looked at by the dealer. No warning lamps but just started to hear knocking in the engine.

While stopped at a traffic light on a state highway the idle stop did shut off the engine. When the light turned green, I released the brake, but the engine did not crank or start. After placing transmission into park, I attempted to start normally. There was no response to the start button being pushed, other than all the typical pre-start warning lights check on the panel. Tried to start with transmission selector in neutral. . Same result. All doors and hood was closed, driver in seat, belt fastened, and key nearby. I attempted to get out and push the truck to the side of road with assistance. Unable to do that because of the transmission park interconnect. After about 3 minutes trying multiple times to start the engine, it finally did start normally. The vehicle battery is pretty new and checking the voltage at home, it is fine. This is a dangerous situation. This “ idle stop” system is senseless and a safety hazard. I have not received any notice from Honda about any recall on this system.

Between 1,000-1,400 rpm there is a lower end engine knock. Sounds like a bearing.

See all problems of the 2024 Honda Ridgeline 🔎.

The vehicle lurches forward when accelerating. You start off from a stand still, as you are accelerating the vehicle slows, then speeds up, then slows then speeds up. This happens multiple time. You can watch the tachometer, it goes up then down, then up then down. It can happen 10, 20 times while accelerating.

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.

Engine started making a knocking noise on start up. Got progressively worse for the next 3 days before I stopped operation. Dealer states "engine has a rod knock likely due to a spun bearing". No warning lights or messages displayed.

The contact owns a 2025 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed however, the dealer found no failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,300.

2022 Honda Ridgeline with 22,000 miles failed to auto restart at a traffic light. Driver had to manually restart the vehicle. Other drivers were forced to drive around at the intersection. No error codes were present on obd2 connector.

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the warning light was intermittently illuminated. The contact stated that recently the vehicle stalled and was difficult to restart. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel injectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact had researched online and related the failure to technical service bulletin: 21-010 related to the fuel injectors; however, his vehicle was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

The contact's employer owns a 2017 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while the contact's employer was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact's employer drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The contact's employer then heard an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The employer inspected the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic, where the vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The employer was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle would be towed to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 91,967.

Truck stalls repeatedly at intersections due to failure of ignition to restart after stop signs or stoplights. Warning lights come on and complete restart is required. Other motorists become agitated.

Engine began knocking from the bottom end at 53k miles. It was determined that a connecting rod bearing had failed and Honda is replacing my engine under warranty. No cost was incurred to me but I am adding my complaint because my VIN is not included in the recall for this exact problem in other years close to mine and the recall my need to be expanded to a wider range of vins.

My engine started making a knocking/sparking noise while I was driving on the interstate (with two children) in utah, had to pull over to a gas station, barely made it there before the engine stalled. Had a mechanic come and affirm the engine was out, truck was towed to ken graf Honda in riverdale where I was told it would be pointless to replace the engine since it would cost over $14k. Was compelled by circumstance (being stranded) to buy a new 2019 Honda Ridgeline for $8000 more in cumulative payments, even after trade in allowance. Salesmen were extremely condescending and suggested the engine failure was my fault because I had a small pallet of ceramic molds in the back of the truck when it failed. Dealership gave us $6k worth of trade in value for 2017 and immediately replaced the engine at no cost (they sent me the invoice of repairs by accident) and will no doubt put it out on the lot for sale. Contacted the idaho falls dealership where we had purchased the car 1. 5 years earlier and were told we were a month past our warranty and they “could not” contribute to a resolution.

Component/system: suspected engine lower end/connecting rod bearings. Vehicle is currently being towed to keeler Honda of latham, NY for diagnosis and is available for inspection upon request. What happened: on Friday night, [xxx], I was traveling about 63mph in the 65mph zone on the [xxx] which is a moderate uphill. The engine all of a sudden began making a very violent knocking noise and the truck started to lose power very fast. I activated my hazards and coasted to the shoulder narowly sideswiping the cars near me. The malfunction created a huge collision risk. There is no crash or fire. Confirmation by shop/inspection: jmr auto is a well-known and long-running independent shop located in nassau, NY and is also the first place I towed the vehicle to. They stated based on listening to it it is indeed rod knock. Official Honda dealer confirmation is pending, the vehicle is currently being towed to keeler Honda of latham, NY where they will inspect and confirm internal connecting rod bearing failure. Warnings: no warning lights before the event. At failure, the engine light along with some driver assistance lights were displayed. Context: symptoms match Honda recall 23v-751 (prematrue connecting-rod bearing wear/seizure) reported on this model/year, but my VIN shows no open recalls. I understand NHTSA has recall query rq24-013 into similar failures outside 23v-751's VIN range. I am reporting this for safety tracking and potential expanded recall consideration. Maintenance: vehicle reasonably maintained per Hondas' maintenance minder; some services were at shops that do not report to carfax. Documentation being gathered. Dealer ro/case numbers to follow. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Had a clacking noise that got louder depending on rpm's, scheduled a visit to the dealer same day to also take care of a b1 maintenance notification that appeared 2 days prior and on the way to the dealer from work the same day the clacking noise started, the engine light started to flash and then within a few seconds there was a complete loss of power to the accelerator and the rpm's dropped to zero; had to pull off the interstate in a construction zone where there was no shoulder and just on a dirt slope. When towed to the dealer, dealer stated the engine had suffered rod bearing failure and there were metal shavings in the oil pan. The car is available upon request, it is at the dealership at the moment and I am scheduling it to get an engine replacement. I contacted Honda because this is a Honda Ridgeline 2018 and they denied my request for goodwill consideration, I stated that this is surely apart of the ongoing investigation "rq24013" as it sounds extremely similar and there have already been recalls issued under "23v-751". They stated the vehicle was not taken to dealers for maintenance before I bought the truck 5 months ago and that the truck has too many miles at 90k miles so therefore they will not help. This is an extremely dangerous car to own when the engine can die on you like that after only 1 day of a clacking noise, if you are on a bridge with no shoulder or like me in a construction zone, you will be a foot away from traffic moving at 70+mph next to you and stranded with no hvac system. I was personally in my car for an hour and a half in the deep south in the middle of summer, so 90+ degree temps without a/c. Also I bought this from carvana who did a "150 multi-point inspection" of the car and missed this and refuses to help in any way, they just stated "OH sorry to hear that" and then closed the chat, so don't buy from carvana, they won't help you at all.

On several occasions (>5) the engine had delayed starting after the auto engine stop feature engaged (when idling). After the engine didn’t start… we attempted to start by pressing start/stop button with no immediate response. Typical time to restart the engine is approximately 5-10 seconds. On one occasion it took 5 minutes. Apologize for lack of very specific information but when this occurs it causes some level of panic especially when you are in traffic. We have been disabling the feature as a habit since 2021. On rare occasions when we forget to disable the feature I would estimate that there is a ~50% chance we will encounter a delayed start issue.

My Honda Ridgeline had 7,590 miles when it started failing all the dash board lights turned on the engine decelerated I then tried to accelerate it rapidly accelerated my steering wheel vibrated I could not turn or slow down witch caused for me to crash.

Total engine failure on freeway. Huge amount of smoke came out of the engine and the vehicle died. Hole in engine block, piston parts and connecting rod found in oil pan. It is my understanding that some 2017 Honda Ridgeline vehicles were recalled for this same problem. All maintenance work was done per recommendation and at the dealer.

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.

My Ridgeline has stalled during normal operation 3 times. The 1st was in April 2024, and the latest was this week. All three times it stalled when accelerating after a traffic stop. The first was at a stop sign at the bottom of a hill. The second was at a traffic light, it should be noted that the start/stop was "off" on this incident. And the latest incident was during stop and go traffic on the highway. * yes - available for inspection. * safety - could be a safety issue when a vehicle doesn't operate in a normal manner. * dealer/others - no I haven't had it inspected, I have been monitoring this issue on the internet. * symptoms - there were none before the incidents.

Whenever I’m driving in my vehicle everything seems to be fine until I stop at a red light. On three separate occasions, while my vehicle is stopped it will automatically go into neutral and stall. This causes my truck not to run properly. I have to shut my car off, and then turn it back on to put it in drive and operate it like normal. I’m unsure what my cars issue is but it is an inconvenience and a safety concern due to it keeps happening while in traffic.