Power Train Problems of Honda Ridgeline - part 1

Engine had complete loss of power and loud knocking noise.

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The vehicle’s engine and powertrain management system repeatedly fails with multiple dtc's triggering a full-system cascade of safety-critical warnings and automatic power-limiting. The issue affects the engine, transmission, emissions, awd, brake system, stability assist, steering assist, abs/vsa, hill-start assist. The vehicle is fully available for inspection upon request. During each failure, the vehicle abruptly enters reduced-power “limp mode” without warning—resulting in loss of engine power, disabled awd, and disables all safety/stability systems. These events have occurred in normal traffic, including at red lights and in intersections, creating a risk of rear-end collisions, inability to accelerate, and loss of vehicle control. I transport an autistic child, making reliability and predictable vehicle behavior critical to passenger safety as well. The problem has been reproduced and documented by multiple authorized Honda dealerships. The vehicle has now undergone 13 repair attempts in the first 14 months of ownership, across 6 different Honda dealerships. All have been unable to diagnose or permanently repair the defect. The vehicle has been repeatedly inspected by Honda technicians, who escalated the issue to Honda tech line. Tech line documents (dated 10/1/25) show that no aftermarket modifications exist and that the failure is verified but intermittent and ongoing. Warning lamps / symptoms: each failure event triggers a full dashboard sweep including: – awd system problem – emissions system problem – transmission system problem – power steering system problem – vehicle stability assist problem – hill start assist problem – brake system warning – road departure mitigation problem – blind spot information system problem there is a federal lawsuit filed filed in oregon district court case 6:25-cv-02142-ap.

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Truck started clacking going down the freeway after religiously maintaining it for the last 5 years. Took it into the dealer at 153,000 miles and was told my engine needs replacing due to rod bearing knock. A little premature on a Honda that has been religiously maintained! called Honda customer service and was told my VIN is not included in the rod bearing safety recall for my exact vehicle, year, make, and model!.

See all problems of the 2019 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.

Failed camshaft thrust bearing per Honda. This same part on other 2019 Ridgeline models was subject of recall number 23v-751. While this failure is not covered by that recall it is very difficult to believe this part wasn't defective as well. The fix is very expensive ($4500) and I can't be the only 2019 Ridgeline owner in this situation.

The transmission problem light came on my 2017 Honda Ridgeline. It is less than 9 years old and it has 117k miles. The transmission shifted hard about a month ago, then came the engine light. Honda dealer did a diagnostic and recommended to replace transmission. It’s estimated to cost $10,700. All the routine maintenance has been done at the dealer.

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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.

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The truck has a hard/rough shifting between 2nd and 3rd gear in an automatic transmission. No dash light indicating anything wrong with the engine or the transmission.

See all problems of the 2018 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.

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 hit the brakes and again there was no response. At that point I prepared for a wreck because I knew the curve was tight, followed by that intersection's stop sign, and I was almost upon the curve. Continuing to try to apply brakes and getting no response, I could not hold the curve of the road and left the roadway to the right side. I narrowly avoided a lightpole, and then I was finally at the ditch of the crossroad already mentioned. The truck struck the ditch embankment facing me and likely launched airborn at that point, going across the first lane of the crossroad. After about the width of that lane, it appears that's when the front suspension landed, gouging the asphalt and deploying the airbag on me at that point. This seems to be when the braking system finally responded as I started to slow down some, as it bounced and jerked across the remaining lanes, leaving skid marks on that part of the road. I steered it between two signs on the far side, still barely under control but it finally slowing down into the 20s or so, where I had control and brought it to a stop. The vehicle had no known issues or odbii scan codes prior to this incident. *after the incident*, there was an abs system fault code present, and it also showed an abs fault message on the vehicle information screen after the incident. I believe this could be related to the cruise control malfunction, as I know that the abs system is often involved in modern cruise control systems to control hill descent speeds. The road section just prior to where I attempted to turn off the cruise control was on a slight hill descent, but I don't know if that was related to what happened to me.

Transmission hesitates during acceleration. Truck was purchase new and the problem began within 10k miles. Dealer suggested changing transmission oil every 30k miles but the problem would happen soon after every change. Transmission failed on highway with 99k miles. Dealer charged 10k to replace transmission with admitting they are seeing this issue on other 6 speed transmission.

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.

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Honda has an issue with the torque converters locking up on this vehicle year. Instead of fixing the issue through a recall, they pushed it off by extending the warranty. If the torque converter locks while driving the vehicle, the mostly likely outcome will be an accident. Honda should fix the issue through a recall, instead of the band-aid approach.

The transmission error continues to flash on the dash. It has now happened on four (4) occasions. Transmission was flushed and still occurs. Diagnostic error code p0741 stored. Torque converter issue. Honda has extended the warranty for most of these vehicles, mine is not showing in the extension. However, it appears to meet all the specifications that it should be covered. Have it at the dealership which confirms all above. They claim Honda corporate has to decide to extend the warranty. Talked to Honda corporate today and they said the NHTSA has to extend the warranty, they do not decide.

I have a 2017 Ridgeline. I bought it brand new. Always keep up with the maintenance, keep it clean and well taken care of. I only have 45,000 miles on it. A few days ago the engine failed on me while on the freeway. Limped it off the freeway as it made a horrendous sound, like marbles in the engine. I had it towed, at a cost of $275. I took it to Honda. I told them I was aware of the NHTSA investigation into the the 2017-2019 Ridgeline reports of failing connecting rod bearings. They said they were not aware of that and it was not showing on the recall list for my specific vehicle . Their diagnostic came back requiring a short block replacement as "oil was coming from the oil pan rod bearing. " they took it the warranty department, as the original warranty of 5yrs/60,000mi has passed. Honda is going to cover 75% of a $9,738. 35 bill because of the low mileage on the vehicle, which brings the cost to "only $1,850. " they’re giving me a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty on their work. They’re also recommending that I do a 100,000 miles service that would require a replacement of a timing belt, water pump, drive belt, etc. That would cost an additional $2,123. 58. It seems a bit counterintuitive to do that service since I only have 45,000 miles on an eight year-old truck that has been kept up on its regular maintenance schedule. The initial cost to do the diagnostic was stated at $199. I received a call to approve $697 to break down the engine to do further evaluation. After receiving the results of their evaluation, I am now awaiting the estimate with a breakdown of costs. I have yet to receive that, but can provide it when available. The vehicle is still sitting at the Honda service center. I have also contacted Honda directly and have opened a case with them.

(this incident report is for my replacement transmission, I have already submitted an incident report for my original transmission which also failed in the exact same manner. ) 1. My replacement transmission started bucking and clanging and down shifted extremely hard while I was driving in traffic, I lost all power and the vehicle would not accelerate but the rpm's kept rising. 2. My safety was at risk because I lost power while in traffic and my vehicle became disabled on the road and I required the assistance of good samaritans to help move my car off the road way, causing their safety to be at risk too. 3. My vehicle has been inspected by Honda. Their recommendation was to replace the original transmission, so I did, and the second transmission (the subject of this incident report) also failed, in the same manner. 4. The vehicle monitoring system did not give any prior warning that something was wrong till after the vehicle bucked, down shifted and lost power, only then did the car warnings go off and say "transmission system" and then "emissions system".

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the vehicle hesitated while shifting into gear. While driving at highway speeds, the vehicle hesitated while shifting into gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a transmission center, and it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but there was no response. The failure mileage was approximately 61,500.

1. Soft / spongy brakes. Brake pedal depresses 1/3 - 1/2 way to the floor before the brakes grab. I had one close call hard stop incident, and now I allow extra car lengths for safety. 2. In park, the truck rolls noticeably before the transmission lock engages. I'd estimate 3 degrees. Your foot drags noticeably if on ground. Purchased new the end of may 29, 2025 and noticed these issues immediately. Brought truck back to two different dealerships and was told it drives the same as other Ridgeline trucks twice on 6/13/25 and 7/11/25, and everything is okay once. Informed american Honda and we agreed to take it to the second dealership for a third brake / transmission check on 8/22/25. Dealer said everything is normal. Truck built on same unibody platform as the Honda pilot, similar structure. Other: I have owned other truck brands and have not had these issues. There are no warning lamps, messages, etc. I have contacted / dealt with dealership management and american Honda, CA. Truck is available for inspection. I am told it drives like other Ridgeline trucks, I own two other Honda cars, and their brakes are responsive. I have no transmission roll with my other vehicles.

See all problems of the 2025 Honda Ridgeline 🔎.

Most likely a connecting rod bearing failure leading to catastrophic engine failure per dealership service department. Vehicle is currently available for inspection. Safety was put at risk by engine part (likely connecting rod bearing) coming loose. It flew through my oil pan and bounced off the road, fortunately no people or other vehicles were hit by the part. Vehicle lost power and engine started smoking, oil spilled all over the road. I had to evacuate vehicle on busy highway (70 mph speed limit) since it was smoking. The vehicle was towed to the dealer which inspected it and said most likely connecting rod bearing failure but could not confirm unless engine taken apart. To my knowledge no one else has inspected it. All service for the life of the vehicle has been performed at Honda dealerships at recommended times. A check engine light had come on shortly before the problem occurred.

Transmission failure (6 speed). Vehicle has 56200 miles. Never towed and kept in great shape. Noticed judder symptoms around 35000 miles and have changed the transmission fluid 3 times. Recently experienced large jolts from rear of truck during gear shirting. Warning lights on dash went off ( emissions system problem; trans system problem) and my plug in analyzer showed code p0776 - pressure control solenoid b performance/stuck off. Took into dealer - they flushed the transmission 3 times and added fluid. Said they could not find anything wrong but did see the codes and dash warnings. Drove vehicle for about 20 miles and now getting jolts in rear end when shifting. Dealer says I need a new transmission.

While driving in traffic, the transmission made a clunk and the vehicle would not continue to accelerate, instead the rpms kept rising, (zero change in speed) the vehicle never shifted up or down again after this. Had to keep the car driving at around 35 mph till I got to a safe location to park the car.

We were traveling up the freeway just like any other day. Out of nowhere the low oil light flashed and next thing we know a loud clanking started to happen. We were able to make it to the exit as it was right there thankfully because once we stopped I shut the engine off got out and checked the oil and it was full. I tried to start it again, it started but turned it off fast because the noise it was making was horrible. I’ve contacted Honda regarding this issue because the Ridgeline from 2017 and 2019 are covered under a recall but the can’t explain why the 2018 is exempt from the recall seeing it’s the same engine.

Experienced delayed then hard shift into gear when starting from stop this caused the vehicle to sit in road for extended time then lurch forward when it finally went into gear. Also while driving heard a noise then completely lost power and there was no throttle response for 10-20 seconds. This has happened multiple times while driving on busy highway and while trying to change lanes causing the vehicle to slow down considerably before throttle re-engaged.

I heard a loud knocking noise, accompanied by a squeling, that increased/decreased with engine rpm emitting from the engine compartment. I quit driving the vehicle once I returned home. I had the vehicle towed to a Honda dealership where I was told the connecting rod bearing had failed. My vehicle was not included in a safety recall (23v-751) issued by Honda but suffered the same symptoms mentioned in the recall. The vehicle is otherwise solid and well maintained with little issues at current mileage of 92,795.

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.

The truck has had ~6 occurrences since purchased where the engine briefly loses power in highway cruising speeds between ~50 and 75mph at first we thought it was a safety feature or governor on the truck – or a malfunctioning of the auto-idle. I mentioned the incidents to the dealer service techs where we bought it but there was no awareness or acknowledgement of issues or a safety feature that would do this. This has happened to both my wife and me when driving; we began documenting the events - the last 3 are as follows: [xxx], midday. [xxx], va, going downhill at ~70 mph, engine began stalling without warning when I eased off the gas to coast briefly downhill in the flow of traffic; steering and brake pedal began to freeze. I gave it gas, pumping the pedal to no immediate effect; a couple of seconds later it recovered and started up; making a loud buzzing noise. I avoided an accident in traffic by not panicking and because the vehicle behind us was not tailgating. [xxx], 7:08 pm. I [xxx] at ~62-65 mph, again in the middle lane cruising with traffic, auto-idle turned off. When we coasted for a few seconds in the flow, the engine suddenly lost power; would not accelerate or re-engage. After a couple of seconds the engine came back to full power with a slight buzz (high pitch) – not as loud as previous times. [xxx]/ 8:13 pm. On [xxx] going through jacksonville downtown on the way to the airport. In the middle lane (second over from left lane) at ~60mph the engine started to lose power in spite of my foot being on the gas. I kept the gas applied and the engine power came back. No buzz sound. At ~ 31,531 mile on the odometer. Note that we changed dealers for the service – Honda of the avenues, and they have had the truck a few times since the [xxx] event. They have been able to pick up one code when scanning the truck – for a “transmission event. ” they cannot replicate the event. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I have had to replace the transmission fluid at least 5 times. The vehicle shifts extremely hard and feels like your being rear ended, that is my indicator to change fluid. Also will not shift and continues to run at 4500+ rpms on the highway. The clutch converter my self destruct and I feel that it is a poor design and I should not have to pay for this over and over and hope it does not have a catastrophic failure at some point. I know they Honda has replaced some clutch converters but mine is not one of the six speeds chosen.

Vehicle goes into limp mode, limited power, flashing check engine light this happens after extended period on highway (hour or more) below 20 degrees f. When you exit highway and come to a stop. All good as soon as you try to accelerate cel starts flashing and I have reduced power. To correct this. The vehicle has to be shut off and restarted. This means it happens when pulling out into traffic from a stand still at a stop light stop sign. Limited to about 15 mph regardless of road pulling onto. Then have to pull over shut off and restart put back in drive and go. This is not ideal in most cases and dangerous. Honda released a TSB but will not cover if out of warranty. I filed case with Honda at 70 k. They agreed to pay for parts and labor minus $50 deductible and sales tax on parts. This affect all 2017 to 2023 and some 2024 vehicles with 3. 5l engine. This first happened to me with roughly 2k miles on car and is sporadic. Only cold weather and matches their TSB. Happens frequently every winter for me. For last 3 years when I found Honda TSB 24-085 suddenly the dealer knew this was happening. Yet I have been complaining for 3 years of issue. Once I showed them TSB suddenly OH that’s what you mean.

The transmission is shifting out of gear and into nuetral while starting to drive and while driving. There is a fault code stating “stop driving when safe, transmission issue, see manual” I have provided videos and the techs at Honda have confirmed the issue. Honda states there is no current correction. Honda has had 2 attempts to repair. Driving under these conditions is unsafe for traffic and road conditions. Honda states no drive ability issues. I was told by a service advisor that this will lead to transmission failure and to bring it back when that happens. Issue started 12/9/2024.

Already had to replace camera and shop billed me approximately 1000 and although have extended warranty it is not covered. Also, have had the transmission serviced by them and it still jumps and dealership said is standard for the truck to perform lot that when it cold. This has just recently started happening but say nothing they can do.

Torque converter malfunctioned causing vehicle to bang into first gear with slow acceleration there after as I was accelerating/merging onto the highway. Tractor trailer that was coming up to where I was merging needed to swerve into other lane to avoid hitting me. Brought vehicle to dealer and they confirmed that my torque converter needed to be changed. There were no previous warning signs or warning lamps indicating there was a problem. Honda has a service bulletin out # 23-078 for faulty torque converter issue for my year but Honda dealer states that my VIN is not part of that service bulletin so I have to pay to replace the torque converter.

2022 Ridgeline's auto idle engine off/on activated while driving/moving. This week it occurred (Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024) on i95 in virginia when going down hill at approximately 70 mph. The engine ceased without warning and the steering and brake pedal began to freeze up when I had eased off the gas to coast briefly down hill (in order to keep in the flow of traffic). I then gave it gas, pumping the pedal, and a couple of seconds later it recovered and started up; the truck’s starter buzzed loudly as it restarted. I avoided an accident in traffic by not panicking and luckily because the vehicle behind us was not tailgating and that the section of highway was straight and not on a bend - otherwise it could have been catastrophic. The rest of the trip we turned the feature off and the truck had no incidents. Based on the few previous events, which were at slower speeds, it seems that if the truck coasts even briefly the feature can trigger as if the sensor "senses" that the truck is not moving - and the engine turns off (previously it felt like the truck was stalling). I previously mentioned the incidents to the dealer service techs but there is no awareness or acknowledgement of the issue. This week I placed another call to the dealer and left a detailed message - but nobody at the dealer has acknowledged this is an issue.

Transmission delays shifting. Shifts are delayed while driving, slamming into next gear. In addition, when starting vehicle and moving from park to drive gear (forward or reverse) there can be up to a 9 second delay for the transmission to shift into gear. This even allows for the gas peddle to be depressed without any response.

I am writing to express my concern regarding an ongoing transmission issue with my Honda Ridgeline. I initially experienced problems with the transmission around 60,000 miles, which manifested as gear slippage or shuddering. After bringing the vehicle in for inspection, I was informed that this issue had been noticed with other Ridgeline models, although Honda has not issued a recall for it. Instead, a service bulletin was issued, recommending a transmission fluid flush followed by a test drive at various speeds, and repeating this process three times. This procedure was performed, and the issue seemed to resolve temporarily. However, I am now experiencing the same problem again at 79,000 miles. While the flush worked previously, it seems unreasonable that I would need to repeat this process, especially considering the associated costs of flushing the transmission fluid multiple times without a lasting solution.

The drive train / transmission has always had a "pause" then a "clunk" before shifting into or from reverse gear, its worse now. The engine is starting to make noises and im afraid its part of the engine recall of 2017 and it may fail and injury me while driving. I take excellent care of my truck and its only adult driven by me, hence the concern.