157 Total complaints
3 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
1 Injury reports
Quick answer: The 2018 Honda Ridgeline has 157 consumer-submitted complaints in our database. The most common complaint categories are electrical system, back over prevention, engine. Enriched records show 3 crash reports, 1 fire report, and 1 injury report.
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.

Buyer interpretation

How to use these complaints before buying

Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.

Complaint volume

157 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.

Pattern to inspect

The most common categories are electrical system, back over prevention, engine. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.

Severity flags

Enriched records include 3 crash reports, 1 fire report, 1 injury report, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.

Mileage clue

Mileage is available on 49 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 30,233 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.

Questions to ask the seller

  • Have you had any problems related to electrical system, back over prevention, engine?
  • Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
  • Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
  • Can we also check the recall record for this 2018 Honda Ridgeline?
Used-car checklist

Use these complaints before the test drive.

Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.

2018 Honda Ridgeline
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.

How severe are the 2018 Honda Ridgeline complaints?

Enriched complaint indicators from official bulk records.

3 Crash
1 Fire
1 Injury
0 Fatality
5 Towed
0 Medical attention

Mileage at failure is available on 49 complaints ; average reported mileage is 30,233 miles.

Most common incident states: OR (1), PA (1), TX (1).

What are the most common 2018 Honda Ridgeline complaint categories?

157 total complaints on record

Latest complaints

Showing 101-125 of 157 complaints.

Date Component Summary Severity Mileage
Feb 2022 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM The backup camera wiring harness wires are rubbed down to bare wires. I just returned from my local Honda service center without having the issue repaired. I declined to have the work done because it would have cost me around $400.00 to replace the wiring harness. I have 39,000 miles on my truck so it is just 3,000 miles out of warranty. I do not use the tailgate very often so this looks to me to be just a poorly engineered or executed design flaw. (As noted online by many other Honda Ridgeline truck owners.
Incident: Feb 2022
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Feb 2022 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Back up camera failed due to wiring harness to tailgate being cracked, splintered and pinched. Protective covering is split, exposing electrical wires that supply power to backup camera and other crucial electrical components in rear of vehicle. Harness is pinched at a compromising position at tailgate and cracked exposed wiring. Mileage on Vehicle 50,000 miles.
Incident: Feb 2022
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Feb 2022 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Wiring harness is failing in tailgate. Protective covering is split, exposing electrical wires that supply power to backup camera and other crucial electrical components in rear of vehicle. Harness does not seem secure when opening the tailgate and has excessive motion. Mileage on Vehicle 25,944 miles.
Incident: Feb 2022
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Feb 2022 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION The Multi-Angle Rearview Camera with Guidelines has failed several times. It was reported to a local Honda Dealership but because the camera was working at the time the vehicle was taken in to check this system, they didn't find a problem. The problem is when you put the vehicle in reverse, the camera would not work properly. The screen was gray but would have the yellow lines on the screen only. Later, the rear-view camera would work again. This system should not fail especially since it is a safety system for assistance in seeing what is at the rear of the vehicle before backing up.
Incident: Nov 2020
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Feb 2022 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER The Rear Camera system has completely failed and the wiring harness is severed due to the engineering failure. The harness is pinched and the opening and closing of a door panel causes the harness to fray and split, exposing wires that led to a complete failure.
Incident: Feb 2020
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Feb 2022 UNKNOWN OR OTHER Back up camera periodically fails. Noticed it today but has happened off and on for the past year.
Incident: Feb 2022
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Feb 2022 BACK OVER PREVENTION Rear camera failure; wiring harness failed just after warranty expired; wiring harness frayed and wires broken where harness traverses from rear cab body to tailgate;
Incident: Mar 2021
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Feb 2022 BACK OVER PREVENTION Rear camera quit working due to broke wire at tailgate pivot. Not as safe to back up.
Incident: Feb 2022
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Jan 2022 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION Due to a wiring failure the rear camera is not working correctly. Sometimes not at all. When it is working the normal of three possible views is not working. Research indicates this is a very common problem for this vehicle. As federal law mandates a camera, I feel this is s safety issue.
Incident: Jan 2021
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Jan 2022 BACK OVER PREVENTION My backup camera stopped working on Jan 23, 2022. Shift to reverse, black screen, the guidelines still work. I found broken wires at the harness to the tailgate and will need to repair these to regain use of the backup camera system. There was no damage to the tailgate area of the truck, this appears to be a poor design on the electrical harness to the 2-way opening tailgate.
Incident: Jan 2022
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Jan 2022 FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM The cap-less fuel system accumulates water and can freeze. I have no way of adding fuel to my vehicle until the weather warms up or I find a way to break the ice up
Incident: Jan 2022
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Dec 2021 STRUCTURE Excessive hood vibration/fluttering at varying speeds (30-70 MPH)
Incident: Dec 2021
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Dec 2021 BACK OVER PREVENTION Rear camera is not working due to frayed and/or disconnected wires. It is a terrible design that that normal tailgate use pinches the wires and eventually they become damaged, severing the connection and disabling the rear camera. It is well known and documented problem by dealers and consumers, that has yet to be recalled. It is a safety issue that needs to be recognized and resolved by Honda.
Incident: Nov 2021
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Nov 2021 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM THE BACKUP CAMERA stopped working. When I did an internet search, "my backup camera does not work", many posts came up. In the tailgate wiring harness, one wire in the bundled wire broke, that wire supplys the camera video. It is a good safety feature to prevent hitting something or someone. Honda will not voluntarily repair it. My tailgate is rarely used. I think the door swing alternate way to open the gate is what cause the stress on the wire and it to fail. My car ar 3 years old just went out of warranty when it failed. About 3 months after the warranty expired. I called the local Honda parts departement, he said they changed the design of the wiring harness in 2019. It is was a known design flaw.
Incident: Jun 2021
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Nov 2021 SERVICE BRAKES The contact owns a 2018 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while stopped behind a truck that had attempted to make a left turn, the vehicle began to reverse and tapped his vehicle. There was no visible damage to the vehicle and a police report was not filed. Then a few days after the incident, the contact merged onto the highway at 30 MPH and attempted to apply the brakes however, the brake pedal failed operate as needed. The contact stated that the Forward Collision Automatic Emergency Braking System failed to operate as needed and the contact crashed into the vehicle in front of him without warning. The air bags deployed upon impact. There were no injuries reported and no medical attention was required. A police report was filed. Due to the accident, the vehicle was initially towed to an independent mechanic however, the insurance had the vehicle towed to the dealer where it remained in their possession. The contact believed that the incident that occurred a few days prior to the second accident may have contributed to the Forward Collision Automatic Braking System failure. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.
Incident: Nov 2021
Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed 28,000
Oct 2021 BACK OVER PREVENTION The wires connected to the rear backup camera in the tailgate have broken due to a design defect, making the camera inoperable. Opening and closing of the two-way tailgate, over time, have worn through the wires. I experienced this problem at roughly 50,000 miles with no unusual or overly frequent use of my tailgate. The electrical connection was designed in such a way that normal use of the tailgate causes the wires to break, which prevents the rear backup camera from functioning. I and many drivers rely on the backup camera, along with other aids such as the rearview mirrors, to prevent collisions with pedestrians, other vehicles and other objects when backing up. The defect is clear from the photo and is well-documented by hundreds of other Honda Ridgeline owners in online posts. I believe a class action suit is being prepared or has already been filed. Honda has refused to acknowledge this problem, though I spoke with a dealer who told me they have experienced many complaints identical to mine.
Incident: Jul 2021
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Aug 2021 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM My complaint for my 2018 Honda Ridgeline Sport is with Honda's part number 32109-T6Z-A00 which is a wiring harness leading into the tailgate of the vehicle. This harness houses a wiring bundle including the back up camera. I experienced a failure of the camera on August 9, 2021 when the screen was black however the guide bars were still present. I consulted a few online resources and found that Honda is collecting information on this failure where the wire of the camera becomes sheered off and in the process breaks the wire to the camera rendering it blank. I contacted a Honda dealership to get a new harness and and had the repair made on August 31, 2021 only to find that Honda only authorized the same defective part number as the replacement. The 2020 and later models have a different part number with no reported issues, but because my vehicle is a 2018, they installed the same defective harness. The design of the tailgate has not changed since 2017. The back up camera is a vital safety component on my vehicle. I am at a complete loss as to why Honda would replace a faulty part with the same faulty part, other than as a way of charging $360 to get another repair.
Incident: Aug 2021
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Jun 2021 BACK OVER PREVENTION The contact owns a 2018 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera failed to function properly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that the wiring harness was fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty coverage and to take the vehicle to a dealer for diagnosis. The failure mileage was 52,904.
Incident: Mar 2021
Crash: No Fire: No 52,904
May 2021 BACK OVER PREVENTION The wiring harness that supports the backup camera on my 2018 Honda Ridgeline has cracked and I suspect broken wires in that harness is the reason that the backup camera does not work any longer. (It is possible that the camera just quit working, but everything that I can see and read about lead me to believe it is a pattern failure with the wiring). The camera not working reduces my ability to see behind me for any potential collision issues when I’m backing up. I have searched for similar issues that other Honda Ridgeline owners might have reported, and I have found several reports, and also posted video’s on how to fix this issue with replacing the wiring harness (and the wires in the harness). On my Ridgeline, this failure happened about 4 or 5 months after the warranty of 3 years ran out. Other reports that I’ve viewed in various forums report similar timeframes, and yet some reported this issue occurring while it was still under warranty. I am currently in contact with Honda to see if they will assist in the cost for this repair, but that is still being discussed. There was no warning that this issue was about to occur. It simply quit working one day (late April of 2021). I hope you’re able to investigate and see that this might well be a pattern failure with the wiring on these vehicles and perhaps take action to help eliminate any backup safety issues that this might create.
Incident: Apr 2021
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Apr 2021 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HANDS FREE CALLING, MICROPHONE NOT WORKING. PICKS UP BACKGROUND NOISE SO PERSON ON OTHER END CAN'T HEAR.
Incident: Apr 2019
Crash: No Fire: No 10,000
Apr 2021 POWER TRAIN JUST OUT OF THE BLUE , MY 2018 RIDGELINE RTL-E , THE ENGINE IS REVVING BETWEEN 4TH AND 5TH GEAR. I HAVE DRIVEN THIS FOR A YEAR WITH NO ISSUES. NOW, 19,000 MILES IN AND IT LIKE REVS TO 3000 RPM AND THEN GRABS 5TH GEAR. IT ACTUALLY PULLS YOU FORWARD WHEN IT DOES. A LITTLE SCARY. I WILL CONTACT GARY SMITH HONDA IN FWB FLORIDA TOMORROW TO SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING. I HAVE RESEARCHED AND YES OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS SAME ISSUE. A LOT OF OTHERS. SHOULDN'T THIS BE NOTED IN A HONDA LOG SOMEWHERE? I HOPE THEY CAN FIX THIS.
Incident: Apr 2021
Crash: No Fire: No 19,652
Mar 2021 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE SEVERAL OF THESE MODELS ARE HAVING ISSUES WITH THE ROUTINE AND DESIGN OF THE POWER SUPPLY AND SIGNAL FROM THE BACKUP CAMERA DUE TO BREAKING OF THE WIRING HARNESS. MY CAMERA STOPPED WORKING AFTER OPENING THE TAILGATE IN BELOW FREEZING WEATHER. I NOTICED A BROKEN WIRE IN THE HARNESS. I CHECKED THE HONDA RIDGELINE FORUM AND MANY OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. I ORDERED THE OEM REPLACEMENT PART AND IT NOW IS WORKING. I TRYING TO GET HONDA TO REFUND MY PARTS COST OF $68.25. NOT INCLUDING LABOR OF TAILGATE PANEL REMOVAL ALONG WITH REAR BUMPER COVER. MY HONDA CASE NUMBERS ARE 11916318 AND 11967005,
Incident: Feb 2021
Crash: No Fire: No 50,000
Feb 2021 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER THE VEHICLE ALARM WENT OFF FOR NO REASON THE KEYLESS REMOTES STOPPED WORKING LOCKED OUT OF VEHICLE BACKUP MANUAL KEY WOULD NOT WORK RESEARCHED ISSUE ON THE INTERNET MANY SAME VEHICLE OWNERS HAD SAME PROBLEM
Incident: Feb 2021
Crash: No Fire: No 12,800
Feb 2021 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION THE TAILGATE WIRING HARNESS IS DAMAGED BY ROUTINE OPENING OF THE TAILGATE. THIS CAUSES THE WIRES TO BE SEVERED, CAUSING FAILURE OF THE BACKUP CAMERA AND OTHER ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS IN THE TAILGATE. THE WIRING HARNESS BY DESIGN IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE OPENING AND CLOSING OF THE TAILGATE. THIS IS AN ISSUE MANY OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING HTTPS://WWW.RIDGELINEOWNERSCLUB.COM/THREADS/2017-2018-BROKEN-TAILGATE-HARNESS-CAUSES-BACKUP-CAMERA-FAILURE.217776/PAGE-10
Incident: Feb 2021
Crash: No Fire: No 33,000
Oct 2020 UNKNOWN OR OTHER BACKUP CAMERA QUIT WORKING. INSPECTION OF WIRING HARNESS GOING TO TAILGATE SHOWS WIRE LOOM DISINTEGRATED, WIRES BROKEN. CONSULTED HONDA RIDGELINE FORUM, FOUND THIS THREAD WITH 10 PAGES, 192 POSTS FROM 71 PARTICIPANTS: HTTPS://WWW.RIDGELINEOWNERSCLUB.COM/THREADS/2017-2018-BROKEN-TAILGATE-HARNESS-CAUSES-BACKUP-CAMERA-FAILURE.217776/ TRUCK HAS ONLY 50,000 MILES ON IT. PHOTO ATTACHED IS LEFT SIDE OF TAILGATE HINGE WHERE WIRE LOOM ENTERS TAILGATE.
Incident: Sep 2020
Crash: No Fire: No 50,000

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