Complaint volume
94 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2021 Honda Ridgeline Complaints
94 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Honda Ridgeline, grouped by component category.
94 Total complaints
3 Crash reports
0 Fire reports
2 Injury reports
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.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are exterior lighting, engine, unknown or other. 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, 0 fire reports, 2 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 12 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 27,517 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to exterior lighting, engine, unknown or other?
- 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 2021 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.
2021 Honda Ridgeline
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Honda Ridgeline complaints?
3 Crash
0 Fire
2 Injury
0 Fatality
4 Towed
1 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Honda Ridgeline complaint categories?
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 13
ENGINE 12
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 5
BACK OVER PREVENTION 4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 3
STRUCTURE 3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 2
94 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2023 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2021 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that the back over prevention camera was distorted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the back over prevention camera needed to be replaced; however, the part to repair the vehicle was on backorder. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 20,000 |
| Jan 2023 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I purchased this 2021 Honda Ridgeline new. The windshield washers quit working about six months later. For the past 12 months I have been trying to get the replacement nozzles from no less than 8 different Honda dealers. They are on national back order and after repeated orders, most recently with Honda of Asheville NC I contacted the Honda customer support. Case # 13583397. Now after almost 30 days and at least 6 calls and e-mails to them I still have no idea if they will ever get these nozzles for me. As you can imagine with adverse weather conditions it is a major safety issue to have poor visibility out of the windshield. Please help!! These are specially designed low pressure nozzles so they are not available anywhere but Honda. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The auto dimming feature on my ridgeline does not operate properly. Does not dim when on coming traffic approaches sometimes, and others do not stay on when it should. This has happened since I took possession of the vehicle and still happens today. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | STRUCTURE | Tailgate fell down while taking off from a red light, ground was flat and even. The vehicle also didn't trigger the light that the tailgate was open. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The auto-highbeam feature does not operate properly. The highbeams are frequently engaged when an oncoming car is no more than 300 feet away. This irritates the oncoming motorist and creates a dangerous situation causing risk of a crash. The auto-highbeams also have a tendency to switch to low beam at inopportune times because the glare from roadside signs is recognized as an oncoming motorist. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | When driving at 70mph for a couple of hours and exiting the freeway, the truck will go into limp mode and won’t accelerate. This only happens when it’s very cold, less than 10 degrees Fahrenheit both times it happened to me. The engine service light will start to flash. You need to park and restart in order to clear the issue. The last time it happened, I needed to merge onto a busy freeway with very little room to pull over. It was quite dangerous for my family and I. I spoke with Burnsville Honda in MN when I was there for service this summer and Honda is aware, but there is currently no known fix. It sounds like it’s affecting multiple models of newer Honda vehicles with the v6 engine. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | The auto start/stop function fails to restart the truck after stopping. I has in the middle of an intersection waiting to turn left. The auto stop turned off the engine. When I let go of the brake the truck failed to restart. I was stuck in the middle of the intersection when other cars were trying to get around me because the traffic lights changed. I couldn’t restart the truck at first. Had to put it in Park; push the brake down; hit the start button and then the truck finally started. Then had to put it back in Drive. But I was still in danger of getting hit, because it wasn’t my turn to go due to the traffic lights. I’m still under the bumper to bumper warranty and I take the truck to dealership tomorrow. The dashboard reads, “Auto Engine Idle Stop System Problem” | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The 'automatic high beam/low beam' function is totally worthless. Any reflective sign along the road turns the high beams off. The system on my earlier 2017 Honda Ridgeline worked almost 100%. This 2021 system basically doesn't work. In addition you must reach 45 mph before it activates. On many of the back roads that I travel on, the speed limit is less than 45 mph. I have heard that Honda changed the system on the 2021 model. Bring back the older system (my 2017), or don't feature it all. It's non-functional and Honda should not be allowed to advertise it! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1) The automatic high beam functionality, and it is available for inspection 2) Safety of others is out at risk, as the automatic high beams will turn on even if an incoming car is detected, and in most cases will flash off and on automatically with oncoming traffic, resulting in the oncoming driver being blinded and unable to operate their vehicle safely. 3) It’s been inspected by the dealer, who determined this is proper functionality despite the safety concern. 4) No warning lamps or messages whatsoever. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Auto Engine Idle shut off engages when the vehicle comes to a stop. Upon releasing my foot from the brake pedal, the truck shifts into park as the engine restarts. This happens about 75% of the time when engaged. If I turn this feature off, I experience no issue. This is a government mandated feature that appears to be a problem. I need support in making sure that Honda takes responsibility for this issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Automatic high beam lights system is terribly dangerous! Not even close to working as advertised. They do not drop to low beam with virtually all oncoming traffic. They are constantly tricked and flicker when looking at reflective signage. They create confusion and very dangerous distraction. This is a well known design flaw with these late model Ridgelines and the dealers can’t do anything to correct. Please convince Honda Motors to correct this dangerous situation soon. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Vehicle is equipped with automatic high-beam headlights. The feature has not worked properly since I bought the truck new in April 2021. Hi-beam lights will activate for a few seconds and then turn off for about 10 seconds and continually repeat the sequence regardless of road specifics. A few times, the headlights have flashed oncoming vehicles less than 100 feet away. I have taken the vehicle in for repair three times to two different dealers and contacted Honda Customer Assistance for advice. The dealers have the same response after each repair: We have no guidance from Honda how to fix and cannot do anything. Honda Customer Service has no provided any solutions so I am forced to disable the feature to avoid the issue of flashing oncoming vehicles. I have also posted You Tube videos of the behavior hoping that it would help the service folks. They acknowledge the behavior but cannot fix: https://youtu.be/Zmv23FX4R20 https://youtu.be/Kp623lKKAXs https://youtu.be/W3Tfnh1MNeY https://youtu.be/JyGZx13JjX4 https://youtu.be/8sfLcZWPwec | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | I will be filing a issue with our 21 Honda Pilot too as the same problem has occurred in both vehicles with the same engine and transmission. This has happened a total of 3 different times. When I drive the Ridgeline for a long time (over 4 hours)on the expressway and then pull off on a ramp and turn left the vehicle will go into safe mode. The engine light will start flashing and you can not drive over 30 mph. The engine runs rough and idles hard. I have contacted Honda and the dealership I purchased it from. Honda has acknowledged this is a problem and has occurred multiples with many different vehicles. The dealership I work with has acknowledged the same thing as they have several vehicles that have been brought in with this problem. I have waited several months for Honda to come up with a solution, so far they have not. This is a safety concern because what would happen if this same situation came up when I'm pulling my trailer or on the expressway at higher speeds. This could cause an accident. This first started on my Ridgeline in November of 2021. It has happened several times since then. Every time there is no code the computer keeps, even though each time the engine light is flashing. What I have been told is the computer thinks the engine has backfired and goes into safe mode, but Honda doesn't know why it does this. If you turn the vehicle off and restart it, the problem goes away. When the dealership has run a diagnosis off the computer, there are no codes the computer throws. Even though the check engine light is flashing when this occurs. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Automatic emergency braking has engaged on a two way highway curve a couple times until I disabled it for the remainder of the trip. The “Brake” forward collision warning screen and alarm sounds frequently on 4-lane 2-way 30 mph road with a slight curve which it mistakes car in adjacent oncoming lane as a car it may collide with, I was able to eliminate it from applying brakes be adjusting sensitivity to low but the warning still pops up. Additionally, the automatic brights feature is inadequate resulting in flashing/blinding oncoming drivers, I have resulted in turning the feature off which process is more complicated than it should be. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The auto-dimming headlights on my 2021 Honda Ridgeline do not work properly. They don’t engage high beams when they are supposed to, and when they do come on the flash on and immediately turn off. It has gone off and on on dark roads and is very distracting and dangerous. Sometimes they flash other drivers causing angry responses from other drivers. I brought my vehicle in to the Honda dealership and they told me it is working properly. This is not true, because I previously owned a 2019 Honda Ridgeline and the Auto-dimming headlights worked perfectly. My wife also owns a Honda CRV that has the feature and it also works correctly. I feel this problem should be addressed before someone gets injured due to distraction from the lightning going of and on and possible road rage from other drivers thinking your flashing them. This problem has been ongoing since I purchased my new vehicle. I also found many others complaining on Honda Ridgeline Facebook groups. So it’s not an isolated incident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | STRUCTURE | On the new Honda Ridgeline HPD there are small front fender flairs. At the bottom they are fastened with screws but at the top they are fastened with 3M tape. My Vehicle has 2K miles so I decided to take it on the interstate. Going about 75 MPH the wind resistance the tape gave away and the flair flipped right back into the tire. I thought my tire had blown as there was pulling and a loud noise. If I had overcorrected there could have been a tragic accident. I was able to get the vehicle to the side of the road and saw the issue as the fender flair was all chewed up from the tire. And for what? Using Tape instead of a secure system. Going at that rate of speed and assuming your tire just blew is an accident waiting to happen and this could be easily prevented. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Water is leaking apparently trough the bed underneath the carpet below the backseat area, and this could lead to corrosion of the wires below the carpet. Or something worst. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | First incident happened 3/10/2022. Went to start my 2021 Ridgeline (12k miles) in the morning, started traveling down my driveway when all warning lights flashed. Truck went into limp mode rendering it unable to drive. Towed it to Honda dealership where I was told a rodent chewed threw my harness wires. Honda repaired it and I went on my way. Second incident happened 4/27/22. I am traveling down I95 going 70mph for about an hour. I exit onto SR 200 and immediately my truck goes into limp mode with the exact same problems that occurred on 3/10/22. I am in rush hour traffic with no warning that my truck was about to go into limp mode. I towed it to my Honda dealership again. They said my harness wires are fine and have no idea what is wrong with my truck. This is a very dangerous safety hazard as my truck without warning will go into limp mode WHILE DRIVING. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | After traveling on a 3 1/2 hour trip and on 2 hour trip both times after taking a curve called dead mans curve engine light started blinking and Truck would not accelerate had to pull over on busy freeway and turn off went to Honda both times and they could not get a code 1/16/22 @1000 miles on truck. 3/27/22 @2500 miles on truck | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ENGINE | After approximately 2 unbroken hours of driving North on I-35 from Minneapolis on January 24th, 2022, I exited the freeway at exit 214 near Moose Lake. I came to a stop at the top of the ramp (stop sign) to allow cross traffic to clear and then proceeded to accelerate while turning left to cross the bridge over the freeway. About halfway through the turn, a blinking check-engine light came on. The engine also began running noticeably rougher and would not accelerate beyond 30-40 mph. I proceeded to drive about a 1/4 mile in this state to the nearest parking lot - a McDonalds just beyond the bridge. Once parked, I turned the car off and looked up check-engine codes in the owner's manual. The manual indicated that a cylinder misfire was detected and that I should seek dealer service. Frustrated (the nearest Honda dealer was likely in Duluth, an hour away), I tried starting the car and was surprised to find that it started normally without any check-engine light. After some lunch, I got back on the freeway and proceeded to drive another several hours without incident to my final destination near Virginia, MN. I quickly chalked it up to the unusually cold weather that morning, even for MN in January, and, since the issue has never repeated itself, I did not consult a dealer. However, I've recently read of many other Ridgeline owners experiencing very similar issues and thought it would be best for me to contribute my account. Under the right conditions, I believe this could be a very serious safety concern that deserves rigorous attention by Honda's engineers. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | After driving for long distance (over 200 miles) in cold weather at highway speeds, and then making a slow right-hand turn, the Check Engine light came on and vehicle went into 'limp' mode. This happened twice, 2 weeks apart. Vehicle has less than 8,000 miles on it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Upon exiting or entering the highway, the truck loses power and will not accelerate. This happens after multiple hours of highway driving and seems to only happen when the temperature is near or below freezing. The Check Engine Light (CEL) comes on and is flashing. This has happened to me four times. Three of which were exiting one highway to merge onto another and there was ample room to slow down and pull over. One time was merging onto a highway from a Rest Stop with a great deal of traffic and I was fortunate the shoulder was available to avoid being collided with. The first time was on 11/6/2021 (2200miles), second and third was on 12/19/2021 (5600miles) and last time was 3/9/2022 (10100miles). All occurrences the gas tank had ample gas. Shutting the truck off and turning it back on clears the CEL and no error codes are stored (according to the dealer). This problem has been reported multiple times and yet there has been no response from Honda. Also, even though the error codes are not present after the vehicle is turned off and back on, I was able to capture three error codes prior to turning the vehicle off P0302, P0303, P0300. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2021 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that upon either exiting or merging onto a highway at various speeds, the vehicle would independently go into Limp Mode with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact had filed a complaint with the manufacturer through the website; however, the contact had not received a response from the manufacturer. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer where the mechanic was informed by the manufacturer to check the engine valves however, the dealer had not been able to diagnose the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 1,800. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,800 |
| Mar 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Vehicle went into "limp mode" after exiting a freeway. When attempting to merge into roadway, vehicle flashed CEL for engine. Vehicle shut down 3 cylinders giving very little power to merge into traffic. Unable to get vehicle over 30 mph on a busy road. Honda dealer said no codes were stored and haven't heard of the complaint previously. Vehicle had no issues previously. 6,000 miles on a new vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On 2/23/2022, I was driving my Ridgeline on local roads with 40 MPH speed limits. On 2 separate occasions, the "BRAKE" flashed on the dashboard for no reason. There were no obstructions ahead. The warning appeared for a second or two and then disappeared. I felt no braking of the vehicle. I have previously reported this incident by Email, and has been assigned #491499 2021 Honda Ridgeline-BRAKE Warning on Dashboard. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |