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Honda · NHTSA safety record

2023 Honda Ridgeline

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 128 safety complaints about the 2023 Honda Ridgeline with the US government. Of those, 3 describe a crash, 2 mention a fire and no death is recorded. 5 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the exterior lighting, named in 39 complaints, 30% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 32,000 miles, the median across the 11 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers October 2022 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

128 complaints on file

128

Complaints

3

Describe a crash

2

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year. A further 1 defect investigation is open and unresolved.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 39 · 30%
ENGINE 21 · 16%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 19 · 15%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 18 · 14%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 11 · 9%
POWER TRAIN 11 · 9%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 8 · 6%
STEERING 7 · 5%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 6 · 5%
SERVICE BRAKES 4 · 3%
STRUCTURE 4 · 3%
LANE DEPARTURE 3 · 2%
0 19 38

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 128.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 48.

52 39 26 13
22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2022 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2023 Honda RIDGELINE, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test PU/CC AWD PU/CC FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 16.9% 16.4%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

5 on file

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

26V365000 · June 4, 2026

The defect
American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Honda Pilot, 2017-2023 Ridgeline, 2019-2023 Passport, and 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles that were sold in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. The rear subframe may corrode at the suspension mounting points, which can result in rear suspension component failure.
The risk
Failure of rear suspension components, such as the rear control arm, can cause a loss of vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the rear subframe and install a rear subframe reinforcement kit and, as necessary, repair or replace the rear subframe components, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed July 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in the fall of 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are AOU and AOT. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning June 10, 2026.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 880,514 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

26V332000 · May 21, 2026

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
The risk
Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 98,892 vehicles across all model years covered

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

24V321000 · May 9, 2024

The defect
Honda (America Honda Motor Co) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Ridgeline vehicles. The rearview camera (RVC) tailgate wire harness may fatigue and break, which can prevent the rearview camera image from displaying.
The risk
A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the RVC tailgate wire harness, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed November 8, 2024. Owners may contact Honda service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is YI7.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 187,290 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING:RACK AND PINION

24V184000 · March 7, 2024

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023 Passport and Ridgeline vehicles. The inner ball joint housing in the steering gearbox assembly may loosen and detach from the steering rack and result in a loss of steering control.
The risk
A loss of steering control increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the steering gearbox as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 11, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is LHY.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 245 vehicles across all model years covered

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER

23V458000 · June 29, 2023

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Civic, 2020-2023 Ridgeline, 2021-2023 Passport, 2021-2022 Pilot, and 2020 Acura MDX vehicles. The tie rod fastener that connects the brake booster and the brake master cylinder may have been improperly assembled during manufacturing, which can cause the brake master cylinder to separate from the booster assembly.
The risk
Brake master cylinder separation can cause a loss of brake function and increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and repair the brake booster assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 7, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are VEU, AEV, and ZET.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 124,077 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations

2 on file

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages

EA25004

Still open engineering analysis · opened March 26, 2025

the engine and its cooling

On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5L engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. On January 6, 2023, Honda released service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. These service bulletins address the failure to restart issue in the 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles, as well as the 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2019-2022 Honda Passport, and 2020-2023 Honda Ridgeline vehicles. The repair outlined in the service bulletins is a two-stage countermeasure to remedy the issue. The first stage is a Programmed Fuel Injection (“PGM-FI”) software update. The second stage is only deployed if the software update fails to remedy the issue. The second stage, depending on the model and model year, consists of replacement of the starter assembly, starter relays, and a valve adjustment. Additionally, Honda extended the warranty coverage to 10 years with unlimited mileage for vehicles requiring the second stage component replacement. ODI continues to receive complaints of the AIS failure to restart, with many complainants alleging the campaign countermeasures had been completed.NHTSA has reviewed Honda's Information Request Letter responses involving warranty claims, lawsuits, and consumer complaints in addition to ODI's own data. This Engineering Analysis is being opened to further consider the potential safety defect, including gathering additional data regarding Honda’s service campaign efficacy. ODI is additionally expanding the scope to encompass all vehicles addressed in Honda’s service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009 as well as newer model year vehicles, which are substantially similar to the vehicles covered by the service campaign. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Rear-View Camera Failure

PE24004

Closed preliminary evaluation · opened February 13, 2024 · closed August 5, 2024 · led to recall 24V321

back-over prevention

On February 13, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE24004 to assess alleged failures of the rear-view camera (RVC) in 2020-2023 Model Year (MY) Honda Ridgeline vehicles. At this time, ODI has received a total of 50 complaints with allegations of the RVC image failing to display when the vehicle was in reverse. The RVC wire harness is routed near the hinge in the tailgate, in a location where frequent opening and closing of the tailgate causes bending stress on the harness. Honda determined the wire harness was manufactured with a material which is permeable to water and salt, which when it freezes and thaws, combined with tailgate usage, ultimately leads to breakage of the wiring in the tailgate harness. This results in a failure to display the RVC image. On May 9, 2024, Honda filed a Part 573 Safety Recall Report recalling all 2020-2024 MY Honda Ridgeline vehicles. The dealer will replace the RVC tailgate harness with a wire harness that is manufactured by a new supplier and has improved material properties to withstand wear from bending. In view of Honda filing recall 24V-321 addressing the subject of this investigation, ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation. NHTSA reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

fire

I was on [XXX] and turned into [XXX] . I was driving at 25 miles or so. I don't know if my first or second tire flat first but immediately after my airbags at right and left front and back side got deployed and created a little fire and thick black smoke. I got shock, panicked and lost control for second and hit right front wheel trim of car to probably edge of road. I called Honda Road services to tow my car to nearest Honda services. They told me that a Tower would come over to take care of me in 120 minutes and take my car to Chantilly Honda services. Unfortunately they didn’t show up for 3 hours. I stayed outside in cold weather for 3 hours. Thankfully Police came over and saw the

NHTSA complaint 11569791, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire

Driving approximately 15mph on a gravel road in my subdivision I noticed smoke or steam coming from under the hood. The time was approximately 10: 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.

NHTSA complaint 11746777. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

crash · towed · 32,000 miles

The contact owns a 2023 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50-54 MPH and making a gradual left turn on the highway, the vehicle unintendedly made a quick sharp left turn, grazed the concrete barrier and veered to the opposite side of the road before coming to a stop. Upon inspection, the contact noticed that the front driver's side tire was completely flat and was pointing left at a 90 degrees angle, and the ball joint had disassembled. The contact could not determine whether the damage caused the crash or whether the crash caused the damage. The contact stated that the failure might be associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V184000 (Steering). A Police

NHTSA complaint 11767743, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

crash

After months of using my new Ridgeline the garage door closed inadvertently once i passed down the garage motor impacting the vehicle at the exit. The Ridgeline uses the homelink on the rear-view window which is included as part of the Ridgeline. I contacted HONDA and they referred me to Homelink for whom I also created an incident.

NHTSA complaint 11590420. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
9/17/2026. Complete electrical system shutdown while stopped in traffic, loss of power steering/brakes capability, all doors automatically locked with no emergency flasher capability. Vehicle became a hazard. Occurred twice. TSB-23-008 software update performed in 2024 but problem persists. Safety defect ENTRAPMENT with los of all vehicle power in active traffic. Please share complain with manufacturer.

NHTSA complaint 11765308. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
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

NHTSA complaint 11755943, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
ENGINE SHUTS OFF TOTALLY IN AUTO IDLE AND MUST BE RESTARTED.

NHTSA complaint 11755479. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
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

NHTSA complaint 11755379, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION
Vehicle has significant rusting on the suspension & can be inspected upon request. The rust will deteriorate the suspension’s capacity to support the vehicle, creating a dangerous hazard for others and myself on the road. The problem was first noted by a Honda service technician, where they provided detailed images of the undercarriage of the vehicle. Images of the rust were found on the rear suspension, parts of the front suspension & in other areas like the differential box & along the shaft of the vehicle. The vehicle did not have any warning signs on the dash - however the suspension is squeaky when the vehicle is in motion.

NHTSA complaint 11752645. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Honda Ridgeline

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 90 2 —
2024 60 1 —
2022 117 3 —
2021 101 7 —
2020 169 8 —
2019 237 11 —
2018 161 7 —
2017 343 8 —
2014 34 6 —
2013 45 7 —
2012 24 11 —
2011 39 10 1
2010 42 9 —

Other 2023 Honda models

HR-V 686 CR-V 515 Civic 255 Pilot 144 Accord Hybrid 140 CR-V Hybrid 116 Odyssey 99 Accord 86

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Honda on this site — 192 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst