2017 Honda Ridgeline Complaints

ENGINE — Filed 09/19/2026

Engine started running extremely rough, and multiple warning lights came on. Had to have it towed to a mechanic. This rod bearings failed, this is a Honda recall, but they refuse to honor it.

ENGINE — Filed 08/31/2026

I own a 2017 Honda Ridgeline with approximately 128,000 miles. In late August 2026, I noticed a deep knocking noise coming from the engine shortly after an oil change. The knocking increased with engine RPM and continued even after the engine warmed up. The oil level appeared full, and there was no oil-pressure warning light. I brought the vehicle to Liberty Honda in Connecticut for diagnosis. Their technician investigated the noise, identified it as internal connecting-rod knock, and determined that the engine requires complete replacement. The dealership quoted approximately $19,210 plus tax for the repair. I have driven approximately 40,000 miles since purchasing this vehicle and have consistently maintained it. Oil changes were performed at Valvoline approximately every 3,000–5,000 miles using their premium oil service. Routine maintenance was performed by an independent mechanic, while major repairs were handled by Honda dealerships. The timing belt was serviced at approximately 84,000 miles. I am concerned because Honda previously recalled certain 2017 Ridgelines for connecting-rod-bearing defects, and NHTSA has separately investigated similar failures in 2017–2019 Ridgelines outside the original recall population. My vehicle has experienced the same type of failure being investigated This condition presents a serious safety concern because connecting-rod-bearing failure can cause sudden engine failure and loss of power while driving. I have avoided further driving because of this risk. American Honda denied my request for goodwill assistance toward engine replacement. I am reporting this failure so NHTSA can evaluate it alongside similar complaints.

ENGINE — Filed 07/25/2026

This exact event is described in a Honda service bullertion (see attached)

ENGINE — Filed 09/08/2026

connecting rod bearing (Recall 23V-751) failed in my 2017 Honda Ridgeline which was not part of the recall for this issue. Oil light came on and I took to my mechanic for service and on the way there i started to hear engine noise. As I pulled into mechanics shop he was outside and heard the noise. He told me that the car was getting ready to have catastrophic engine failure and was going to need a new engine. I was going to drive to the parking lot next door and leave the car to have it towed back to my house and it died as i was tuning into the lot. It was dangerous as it died where there was traffic passing by and i had to push the car out of traffic. The engine light came on Sunday, Monday (Labor Day)the car was not driven and then was taken to mechanic Tuesday morning.

SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 04/19/2025

The first time I was driving about 30 miles an hour. There was a car in front of me about 10 car lengths who put on his blinker to make a left turn. I started to tap my brakes to slow down. The car was so far in front of me that I didn’t even need to slow down, I was being careful. Suddenly the truck shuddered and stopped and BRAKE, BRAKE flashed on the screen in front of the steering wheel. Everything in the truck flew forward. The people in the vehicle behind me started blasting the horn because they almost rear ended me. My truck just slammed on the brakes for no reason. Another time I was driving down the interstate highway. There were no cars in front, behind or on either side of me. Suddenly, the truck shuddered and BRAKE, BRAKE flashed across the screen. I was driving about 70 miles an hour. The truck did not stop. It just shuddered and slowed down. Those were the two scariest times. The truck since then will flash BRAKE on occasion if I step on the brakes to start slowing down. I called customer service for American Honda and they told me to take it to a Honda dealer when it was happening.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 08/05/2026

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The “4WD Failure” message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched and became aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,055.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE — Filed 07/31/2026

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started shuddering and vibrating before becoming inoperable. The check engine warning light illuminated, and five seconds later the "Low Oil Pressure" warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed with a spun rod bearing and engine knock. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING — Filed 11/01/2024

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. While the vehicle was in for routine maintenance, the mechanic discovered metal shavings inside the engine oil. The contact stated that additional diagnostic tests confirmed that the engine rod bearings and connecting rods had failed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.

ENGINE — Filed 06/11/2026

Engine self destructed while driving on the highway. Lot of smoke and the car came to a stop pretty quickly. Oil and coolant dumped out of the bottom.

POWER TRAIN,ENGINE — Filed 06/26/2026

Bought this vehicle in December 2025 used from a dealership. After about a month, I started hearing a noise coming from behind the steering wheel inside the dashboard area. Being that it was a new car to us. We weren’t sure if the noise was problematic so we didn’t take it in right away. The noise started getting worse after a few months and we brought it in. The mechanic couldn’t find the reason for the noise however did notice that there was metal in the oil and heard a knocking that was abnormal in the engine. After some investigation, we discovered that 2017 Honda Ridge lines were known for connecting rod, bearing failures, and many of the vehicles were under recall. We checked the VIN number of our vehicle and were told that this was not under this warranty. We called Honda Customer Care to talk to them about the fact that this problem seem to be the same problem as the service bulletin problem. We asked if they could cover the cost of the repair. They suggested we needed to have it diagnosed by a Honda dealership. We brought it to the Honda dealership who told told us that it would cost $1000 out-of-pocket to be able to diagnose this problem properly. We now have a car that potentially has a extremely dangerous and potentially catastrophic engine problem with premature deterioration and failure of the crankshaft connecting rod bearings that we are afraid to drive and we don’t have the money to fix. When doing research it suggests that there are at least 1.4 million vehicles that are under investigation for the possibility of having the problem that is addressed by the recall, and many of these vehicles are still having this engine failure and we think ours may be one of these. We have not seen any engine warning lights yet however, the mechanic suggested that it is premature crankshaft connecting rod bearing failure as evidenced by the amount of metals showing up in the oil. We just recently replaced the oil in early June (less than 2,000 miles ago).

SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE — Filed 06/10/2025

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while inspecting the vehicle, it was discovered that the rear subframe, rear axle, and suspension were corroded and rusted. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V365000 (STRUCTURE, SUSPENSION). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The contact was concerned that the suspension could fail due to the corrosion. The failure mileage was 140,000.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 05/11/2026

Transmission Jutter or pulsing going up a slight incline at 45mph 50k miles on vehicle Problem repaired by dealer under extended warranty Now same problem occurring again at 90k miles

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 05/26/2026

My car alarm randomly goes off. With no user interaction, the dashboard lights will flicker and i hear clicking noises from the dashboard. Then the alarm triggers randomly. i have to manually use the key fob to turn the alarm off. Honda has acknowledged this issue with service bulletin 21-055. This has caused my car battery to die and i was left stranded. Honda has failed to put a warranty extension or recall for this item.

ENGINE — Filed 04/14/2026

Camshaft failure, component not available for inspection. It was replaced at dealer. If this had failed on the highway at highway speeds it could have resulted in a serious accident. This issue was diagnosed and repaired at a dealership. There were numerous warning lights that came on. That is what alerted that there was a problem. Camshaft failure at 51,350 miles.. Premature failure of camshaft was wobbling and caused the failure of other engine components including camshaft, camshaft sensor, timing belt, timing belt tensioner, water pump, and other components, seals, and gaskets. Repair total was over 2,600

ENGINE — Filed 04/01/2026

Engine seized while driving on the highway. Diagnosed to be a failed rod bearing leading to catastrophic engine failure. Vehicle and engine have 84,000 miles. I have owned and driven it since new.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE — Filed 11/05/2025

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the driveway unattended, for unknown reasons, the vehicle caught on fire. The contact had not experienced a failure with the vehicle prior to the failure. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to an undisclosed recall related to engine and fuel pump. There were no reported injuries. The Fire Department was called and arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire. The contact stated that a Police report was not filed. The vehicle was not yet towed from the scene. The local dealer was not yet contacted. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 02/15/2024

The collision mitigation Braking System has activated my brakes resulting in a lock up 3 times and I've only owned the truck for 2 months. One of the times I was rear ended do to the trucking stopping suddenly. I now have to drive with the system turned off because of how dangerous it is to have on.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING — Filed 11/18/2023

The contact owned a 2017 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that after parking on the side of the road and with the engine idling, a burning odor was present coming from the vehicle. Moments later smoke and flames were seen coming from the engine compartment which caused the hood to blow open. The fire department was immediately called to the scene and extinguished the flames. During the incident, the vehicle and personal property inside the vehicle were destroyed. A police report and fire report were taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed to an undisclosed location. The cause of the fire was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the incident. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 90,000.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 07/01/2023

I purchased the Ridgeline in 2017 and am the sole owner. I have never towed anything with the truck. The mileage is high currently at 129,000. in the beginning of July the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The way it failed caused a dramatic shifting and of gears and the inability for the transmission to change gears without jerking or banging of the gears. The transmission fluid was recently changed and the vehicle has been regularly serviced by Honda dealerships only. Luckily this happened at a low rate of speed and i am a cautious, experienced, driver. This vehicle is driven by my children and has carried passengers from toddlers to the elderly. It is obvious and foreseeable that this will happen to other vehicles at higher speeds and will be the proximate cause of injury to drivers and passengers. I had my vehicle towed to the Honda dealer Coggin Honda in Fort Pierce, Florida. They told me that the failure of the transmission is a known problem with the 2017 Ridgeline model. The transmission was replaced. Unfortunately, this was not under warranty. After searches on the internet it is obvious that this model's transmission has an inherent defect known by Honda Motors. The reports go back to 2017-2018 and continue. Honda should recall this model and repair the transmission to avoid consumers being injured by this obvious, known defect that impacts the safety of consumers.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE — Filed 01/20/2023

Lost brakes as I was trying to decelerate to make a left turn on FM 1472, still managed to come to a stop before hitting the traffic ahead of me that was also waiting to make a left turn. Smoke started to come out from the wheel wells. Put vehicle on parking, shut off engine, opened hood and found fire coming out from the back of the engine bay. Extinguished fire with a Fire extinguisher, and a few minutes later, a Fire Dept Truck arrived to hose it just to make sure it was properly extinguished. Waiting for Cause and Origin investigator from the insurance to inspect the vehicle.

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 08/21/2019

BRAKING FROM 60 MPH FOR TRAFFIC LIGHT. ADEQUATE TIME AND SPACE TO PERFORM BRAKING PROCEDURE. SMOOTH AND EVEN BRAKING FROM 60MPH TO APPROX. 5MPH. AT THAT POINT EVEN WITH BOTH FEET APPLYING PRESSURE TO BRAKE PEDAL, MY VEHICLE FAILED TO COME TO COMPLETE STOP. HIT VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME STOPPED AT LIGHT , NO DAMAGE TO HER VEHICLE. BUMPER DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE. MY VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION GOING APPROX. 5MPH. VEHICLE I HIT WAS STATIONARY. HAPPENED AT TRAFFIC LIGHT ON 4 LANE LIMITED ACCESS HWY IN NORTHERN GA. RURAL AREA. DUE TO RELATIVELY MINOR DAMAGE TO MY BUMPER AND NO DAMAGE TO OTHER PERSON VEHICLE, DRIVER OF VEHICLE I HIT DID NOT WANT TO WAIT TO FILE POLICE REPORT. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. NO ONE INJURED. BRAKING SYSTEM PROBLEM. DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE WAS $1,540.40 FOR FRONT BUMPERS, DAMAGED FOG LIGHT, PAINT REPAIR. WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE IDEAL!

VISIBILITY/WIPER — Filed 04/29/2017

ONE TIME, I WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE WIPER ON AT ALL ON THE HIGH WAY. LATELY, WIPERS STOP AT THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD SO I HAD TO STOP AND RESTART IT. I TOOK VEHICLE TO HONDA DEALER AND THEY FAILED TO DUPLICATE MY PROBLEMS. BUT, I KNEW THAT MY VEHICLE HAS THIS PROBLEMS.

ENGINE — Filed 02/04/2019

ON FEBRUARY 4TH, 2019, I PARALLEL PARKED MY VEHICLE AT 9AM ON THE STREET. AT ABOUT 4PM THAT DAY, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT NOTIFIED ME THAT MY 2017 HONDA RIDGELINE WAS ON FIRE. MY RIDGELINE WAS STATIONARY, PARKED ON THE STREET, AND IT WAS A RAINY DAY. THE FIRE FIGHTER TOLD ME THE FIRE STARTED UNDER THE HOOD IN THE ENGINE AREA. THE RIDGELINE WAS TOWED TO A HONDA DEALERSHIP IN HOPES OF FINDING THE CAUSE OF THE SPONTANEOUS FIRE. THE HONDA DEALERSHIP DID NOT EVEN OPEN THE VEHICLE AND WOULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE SPONTANEOUS FIRE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE THE SPONTANEOUS FIRE CAN HARM AND POTENTIALLY KILL PEOPLE INSIDE OR AROUND THE VEHICLE AS WELL AS HARM NEARBY BUILDINGS. THIS IS ALSO NOT THE FIRST 2017 HONDA RIDGELINE TO HAVE THIS SAME ISSUE.

ENGINE — Filed 09/22/2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2017 HONDA RIDGELINE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, IT CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE AND A FIRE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO AN INSURANCE TOW LOT. THE CONTACT CALLED FRIENDSHIP HONDA AT (828) 264-6006 (LOCATED AT 1440 BLOWING ROCK RD, BOONE, NC 28607) AND JENKINS HONDA OF LEESBURG (LOCATED AT 8865 US-441, LEESBURG, FL 34788, (352) 815-2482), BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND OPENED CASE NUMBER: 09006658. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 21,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 05/17/2017

WHILE DRIVING ON A ONE HI WAY MY PREVENTION SYSTEM DETECTS AND ON COMING CAR IN ITS OWN LANE PERFECTLY LEGAL AND FULLY APPLIES THE BRAKING SYSTEM WITHOUT WARNING OR CAUSE THEN AND AUDIBLE WARNING AND YELLOW LIGHT ON THE DASH TELLING ME TO BRAKE, THE STEERING BECOMES STIFF AND VIBRATES AND HARD TO CONTROL. MEANWHILE THE SPEED OF 65 HAS DROPPED TO 30 MPH AND THE SEMI DIESEL TRUCK BEHIND YOU IS ABOUT TO RUN OVER YOUR CAR ALL THIS HAPPENS WITHIN SECONDS NOT GIVING ME ANYTIME TO REACT VERY DANGEROUS I'VE OPENED A CASE WITH HONDA AMERICA BUT THEY NEED ME TO PROVE IT MY STATEMENT ALONE IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. I TOOK THE TRUCK TO STOCKTON HONDA DEALERSHIP THEY HAD IT FOR TWO DAYS NEVER TEST DROVE IT RETURNED TO ME SAID THERE IS NO PROBLEM. MY MOTHER OF 90 YEARS HAS BEEN HURT BY THE SEAT BELT SUDDENLY TIGHTENING WHEN THE BRAKES ARE FULLY APPLIED THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED OVER A DOZEN TIMES SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET HURT OR KILLED BECAUSE HONDA MOTORS IS WASHING THERE HANDS OF IT BY MAKING ME PROVE IT SOMETHING IS NOT CALIBRATED CORRECTLY AND NO DEALERSHIP HAS THE TOOL OR TECHNOLOGY TO VERIFY THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. THIS SITUATION OCCURS ON STRAIGHT, CURVES AND HILLS YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHEN IT'S NERVE RACKING DRIVING ALWAYS TRYING TO STAY A SAFE DISTANCE IN FRONT OF THE TRUCK BEHIND YOU. SOMETIMES THOSE TRUCKS ARE WITHIN FOUR CAR LENGTHS AT 60 MPH CAN YOU HELP OR DO WE NEED TO BECOME ANOTHER STATISTIC BEFORE ANYTHING IS DONE ! THIS TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN DEVELOPED TO FAST WITHOUT TESTING IT TO ITS FULLEST ABILITY NOW THERE'S NO WAY TO DIAGNOSE IT. THIS STARTED THE WEEK I BOUGHT IT NEW IN MAY 2017