2025 Honda Ridgeline Complaints

EXTERIOR LIGHTING — Filed 12/31/1969

The automatic high beams on my ridgeline tend to be a saftery issue the do not function correctly many owners report they have this issue as well there has been no damage yet however they have not worked since factory I've asked the dealer about it ans have been told it's normal

ENGINE — Filed 10/01/2026

The vehicle was stopped at a light and just died. We are 99% sure the start/stop button was turned off but Honda insisted it must have been active because they have had to replace many starters due to the starter not starting after the vehicle has stopped at a light. We were not told this could happen. They said they do not know how long it would take for the part to come in and just press the start/stop button everytime after starting the car and it would be fine. We had been doing that for the last month so the air would stay cooling so we were not comfortable driving it. They would not offer a vehicle either. This appears to be a major concern. We filed with Honda Corp as well.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 10/05/2026

Auto start stop system. Shuts off engine at stop lights, will fail to re-start engine when I release the brake and step on the gas. Has happened several times. Came close to being rear ended. Dealer service manager told me to dit the disable switch every time I start the vehicle.

ENGINE — Filed 09/09/2026

starter went bad due to the auto idle start/stop the vehicle shut off at an intersection and would not start back they replaced the battery and said it was bad 3000 miles later the starter is bad according to the Fred Anderson honda dealership as i was having the same issue

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 09/17/2026

The vehicular every day now gives false warnings and has applied braking when there are no other vehicles is the area . Turns seem to be the issue . When in a round about it will go off when no other vehicles are in the area , almost ghost like

ENGINE — Filed 10/01/2026

This afternoon, the Auto Engine Stop System Problem light came on, the truck hard-stalled at a very busy intersection, and it forced a manual reboot from Park to get moving again.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 09/08/2026

My vehicle has approximately 17,200 miles on it. On XXX I approached a stop light and stopped for the red light. When the light turned green my vehicle did not move. I checked to see if it was in drive and it was in neutral. I attempted several times to get it into drive mode but it would not move. I then realized the vehicle had turned off. After several attempts I got the vehicle restarted. I drove to the dealership, Pohanka Honda in [XXX]. After inspecting my vehicle the service technician told me the starter needed replacing but they did not have one in stock and had no idea when one would become available. She told me the vehicle was not safe to drive as it may cut off again. So, I left the vehicle at the dealership. I got a loaner vehicle from the dealership the next day and again they told me they had no idea when replacement starters would be delivered. i contacted Honda Corporate Headquarters and the lady told me she would get a new starter "expedited" out to the dealership for me. I called the dealership and the guy said my name was on the list as they were waiting for forty replacement starters. - Starter failed. I assumed it is still attached to the vehicle. - My vehicle stalled on a very busy road and I could have been struck from behind but luckily a deputy pulled up behind and activated his emergency lights until I got the car restarted. - The dealership is aware of at least forty similar problems. - I don't believe the vehicle/starter has been inspected by anyone other than the dealership. - No warning at all. First appeared on XXX. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

EXTERIOR LIGHTING,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 09/07/2026

This 2025 Honda Ridgeline has an auto high beam function. When the headlights are on, the auto high beam will cycle on and off for absolutely no reason. Often only 3-5 seconds apart. There will be no oncoming traffic and no road signs illuminated by the headlights that would possibly confuse the system that a vehicle is approaching. ALSO, the forward collision warning system is way too sensitive. It will often either flash a brake warning on the dash, or actually activate the braking system when it is not needed. This occurs often when on a two lane road, slight curve and traffic approaches in the opposite lane.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 04/23/2026

On several occasions, my 2025 Honda Ridgeline has falsely activated the collision mitigation system. Once on a two lane road curving to the right, an oncoming vehicle activated the system resulting in a startling shaking of the steering wheel and dash warning light. I would say about 80 percent of activation has been false alarms in one way or another. This is a safety issue when this collision mitigation system activates unexpectedly, startling the driver. I worry this system may apply the brakes when unnecessary, but this has not happened to me. I have heard it happened to other Ridgeline owners.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 09/21/2026

On several occasions after operating the vehicle for an extended time (picture 1 hour of highway driving) the auto start stop will fail to engage the engine the next time the vehicle comes to a stop. Vehicle stays stuck in traffic until the ignition fires after several attempts. This has happened more than once over several different days.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 08/11/2026

The Auto Idle Stop (AIS) system has failed to restart the engine. Sitting in an intersection to make a left turn, engine auto stopped and would not restart, leaving me stranded, in traffic. I was eventually able to get it restarted by turning off air conditioning and all electronics (radio/lights). I immediately called the dealership and was able to get it in the shop that day. There were no codes discovered. Service replaced the car battery (at no charge). There were no warnings or messages prior to this incident. I am still experiencing struggle to restart sounds, like a weak battery and sometimes other unusual noises that I can't explain. I'm now trying to remember to turn of AIS on every trip. I consider this a serious safety concern.

ENGINE — Filed 09/07/2026

When I stop and try to go car turns off and dosnt start

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 09/11/2026

The Auto Idle Stop/Start feature has malfunctioned multiple times, leaving me stalled out at a green light in traffic. Sometimes the system hesitates to restart and shows a warning message on the dash that is too long to read for the split second that it shows, and other times it requires a full manual restart of the vehicle. The feature works to shut the engine off, but intermittently does not start back up when taking foot off the brake, and requires a few shut off instructions that are complicated to follow when sitting in a parked vehicle in moving traffic. This is highly unsafe. The hesitation warnings were visible on my maintenance report, but nothing was said about them at the service center, so I did not think they were an issue. I will be taking the vehicle back to Honda to address this auto start failure, but I am aware that there is currently not a recall for this Auto Idle Stop/Start feature, despite it being well documented by other Honda vehicle owners.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING — Filed 09/05/2026

Auto bright headlight feature malfunctions constant when on almost to thr effect of a strobe light. Street lights, reflective street markings, reflective road signs, all make it disbale. When it actually does need to disable when another car is approaching it doesn't cut off early enough blinding on coming traffic. The system doesn't work period and is very distracting, and very dangerous.

STEERING,SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 09/30/2025

I am reporting an urgent potential safety defect involving my 2025 Honda Ridgeline Sport, in Puerto Rico. Since the first oil/filter service, the vehicle has repeatedly developed a grinding/growling/knocking-type noise and physical sensation through the steering wheel and cabin, especially on rough, porous or uneven pavement and during minor road irregularities or braking/load changes. The condition has been reported to Honda-authorized service multiple times (about four visits over nearly a year), but the cause was initially not identified. On 08/20/2026 Flagship Honda advisor informed me it was rack and pinion broken. On 08/24/2026, Flagship Honda (Kennedy Ave., San Juan, PR 00920), RO #XXXXXX, at 12,556 miles, documented a steering-system inspection and found a “golpe” (knock) in the steering column. The written diagnosis states the steering column had internal wear in the motor and “cruje al moverse” (creaks/cracks when moving), requiring replacement. Honda authorized the repair. On 09/01/2026, under warranty, Honda replaced the steering column assembly (Part #XXXXXX) under RO #XXXXXX, at 12,870 miles. The dealer documented replacement, alignment, and a 2-mile road test, stating the condition was corrected. However, the exact same grinding/growling noise and physical sensation remain after replacement. I reported this again to the dealer on 09/07/2026 and was told another appointment with a Honda inspector is required for further diagnosis. I am very concerned because this recurring steering-related condition remains unresolved in a nearly new vehicle, and the true root cause is unknown. I am concerned about possible loss of steering control or another safety consequence, especially with my family in the vehicle. I respectfully request that NHTSA review this complaint and determine whether this may represent a safety-related defect affecting other 2025 Ridgelines. I have repair orders and warranty documentation supporting these facts.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 10/07/2025

Ridgeline Failures! 1st Failure, XXX, ridgeline failed to start. AAA could not jump the vehicle because the vehicle had zero charge. It was towed to Autofair Honda, in [XXX] 85 miles away. They replaced the battery. (See attachment) Mileage 2827 2nd Failure [XXX] Completely Dead truck. Honda roadside assistance was called. The tow vehicle was unable to start the truck after the jump attempt. Truck towed to Honda Ecodrive of [XXX]. They stated to me that they have never seen a truck with such a severe battery drain. They recharged my battery. I was located 165 miles from home and the dealership did not provide me with a loaner vehicle. Instead they charged me $342 dollars for a rental and $84.00 for a diagnostic fee. This service should have been charged to Honda as the vehicle only had 10,842 miles on it. Why is the NHTSA not filing a recall on this vehicle? Being stranded for 5 hours in the middle of nowhere, waiting for a service vehicle places occupants at risk! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 08/17/2026

When stopping with the auto idle stop system engaged, the vehicle failed to auto restart after letting off the brake pedal. This has happened three times with the last two occurrence less than a week apart. The first two times I was in a queue at a stop light and was able to shift into park and manually restart the car and proceed on the road without further incident. The third time in particular I observed that the manual start did not work on the first attempt but did on the second attempt. There were no warning indicators or messages prior to the auto restart failure. There is some risk of safety when a vehicle remains unexpectedly stopped in the road while surrounding traffic is moving. I plan to take the vehicle to the dealer for evaluation.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 08/16/2026

Multiple failures of the Auto Start Stop system to restart the vehicle. This has happened several times in an intersection creating a safety hazard.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 08/05/2026

I was driving in a stop and go traffic due to a traffic accident ahead of me. One of the times I stopped it seemed like it stalled but it was still on and the dashboard told me to put it in park so I did and then I was unable to do anything with the truck the brake seized I couldn’t shut off the truck or change gears and I sat like that for 5-8 minutes. Then after that I was finally able to hit the brake and restart it then I brought it to Saratoga Honda and they didn’t have an appointment until Wednesday of the following week due to me needing a loaner vehicle.

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 05/15/2026

2025 Ridgeline. Brake pedal sinks when engine started. Brake pedal sinks below the footrest. When applying brake pedal in an emergency stop my left foot contacts footrest causing me to have to release then re-apply the brakes increasing stopping distance. And then Re-applying the mushy brakes causes me to push too hard resulting in erratic braking. Took it to Lynnwood Honda who inspected and bled the brakes but would not confirm any problem. There are no warning lights. The sinking mushy brakes have not caused an accident yet.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — Filed 08/08/2026

On two occasions, immediately after re-fueling the vehicle, the engine auto idle stop failed to restart the vehicle. Both times this happened at busy intersections. A series of messages appeared on the display. I was flustered because cars behind me were honking as I was blocking traffic so I don’t exactly remember the error messages. One message said to put the transmission in park. Another said to hold the brake and the engine start button. Eventually the engine did re-start by holding the start button down.

ENGINE — Filed 07/28/2026

My Honda Ridgeline has experienced a dangerous malfunction involving the Auto Idle Stop system. When the vehicle comes to a stop, the system automatically shuts off the engine as designed to conserve fuel. Normally, the engine should restart when the brake pedal is released. On multiple occasions, however, the engine has failed to restart when the brake pedal is released. A warning appears on the dashboard, and the vehicle becomes difficult to restart. This has left me unexpectedly unable to move the vehicle while stopped in traffic. This creates a serious safety hazard because the failure can occur at an intersection or in an active traffic lane. When traffic begins moving, the vehicle may remain stalled while surrounding drivers expect it to accelerate normally, creating a risk of a rear-end or other collision. The problem is unpredictable, and I am concerned that the Auto Idle Stop system can disable the vehicle during normal operation without adequate warning. I believe this condition should be investigated as a potential safety defect.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 07/27/2025

My Honda ridgeline had 7,590 miles when it started failing all the dash board lights turned on the engine decelerated I then tried to accelerate it rapidly accelerated my steering wheel vibrated I could not turn or slow down witch caused for me to crash

ENGINE — Filed 10/30/2025

New 2025 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition with under 4k miles on it. Driving one day (10/30/25), smoke started to bellow out from the sides. Nothing on the dashboard indicated a problem. Everyone jumped out and was safe from injury. The truck went up in flames and literally blew up. We have a video of the incident. The truck was a complete loss, and it was difficult to deal with Honda, so we decided settle with the insurance company. Honda after a while stopped taking my calls and would put me on hold indefinitely if I call in. They were given permission to inspect the vehicle from the insurance agency but to my knowledge have not.

AIR BAGS — Filed 01/10/2025

While turning left on a snowcovered road, my passenger airbags deployed when I slid into the curb. The only damage was to my rear passenger wheel. The force to the vehicle should not have been hard enough for the airbags to deploy. No warning lights prior to the accident.