Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2020 Honda Ridgeline owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, an abnormal knocking sound was heard, and smoke emerged from under the hood. No warning lights illuminated, and the engine failed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, but was not inspected. The vehicle was then towed to another dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failed engine. The dealer informed the contact that a piston went through the engine and advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The dealer offered to replace the engine with a salvaged engine and cover the repair under warranty; however, the contact declined the repair and requested a new engine, which was denied. …
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, there was a misfire coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and, upon inspection, the contact determined that one of the ignition coils had failed. The contact purchased a new ignition coil, replaced the part, and resumed driving; however, the vehicle made an abnormal rattling sound while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed due to a loosened connecting rod and needed to be replaced. The contact ordered a new engine. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked or while driving, there was a loud knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that three rod bearings and that cylinders #3, #5, and #6 had failed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at highway speeds, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
My 2020 Honda Ridgeline has an Auto Idle/Start system. The truck engine turns off when it stops, then automatically turns on when brake is released or gas pedal pressed. There was a Honda notice issued that the system may not automatically restart. A fix (software update) from Honda was implemented on my truck on 03/29/23. This "fix" did not work. On 09/05/25 at 1:25 pm I pulled up to an intersection. The Auto Idle system automatically turned off the engine as intended. About 2 minutes later, when the brake was released and gas pedal pressed, the engine did not restart. The truck stalled. Various efforts (~ 1 minute of panic) ensued to start the engine. Eventually, put the truck in park, waited, then started the engine. This situation occurred during high traffic at a busy intersection. …
On numerous occasions (at least 5 times) the following occurred: Upon exiting the highway after approximately 90+ minutes of driving, the truck's check engine light starts flashing and the vehicle goes into "limp mode" and will barely accelerate to avoid oncoming traffic from behind. The vehicle must be stopped and turned off to clear the engine light and return to normal performance. The on-board computer does not store any diagnostic codes when this occurs. There are numerous documented incidents exactly like this one on the Honda Ridgeline Owners forum. I have taken my truck to the dealer three times with no resolution. The dealer consults with Honda Tech support, who is unsure how to solve this issue. Assorted repairs have been documented on the aforementioned Honda forum, to no avail. This is definitely a safety issue when the truck loses power in traffic. …
While stopped at a traffic light on a state highway the idle stop did shut off the engine. When the light turned green, I released the brake, but the engine did not crank or start. After placing transmission into Park, I attempted to start normally. There was no response to the start button being pushed, other than all the typical pre-start warning lights check on the panel. Tried to start with transmission selector in Neutral..same result. All doors and hood was closed, driver in seat, belt fastened, and key nearby. I attempted to get out and push the truck to the side of road with assistance. Unable to do that because of the transmission park interconnect. After about 3 minutes trying multiple times to start the engine, it finally did start normally. The vehicle battery is pretty new and checking the voltage at home, it is fine. This is a dangerous situation. …
The vehicle's Auto-Idle Stop (AIS) feature is defective and creates a severe safety hazard. While stopped at a busy road intersection, the feature engaged and shut the engine off normally. However, when releasing the brake pedal to proceed, the engine glitched and completely failed to restart, leaving the vehicle completely stalled, unpowered, and stranded in live traffic. The vehicle became a sitting duck in the intersection. This is a recurring issue that requires a complete ignition power cycle to recover, posing an immediate risk of a rear-end or side-impact collision. It happens most often under heavy load. Hot day with AC on, or Cold day with Heater on and seat warmers. Dealer ignored or failed to re-create at first because it was intermittent. …
Engine idle stop function failed to restart automatically while i was stopped at a stop light. I was at a complete stop at a four way intersection with vehicles behind me and my vehicle did not restart after light turned green and i released brake and stepped on accelerator. error message flashed stating to press brake and push start button. Vehicles behine me honked for me to proceed but i could not move. i turned on my hazards and attempted to restart engine. i stepped on brake and pushed start button. Vehicle did not start, i repeated stepping on brake and start button again and did not start. I did it a third time and vehcile started. A police car behind me pulled up and asked if i was ok just as i started my vehicle and pulled away. This is the second time this has happended but i did not report it and thought it was me not stepping on the brake hard enough. …
Engine fails to restart after Idle Stop engaged. Engine stops normally when brake pedal is pressed and vehicle comes to full stop. Brake pedal is then released to restart engine but the engine does not start. Dashboard says "Shift to Park". The transmission is shifted to Park and then Start button is pushed to restart engine. Sometimes the Start button has to be pushed multiple times to restart engine. This is a safety issue because the vehicle cannot move in traffic, crossing an intersection, etc. It is equivalent to an engine stall. This happens approximately 10% of the time when the Idle Stop is engaged. Also, sometimes the engine will start but after a hesitation or a struggle to start. In this situation, "Collision Mitigation System Warning" displays on the dashboard. This happens probably 25% of the time. …
NHTSA investigations
No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages
On June 3, 2022, the O ce of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several eld 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 tra c light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged.
Engine complaints in other Ridgeline years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2020 Honda Ridgeline?
NHTSA has 38 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2020 Honda Ridgeline, 22% of the model year's 169 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2020 Honda Ridgeline engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2020 Honda Ridgeline, though it has 8 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2020 Honda Ridgeline engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 118,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.