Most common 2021 Honda Ridgeline problems
Share of the 102 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Honda Ridgeline complaints by model year
Best Ridgeline years: 2012, 2014, 2011. Years to avoid: 2017, 2019, 2025, 2023, 2020. Compare all years →
2021 Honda Ridgeline recalls (7)
Suspension › Rear
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…
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.
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification › Front passenger
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…
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.
Back over prevention › Sensing system › Camera
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.
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.
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification › Front passenger
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Master cylinder
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…
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.
Visibility › Rearview mirrors/devices › Exterior
Honda (American Honda Motor Co) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2020-2022 Passport and Odyssey vehicles. The heating pads behind both side-view mirrors may not be bonded properly, allowing the mirror glass to detach.
Remedy: Dealers will replace both left and right side-view mirrors, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 17, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is FE5.
Show 1 more recall
Seat belts › Rear/other › Retractor
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021 Accord Sedan, Accord Hybrid, CR-V, Ridgeline, 2022 Insight and CR-V Hybrid vehicles. The automatic locking retractor on the second-row center seat belt assembly may deactivate improperly, which can result in an unsecured child restraint system.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the second-row center seat belt assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 2021 Honda Ridgeline:
Rear-View Camera Failure
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.
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.
What 2021 Honda Ridgeline owners say
Engine & cooling all 32 →
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment while accelerating and there was a loud popping sound coming from the engine compartment shortly afterwards. The low oil level warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to Firestone and was diagnosed with engine failure. The vehicle had not been repaired by Firestone but was instead towed to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the connecting rods had disconnected, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the repair was not covered under warranty due to the low oil levels. The contact confirmed that the low oil level warning light occurred during the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. …
The contact's husband owns a 2021 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 55 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and made an abnormal knocking sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the timing belt, the water pump, and the tensioner pulley were replaced; however, the knocking sound persisted. The dealer determined that the lower bearing had failed, and the dealer recommended replacing the engine with a used engine. Additionally, the contact was advised that the oil pump was leaking and might need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The manufacturer requested the vehicle service records. …
Driver assistance
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Ridgeline. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V321000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that occasionally while in reverse, the reverse camera image display would flicker a distorted image. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
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.
Electrical system
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.
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"
2021 Honda Ridgeline engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 9-speed automatic | AWD | 18 / 24 / 21 |
EPA ratings. Class: Full-size pickup.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2021 Honda Ridgeline a good car?
Based on 102 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2021 Ridgeline rates avoid: 2.7× as many complaints as a typical year of the Ridgeline at the same age. It is one of the Ridgeline years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2021 Honda Ridgeline?
The engine & cooling — 32 complaints, 31% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the driver assistance (19) and electrical system (15).
How many recalls does the 2021 Honda Ridgeline have?
There are 7 recalls for the 2021 Honda Ridgeline, the most recent from June 4, 2026 (rear). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Honda Ridgeline?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2012, 2014 and 2011. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2017, 2019, 2025, 2023 and 2020. See the full Honda Ridgeline years comparison.
At what mileage do 2021 Honda Ridgeline problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 22,000 miles; 75% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 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.