2020 Honda Ridgeline Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Sep 16, 2026 · 169 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Ridgeline years
More complaints than other years 4th of 20 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
5 out of 5 stars

Owners have filed 169 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Honda Ridgeline. That ranks 4th out of 20 Ridgeline model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (49 complaints, 29%), typically at around 18,000 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash, 1 injury. There are 8 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.

Honda Ridgeline
2022 Honda Ridgeline Touring photographed in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Elise240SX, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2020 Honda Ridgeline problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Electrical System49 · ~18,000 mi
Unknown or Other42
Engine38 · ~99,000 mi
Back Over Prevention14 · ~45,000 mi
Forward Collision Avoidance14 · ~2,000 mi
Exterior Lighting12 · ~1,850 mi
Air Bags10 · ~34,000 mi
Lane Departure9
Power Train9 · ~1,500 mi
Visibility/wiper8
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Electrical System4929%18,000——
Unknown or Other4225%———
Engine3822%99,000——
Back Over Prevention148%45,000——
Forward Collision Avoidance148%2,000——
Exterior Lighting127%1,850——
Air Bags106%34,000——
Lane Departure95%———
Power Train95%1,500——
Visibility/wiper85%———
Fuel/propulsion System74%4,700——
Service Brakes42%3,900——
Structure42%———
Suspension21%34,000——
Visibility21%38,000——
Fuel System, Gasoline11%———
Latches/locks/linkages11%100——
Seat Belts11%65,000——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic11%38,000——
Vehicle Speed Control11%———
Wheels11%———

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2024, with 53 complaints
2020: 4202042021: 102021102022: 162022162023: 342023342024: 532024532025: 382025382026: 14202614

n = 169 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2020 Honda Ridgeline recalls (8)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Suspension:rear; structure:frame and membersJun 4, 2026 · NHTSA campaign 26V365000 · 965,561 vehicles

Problem: 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.

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.

Fix: 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.

Air bags:sensor:occupant classification:front passengerMay 21, 2026 · NHTSA campaign 26V332000 · 98,892 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.

Fix: 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.

Back over prevention: sensing system: cameraMay 9, 2024 · NHTSA campaign 24V321000 · 187,290 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: 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 passengerFeb 1, 2024 · NHTSA campaign 24V064000 · 750,114 vehicles

Problem: 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 vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.

Risk: An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

Fix: 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. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.

Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pumpDec 18, 2023 · NHTSA campaign 23V858000 · 2,490,460 vehicles

Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:master cylinderJun 29, 2023 · NHTSA campaign 23V458000 · 124,077 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: Brake master cylinder separation can cause a loss of brake function and increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: 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.

Visibility:rearview mirrors/devices:exteriorMar 16, 2023 · NHTSA campaign 23V174000 · 339,404 vehicles

Problem: 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. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Risk: Detached mirror glass can reduce driver visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: 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.

Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch; structure:body:hoodNov 29, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V932000 · 724,826 vehicles

Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019 Passport, 2016-2019 Pilot, and 2017-2020 Ridgeline vehicles. The hood latch striker may become damaged and separate from the hood, which can result in the hood opening while driving.

Risk: A hood that opens while driving can obstruct the driver's view and increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will either repair the hood latch striker, or replace the hood if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 18, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is PBV.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages (EA25004) — opened Mar 26, 2025, still open.
  • Rear-View Camera Failure (PE24004) — opened Feb 13, 2024, closed Aug 5, 2024, led to recall 24V321.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

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…

Engine · received Sep 16, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11764707

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…

Engine · received Aug 27, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11759933

When driving normally, oncominng traffic is triggering the frontal collision warning system. Is some cases long enough to start the emergency braking procedure if I do not engage the brakes manually preventing the automatic emergency braking. This usually happens on curves in the road in typically…

Forward Collision Avoidance · received Aug 16, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11757268

The vehicle's front-facing monocular camera experienced an internal component failure that triggered a permanent error code U3000-49. This hardware failure instantly disabled multiple core safety features simultaneously, including the Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS), Road…

Forward Collision Avoidance · received Aug 4, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11754863

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…

Engine · received Aug 4, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11754865

Other Honda Ridgeline years

← 2019 Ridgeline · 2021 Ridgeline →

See all Honda Ridgeline problems by year, every Honda model, or the Honda VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2020 Honda Ridgeline?

Owners most often report electrical system, unknown or other, engine problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 49 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2020 Honda Ridgeline?

Yes, 8 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2020 Honda Ridgeline a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Ridgeline model years, the 2020 has more complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.