2021 Honda Ridgeline Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Ridgeline years
- About as many complaints as other years 10th of 20 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 7 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 102 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Honda Ridgeline. That ranks 10th out of 20 Ridgeline model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (29 complaints, 28%), typically at around 11,900 miles. Complaints mention 3 crashes, 2 injuries. There are 7 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 102owner complaints
- 7safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 3complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2021 Honda Ridgeline problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 29 | 28% | 11,900 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 15 | 15% | 30 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 15 | 15% | — | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 14 | 14% | 1,100 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 14 | 14% | — | — | — |
| Power Train | 11 | 11% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 6 | 6% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 5 | 5% | — | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 4 | 4% | 17,500 | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 4 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 4% | 22,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 4 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Air Bags | 3 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 3% | 52,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Suspension | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Steering | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2021 Honda Ridgeline recalls (7)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Suspension:rear; structure:frame and members
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 passenger
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: camera
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 passenger
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.
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:master cylinder
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:exterior
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.
Seat belts:rear/other:retractor
Problem: 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. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: 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.
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 seized Honda dealership found a hole in block. Estimated repair almost $13k for a used motor. Contacted American Honda and after several weeks they refused assistance. I was barely able to exit freeway. I had to walk as area was remote without cell coverage. I understand there is a lawsuit…
The auto idle function- the car engine doesn't restart. This has happened in a busy intersection and won't restart until you have made several attempts to restart. I have brought this to the attention of Honda certified techs.
The complete Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) has been disabled on my truck and all the warning lights are on. All the safety features ment to keep me safe on the road are no longer working.
1.The rear wheel assembly, lug nuts, and potentially the wheel studs/rear suspension system failed due to improper torque and installation by the dealership. Yes, the vehicle components are available for inspection 2.The dealership released my vehicle with completely untorqued lug nuts on the rear…
This involves the paddle shift operation on the steering wheel. There are two paddles, one at 3 o'clock and 6 o'clock where the hands come into contact with the steering wheel. On four separate occasions, while driving at a relatively high rate of speed, my hands accidentally activated the gear…
Other Honda Ridgeline years
← 2020 Ridgeline · 2022 Ridgeline →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Ridgeline | 10 | 0 |
| 2025 Ridgeline | 98 | 2 |
| 2024 Ridgeline | 64 | 1 |
| 2023 Ridgeline | 128 | 5 |
| 2022 Ridgeline | 117 | 3 |
| 2021 | 102 | 7 |
| 2020 Ridgeline | 169 | 8 |
| 2019 Ridgeline | 237 | 11 |
| 2018 Ridgeline | 162 | 7 |
| 2017 Ridgeline | 344 | 8 |
| 2015 Ridgeline | 2 | 0 |
| 2014 Ridgeline | 34 | 6 |
| 2013 Ridgeline | 45 | 7 |
| 2012 Ridgeline | 24 | 11 |
| 2011 Ridgeline | 39 | 10 |
| 2010 Ridgeline | 42 | 9 |
| 2009 Ridgeline | 35 | 8 |
| 2008 Ridgeline | 143 | 8 |
| 2007 Ridgeline | 160 | 8 |
| 2006 Ridgeline | 242 | 12 |
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 2021 Honda Ridgeline?
Owners most often report engine, electrical system, forward collision avoidance problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 29 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2021 Honda Ridgeline?
Yes, 7 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2021 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 2021 has about as many complaints as a typical year, 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.