TruckTally

2021 Honda Ridgeline problems and recalls

Owners filed 97 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Honda Ridgeline, and the agency lists 7 recall campaigns. Everything below comes straight from the federal database — no editorial ranking.

Complaints
97
Recalls
7
Crash-related
3
Complaints where the owner reported a crash.
Fire-related
0
Complaints where the owner reported a fire.

What owners complained about

Engine
26 · 26.8%
Forward Collision Avoidance
14 · 14.4%
Electrical System
14 · 14.4%
Unknown or Other
14 · 14.4%
Exterior Lighting
14 · 14.4%
Power Train
11 · 11.3%
Fuel/propulsion System
6 · 6.2%
Structure
5 · 5.2%
Lane Departure
4 · 4.1%
Back Over Prevention
4 · 4.1%

A single complaint can name more than one system, so shares add up to more than 100%. Complaint counts reflect how many of these trucks are on the road as much as how reliable they are. A best-selling truck collects more complaints than a rare one at the same defect rate, so these figures compare a model against its own other years far better than against a different model.

Recall campaigns

Structure:frame And Members26V365000 · 2026-06-04

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.

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. 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 Passenger26V332000 · 2026-05-21

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.

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. 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: Camera24V321000 · 2024-05-09

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 Passenger24V064000 · 2024-02-01

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.

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

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder23V458000 · 2023-06-29

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.

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. Honda's numbers for this recall are VEU, AEV, and ZET.

Visibility:rearview Mirrors/devices:exterior23V174000 · 2023-03-16

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."

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.

Seat Belts:rear/other:retractor21V900000 · 2021-11-18

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."

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.

Common questions

What are the most common problems with the 2021 Honda Ridgeline?

Of 97 complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most reported category is engine at 26 complaints (26.8% of the total), followed by forward collision avoidance at 14. These are owner-submitted reports, not confirmed defect rates.

How many recalls does the 2021 Honda Ridgeline have?

7 recall campaigns. Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the vehicle's age or how many owners it has had. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a campaign listed here may not apply to your specific truck.

Is the 2021 Honda Ridgeline reliable?

Complaint totals alone cannot answer that. Complaint counts reflect how many of these trucks are on the road as much as how reliable they are. A best-selling truck collects more complaints than a rare one at the same defect rate, so these figures compare a model against its own other years far better than against a different model. The useful comparison is against the same truck's other model years, which is what the year-over-year table on this page shows.

Related

Last updated 2026-08-10. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (api.nhtsa.gov), public domain. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by vehicle owners; NHTSA does not confirm them and a complaint is not a finding of defect. Recall applicability depends on your VIN — check nhtsa.gov/recalls.