2020 Honda Ridgeline Reliability Report

The automatic high beams behave erratically. They stay on into oncoming traffic, then dim for reflections from road signs and markers, or flicker with nothing ahead. Other drivers flash their lights in response. The problem shows up mostly on highways and is often present from new. Dealers find no service bulletin or fix, and one owner was told to turn the feature off. Headlights packing with snow and ice in winter is a separate complaint, and so is waiting on parts for the camera harness recall.

Nearly every report is about a recall delay, not a failure. Owners get notices for air bag recall 24V064000, but dealers have no parts, and many say the wait has gone on too long. Several of these owners also hold the back-over prevention camera recall, which is waiting on the same parts. One crash report describes an animal strike at about 35 mph. The air bag did not deploy, the seat belt did not restrain the driver, and she was injured.

The transmission shifts itself into neutral while reversing and shows a warning to stop driving. Other trucks flash the check engine light and go into limp mode after long highway drives, with no stored codes and no fix from the dealer. In one case the instrument cluster went dark and the shifter locked in park, and the truck had to be towed. With a dead battery, the 9-speed cannot be put in neutral without a special Honda tool. Idle stop failures and AWD and charging warnings also appear here.

The rearview camera shows a black screen or no image in reverse. Where dealers diagnose it, the cause is the camera wiring harness. Reported failures range from about 15,000 to 60,000 miles. Several reports concern recall 24V321000 parts that dealers cannot get. Others say the camera still fails after the recall repair was done. Most failures come without a warning light.

The truck brakes hard on its own with nothing ahead, including at highway speeds near 70 mph, and drivers nearly get rear-ended. One owner counts 12 or more events. Some trucks show a "BRAKE" alert for oncoming traffic. Dealers usually find nothing wrong, even after repeat visits. A separate failure shuts off the driver aids all at once, with warnings for adaptive cruise, collision mitigation, lane keeping and auto high beams. Clearing the codes helps only briefly.

The rear camera cuts out on and off, then shows only guide lines or a black screen. Opening the tailgate sometimes brings the image back for a while. Dealers find frayed or exposed wires in the tailgate harness and replace it, sometimes at the owner's cost because the 2017 to 2019 recall did not cover these trucks. Some side mirrors installed under a recall are wavy and distorted, which makes the driver's mirror hard to use.

The automatic braking system applies the brakes on the highway with no obstacle ahead, and some owners say it is happening more often. Dealers have told owners nothing is wrong. One report covers recall 23V458000 with no parts available, after the truck turned unintentionally under braking at about 38,000 miles. Another describes the pedal feeling soft on first press and firmer moments later.