2018 Honda RIDGELINE

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Below Average

Quick Summary

The 2018 Honda RIDGELINE has 194 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 2.4x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is electrical problems (25% of all complaints), specifically: tl* the contact owns a 2018 honda ridgeline. the contact stated that the safety system feature that detects surrounding vehicles did not function. in addition, the contact stated that the brakes did not activate in order to avoid a crash when the vehicle was too close to the vehicle in front. the co. ⚠️ 1 fire report filed.

1 fire report 2 crash reports 1 injury

194

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

2.4x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ELECTRICAL

48 complaints

25%

• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 HONDA RIDGELINE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SAFETY SYSTEM FEATURE THAT DETECTS SURROUNDING VEHICLES DID NOT FUNCTION. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES DID NOT ACTIVATE IN ORDER TO AVOID A CRASH WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. THE CO
• ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20TH I WAS HEADING TO MONTREAL FROM TORONTO DURING A SNOW STORM. ABOUT 2 HRS INTO THE TRIP, SOMEONE CUT IN FRONT OF ME , AND I ATTEMPTED TO SOUND THE HORN, HOWEVER IT APPEARED IT HAD FROZEN UP, AND BARELY WORKED. ALONG WITH A HORRIBLE EXHAUST VIBRATION DURING THE LAST 3 HOURS OF MY
• TWO WAY TAILGATE BACK UP CAMERA WIRING BROKE AFTER ONLY 7000 MILES DUE TO POOR DESIGN, PER LIA HONDA REPRESENTATIVE.THIS WIRE HARNESS SUPPLIES BACK UP CAMERA VIEWING. AFTER 7000 MILES I WAS UNABLE TO SEE WHAT WAS BEHIND VEHICLE WHEN BACKING UP. WIRES BROKE DUE TO UNDER ENGINEERED HARNESS MATERIAL.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 HONDA RIDGELINE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SAFETY SYSTEM FEATURE THAT DETECTS SURROUNDING VEHICLES DID NOT FUNCTION. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES DID NOT ACTIVATE IN ORDER TO AVOID A CRASH WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. THE CO”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

41 complaints

21%

• THE TAILGATE WIRING HARNESS IS DAMAGED BY ROUTINE OPENING OF THE TAILGATE. THIS CAUSES THE WIRES TO BE SEVERED, CAUSING FAILURE OF THE BACKUP CAMERA AND OTHER ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS IN THE TAILGATE. THE WIRING HARNESS BY DESIGN IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE OPENING AND CLOSING OF THE TAILGATE.
• THE TAILGATE WIRING HARNESS IS DAMAGED BY ROUTINE OPENING OF THE TAILGATE. THIS CAUSES THE WIRES TO BE SEVERED, CAUSING FAILURE OF THE BACKUP CAMERA AND OTHER ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS IN THE TAILGATE. THE WIRING HARNESS BY DESIGN IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE OPENING AND CLOSING OF THE TAILGATE.
• SEVERAL OF THESE MODELS ARE HAVING ISSUES WITH THE ROUTINE AND DESIGN OF THE POWER SUPPLY AND SIGNAL FROM THE BACKUP CAMERA DUE TO BREAKING OF THE WIRING HARNESS. MY CAMERA STOPPED WORKING AFTER OPENING THE TAILGATE IN BELOW FREEZING WEATHER. I NOTICED A BROKEN WIRE IN THE HARNESS. I CHECKED TH

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“THE TAILGATE WIRING HARNESS IS DAMAGED BY ROUTINE OPENING OF THE TAILGATE. THIS CAUSES THE WIRES TO BE SEVERED, CAUSING FAILURE OF THE BACKUP CAMERA AND OTHER ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS IN THE TAILGATE. THE WIRING HARNESS BY DESIGN IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE OPENING AND CLOSING OF THE TAILGATE. ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

30 complaints

15%

• WATER COLLECTS BEHIND CAPLESS FUEL FILLER FLAPPER AND IN COLD TEMPERATURES, AN ICE PLUG FORMS BEHIND FLAPPER. ICE PLUG PREVENTS OPENING FLAPPER TO INSERT GAS NOZZLE AND AND INABILITY TO REFUEL VEHICLE.
• WATER GETS IN FUEL FILLER CAP (OUTER HINGE) AND FREEZES. ICE DAM IN THE FUEL FILLER AREA PREVENTS FUEL HINGE FROM BEING OPENED, WHICH PREVENTS VEHICLE FROM BEING FUELED. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY WHEN I DISCOVERED THE PROBLEM (PARKED NEXT TO THE FUEL PUMPS). HAS HAPPENED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASION
• CAPLESS FUEL FILLER DEFECT. WATER GETS IN CHAMBER AND IN FREEZING TEMPERATURES, DRAINAGE HOLES GET PLUGGED WITH ICE AND SUBSEQUENT WATER ENTERS, BUILDS UP, CREATES BLOCKAGE AND PREVENTS FLAP FROM OPENING AND VEHICLE CANNOT BE GASSED UP. NOT BEING ABLE TO PUT GAS IN VEHICLE AND BEING STRANDED IN SUB

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“WATER COLLECTS BEHIND CAPLESS FUEL FILLER FLAPPER AND IN COLD TEMPERATURES, AN ICE PLUG FORMS BEHIND FLAPPER. ICE PLUG PREVENTS OPENING FLAPPER TO INSERT GAS NOZZLE AND AND INABILITY TO REFUEL VEHICLE.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

23 complaints

12%

• My 2018 Honda Ridgeline began to make a loud knocking noise from the lower motor. I bought this vehicle last June with 47k miles on it. The vehicle has prompted me twice to change the oil. Both times I changes the oil myself within two days of the car warning stating I had 15% life of the oil. At th
• The Honda Ridgeline 2018 has an issue that it burns its transmission fluid really fast to the point that the Truck's transmission starts to judder. This causes the truck to have issues accelerating or changing gears. This happened to me in a 70 MPH highway, when the problem starts you see the RPM ga
• Our 2018 Honda Ridgeline broke a connecting rod, that quickly punched through the engine block. My entire family was left stranded on the side of I-79, at night, in the mountains of West Virginia, in subfreezing temperatures, with no power or heat. It took an hour for a tow truck to reach us (we

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“My 2018 Honda Ridgeline began to make a loud knocking noise from the lower motor. I bought this vehicle last June with 47k miles on it. The vehicle has prompted me twice to change the oil. Both times I changes the oil myself within two days of the car warning stating I had 15% life of the oil. At th”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

17 complaints

• WHENEVER I DRIVE THE VEHICLE, MY LEFT FOOT GOES NUMB AFTER DRIVING FOR ONLY 5-15 MINUTES. MY LEFT FOOT AND LEG ARE VERY PAINFUL FOR THE BALANCE OF THE DAY ANYTIME I DRIVE THE RIDGELINE. (I AM OF AVERAGE HEIGHT AND WEIGHT.) I HAVE REACHED OUT TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP AND AMERICAN HONDA (SEE COR
• BACK UP CAMERA WIRING HARNESS PLACED IN SPOT THAT INEVITABLE DAMAGE WILL OCCUR THAT BREAKS WIRING FOR BACK CAMERA TO BE VISIBLE. TAILGATE OPENING TWO DIFFERENT WAYS, PLACES THE WIRING AGAINST A METAL BORDER, DAMAGING PLASTIC HARNESS. CAMERA GOES COMPLETELY BLACK, THEN STOPS WORKING. HONDA DENIES
• BACKUP CAMERA QUIT WORKING. INSPECTION OF WIRING HARNESS GOING TO TAILGATE SHOWS WIRE LOOM DISINTEGRATED, WIRES BROKEN. CONSULTED HONDA RIDGELINE FORUM, FOUND THIS THREAD WITH 10 PAGES, 192 POSTS FROM 71 PARTICIPANTS: HTTPS://WWW.RIDGELINEOWNERSCLUB.COM/THREADS/2017-2018-BROKEN-TAILGATE-HARNESS-CAUS

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

“WHENEVER I DRIVE THE VEHICLE, MY LEFT FOOT GOES NUMB AFTER DRIVING FOR ONLY 5-15 MINUTES. MY LEFT FOOT AND LEG ARE VERY PAINFUL FOR THE BALANCE OF THE DAY ANYTIME I DRIVE THE RIDGELINE. (I AM OF AVERAGE HEIGHT AND WEIGHT.) I HAVE REACHED OUT TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP AND AMERICAN HONDA (SEE COR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 194 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ELECTRICAL: TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 HONDA RIDGELINE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SAFETY SYSTEM FEATURE THAT DETECTS SURROUNDING VEHICLES DID NOT FUNCTION. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES DID NOT ACTIVATE IN ORDER TO AVOID A CRASH WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. THE CO
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: THE TAILGATE WIRING HARNESS IS DAMAGED BY ROUTINE OPENING OF THE TAILGATE. THIS CAUSES THE WIRES TO BE SEVERED, CAUSING FAILURE OF THE BACKUP CAMERA AND OTHER ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS IN THE TAILGATE. THE WIRING HARNESS BY DESIGN IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE OPENING AND CLOSING OF THE TAILGATE.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
FUEL SYSTEM: WATER COLLECTS BEHIND CAPLESS FUEL FILLER FLAPPER AND IN COLD TEMPERATURES, AN ICE PLUG FORMS BEHIND FLAPPER. ICE PLUG PREVENTS OPENING FLAPPER TO INSERT GAS NOZZLE AND AND INABILITY TO REFUEL VEHICLE.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: My 2018 Honda Ridgeline began to make a loud knocking noise from the lower motor. I bought this vehicle last June with 47k miles on it. The vehicle has prompted me twice to change the oil. Both times I changes the oil myself within two days of the car warning stating I had 15% life of the oil. At th
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)