2021 Honda Ridgeline: What to check before buying

Two patterns dominate. The first is a sudden loss of power: the check engine light flashes, the engine shakes and runs on a few cylinders, and the truck drops into limp mode. It usually happens after hours of highway driving in freezing weather, right when exiting or merging. A restart clears it, and dealers often find no stored codes. The second is bottom-end knocking from failed connecting rod bearings, which ends in engine replacement, with one case at 53k miles. A few owners also report auto stop/start failing to restart the engine.

Two reports describe engine failure from the bottom end. Each starts with knocking under load, followed by limp mode or a low oil warning. Dealers then found failed bearings or disconnected connecting rods and called for a new engine. In one case the dealer replaced the timing belt, water pump, and tensioner first, and the knock continued. A third report describes auto stop/start failing to restart at a stoplight at 50,500 miles, tied to federal investigation EA25004.

Automatic high beams misbehave in nearly every report. The lights stay bright toward oncoming cars, flash drivers at close range, and drop to low beam when they catch reflections from road signs and mile markers, then cycle back on. Several owners say earlier Ridgelines with a dedicated camera worked well and blame a design change for 2020 and 2021. Dealers often call the behavior normal or say Honda has given them no fix, so many owners turn the feature off. One report describes moisture inside a headlight housing at about 43,928 miles.

Auto stop/start sometimes fails to restart the engine at a light or in an intersection. The driver then has to shift into park and press the start button. Backup camera reports describe black or flickering screens and broken harness wires in the same spot as an earlier recall. Some owners were denied recall coverage, and others are waiting on parts. The wireless charger keeps disconnecting and heats phones, even after a dealer replaces it. Other reports cover limp mode after highway exits, rodent-chewed harness wiring, water under the rear seat carpet, and Bluetooth volume shifts.

Most reports describe the same cold-weather limp mode. After long highway runs in freezing temperatures, the check engine light flashes on an exit ramp and the truck will not go past 30 to 35 mph. A restart clears it, no codes are stored, and several trucks had fewer than 8,000 miles. Other owners say the transmission drops into neutral at stops and shows a failure alert. On steep hills, rolling backward can shut off the engine and leave little steering or braking. A dead truck needs a special tool to shift into neutral.

False alarms and phantom braking dominate. The system flashes BRAKE, shakes the wheel, and sometimes slows the truck for oncoming cars on two-lane roads, cars in turn lanes, or traffic on curves. Drivers behind then risk a rear-end collision. Dealers call it normal and suggest switching it off. Lowering the sensitivity stops the braking but not the warnings. One owner also reports lane keeping assist veering across lanes and adaptive cruise control braking hard for no reason.

Four separate issues appear. The edge under the composite tailgate is sharp enough to cut, and one owner was injured reaching for the release. The original side mirrors wobble, and owners say the recalled replacement mirrors look distorted. One tailgate dropped open when pulling away from a light, with no warning light. On an HPD truck, a front fender flare held by tape tore loose at 75 MPH and hit the tire. The truck pulled hard, which risks loss of control.

These reports are mostly about a parts shortage. Owners got notice of recall 24V321000 for the backup camera but could not get the repair because parts were unavailable or on backorder. They say the wait has gone on far too long. Where the camera does fail, the image flickers or looks distorted in reverse, in reports at about 15,000 and 20,000 miles. Several of these owners had not had any failure yet.

Only two reports appear here. In one crash with an injury, the truck did not slow when the driver braked for stopped traffic, and it hit the vehicle ahead at nearly full speed. In the other, the BRAKE warning flashes on the dash for a second or two on local roads with nothing ahead, and the driver feels no braking. That second report resembles the false collision warnings filed under other categories.