2021 Honda Ridgeline Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2021 Ridgeline most often describe the automatic high-beam system behaving erratically at night and the engine losing power or going into a reduced-power mode, usually after long highway drives in cold weather. Complaints also cover the automatic idle-stop feature failing to restart the engine and various driver-assist and rear camera problems. Many reports come in during the first two years of ownership and at low mileage.

1. 1
   Exterior lighting

   Automatic high beams flash or fail to dim

   • 16 complaints (16%)
   • median 725 mi at 0.5 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2021–2026

   Owners describe the automatic high-beam feature turning on and off repeatedly, staying on with oncoming traffic, or failing to switch to high beams on dark roads. Reflections from signs and markers are commonly cited as triggering the changes. Several owners say dealers told them the system was operating as designed, and some report the feature worked better on earlier model years. Often reported within the first few thousand miles and on nearly every night drive.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Drive the truck at night on a two-lane road and watch whether the high beams dim for oncoming traffic. Ask the seller whether the headlight software or seal has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Auto High Beam. Very sensitive. Sometimes they don't go on when they should and sometimes, they stay on blinding oncoming traffic. I have researched this problem and also have been told this is a known problem with this particular model and year - not just my vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #11686938, filed 2025-09

   “The auto-dimming headlights on my 2021 Honda Ridgeline do not work properly. They don’t engage high beams when they are supposed to, and when they do come on the flash on and immediately turn off. It has gone off and on on dark roads and is very distracting and dangerous. Sometimes they flash other drivers causing angry responses from other drivers. I brought my vehicle in to the Honda dealership and they told me it is working properly. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11465114, filed 2022-05
2. 2
   Engine

   Loss of power with flashing check engine light

   • 25 complaints (25%)
   • median 22,000 mi at 3.6 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2022–2026

   Complaints describe the engine dropping into a reduced-power mode with a flashing check engine light, usually after a long highway drive in near- or below-freezing temperatures and often while exiting or merging. Owners report the truck will not accelerate past roughly 30 mph until it is stopped and restarted. Some say the dealer could not reproduce the problem or store a code. Typically after two or more hours of highway driving in cold weather, sometimes under 10,000 miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether any stored codes or the engine software update related to this symptom have been addressed, and test-drive on the highway in cold weather if possible.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When driving at 70mph for a couple of hours and exiting the freeway, the truck will go into limp mode and won’t accelerate. This only happens when it’s very cold, less than 10 degrees Fahrenheit both times it happened to me. The engine service light will start to flash. You need to park and restart in order to clear the issue. The last time it happened, I needed to merge onto a busy freeway with very little room to pull over. It was quite dangerous for my family and I. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11498322, filed 2022-12

   “After approximately 2 unbroken hours of driving North on I-35 from Minneapolis on January 24th, 2022, I exited the freeway at exit 214 near Moose Lake. I came to a stop at the top of the ramp (stop sign) to allow cross traffic to clear and then proceeded to accelerate while turning left to cross the bridge over the freeway. About halfway through the turn, a blinking check-engine light came on. The engine also began running noticeably rougher and would not accelerate beyond 30-40 mph. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11459570, filed 2022-04
3. 3
   Forward collision avoidance

   Forward collision warnings and braking without an obstacle

   • 12 complaints (12%)
   • typically at 4.5 yrs old
   • filed 2021–2026

   Complaints describe the brake warning alerting or the system applying brakes when no vehicle is ahead, particularly on curves and two-lane roads. Some owners also report erratic adaptive cruise control behavior when a leading vehicle changes lanes. In a few cases the whole driver-assist suite stopped working and the dealer found a camera-related code. Reported at various mileages and on curves, two-lane roads and highway merges.

   What to check: Test the driver-assist features on a curved road and ask whether the forward camera unit has been replaced or recalibrated.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Automatic emergency braking has engaged on a two way highway curve a couple times until I disabled it for the remainder of the trip. The “Brake” forward collision warning screen and alarm sounds frequently on 4-lane 2-way 30 mph road with a slight curve which it mistakes car in adjacent oncoming lane as a car it may collide with, I was able to eliminate it from applying brakes be adjusting sensitivity to low but the warning still pops up. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11465178, filed 2022-05

   “My 2021 Honda Ridgeline Sport experienced failure of the forward-facing Honda Sensing camera system. This camera controls safety features including Collision Mitigation Braking, Lane Keeping Assist, and Adaptive Cruise Control. The failure disables safety assistance features. Honda acknowledged the issue but refused to provide full repair coverage and only offered $941 toward a repair costing significantly more. I believe a safety-related camera failure should be investigated as a potential defect”

   NHTSA complaint #11750429, filed 2026-07
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Rearview camera image distorted or not showing

   • 14 complaints (14%)
   • median 15,000 mi at 2.5 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • owner-quoted repair $2,000 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2021–2026

   Owners report the backup camera image flickering, distorting or going blank, sometimes after rain, and dealers quoting a camera replacement or citing a backordered part. Some complaints are about the recall repair part not being available. Reported from around 15,000 to 56,000 miles, often intermittently.

   Recall 24V3210003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check that recall 24V321000 was completed and have the camera image checked in reverse, including in wet conditions.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “was denied recall for backup camera. my backup camera went dead July 4th weekend with heavy rain it worked again and glitch on and off. Made a appt 7/10/2024 at my local dealership where I bought the vehicle and was told they are going to take pictures of it and send them in for the harness. when I got there camera works atm and was denied on recall”

   NHTSA complaint #11600824, filed 2024-07

   “The contact owns a 2021 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that the back over prevention camera was distorted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the back over prevention camera needed to be replaced; however, the part to repair the vehicle was on backorder. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11520945, filed 2023-05, 20,000 miles
5. 5
   Engine

   Engine does not restart after idle stop

   • 14 complaints (14%)
   • median 22,000 mi at 3.6 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2022–2026

   Owners report the engine shutting off at a stop and failing to restart automatically when the brake is released. Several say selecting Park or pressing the start button brings it back, while others describe a dead starter and a paid replacement. Some complaints note the manufacturer declined assistance. Reported from around 22,000 to 60,000 miles, at stoplights and after the idle-stop feature engages.

   5 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the idle-stop product update or warranty extension work was performed, and have the battery and starter checked.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Auto Engine Idle shut off engages when the vehicle comes to a stop. Upon releasing my foot from the brake pedal, the truck shifts into park as the engine restarts. This happens about 75% of the time when engaged. If I turn this feature off, I experience no issue. This is a government mandated feature that appears to be a problem. I need support in making sure that Honda takes responsibility for this issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #11494446, filed 2022-11

   “2021 Honda Ridgeline Sport with 60,000 miles and no other issues. Engine failed to restart after the auto stop/start kicked in, all the lights on the dashboard went off and then turned off. After 1 minute, I was able to get the car started again, this happened on 3 different occasions over a 4 week period. Got the car tested and the starter was bad. Contacted Honda, they said too bad, no issues with the starter. I got the starter replaced for $800 and now NHTSA is investigating the issue Honda said was not an issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #11653050, filed 2025-04

Buying note. Check that the open recalls for this year were completed and confirm whether the idle-stop and engine software updates have been applied. A night test drive and a highway drive in cold weather will show how the high-beam and driver-assist systems behave.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.