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EnginePart report

2021 Honda Ridgeline Engine Problems

Complaints
29about this part
Share
28%of 102 total for the year
Median mileage
11,900miles
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 29 complaints about the engine of the 2021 Honda Ridgeline, 28% of the 102 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 11,900 miles.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Engine began knocking from the bottom end at 53k miles. It was determined that a connecting rod bearing had failed and Honda is replacing my engine under warranty. No cost was incurred to me but I am adding my complaint because my VIN is not included in the recall for this exact problem in other years close to mine and the recall my need to be expanded to a wider range of VINs.”

NHTSA complaint #11682881, filed 2025-08

“The check engine light came on Dec 26 which I took to have checked and was told that it should go to the shop. The code was not being stored. I took it to the Honda dealership and they did a complete check and said the engine had gone back. The connecting rods and barrings cause the engine to fail and it needed to be replaced. I contacted Honda Goodwill and they declined to do anything to help repair the engine.”

NHTSA complaint #11717426, filed 2026-02

“My car is equipe with a idle stop start assitant and in 3 ocasions did not restar the vehicle after stoping on a red light, I have to put the car in parking and then try to re-start the vehicle triying 1 or 2 time until starts up.”

NHTSA complaint #11622518, filed 2024-10

“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

“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

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202619%
20252625%
20242129%
20232217%
20222521%
20212928%
20203822%
20193816%
20182214%
20178725%
201413%
201324%
201214%
201025%
200854%
2007117%
2006115%

Other parts of the 2021 Honda Ridgeline

Electrical system
15 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
15 complaints
Exterior lighting
14 complaints
Other or unknown
14 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
11 complaints
Fuel system
6 complaints
Body and structure
5 complaints
Back-over prevention (rear camera)
4 complaints
Lane departure
4 complaints
Vehicle speed control
4 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
4 complaints
Air bags
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2021 Honda Ridgeline

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology