Exterior lighting, electrical system, engine, and forward collision avoidance issues are the main causes of complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
The 2022 Honda Ridgeline is targeted as a truck for people who want something different. It’s hailed as a “mid-size adventure truck” by the manufacturer. But some owners are questioning the level of adventure the 2022 Ridgeline presents.. Customers are complaining about the defective electrical system, malfunctioning forward collision avoidance system, dangerous exterior lighting design, and engine failure.
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In terms of numbers, the most common issue 2022 Honda Ridgeline owners are complaining to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about is exterior lighting. Of the 38 complaints lodged with the NHTSA between December 17, 2021, and January 23, 2023, more than a third (14) of which state that the automatic high beam headlights malfunction. Lemberg Law is aware of this problem and launched an investigation into the issue in mid-2022.
There are 7 NHTSA complaints that involve the electrical system. Of these, 5 state that the wireless charger for cell phones doesn’t work properly. The other 2 involve the battery and one of these reports a fire in the Ridgeline.
There are 2 categories, Forward Collision Avoidance and the Engine, that have attracted 5 complaints each. The engine issues relate to error messages as well as vehicles suddenly losing power. The forward collision avoidance problems are related to the warning braking system that randomly activates and includes 1 injury.
Other components and systems that are highlighted in complaints are the fuel/propulsion system, latches/locks/linkages, steering, trailer hitches, and visibility.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Electrical System | |
| Engine | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Power Train | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Service Brakes |
The main problem listed under the Electrical System is that the factory-installed wireless charger for cell phones malfunctions. There are also complaints of battery failure.
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Many owners are complaining that their cell phone wireless charger doesn’t work. But dealers are unable or unwilling to repair or replace the equipment. Yet, there is evidence that they know it is a problem. For example, an owner from North Carolina states that he took his Honda wireless charger to the dealer. The “dealer confirmed it was not working and that Honda knows that this is an issue.” Unimpressed, he goes on to say, “This truck was bought new from the dealer and Honda knew this is an issue.”
Another dealer “declined” to repair or replace a wireless charger in a Ridgeline owned by someone in Colorado. The dealer maintained that the iPhone 12 mini silicone case was interfering with the charging process. But removing the case made no difference. The owner bought a new iPhone 13 but it didn’t solve the problem. It charges for a few seconds, stops, and the LED indicator blinks. When the iPhone became very hot, he stopped trying and turned the wireless charger off.
An owner from Texas states that he has tested the wireless charging pad with 3 Apple iPhones. They start charging for a few seconds and then stop. The complaint states that online videos show that many 2021 and 2022 Honda vehicles have the same problem, not only the Ridgeline.
An owner from California had an unnerving experience when her new 2022 Ridgeline caught on fire. It had only 200 miles on the clock when this happened. She had been driving for about a mile. When she got home she wasn’t able to shift the vehicle into reverse using the reverse button. The “emission, transmission, and an unknown sensor warning light were illuminated on the instrument panel during the failure.”
Her husband was able to drive the Ridgeline to the dealer who said the problem might be battery failure. But 2 days after the battery was replaced, “whitish-gray smoke started coming from the steering wheel” while she was driving slowly. The steering wheel got extremely hot. Afraid the entire truck might catch on fire, she switched it off and the couple leaped out.
When the smoke stopped, the Ridgeline was towed to the dealer. No feedback was reported in the complaint as the owner was waiting for a diagnosis.
The other battery-related complaint from an owner in Michigan is listed as an electrical system, engine, and powertrain problem. The idle engine auto-stop engaged while the Ridgeline was stopped at a red traffic light. A battery warning light and a “Shift to Park” message were displayed. The owner had to shift into Park and manually restart the vehicle before it would move.
The complaint states that a red battery dash light was illuminated at the time. “I did not notice it before this happened. The vehicle had been at freeway speeds for 30+ minutes, so low voltage shouldn’t have been an issue. It was below-freezing at the time, however.”
Seeing clearly at night is critical to remaining safe on the road. This means drivers rely on an effective exterior lighting system. But owners experiencing problems with the automatic high beam feature say it is a safety hazard and a hindrance, rather than a help.
Complaints about the automatic high beam system state that the system malfunctions. Dealers respond by saying they can’t detect fault codes in the system or that the system is functioning as designed. Our post on the high beam issue quotes several of the complaints lodged with the NHTSA. Here are some more recent ones.
An owner from Iowa says the auto high beams consistently fail to turn on or off at appropriate times. This makes them “unreliable and unsafe. I was forced to disable them because of several incidents in which they failed to stay on while driving on dark rural roads or failed to turn off with oncoming traffic.”
Having owned a 2019 Ridgeline that had automatic high beams that did work, an owner from Maine says “I know how to use the feature.” This complaint also states that dark roads are a problem. “When activated it will not turn on the high beams on a dark road with no other lights in view.”
Several owners emphasize how unreliable the auto high beam feature is. For instance, an owner from Arizona states that the “Automatic high beams on this vehicle are unreliable and constantly flash oncoming traffic. High beams will turn on and off in succession multiple times. The system is unusable and potentially dangerous for oncoming traffic.”
An owner from Colorado says: “The high beams will go off almost immediately once a road sign reflects on the sensor. This feature is totally unreliable and is actually a safety hazard because of how often it deactivates when on the roadway even though there is no traffic coming in either direction. It rarely reactivates when traveling on the highway.”
An owner from Florida traded in a 2017 Ridgeline for a 2022 model. He complained about the auto high beam feature when it was only 3 days old. While the feature worked well in the 2017 model, it is “erratic,” sometimes failing to operate in the 2022 model. Not only does it create a major safety hazard because drivers are blinded by high beams, but it “could be a good road rage problem, cause an accident, and lastly cause the driver to be issued a ticket. If the oncoming vehicle is coming around a bend and there is a perfect alignment of the two vehicles, they must turn off. But they don’t, blinding the oncoming driver. They do not work period and are a serious safety hazard. Honda needs to resolve this ASAP.
An owner from Colorado is aware of “a few very upset drivers” who have experienced high beams in their eyes or rearview mirror. This is because the “automatic high beams randomly come on when cars are approaching.”
Why do the High Beams Malfunction?
An owner from California maintains that Honda has made changes to the previous dedicated automatic high beam camera. They “moved the functionality into the shared ‘multi-purpose’ camera that is also used for Honda sensing features, and raised the activation speed. These changes not only ruined the automatic high beam function but made it dangerous at times. The automatic high beams rarely work in my neighborhood which has zero street lamps. And I was told by the dealer that it is supposed to operate that way.”
Problems reported in complaints about the forward collision avoidance system state that it randomly activates the forward collision braking system. An owner from Tennessee describes how the Ridgeline accelerates at high speed when the system is activated. Then it slams on the brakes. It then drifts back quite a way and repeats. “Extremely dangerous.” The Honda dealer acknowledged there is an issue and said there is “no fix.”
An owner from California has experienced random braking several times. Twice there wasn’t any other car on the road. If there had been, “it would have caused an accident.” The complaint also states that service advisors from 3 Honda outlets, Shingle Springs, Folsom, and Santa Monica, have had multiple complaints. They have also had “their own personal experience with this problem in Honda/Acuras.”
An owner from Tennessee was warned that the 2022 Honda Ridgeline wasn’t safe to drive after the brake warning light came on and the anti-lock braking system (ABS) locked up. The warning was “Collision Mitigation System Problem,” and it lit up about 6 times on a short drive. The dealership test-drove the truck and the same thing happened. The complaint was made 4 weeks after the truck went into the shop while they were trying to get “a radar-sending unit.”
An owner from Colorado wasn’t warned about the safety issue and was injured when the Ridgeline slammed on its brakes. There was no car in front and the car behind had to swerve to avoid crashing. The driver had “lacerations to my neck from the seatbelt.”
Of the 5 faulty engine complaints, 3 state that the check engine light came on while they were driving. Another says the idle engine auto-stop displayed when he stopped. The other issue reported in 2 complaints is the engine losing power and failing.
An owner from Wisconsin was driving a 2022 Ridgeline that was a few months old when the check engine light came on. The vehicle “noticeably reduced power,” and the engine sounded “odd”. The dealer couldn’t locate an error code and essentially said, “no code, no problem,” advising the owner “to drive it until something goes wrong again.”
This vehicle had less than 8,000 miles on the clock and had had its initial service done by a Honda dealer. “I’m very concerned that this will happen while driving on the highway and (it will) be a serious safety issue with the drastically reduced power. Perhaps most importantly, I am reporting this because there are forums full of other people with newer Honda Ridgelines experiencing the exact same issue – repeatedly – without any acknowledgement from Honda.”
When vehicles have recurring problems that negatively affect their use and/or value, there’s a good chance that they may fall into the lemon category. So, it’s not surprising that every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace, or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners. They are also forced, by law, to pay the legal fees of lemon law cases.
If you think that your 2022 Honda Ridgeline might be a lemon, you are welcome to contact Lemberg Law for a free evaluation. All you have to do is call our Helpline or fill out a contact form.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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