Top Problems: Automatic high beam, engine, and powertrain issues
Regarded by Honda as being fast and efficient, the Ridgeline has been around for nearly two decades. The automaker states that the 2023 model, available since fall 2022, has enhanced rugged capability and design so that the light pickup truck remains competitive. But a major problem is that consumers are finding the automatic high beam system, engine, and powertrain malfunction, threatening their safety. Those affected by these failures can’t rely on the ruggedness, speed, or efficiency of the vehicle to change this.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2019 2020 2021 2022
The most common problem reported to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) about the 2023 Honda Ridgeline relates to exterior lighting. More specifically, they say that the automatic high beams malfunction, impacting visibility seriously. By early March 2023, there were seven complaints on file with the NHTSA, and all but one was about the high beam problem. By mid-November 2024, many other issues had emerged. However, more than 36% of all complaints relate to high-beam headlights.
Other components and systems with malfunctions causing owners to complain include airbags, backover prevention, the electrical system, engine, equipment, forward collision avoidance, fuel/propulsion system, land departure, powertrain, service brakes, steering, structure, vehicle speed control, visibility/wiper, and the wheels of the Ridgeline.
The most serious issues include a lack of acceleration and loss of motive power, identified mostly as engine and/or powertrain failures. There are also a substantial number of complaints about forward collision avoidance malfunctions including warning codes illuminating for no apparent reason.
There are currently three recalls and one investigation that affect the 2023 Honda Ridgeline.
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| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Engine | |
| Electrical System | |
| Power Train | |
| Back Over Prevention | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Lane Departure: Assist |
This was launched by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) on February 13, 2024, three months before Honda announced the recall “to alleged failures of the rearview camera (RVC) in 2020-2023 Model Year (MY) Honda Ridgeline vehicles.” This was prompted by 50 complaints from consumers complaining that the RVC image failed to display when the vehicle was in reverse.
The investigation revealed the cause of the problem. “The RVC wire harness is routed near the hinge in the tailgate, in a location where frequent opening and closing of the tailgate causes bending stress on the harness. Honda determined the wire harness was manufactured with a material which is permeable to water and salt, which when it freezes and thaws, combined with tailgate usage, ultimately leads to breakage of the wiring in the tailgate harness. This results in a failure to display the RVC image.”
The ODI closed the investigation in May when Honda filed the safety recall.
However, as recently as mid-November 2024, owners with Ridgelines identified as being affected by the fault were reporting to the NHTSA that the repair was not available.
The 2023 Ridgeline LED low-beam headlights come with an advanced auto high-beam feature. When the headlight control is set to ‘auto,’ the high beams turn on automatically if they don’t detect other vehicles in front of the Ridgeline. Then, if they detect another vehicle, the high beams switch back to low beams. Or that’s how they should work!
For several years, owners of Honda Ridgelines have been complaining about high beam issues to the NHTSA and discussing their problems on forums. As a result, Lemberg Law is investigating complaints from 2022 Honda Ridgeline owners relating to this issue. But we have established that the problem has been evident with the 2020 and 2021 models as well.
So, for more than three years Honda Ridgeline owners and drivers have been complaining about faulty automatic high beam systems. But dealerships continue to say that because there aren’t any technical service bulletins (TSBs) on the subject, they can’t do anything to help.
Now, 2023 owners are also finding fault with the system.
The first NHTSA complaint was on October 27, 2022. The owner from North Carolina said that auto headlights hadn’t worked since they had owned the vehicle and it was “a real concern at night.” They were surprised when the dealer acknowledged the problem but couldn’t fix it “until Honda issues a repair solution.” At the time, the truck had only 560 miles.
An owner from Oklahoma said he “nearly hit a deer at highway speeds due to failure to operate when (the Ridgeline) should have been in (auto) high beam (mode).” The other problem is that “they go on and off causing blinding to oncoming traffic. This is a well-known problem documented by numerous Honda Ridgeline owners. It needs to be fixed before more people are injured or killed as a result.”
Echoing exactly the same problems, an owner from Alabama adds that the high beams also turn off “when the system sees another light source, such as a pole light, several hundred feet off the road.“
An owner from California terms the fault as the automatic beams not working “fluidly.” He maintains it is “a safety issue because they (the beams) are sensitive to the point where it seems you are ‘high beaming’ oncoming traffic.” The complaint states that all components in this Ridgeline are in working order. “There are no warning lamps as this is the way the vehicle was intended to operate by the manufacturer. Honda let it slip past and it should not have. This problem needs further review by NHTSA for safety purposes.”
Another owner maintains the sensor camera for the auto high beams is defective. This was confirmed by an owner from Idaho whose truck had 50 miles and was diagnosed with a faulty camera sensor in July 2023.
Fast forward to 2024 — and nothing has changed! In October 2024, an owner described the failure in a complaint. “When the high beams are in use, they will not dim when approaching an oncoming vehicle. Conversely, when they are on low beam, they do not switch to high beam setting when it is totally dark outside and no cars are approaching. This fault was not disclosed during (the) initial test drive and the dealership’s only explanation is that they are sorry, but it can’t be fixed.”
Some dealers apparently do try to fix the problem, but, as an owner from Wisconsin reported in July 2024, the problem persists. That was after two attempts. Then they told the owner “they have no fix and I just have to turn off that feature.”
An owner from Maryland states that the “Auto high beam feature turns on and off even when there are no oncoming vehicles. The feature is unreliable and dangerous.” Oddly, the feature worked perfectly in his 2019 Ridgeline, he says. An owner from Texas points out that the feature worked perfectly in the 2020 Ridgeline models.
An owner from New York reports that the dealer told him to turn the auto dimmers off manually. “To me that is NOT the solution. But they were totally honest with me, telling me they do not work but not until after I purchased the Ridgeline.”
Many, though not all, of the problems regarded by owners as engine problems, are also considered to be powertrain malfunctions. These include issues relating to a lack of acceleration and loss of motive power, which appear closely related.
An owner from Nevada regards his problem as a combined engine, powertrain, and electrical system issue. He had been traveling in the highway fast lane when he identified a “lack of power coming out of the transmission. I almost hit several cars and almost got killed by an 18-wheeler because, by the time I managed to reach the emergency lane, I was doing 35 miles on a 65-zone highway.” He reset the battery and put the truck back in Drive. “Now the gears are bouncing and the truck accelerates by itself while braking.” Honda couldn’t replicate the problem and told him the truck was “fine.”
One of the most recent complaints, filed in October 2024, states that the Ridgeline stalled, rather than losing power or not accelerating. The owner from California states that there was no warning light. He could restart the vehicle, but the failure recurred. The dealer said this was due to engine failure and advised that the engine would have to be replaced.
This is another malfunction that Honda appears unable to fix.
An owner from Wisconsin experienced the problem after driving on the interstate at 70 mph for two hours. As he left the interstate, the “check engine light began flashing and power was diminished severely. After shutting (the) vehicle down and letting it cool, it was normal.” The dealer couldn’t replicate the problem but said the issue was known to Honda, and caused by condensation in the intake manifold in cold weather. But being able to identify the problem doesn’t help dealers to fix it. According to this complaint, by November 2023 Honda had not been able to solve the problem. “This could be very dangerous.”
The same thing happened to another owner. “The car lost power and (the) check engine light came on when exiting the highway on an offramp.”
An owner from Indiana also lost motive power after driving on the interstate and taking an exit. After driving at 75 mph with cruise control on, he returned to normal driving as he took the exit. “The check engine light flashed, and as I pushed down on the accelerator there was no power. The engine would rev up to 4000 rpm but would not go over 30 mph and would not shift. Once I got on the more level area of the road I did nurse it back to 55 but still very little power and the engine was struggling. I then stopped at a stop light and the engine shuddered when I tried to accelerate again, no power.” He made it to a gas station, turned the vehicle off, and then restarted it, and “the engine ran just fine.” The dealer was unable to find any codes and so couldn’t simulate the failure.
This is another unfixable issue!
An owner from Minnesota reduced speed from 68 mph to make a left turn. “When accelerating through the turn, the blinking orange check engine light came on and the vehicle would not accelerate beyond about 35 mph. I was towed to the nearest dealership from the location of the incident, which occurred over 400 miles from my home. It could have been fatal if there was traffic I had to merge with at the time when the engine was not allowing enough power.” The temperature was between 4-7 degrees F, but it was a sunny day.
“I found an online Honda Ridgeline owners forum where many, many people have reported this same issue: cold temperatures, going highway speeds for a certain amount of time, slowing down or stopping, and then trying to speed up to highway speeds again when the check engine light comes on and the engine limps. The Honda dealership where my vehicle was towed confirmed that I was subject to this ‘very rare glitch’ that they know about and say there is nothing they can do to fix it. And no assurances that it won’t happen again.”
Typically, owners state that the door won’t unlock manually or open with the inside door handle unless the passenger pushes the electric unlock button first. One angry owner states that Honda maintains they have no reports of the problem and won’t acknowledge his report. Another expressed concern. “If we lose battery power in a wreck, we cannot get out the passenger door!”
Yet another owner took the trouble to check new 2023 Honda Ridgelines on the lot at the dealership and found that they all had the same fault. This means, in my opinion, that this issue is coming right out of the factory. This problem is easily reproduced. So, here is the problem and is only affected on the passenger front door (interior side). The driver’s side front door locking feature works without issue. When, after manually locking the front passenger door by sliding and pushing in the lock, you are able to open the door by using the interior door handle without issue. The problem is when you use the POWER lock button on either side of the vehicle to lock all the doors. On the driver’s side, you can open the door using the handle without issue.
“On the front passenger side, when pulling the handle (to open the door), the handle moves a bit, then is physically stopped by something inside the door causing you to be UNABLE to open the door. In addition to this, you cannot slide the lock to the open position so that you can open the door. So, if you used the power button to lock the doors, then got in an accident and the power was disabled, you could be trapped on the passenger side and would really be a problem if a fire had started.”
There are so many Honda Ridgelines with automatic beam issues, that Honda shouldn’t be ignoring them. It often takes continued complaints to persuade automakers to take action. When they don’t, vehicle owners sometimes explore their options in terms of lemon law.
But that doesn’t mean faulty high beams are the only problem that might qualify your Ridgeline as a lemon. If the problem you are experiencing affects your use or the value of the vehicle, it’s worth getting it professionally assessed by a lemon lawyer.
Lemberg Law has been helping vehicle owners who have found themselves with lemons for many years. And we have negotiated many settlements on their behalf. If you’d like us to assess your case, free of charge, contact us by calling our Helpline or filling out a contact form. The law says that Honda must pay the legal fees for lemon law cases, so it’s not going to cost you anything.
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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Auto high beams work erratically and the phone charger not only does not charge it causes phone to loose its charge – example. If battery in at 45%, after a couple minutes on the charger, it will be at 43%
Garbage
Phone charger will not charge the phone. Initially hooks up and within 8 to 10 seconds the charger stops charging. Was told it was a compatibility issue?