2023 Honda RIDGELINE problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
126 owner complaints analyzed
5 distinct recall campaigns
26,059 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2023 model year. Data snapshot: . 10 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Exterior Lighting is the most frequently named component, appearing in 39 of 126 complaints (31.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 14 | 11.1% |
| Transmission and shifting | 9 | 7.1% |
| Engine operation | 8 | 6.3% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 8 | 6.3% |
| Steering behavior | 7 | 5.6% |
| Fuel system concerns | 2 | 1.6% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting | 39 |
| Engine | 20 |
| Unknown Or Other | 19 |
| Electrical System | 17 |
| Power Train | 11 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | 8 |
| Back Over Prevention | 7 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | 6 |
Exterior Lighting: 39; Engine: 20; Unknown Or Other: 19; Electrical System: 17; Power Train: 11; Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking: 8; Back Over Prevention: 7; Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings: 6
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 5 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 2 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 1 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 1 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 1 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 5; 25,000 to 49,999: 2; 50,000 to 74,999: 1; 75,000 to 99,999: 1; 100,000 to 149,999: 1; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (5). 116 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 29 |
| 2024 | 48 |
| 2025 | 21 |
| 2026 | 25 |
2022: 3; 2023: 29; 2024: 48; 2025: 21; 2026: 25
Pattern summary
Exterior Lighting leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 14 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 9 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 8 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 11553946 · 2023-11-07 (November 7, 2023)
While driving the vehicle, the codes related to the following systems all began flashing: Automatic Emergency Braking Lane Departure Warning Lane Keeping Assistance My 17-year-old daughter, a new driver, was driving the vehicle at the time and became concerned, distracting her from concentrating on the road. The next day when my husband went to check the car, now the check engine lights were now lit. I just brought this, less than one-year-old vehicle back to the dealership. I was advised the capless gas tank was broken and not clos…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11553946 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11561425 · 2023-12-22 (December 22, 2023)
While driving home, my Brand New 2023 Honda Ridgeline's, with 3,350 miles, transmission's warning light popped up and my transmission when into N while on the highway, I was on the fast lane, while I started noticing the lack of power coming out of the transmission. I almost hit several cars and almost got killed by a 18 wheeler because by the time I managed to reach the emergency lane, I was doing 35 miles on a 65 zone, highway. My truck got stuck in P till I removed the terminals from the battery and reset the system. The truck was available …
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11561425 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11547455 · 2023-09-30 (September 30, 2023)
Wireless Charger Doesn't Work with or without a case on my Samsung 22 Ultra (which works on every other of the 4 wireless chargers I have). So I just purchased the 23 RTL-E on 09/28/23. Upon taking possession of the vehicle, got in adjusted and began setting things up to my liking. I went to place my phone on the equipped charging mat and after some shifting and repositioning, the phone began to charge w/ the case on. That lasted all of about 4-10 seconds. After fiddling w/ it for a few more minutes, no luck. Finally, I decided to remove th…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11547455 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11585836 · 2024-04-29 (April 29, 2024)
My steering locked up while moving at a very low speed (<5mph) and turning my wheel (not all the way). Voltage in the vehicle dropped (HVAC speed and lighting). A yellow caution/warning blipped for a second on the dash. I would not normally submit an issue like this but if this had happened at high speed, going down the road, the results could be catastrophic. I have seen the HVAC fan speed drop before while turning the wheel but never the steering lockup. This only happened once on Tuesday Night 1/2/24 at 11pm. This was not just the Power stee…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11585836 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11619084 · 2024-10-10 (October 10, 2024)
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,117.
Owner-reported narrative. 20,117 miles reported. Look up ODI 11619084 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11538284 · 2023-08-14 (August 14, 2023)
We purchased our new 2023 Ridgeline RTL-E 4 six months ago and always noticed that the passenger inside door handle wouldn’t open the door unless we pushed the unlock button, the driver’s door works normally. We thought this might be a new safety thing until we tried to manually unlock the passenger door today and could not, meaning the passenger door can only be opened inside if you electronically unlock the door. That’s concerning…if we loose battery power in a wreck, you cannot get out the passenger door!! We are calling the dealer in the mo…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11538284 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11539651 · 2023-08-20 (August 20, 2023)
2nd time to Honda of Covington for the passenger door will not manually unlock or open with inside door handle UNLESS you push the electric unlock button 1st. [XXX] , the service writer, said it was a safety feature and wrote it on my repair order and hasn’t had the service manager come out to the vehicle with me as requested as this is a safety problem, loose battery power and your passenger cannot get out. I showed [XXX] a memo I found on this site saying that Honda wants all reports of this problem sent to them, [XXX] won’t acknowledge the…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11539651 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11577806 · 2024-03-16 (March 16, 2024)
On more than one occasion, the Forward Collision Warning System and Emergency Braking System on my 2023 Honda Ridgeline activated when there was no obstacle. These incidents have occurred since new. Normally, the false activation causes my vehicle to flash the "brake" warning on the instrument cluster, the steering wheel to shake, and the brakes to be gently applied. However, one time a false activation occurred while I was turning within a busy intersection. This false activation caused my vehicle to suddenly brake to a complete stop. Tha…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11577806 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11718408 · 2026-02-17 (February 17, 2026)
Approximately six(6) months ago, my wife and I noticed a very noxious gasoline smell in the cabin of our truck, and upon further investigation determined that the smell was a direct result of gasoline that had infiltrated the oil in the engine. The oil was changed and the used oil smelled very strongly of gasoline. I sent an oil sample to Blackstone Industries to get the oil analyzed, and they, in fact found gasoline in the oil. Honda said that the results were useless because they wouldn't accept third party results. I took my truck to the l…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11718408 at NHTSA ↗