99 of the
2,729 complaints filed about the Honda Ridgeline
are about the braking system —
4% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2017.
When driving normally, oncominng traffic is triggering the frontal collision warning system. Is some cases long enough to start the emergency braking procedure if I do not engage the brakes manually preventing the automatic emergency braking. This usually happens on curves in the road in typically right hand curves. This is happening on 2 lane roads at between 45 and 55 mph. Initiating and emergency braking at this speed could send my car into the oncoming traffic. I am concerned for my safety if I do not hit the brakes manually.
NHTSA complaint #11757268 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2025 Ridgeline. Brake pedal sinks when engine started. Brake pedal sinks below the footrest. When applying brake pedal in an emergency stop my left foot contacts footrest causing me to have to release then re-apply the brakes increasing stopping distance. And then Re-applying the mushy brakes causes me to push too hard resulting in erratic braking. Took it to Lynnwood Honda who inspected and bled the brakes but would not confirm any problem. There are no warning lights. The sinking mushy brakes have not caused an accident yet.
NHTSA complaint #11755721 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
since I purchased this truck brand new from the dealer, the brakes always had air in the lines. No matter how many times I bleed the brakes, there is still air in the line. From my understanding, previous years of this truck had master cylinder issues. I went to the dealer and they refused to fix the issue, because I already attempted to fix the problem. Also, the car doesn't start when shut off during hot weather and you want to start the car again. You have to wait and try again. The car is laboring to start again. This vehicle is also known for slow starts.I hope you take this matter seriously. This is the issue with every brand new ridgline. Take your pick. I paid over 50k for a new truck and have to deal with these issues.
NHTSA complaint #11755067 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Car just shut off while I was driving. There was no power. It would not start. At first it sounded like it wanted to start and then it just made no sound at all. The brake was hard as well. I put the hazards on but was in the fast lane on Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers. I believe there are traffic cameras that will show the car sitting while cars were trying to get through the traffic light. The car finally started however I have no idea why it happened. We could have been killed sitting in the fast lane of a three lane road. There were three of us in the car.
NHTSA complaint #11754845 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was involved in a rear end collision earlier today. My vehicle sustained significant front end damage and the air bags did not deploy. The vehicle had to be flat bedded to a Massachusetts State Police Barracks, pending further action by my insurance company. There were no injuries.
NHTSA complaint #11736770 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2024 Honda Ridgeline. Brakes stick or slow to release. Feels like brakes are dragging. Delayed acceleration. This is unsafe. Dealer has had vehicle 7+ days total across 2 repair attempts from March 25th 2026 thru April 1st 2026 and again April 29th 2026 and dealership still has the vehicle. Has not been able to fix the issue. Honda issued Dealer Message on August 7, 2025 stating "American Honda Motor Co.,Inc. is searching for certain 2023-2025 Odysseys, Passports, and Ridgelines with a customer complaint of the brakes sticking. Vehicle purchased April 1st 2024 and has 12,700 miles. Currently at dealership for 2nd attempt. this is a known safety defect Honda is actively investigating. Sticking brakes crash risk. Delayed acceleration. Feeling of brakes dragging. Ongoing intermittent issue. I have been offered a loaner vehicle on both occasions.
NHTSA complaint #11734984 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2026 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated while driving 8 MPH on the highway, the vehicle started shaking and veered to the left while another vehicle was passing in the adjacent lane and slowed down independently. The brakes failed to work properly, and the vehicle skidded to a stop. The Automated Emergency Steering (AES) was engaged. The brake light and Active Safety System warning lights became illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer guided the contact in checking the Automotive Radar System. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20. The VIN was not available.
NHTSA complaint #11726353 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
1) Brakes spongy hard to stop have to pump like old truck to get good pedal. Dangerous almost rear ended vehicle ahead. Family uses caution to drive. Took to Honda world 8-8-25. Tec and sec mgr said nothing wrong w rakes. Ridgeline has 4181 miles on it Cyst num107536 inv # hocs468892 2)blind spot warning light appears in black background near dash. Had to highlight area around it so easier to find. Should b on mirror. Being blind in l eye it is a distraction to observe light. Also warning light is not very bright. If bright sunlight shines thru opposite or vehicle on the light you cannot see it at all Near collision on that
NHTSA complaint #11711191 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50-55 MPH on I-40 Westbound to I-25 and making a turn in a construction zone, the passenger’s side air bag deployed without warning or impact to the vehicle. There were no reported injuries. The air bag control message was displayed after the failure. Two days later, the system indicators produced a failure with the road departure mitigation, collision mitigation, trailer stability control field assist, vehicle stability control, power steering, air bag system, and adaptive cruise control. The brake system warning light was illuminated after the parking brake was released. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 56,850.
NHTSA complaint #11700587 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My vehicle has 10,800 miles on it, and it is 1 year old. About 1 month ago, the brakes started feeling spongy, and I also noticed a delay in the brake pad returning to its initial position after it had been depressed. I am concerned that this 1-year-old vehicle has already started having issues with the brakes. This is an ongoing issue.
NHTSA complaint #11699479 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the brakes were independently activated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate above 30 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the contact was not informed of the diagnostic results. The contact was informed that unknown repairs were being performed. In addition, the contact stated that the failure had occurred more than thirty times. The contact stated that with 137 miles on the vehicle, the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the failure was diagnosed as a failed brake switch, and the warning lights were reset. The failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. The contact requested that the dealer buy back the vehicle, and the request was denied. In addition, the contact stated that he feared driving the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 137.
NHTSA complaint #11686563 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
1. Soft / Spongy Brakes. Brake pedal depresses 1/3 - 1/2 way to the floor before the brakes grab. I had one close call hard stop incident, and now I allow extra car lengths for safety. 2. In park, the truck rolls noticeably before the transmission lock engages. I'd estimate 3 degrees. Your foot drags noticeably if on ground. Purchased new the end of May 29, 2025 and noticed these issues immediately. Brought truck back to two different dealerships and was told it drives the same as other Ridgeline trucks twice on 6/13/25 and 7/11/25, and everything is okay once. Informed American Honda and we agreed to take it to the second dealership for a third brake / transmission check on 8/22/25. Dealer said everything is normal. Truck built on same unibody platform as the Honda Pilot, similar structure. Other: I have owned other truck brands and have not had these issues. There are no warning lamps, messages, etc. I have contacted / dealt with dealership management and American Honda, CA. Truck is available for inspection. I am told it drives like other Ridgeline trucks, I own two other Honda cars, and their brakes are responsive. I have no transmission roll with my other vehicles.
NHTSA complaint #11683529 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was leaving a place of business crossing a four lane undivided road legally to make a left turn. There was an oncoming car (at an unknown speed) in the lane I was crossing approaching rapidly. I just needed to accelerate lightly to be clear. The collision braking system activated before I could clear. The driver was headed straight for me with a broadside collision imminent. He swerved at the last minute and avoided me by heading into the oncoming traffic lane ( no oncoming cars were present). Results could have been ugly. I have to manually turn that feature off every time I start the vehicle, unless you can have it disabled for me. I do not want my vehicle making decision which I cannot control. Thank you for addressing this matter and a response would be appreciated.
NHTSA complaint #11682481 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving with the cruise control set at 52mph, I was coming to a known left curve with a stop sign four way intersection that follows it (I drive this route at least 50% of the time whenever leaving my home). I hit the 'Cancel' button to stop the cruise control as I came to the curve, and there was no response. I hit the brakes and again there was no response. At that point I prepared for a wreck because I knew the curve was tight, followed by that intersection's stop sign, and I was almost upon the curve. Continuing to try to apply brakes and getting no response, I could not hold the curve of the road and left the roadway to the right side. I narrowly avoided a lightpole, and then I was finally at the ditch of the crossroad already mentioned. The truck struck the ditch embankment facing me and likely launched airborn at that point, going across the first lane of the crossroad. After about the width of that lane, it appears that's when the front suspension landed, gouging the asphalt and deploying the airbag on me at that point. This seems to be when the braking system finally responded as I started to slow down some, as it bounced and jerked across the remaining lanes, leaving skid marks on that part of the road. I steered it between two signs on the far side, still barely under control but it finally slowing down into the 20s or so, where I had control and brought it to a stop. The vehicle had no known issues or ODBII scan codes prior to this incident. *After the incident*, there was an ABS system fault code present, and it also showed an ABS fault message on the vehicle information screen after the incident. I believe this could be related to the cruise control malfunction, as I know that the ABS system is often involved in modern cruise control systems to control hill descent speeds. The road section just prior to where I attempted to turn off the cruise control was on a slight hill descent, but I don't know if that was related to what happened to me.
NHTSA complaint #11676371 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
A few weeks after I purchased a new 2019 Ridgeline I’ve noticed that brake pedal did not feel right. First what I noticed sometimes when I go to start the car the brake pedal is very hard, I have not experienced that with any other car. Then I noticed that when I’m on the light standing with the car running brake pedal sinks all the way to the bottom. Then I have to press the brake a few times for it to go back to normal hight. I took the car to a Honda Service on 6600 N Western in n Chicago back in 2019/2020 and they tested the car I’m not sure if they were able to reproduce same issues but they told me that the brake works fine. I got the car back, after I noticed when pressing brake there is a clicking sound coming from the brake pedal area not all the times sometimes, also noticed that sometimes it takes more pressure to apply to the brake in order for car to stop. At that time I looked online and I wasn’t able to find anybody reporting same issues. Now when I go online on Honda forums I see more people complaining about same or similar issues. I still own the car with only 38000 miles on it and still have same brake issues with it.
NHTSA complaint #11675276 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am having brake indicator light popup 4 time in three week with some strange noise while driving high speed on freeway. I researched found some recall on my 2022 Honda Ridgeline. Based on the provided VIN, [XXX], it appears show my 2022 Honda Ridgeline may be affected by two safety recalls: 1. Rearview Camera Issue: The rearview camera tailgate wire harness might break, preventing the camera image from displaying and increasing crash risk. This affects certain 2020-2024 Ridgeline vehicles. Dealers will replace the harness free of charge. Owner notifications were sent on November 8, 2024, for Honda Recall Number YI7. 2. Brake Master Cylinder Issue: An improperly assembled tie rod fastener could cause the brake master cylinder to separate from the booster assembly, leading to a loss of brake function and increased crash risk. This affects certain 2020-2023 Ridgeline, I called Honda customer service reported the problems case#[XXX]. However, No action from Honda at the time. Due to public safety concern and my self I report the incident for you to review. For any question you may have please email:[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11668201 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving up a slope at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate to accelerate as intended while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The brake warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that on several occasions while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle would fail to decelerate as intended while the brake pedal was depressed. The failure occurred on two occasions, where on the first occasion, it almost crashed into the residence. On the most recent occasion, the contact stated that the vehicle had shuddered before independently jolting and crashing into a church building before coming to a stop. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was sought. A police report was not filed. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer on several occasions, where it was diagnosed however was unable to replicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon further investigation, the insurance provider related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V458000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 11,900.
NHTSA complaint #11663884 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
honda placed panels in the cargo area that are toxic and have a high voc. I have been unable to park the car in the garage because of the toxic odor. The other issue is the air in the brake lines, which makes stopping the truck difficult. the truck is heavy and it just keeps moving when the brakes are applied. I went to dealer and they refused to bleed the brakes.it is absurd!!! the panels are a health concern; can these panels cause cancer; this is a safety issue as well. I hope you take this matter seriously. I will be sending this information to the U.S. attorney general. we have to be certain that this panel is not harmful . it is like someone standing in front of you and blowing their cigarette smoke in your face.please look into this matter. the cargo area is under the bed.
NHTSA complaint #11657077 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Since buying this vehicle new, on multiple occasions the automatic braking system has come on approaching other vehicles on a straight stretch of highway even when both I and the approaching vehicle are nowhere near the center line or anywhere near an accident situation. I reported this to the dealership in the first six months after purchase and was told nothing was wrong. The frequency of this happening seems to be increasing.
NHTSA complaint #11641580 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.