2020 Honda Ridgeline Engine Problems

The vehicle's Auto-Idle Stop (AIS) feature is defective and creates a severe safety hazard. While stopped at a busy road intersection, the feature engaged and shut the engine off normally. However, when releasing the brake pedal to proceed, the engine glitched and completely failed to restart, leaving the vehicle completely stalled, unpowered, and stranded in live traffic. The vehicle became a sitting duck in the intersection. This is a recurring issue that requires a complete ignition power cycle to recover, posing an immediate risk of a rear-end or side-impact collision. It happens most often under heavy load. Hot day with AC on, or Cold day with Heater on and seat warmers. Dealer ignored or failed to re-create at first because it was intermittent. I've been through SOFTWARE UPDATE, STARTER, RELAY REPLACEMENT AND VALVE ADJUSTMENTS (twice) and a new BATTERY over several years and it still stalls. It's dangerous and terrifying to be immobilized in traffic when it won't start.

NHTSA ID

11754865

Incident

Aug 1, 2022

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, there was a misfire coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and, upon inspection, the contact determined that one of the ignition coils had failed. The contact purchased a new ignition coil, replaced the part, and resumed driving; however, the vehicle made an abnormal rattling sound while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed due to a loosened connecting rod and needed to be replaced. The contact ordered a new engine. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

NHTSA ID

11752401

Incident

Jul 16, 2026

Mileage

118,000 mi

While stopped in heavy traffic at a traffic signal, the engine stopped and would not restart. This was due to the AIS system. The car became disabled in heavy traffic. I was only a few feet from the entrance to a gas station, however due to the interlock system that locks the transmission in Park, the truck could not be pushed out of traffic. Honda, unlike other manufacturers the use the same transmission, does NOT supply an emergency over ride to get the transmission out of park ( hazard). After a few minutes of sitting in heavy traffic and nearly. wing hit by fast moving cars, the engine did restart. This is not the first time this has happened. The dealership is over 100 miles drive to have to checked (r/t).

NHTSA ID

11730561

Incident

Apr 11, 2026

Connecting rod/bearing failure.

NHTSA ID

11716446

Incident

Dec 11, 2025

After parking on the roadside with engine off for about 10 minutes, the truck would not start. I tried to start twice; the dash lights came on, I could hear the starter try to engage, felt a slight forward lurch from the vehicle, then nothing. The starter seemed to disengage' the dash lights stayed on, and the electric system went into ACC mode. I tried twice with same result. I attempted to put the shift selector in neutral, but it stayed in Park. I was seated in truck, seat belt on, foot pressing on brake pedal. After waiting a few minutes, it cranked and started normally. No further issues the rest of the day. The weather was mild, sunny, temperatures in the mid-60’s fahrenheit.

NHTSA ID

11716114

Incident

Feb 5, 2026

Stranded in traffic unable to start almost got rearend because the start-stop died and to cycle to park to get it started. This has happen on more than one time.

NHTSA ID

11711752

Incident

Nov 20, 2025

Spun Rod Bearing at 70,000 miles. Truck will need a new Short Block. Truck has been at the dealer for all recommended service and oil changes.

NHTSA ID

11703371

Incident

Dec 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked or while driving, there was a loud knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that three rod bearings and that cylinders #3, #5, and #6 had failed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

NHTSA ID

11696828

Incident

Oct 31, 2025

Mileage

140,000 mi

The rod bearings had failed on cylinders 3,5, and 6 at 140 thousand miles with proper mantice being done to it. This has been confirmed by the dealer Honda Maryslviie in Maryslive, Ohio. The vehicle has just been looked at by the dealer. No warning lamps but just started to hear knocking in the engine.

NHTSA ID

11696748

Incident

Oct 7, 2025

While stopped at a traffic light on a state highway the idle stop did shut off the engine. When the light turned green, I released the brake, but the engine did not crank or start. After placing transmission into Park, I attempted to start normally. There was no response to the start button being pushed, other than all the typical pre-start warning lights check on the panel. Tried to start with transmission selector in Neutral..same result. All doors and hood was closed, driver in seat, belt fastened, and key nearby. I attempted to get out and push the truck to the side of road with assistance. Unable to do that because of the transmission park interconnect. After about 3 minutes trying multiple times to start the engine, it finally did start normally. The vehicle battery is pretty new and checking the voltage at home, it is fine. This is a dangerous situation. This “ Idle stop” system is senseless and a safety hazard. I have not received any notice from Honda about any recall on this system.

NHTSA ID

11691717

Incident

Oct 5, 2025

Truck stalls repeatedly at intersections due to failure of ignition to restart after stop signs or stoplights. Warning lights come on and complete restart is required. Other motorists become agitated.

NHTSA ID

11688039

Incident

Aug 16, 2025

My 2020 Honda Ridgeline has an Auto Idle/Start system. The truck engine turns off when it stops, then automatically turns on when brake is released or gas pedal pressed. There was a Honda notice issued that the system may not automatically restart. A fix (software update) from Honda was implemented on my truck on 03/29/23. This "fix" did not work. On 09/05/25 at 1:25 pm I pulled up to an intersection. The Auto Idle system automatically turned off the engine as intended. About 2 minutes later, when the brake was released and gas pedal pressed, the engine did not restart. The truck stalled. Various efforts (~ 1 minute of panic) ensued to start the engine. Eventually, put the truck in park, waited, then started the engine. This situation occurred during high traffic at a busy intersection. It caused other drivers to take risks pulling out in front of other cars to get around my stalled vehicle. It was a very dangerous situation. A class action lawsuit was filed against Honda about this. Honda claims their software update fixed the problem. My scary experience shows that it did not fix the issue. Their auto idle/start system is simply unsafe. Also, it is not possible to permanently disable it.

NHTSA ID

11685560

Incident

Sep 5, 2025

Auto start stop fails to work.

NHTSA ID

11684274

Incident

Jun 2, 2024

On several occasions (>5) the engine had delayed starting after the auto engine stop feature engaged (when idling). After the engine didn’t start… we attempted to start by pressing start/stop button with no immediate response. Typical time to restart the engine is approximately 5-10 seconds. On one occasion it took 5 minutes. Apologize for lack of very specific information but when this occurs it causes some level of panic especially when you are in traffic. We have been disabling the feature as a habit since 2021. On rare occasions when we forget to disable the feature I would estimate that there is a ~50% chance we will encounter a delayed start issue.

NHTSA ID

11678349

Incident

Aug 3, 2025

My Ridgeline has stalled during normal operation 3 times. The 1st was in April 2024, and the latest was this week. All three times it stalled when accelerating after a traffic stop. The first was at a stop sign at the bottom of a hill. The second was at a traffic light, it should be noted that the start/stop was "off" on this incident. And the latest incident was during stop and go traffic on the highway. * Yes - available for inspection. * Safety - could be a safety issue when a vehicle doesn't operate in a normal manner. * Dealer/Others - no I haven't had it inspected, I have been monitoring this issue on the internet. * Symptoms - there were none before the incidents

NHTSA ID

11671511

Incident

Jul 2, 2025

Whenever I’m driving in my vehicle everything seems to be fine until I stop at a red light. On three separate occasions, while my vehicle is stopped it will automatically go into neutral and stall. This causes my truck not to run properly. I have to shut my car off, and then turn it back on to put it in drive and operate it like normal. I’m unsure what my cars issue is but it is an inconvenience and a safety concern due to it keeps happening while in traffic.

NHTSA ID

11669986

Incident

Jun 28, 2025

Regarding 2020 Honda Ridgeline, we have two issues. In December 2024, the auto stop / start feature started working intermittently and then a few months later ceased to work entirely ceased to work. In May 2025, we got two error messages on the dashboard. One was for transmission error. The second was for emissions error. There were no apparent mechanical issues with the truck shifting gears when we brought it to our local mechanic 2 miles away and to the dealer approximately 5 miles away. We brought it to our local mechanic who said it was the solenoid in the transmission and would cost around $7000 for parts and labor since Honda didn't sell only the brain and we would have to purchase the entire transmission. We brought it to Norm Reeves Honda (the largest Honda dealer in the United States) who confirmed this root cause mentioning "MIL" and "Solenoid" specifically. Norm Reeves Service Technician said it would cost around $9000 parts and labor. We logged a case #15593XXX with Honda Motor Corporation who auto-responded to our email saying, "Please note, due to a recent influx of inquiries, our response time will be delayed. Please do not submit multiple inquiries as this can lead to further delays in case handling." An internet search for Honda Ridgeline Service Bulletins uncovered Service Bulletin #A23-091 for what sounds like one of these two issues. It has been more than 3 days since the "inquiry" to Honda and we have yet to receive any response. Norm Reeves said they will start to charge us a storage fee of $35 USD a day if we do not pick up the vehicle by Saturday EOD.

NHTSA ID

11663843

Incident

May 23, 2025

Reference Investigation: EA25004, No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages 2 separate instances 1st instance during stop and go driving on highway in heavy traffic, engine failed to restart automatically after full stop, message stating something about neutral appeared, unsure exactly what message stated. I had to shift to park and hold the brake down for a normal start. 2nd instance 2 weeks after 1st 04/04/2025 while stopped at a traffic light engine failed to Auto start - same result as above (1st incident)

NHTSA ID

11654708

Incident

Apr 4, 2025

Sunday March 23, 2025 vehicle would not restart after the auto engine idle shut off feature turned off the engine. Attempted to restart several time with no success. Vehicle finally did restart when jumped the battery. Could be a safety hazard being stuck in traffic. Have not reported to dealer but will on next scheduled service. No warning lamps indicated a problem but every lamp on the dash console lit up when attempting to restart.

NHTSA ID

11651958

Incident

Mar 23, 2025

I've had the start stop issue not function multiple times. I had to replace the battery did the software update for it and it still does not start occasionally. I have to restart the vehicle like if it was parked. Stalling on a light is why I no longer use this feature, I just press on the start stop button every single time I start the engine. This has happened multiple times throughout the years.

NHTSA ID

11651830

Incident

Mar 2, 2021

The Autostart does not work. This has happened to me three times since I bought it brand new in April 2021. I have taken it to Honda for repairs and they did nothing as they could not replicate the issue. Just happened again on March 24th after driving 10 minutes on the highway.

NHTSA ID

11651562

Incident

Mar 24, 2025

Checked oil display at 40% on 04JAN2025, had to put in 2.5 qts 0-40 viscosity engine oil to get between bottom and top level markers on the oil dipstick. On 08AN2025 at approx 4:35AM, on the way home, heard engine noise (like 2-spoons tapping together) and within 1-minute the engine died and will not start, just a click. Had the vehicle towed to my residence (approx .5 mile) and parked for 3-weeks to check if battery, bad gas, and/or transmission neutral safety is/are the issue(s). Finally got the vehicle towed to a local shop on 29JAN2025. Called local shop on 31JAN2025 and informed that there is no oil in the engine, and recommended to replace the engine. Note: oil/filter changed on MAY2024, and have purchased oil/filter on 07JAN2025 to change oil as soon as the oil displays 30%

NHTSA ID

11640803

Incident

Jan 8, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at highway speeds, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ID

11640572

Incident

Jun 15, 2024

Mileage

50,000 mi

After significant time (hours) at highway speeds with 90% cruise control use, the car, when stopped at exit intersection, goes to fractional power with the engine light flashing. The car can still move haltingly at approximately 5 mph. Once safety stopped and shut-off, car will restart without any check engine light and will function normally. This has happened on multiple occasions, in both hot and cold weather. When mentioned to the dealer 2 years ago, said they had never heard of the problem. Internet forums show mine is not an isolated instance. When the car fails, it is in an intersection, where cars coming from all sides are not expecting a car to limp through at 5mph. This is a safety to issue to anyone on the road at the time.

NHTSA ID

11635165

Incident

Jan 7, 2025

I have had an engine knocking noise at startup but now is continuous/constant. Diagnosed at my local Honda dealer as a connecting rod failure of my well maintained 2020 Honda Ridgeline. Recommended repair, short block replacement or engine replacement with a used engine. My 2020 Honda Ridgeline is not part of the safety recall for the connecting rod bearing recall and should be. I have read numerous stories of owners with Honda Ridgelines and Pilots that are outside the recall years with this failure.

NHTSA ID

11631111

Incident

Dec 5, 2024