2024 Honda Ridgeline

On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5L engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. On January 6, 2023, Honda released service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. These service bulletins address the failure to restart issue in the 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles, as well as the 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2019-2022 Honda Passport, and 2020-2023 Honda Ridgeline vehicles. The repair outlined in the service bulletins is a two-stage countermeasure to remedy the issue. The first stage is a Programmed Fuel Injection (“PGM-FI”) software update. The second stage is only deployed if the software update fails to remedy the issue. The second stage, depending on the model and model year, consists of replacement of the starter assembly, starter relays, and a valve adjustment. Additionally, Honda extended the warranty coverage to 10 years with unlimited mileage for vehicles requiring the second stage component replacement. ODI continues to receive complaints of the AIS failure to restart, with many complainants alleging the campaign countermeasures had been completed.NHTSA has reviewed Honda's Information Request Letter responses involving warranty claims, lawsuits, and consumer complaints in addition to ODI's own data. This Engineering Analysis is being opened to further consider the potential safety defect, including gathering additional data regarding Honda’s service campaign efficacy. ODI is additionally expanding the scope to encompass all vehicles addressed in Honda’s service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009 as well as newer model year vehicles, which are substantially similar to the vehicles covered by the service campaign. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

While stopped at an intersection during heavy traffic, 2024 Honda Ridgeline auto restart feature failed and the engine died. This feature should restart the engine from its full stop, but failed to do so. A system failure message appeared. I had to put vehicle in park in heavy traffic, and restart the vehicle manually. Autos behind me had to go around me for a short time.

NHTSA ID

11776638

Incident

Nov 8, 2026

Engine start is sluggish especially when at operating temperature. This especially occurs with the auto idle stop feature. Starter appears to be over heating due to its location next to exhaust. Bad design.

NHTSA ID

11776249

Incident

Oct 23, 2026

Vehicle Safety Complaint – 2024 Honda Ridgeline Vehicle: 2024 Honda Ridgeline AWD Sport VIN: [XXX] Issue: Engine stalls at traffic lights and fails to restart automatically. My 2024 Honda Ridgeline has a recurring and potentially dangerous problem with the Auto Idle Stop system. When I come to a complete stop at a traffic light or intersection, the engine shuts off as part of the Auto Idle Stop function. However, when I release the brake pedal to continue driving, the engine sometimes fails to restart automatically. When this happens, I am unable to move forward with traffic. I must shift the transmission into Park (P) and manually restart the engine before I can drive again. This leaves my vehicle unexpectedly immobilized at intersections, creating a safety risk for me and other motorists. This problem has occurred repeatedly since XXX. On XXX, [XXX] Honda inspected my vehicle at approximately 22,402 miles. The dealership verified the complaint and replaced the starter motor and two starter relays. Despite these repairs, the problem returned. The battery was also replaced in XXX, but the issue continued. During a subsequent dealership visit in XXX, technicians were unable to reproduce the problem. However, the vehicle continued experiencing intermittent engine shutdowns and failures to restart. On XXX, I returned to the dealership because the problem remains unresolved. I was informed that Honda may be planning a recall related to this issue, although I have not received confirmation of an official recall. My primary concern is that the engine unexpectedly fails to restart while I am stopped in traffic, leaving me unable to accelerate when the traffic light changes. I am requesting a thorough safety investigation and a permanent repair. Previous repairs have not corrected this recurring defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11776039

Incident

Nov 5, 2026

Vehicle purchased in June of 2024, and with auto start in normal state (not disabled) vehicle does not restart (as it is designed to) when stopped at a stop light. I will have to put the vehicle into a parked state and then attempt to restart it. Fortunately I have not been rear ended yet, but it has caused delays in traffic having to attempt to complete this to get the car running again. Does the 2012 EPA rules and "off-cycle" credits that encouraged automakers to adopt automatic start-stop systems to reduce emissions really help people from possibly getting hit at a stop light/stop sign. I know I can turn it off, but if I turn it off why does it turn on automatically when the engine shut off and is restarted again.

NHTSA ID

11774929

Incident

Feb 19, 2026

Intermittently when I come to a stop, my vehicle does not restart from the auto start stop. When I mentioned this to the Honda dealer, they said my battery was bad and needed to be replaced. I replaced it in the problem still persists. I drive on route [XXX] from [XXX] to [XXX] daily for work and this has happened a couple times in rush-hour traffic. I’ve gotten a video of this and I have showed the dealership and they are not covering this under a powertrain warranty. My understanding there is an investigation, and Honda is aware of these issues. Investigation number is.EA25004. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11774420

Incident

Sep 23, 2026

The restart function on this vehicle doesn’t work. Will leave you stalled in traffic. Multiple events in this vehicle for me. Problem recognized for older models but not 24-25 yet. Same exact issue though

NHTSA ID

11774224

Incident

Oct 15, 2026

The starter motor suffers from electrical heat-soak. When the engine is fully warm, the vehicle fails to restart manually. This leaves the vehicle stranded and vulnerable at gas stations, intersections, or in heavy traffic conditions after the vehicle is shut off. The manufacturer's dealership cannot reproduce it because they only test the battery cold, leaving a known defect unaddressed on a vehicle still under factory bumper-to-bumper warranty. This starter happening occasionally but now anytime it is hot it fails to restart or restarts very slow.

NHTSA ID

11773295

Incident

Oct 22, 2026

Idle stop start, in traffic stopped, engine dies. Took a few minutes with traffic backed up behind me. Very dangerous..

NHTSA ID

11773278

Incident

Aug 4, 2026

Service Bulletin - Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and the auto idle stop feature engages, the vehicle may not automatically restart. In other circumstances, vehicles may experience a slow crank or fail to start under hot ambient temperature conditions.

Dealer Message - Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and the idle stop feature engages, the vehicle may not automatically restart. In other circumstances, vehicles may experience a slow crank or fail to start under hot ambient temperature conditions. The customer should be able to restart the vehicle by selecting Park and pushing the ENGINE START/STOP button.

Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2024-2026 Odysseys & Ridgelines and 2024-2025 Passports with a customer complaint of the Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) on with the DTC P0441 (EVAP System Purge Flow Malfunction) stored. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect specific parts from the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.

Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2024-2026 Odysseys & Ridgelines and 2024-2025 Passports with a customer complaint of the Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) on with the DTC P0441 (EVAP System Purge Flow Malfunction) stored. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect specific parts from the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.

Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2024-2026 Odysseys & Ridgelines and 2024-2025 Passports with a customer complaint of the Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) on with the DTC P0441 (EVAP System Purge Flow Malfunction) stored. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect specific parts from the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.

Over The Air - This update contains various performance enhancements and UI improvements.