2026 Honda Ridgeline Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2026 Honda Ridgeline, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Exterior lighting444.4%
- Driver assistance222.2%
- Body & structure111.1%
- Brakes111.1%
- Engine111.1%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
The headlights auto-dimming feature on this vehicle does not work properly. While on during night driving, it will constantly switch from high beam to low beam, back and forth, every few seconds creating a strobe effect. The truck reacts to roadside signs as if they were oncoming cars and sometimes fails to dim light when cars are approaching. I have had it switch from low beam back to high when vehicles are quite close which causes the other driver to switch to high also which means neither of us can see well. Truck was purchased new from Mike Patton Honda, LaGrange, GA in December, 2025. I took it in to see if they could correct the problem and was told by the service guys that I was the only person who had ever complained about such a problem. They checked the truck over and said they could find no problems. A quick search online indicated that this problem began occurring with the 2020 Ridgeline and continues to be unchanged up the present. The puzzling aspect of the problem is that I also purchased a new Honda Accord about a week later and the auto-dimming feature in the Accord works very well with none of the problems that I have in the Ridgeline truck.
Automatic headlights have a delay in turning off the high beams that causes oncoming traffic to be subjected to high beams until they are way too close.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
Car was on the highway braking hard with the ACC even if the vehicle in front was atleast 4/5 car lengths away. Moved to the right lane to stop it and came up to a box truck and the car automatically broke very hard and LKA started jerking the wheel to the left lane causing the rear bumper to collide with the cars in the next lanes front bumper. My vehicle pit maneuvered into the median ditch and flipped once.
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.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
I am the owner of a 2026 Honda Ridgeline, which I have owned for approximately seven months. Since taking delivery, the vehicle has emitted a persistent, very strong chemical odor consistent with volatile organic compound (VOC) off-gassing. This is distinct from a mildew or air-conditioning-related odor; the smell is present throughout the cabin interior as well as in the truck bed well, and does not correlate with AC use. In an effort to resolve the issue, I have kept the vehicle parked outside (not in an enclosed garage), with the bed well left open and the windows down for extended periods to ventilate the interior. Despite these efforts over the seven-month period, the odor has not diminished to an acceptable level and remains strong. Exposure to the odor causes me to develop headaches and throat irritation. These symptoms occur during normal use of the vehicle and are directly attributable to the smell, not to any other known cause. I am requesting that this be formally investigated and documented as a defect, as the odor appears to stem from an interior or structural material issue rather than routine new-vehicle off-gassing, given that it has not resolved after seven months of ventilation efforts.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2026 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that the vehicle was test-driven for two days prior to being purchased. The vehicle was then purchased brand new and was driven for 30 minutes to the residence, and was parked in the garage with the windows rolled up. The contact noticed that there was an abnormally strong odor coming from the inside and the outside of the vehicle. The contact experienced intermittent and persistent headaches, which the contact attributed to the vehicle's volatile organic compounds. The contact had scheduled an appointment with a medical Doctor. The dealer was notified of the failure, and a complaint was filed. The dealer offered to install an Ozone generator to absorb the strong chemical odor. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 129.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .