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2018 Honda Ridgeline Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 162 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Honda Ridgeline, most often about the electrical (30% of complaints, typically around 33,000 miles). It is 5th of 20 Ridgeline model years by number of complaints and has 7 recalls.
Most common 2018 Honda Ridgeline problems
Electrical
49 complaints · 30%Half of these problems showed up before 33,000 miles.
Wiring harness to backup camera severed do to tail gate pinching when it is opened opened and closed eliminating camera function. This happened after 33 months of ownership at 33k miles. Dealer has agreed to repair under warranty but is not prepared to do so expeditiously.
The tailgate wiring harness is damaged by routine opening of the tailgate. This causes the wires to be severed, causing failure of the backup camera and other electrical systems in the tailgate. The wiring harness by design is not strong enough to handle the opening and closing of the tailgate. This is an issue many…
Backup camera
31 complaints · 19%Parts named most often: sensing system, rearview system braking, camera system, warnings.
The tailgate wiring harness is damaged by routine opening of the tailgate. This causes the wires to be severed, causing failure of the backup camera and other electrical systems in the tailgate. The wiring harness by design is not strong enough to handle the opening and closing of the tailgate. This is an issue many…
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera failed to function properly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that the wiring harness was fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the…
Fuel system
30 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 1,500 miles. Parts named most often: delivery.
Water collects behind capless fuel filler flapper and in cold temperatures, an ice plug forms behind flapper. Ice plug prevents opening flapper to insert gas nozzle and and inability to refuel vehicle.
Water gets in between the first and second flap of the capless fuel filler neck and freezes. This happens when it is raining and the temperature drops below freezing. If the temperature is above freezing the water just sits between the two flaps. I don't know when (stationary, in motion, turning etc) it is getting in…
Engine
24 complaints · 15%The contact owns a 2018 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made abnormal clicking sounds. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who referred the contact to the dealer. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with connecting rod…
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, several unknown warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the lower connecting rod was…
Other or unspecified
17 complaints · 11%Back up camera wiring harness placed in spot that inevitable damage will occur that breaks wiring for back camera to be visible. Tailgate opening two different ways, places the wiring against a metal border, damaging plastic harness. Camera goes completely black, then stops working. Honda denies any recalls even with…
Backup camera quit working. Inspection of wiring harness going to tailgate shows wire loom disintegrated, wires broken. Consulted Honda Ridgeline forum, found this thread with 10 pages, 192 posts from 71 participants…
Transmission
10 complaints · 6%I had a trans lite on the dash and overheating issues in the (6 speed) transmission at about 61000 miles. The issue started with a juddering vibration that was reported to the dealer at 39000 miles. Then I noticed increased vibration from the torque converter(juddering) up until the trans indicated a code for the…
Just out of the blue , my 2018 Ridgeline rtl-e , the engine is revving between 4th and 5th gear. I have driven this for a year with no issues. Now, 19,000 miles in and it like revs to 3000 RPM and then grabs 5th gear. It actually pulls you forward when it does. A little scary. I will contact gary smith Honda in fwb…
Body and structure
9 complaints · 6%Parts named most often: body.
Fuel filler neck freezes in cold weather. Honda replaced the entire part once but it did not fix the problem. I cannot fill up in cold weather because of the freezing.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Ridgeline. While driving 55 MPH, the hood raised approximately two inches. The contact pulled over and checked the hood to assure it was latched properly. The dealer (lodi Honda, 1700 s cherokee ln, lodi, ca 95240) informed the contact that Honda would have to look into the matter. The…
Driver assistance
7 complaints · 4%Parts named most often: blind spot detection, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, assist.
Several of these models are having issues with the routine and design of the power supply and signal from the backup camera due to breaking of the wiring harness. My camera stopped working after opening the tailgate in below freezing weather. I noticed a broken wire in the harness. I checked the Honda Ridgeline forum…
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, all four windows of the vehicle were rolling up and down independently. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle braked unintendedly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the electric system was reset…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2018 Honda Ridgeline recalls
Suspension: rear
Risk: Failure of rear suspension components, such as the rear control arm, can cause a loss of vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rear subframe and install a rear subframe reinforcement kit and, as necessary, repair or replace the rear subframe components, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed july 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in the fall of 2026. Owners may contact honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are aou and aot. Vehicle identification numbers (vins) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning june 10, 2026.
Full defect summary
American honda motor company (honda) is recalling certain 2016-2022 honda pilot, 2017-2023 ridgeline, 2019-2023 passport, and 2014-2020 acura mdx vehicles that were sold in connecticut, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virginia, or wisconsin. The rear subframe may corrode at the suspension mounting points, which can result in rear suspension component failure.
Air bags: front passenger
Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed july 7, 2026. Owners may contact honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are bol, wo9, ooa, wom, xoh, noc, pod, boe, uof, pob, eog, aoi, qo8, toj, do7, and sok. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24v064. Vehicle identification numbers (vins) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning may 29, 2026.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 acura tlx, 2019-2024 rdx, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 mdx, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 honda ridgeline, 2017-2022 pilot, 2019-2021 passport, 2018-2026 odyssey, 2019-2022 insight, 2019-2021 hr-v, 2018-2020 fit, 2020-2022 cr-v hybrid, 2017-2022 cr-v, 2017-2018, 2021 civic type r, 2017-2021 civic hatchback, 2016-2020 civic coupe, 2016-2022 civic, 2017-2022 accord hybrid, and 2016-2022 accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
Fuel system: fuel pump
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed september 6, 2024. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are kgc and kgd. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21v-215 and 20v-314.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 honda accord, civic coupe, civic sedan, civic hatchback, civic type r, cr-v, hr-v, ridgeline, odyssey, acura ilx, mdx, mdx hybrid, rdx, rlx, tlx, 2019-2022 honda insight, passport, 2020 honda cr-v hybrid, 2018-2019 honda clarity phev, fit, and 2015-2020 honda accord hybrid, pilot, acura nsx vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Backup camera: camera
Risk: An inoperative rearview camera can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the rearview camera wiring harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed august 31, 2023. Owners may contact honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is 6rw.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2017-2019 ridgeline vehicles. Opening and closing the tailgate may break the rearview camera wiring harness, causing the rearview camera to fail.
Doors and locks: latch
Risk: A hood that opens while driving can obstruct the driver's view and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will either repair the hood latch striker, or replace the hood if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed january 18, 2022. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is pbv.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2019 passport, 2016-2019 pilot, and 2017-2020 ridgeline vehicles. The hood latch striker may become damaged and separate from the hood, which can result in the hood opening while driving.
Fuel system: fuel pump
Risk: A crack in the fuel pump feed port can allow pressurized fuel to leak out, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, if necessary, and install a fuel pump cover, free of charge. The recall began march 14, 2019. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. The recall number for this recall is q3v.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2017-2019 ridgeline trucks. Exposure to acids, such as from car wash soaps, can result in the fuel pump feed port cracking.
Seats
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the seat does not remain secured to the floor, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver seat frame assembly in acura mdx vehicles, and replace the driver and front passenger seat slide rail frames in honda pilot and ridgeline vehicles, free of charge. The recall began may 30, 2018. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall is d0s, and t0t.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2018 honda pilot and ridgeline vehicles and 2018 acura mdx vehicles. The front driver and passenger powered seats in the honda vehicles and the driver powered seats in the acura vehicles may have been assembled with improperly manufactured rivets. In the event of a crash, the rivets can break causing the seats not to be secured to the floor. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 207, "seating systems," and 210, "seat belt assembly anchorages."
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Engine failure
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) has received 414 reports of connecting rod bearing failures in the 3.5l v6 engine used in the following vehicles: model years (my) 2018-2020 acura tlx, my2016-2020 acura mdx, my2016-2020 honda pilot, my2018-2020 honda odyssey, and my2017-2019 honda ridgeline.â the subject engine failures were analyzed as part of a recall query (rq24013).â it was determined that these engine failures are outside the scope of honda recall 23v-751. Further, evidence gathered in conjunction with rq24013 does not suggest this failure is caused by the same crankshaft manufacturing defect that is addressed by honda in recall 23v-751.â based on analysis of data from rq24013,
Rear-view camera failure
Summary
On november 23, 2022, american honda motor co. (honda) filed recall 22v-867 to address a loss of the rear-view camera (rvc) function in model year (my) 2017-2019 honda ridgeline vehicles. On may 3, 2024 honda filed another recall, 24v-321, relating to the loss of the rvc function in my 2020-2024 honda ridgeline vehicles. The production parts recalled under 24v-321 and the parts used for the remedy in 22v-867 used the same supplier and materials for critical components in the rvc wire harness. As such, on june 26, 2024, odi opened recall query rq24011 to investigate the long-term suitability of the remedy in recall 22v-867. After receiving 14 total reports of rvc wire harness failures in vehi
Engine failure
Summary
On november 8, 2024, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened recall query rq24013 to assess the scope of honda recall 23v-751 after receiving complaints that alleged connecting rod bearing failures in vehicles that were not within the scope of recall 23v-751. In november 2023, honda recalled 248,999 various model year (my)2016â2020 honda and acura vehicles equipped with the 3.5l v6 engine. Honda recalled these vehicles due to a crankshaft manufacturing defect that caused premature connecting rod bearing wear and engine seizure. While the out-of-scope failures involved in these complaints appear to have a very similar failure mechanism as the recalled engines, a thorough analysis o
Rear-view camera failure
Summary
On june 26, 2024, the oï¬ce of defects investigation (odi) opened a recall query (rq24011) to assess the long-term suitability of the remedy for recall 22v-867, which was ï¬LED on november 23, 2022 by american honda motor co. (honda). Recall 22v-867 addressed concerns of a loss of the rear-view camera (rvc) function in model year (my) 2017-2019 honda ridgeline vehicles. Recall 22v-867 states that the rvc wire harness was manufactured with a protective corrugated tubing which was insufficient to protect against bending wear and zip ties which were insufficiently tightened and would not keep the protective tubing in place. The consequence is that the rvc wire harness may fatigue and break af
Rear-view camera failure
Summary
On february 7, 2022, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened preliminary evaluation (pe22-001) to assess alleged failures of the rear-view camera (rvc) in 2017-2018 model year honda ridgeline vehicles. At this time, odi has received a total of 107 complaints with allegations of the rvc image failing to display when the vehicle was in reverse.the rvc wire harness is manufactured with a protective corrugated tubing and harness guide to help mitigate stress on the rvc wire harness when the tailgate was opened and closed. Honda determined the length of corrugated tubing inserted into the harness guide was insufficient to provide optimal protection for the wire harness. This lack of prot
Questions about the 2018 Honda Ridgeline
- What are the most common problems with the 2018 Honda Ridgeline?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (49 complaints, typically around 33,000 miles); backup camera (31 complaints); fuel system (30 complaints, typically around 1,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2018 Honda Ridgeline have?
- 7 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 4, 2026 (suspension). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2018 a bad year for the Honda Ridgeline?
- It is 5th of 20 Ridgeline model years by number of complaints, with 162 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.