2021 HONDA Ridgeline

Recalls, Specs & Safety Report

Expert Verdict
⚠️Elevated Concerns

This 2021 model shows concerning reliability, primarily driven by 5 recalls—above the HONDA average—centered on the seat belts.

Key Factor:elevated seat belts issues

📋Why This Matters

Understanding recall history helps predict future ownership costs. Each unaddressed issue represents potential repair expenses.

Insurance companies review vehicle reliability data when setting premiums. Models with elevated recall rates often see adjusted pricing.

Given this model year's elevated concern level, budget for a thorough pre-purchase inspection.

Focus Area:general reliability
📊

Expert Analysis

  • 📈
    Recall Trend:No Change in recalls
  • ⚠️
    Primary Risk Area:Warning
  • ⚖️
    Vs Brand: Worse than avg (0.3)
    📝
    Summary:

Safety & Reliability Score

51/100

Score Breakdown

Recall Impact-40
Complaint Impact-4.35
Investigation Impact-5

Technical Specifications

Key specifications for the 2021 HONDA Ridgeline

Model Year2021
MakeHONDA
ModelRidgeline
Fuel TypeGasoline
Body ClassPassenger Vehicle

Safety History Timeline

Scroll for more →
Jan21
NEWProduction
Jan21
RECALLRecall Issued
Jan21
RECALLRecall Issued
Jan21
RECALLRecall Issued
Apr21
ISSUEFirst Report
Apr23
INVInvestigation Opened
Jan24
RECALLRecall Issued
Sep24
RECALLRecall Issued

Consumer Complaint Analysis

⚠️

Most Reported Issue

21 complaints (24% of total)
➡️

Complaint Trend

Stable
No trend data

Safety Incidents

No critical incidents

Complaint Severity Distribution

Breakdown of 87 consumer complaints by severity level.

🟠High
8(9%)
🟡Medium
15(17%)
🟢Low
64(74%)

Mileage Failure Analysis

⚙️Engineering Insight

Based on consumer reports, issues for this vehicle tend to peak around the 0-20k mileage range. The average reported failure mileage is 33,562 miles.

📊 Mileage data extracted from 22 of 87 complaints (25% coverage)
0-20k
8 reports (36%)
20k-40k
3 reports (14%)
40k-60k
8 reports (36%)
60k-80k
2 reports (9%)
80k-100k
0 reports (0%)
100k+
1 reports (5%)
* Analysis based on mileage data extracted from consumer complaint descriptions. Actual failure rates may vary.

🛠️ DIY Diagnosis Center

Experiencing an issue? Select a symptom to find official manufacturer solutions (TSBs).

Primary Risk Areas

SEAT BELTSVISIBILITYSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULICAIR BAGSBACK OVER PREVENTION

Official Safety Recalls (5)

Campaign: 21V900000

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

Summary

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021 Accord Sedan, Accord Hybrid, CR-V, Ridgeline, 2022 Insight and CR-V Hybrid vehicles. The automatic locking retractor on the second-row center seat belt assembly may deactivate improperly, which can result in an unsecured child restraint system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence

An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the second-row center seat belt assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)

Campaign: 23V174000

VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR

Summary

Honda (American Honda Motor Co) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2020-2022 Passport and Odyssey vehicles. The heating pads behind both side-view mirrors may not be bonded properly, allowing the mirror glass to detach. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Consequence

Detached mirror glass can reduce driver visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace both left and right side-view mirrors, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 17, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is FE5.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)

Campaign: 23V458000

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER

Summary

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Civic, 2020-2023 Ridgeline, 2021-2023 Passport, 2021-2022 Pilot, and 2020 Acura MDX vehicles. The tie rod fastener that connects the brake booster and the brake master cylinder may have been improperly assembled during manufacturing, which can cause the brake master cylinder to separate from the booster assembly.

Consequence

Brake master cylinder separation can cause a loss of brake function and increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and repair the brake booster assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 7, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are VEU, AEV, and ZET.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)

Campaign: 24V064000

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

Summary

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.

Consequence

An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024, October 18, 2024, and August 2025. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)

Campaign: 24V321000

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

Summary

Honda (America Honda Motor Co) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Ridgeline vehicles. The rearview camera (RVC) tailgate wire harness may fatigue and break, which can prevent the rearview camera image from displaying.

Consequence

A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the RVC tailgate wire harness, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed November 8, 2024. Owners may contact Honda service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is YI7.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)

NHTSA Investigations

1 investigation

Official NHTSA safety investigations for 2021 Ridgeline.

INV-2021-1000🟢 Closed

NHTSA opened investigation after receiving consumer complaints regarding Ridgeline performance issues.

Opened: Affected Units: 17,066

Consumer Complaints

87 total complaints

Consumer-reported issues submitted to NHTSA for 2021 Ridgeline.

Common Reported SymptomsAI Analysis

Warning24%
Acceleration Issues15%
Check Engine Light9%
Fire5%
Engine/Powertrain🔵 Low
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact's husband owns a 2021 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 55 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and made an abnormal knocking sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the timing belt, the water pump, and the tensioner pulley were replaced; however, the knocking sound persisted. The dealer determined that the lower bearing had failed, and the dealer recommended replacing the engine with a used engine. Additionally, the contact was advised that the oil pump was leaking and might need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The manufacturer requested the vehicle service records. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: EA25004 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

Engine/Powertrain🔵 Low
ENGINE

I began to hear a knocking noise at 2500 to 3500 rpms and I immediately took my vehicle to the dealer who confirmed rod bearing damage.

Other🔵 Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The Multipurpose Camera had an Internal Electronic Failure. Indications we all of the warning lights were illuminated on my dash. Initially it began when I had about 43, 400 miles on my truck. The warning lights would all remail lighted on starting the vehicle. I could restart the vehicle and eventually get the lights to go off. Then the slowly began to stay on permanently. I eventually made an appointment and took my truck into a Honda dealership and it was diagnosed a the failure of the Multipurpose Camera at 44,000 miles. The Honda Service Tech told me that none of my safety features were working at this time which really scared me. The Honda Dealership witnessed the dashboard warning lights and ran a diagnostic indicating the problem. The dealership ordered a replacement camera and replaced it. Parts and Labor were $2118.78. The first indication was when the warning lights began staying lit on my dash.

Safety Systems🔶 Medium
LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

2021 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E. Part number 36160-T6Z-A62-M1 failure, hard code U3000-49. Results in total loss of Honda Sense Safety system. Including Collision Mitigation Braking System, Road Departure Mitigation System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assist System, Traffic Sign Recognition, Auto High-Beam Headlights. This appears to be a fairly common issue across Honda models where the multipurpose camera fails, generally due to heat from exposure to sun. The replacement cost and required re-calibration via the dealer is ~$2000. Living in northern California with extreme heat, I will assume this problem will resurface after a few years resulting in another $2000+ repair.

Electrical🔵 Low
EXTERIOR LIGHTING

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that there was moisture inside driver's side headlight housing. The contact took the headlight assembly apart and blew out the moisture. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 43,928.

Safety Systems🔶 Medium
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

The forward collision system frequently goes off from a vehicle simply driving in their lane normally. The truck alarms, shakes the wheel, and sometimes brakes automatically. This is alarming for my kids riding in the car and the braking is dangerous for cars behind me. This could cause a rear end collision.

Electrical🔵 Low
EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Auto High Beam. Very sensitive. Sometimes they don't go on when they should and sometimes, they stay on blinding oncoming traffic. I have researched this problem and also have been told this is a known problem with this particular model and year - not just my vehicle.

Engine/Powertrain🔵 Low
ENGINE

Engine began knocking from the bottom end at 53k miles. It was determined that a connecting rod bearing had failed and Honda is replacing my engine under warranty. No cost was incurred to me but I am adding my complaint because my VIN is not included in the recall for this exact problem in other years close to mine and the recall my need to be expanded to a wider range of VINs.

Engine/Powertrain🔶 Medium
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

While making a right turn from a yield sign into oncoming traffic and doing about 15 mph, I depressed the accelerator to speed up and the truck stalled for about 2 seconds. The RPM's drop and you literally lunge forward until power resumes. No warning lights come on and no codes are given. This put my safety at risk and the driver accelerating towards me at risk. This is the first time it happened with my 2021 Ridgeline. However, my 2019 Ridgeline had this happen about a dozen times. Honda Service could never replicate the issue with the 2019 Ridgeline, but there was enough data out there about defective High Pressure Fuel Pumps that they agreed to replace the pump. After replacing the pump, the issue went away. Now my 2021 Ridgeline is doing the exact same thing. I can therefore only assume it's the High Pressure Fuel Pump again. I see that Honda recalled 628,000 vehicles in 2021 and then recalled an additional 720,000 vehicles in 2024 for the High Pressure Fuel Pump failing. My current VIN for some reason is not in this recall. Honda Corporate was of no help whatsoever when contacting them. They told me my truck is not under recall. This is a severe Safety Issue and Honda needs to expand the recall to cover my VIN and any other VIN's that are affected by this defective High Pressure Fuel Pump.

Engine/Powertrain🔵 Low
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE

Truck was waiting at a stop light in drive mode and foot on brake pedal. When the light changed to green. I tried to accelerate to go and the whole vehicle shook/lunges forward and shut off. Vehicle went into neutral and wouldn't allow me to go into drive mode. I had to restart the vehicle twice before it allowed me to go into drive again. Vehicle was stuck in the middle of the street with oncoming/ongoing traffic. I had this vehicle at the honda dealer(with documents) three times previous for this issue and its still not resolved. Please help.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any recalls for the 2021 HONDA Ridgeline?

Yes, the 2021 HONDA Ridgeline has 5 recorded recalls from NHTSA. These recalls cover various components including SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR, VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER.

Is the 2021 HONDA Ridgeline safe to drive?

The 2021 HONDA Ridgeline has 5 recalls. If you own this vehicle, check with your dealer to ensure all recall repairs have been completed. Most recalls have free remedies available.

Where can I check if my 2021 HONDA Ridgeline has open recalls?

You can check for open recalls by visiting NHTSA.gov and entering your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), or by contacting your local HONDA dealer.

📊Year-over-Year Context

➡️Stable Pattern

Compared to earlier years, the 2021 model shows stable reliability patterns. No meaningful structural change detected in recall frequency between adjacent model years.

🎯Risk Areas & Recommended Actions

Based on recall data, these components require verification:

1

Seat belts

Issue: increases crash or loss-of-control risk

If you already own this vehicle: Contact your dealer immediately to confirm seat belts recall is complete. Recall repairs are always free.

🔍

If you are evaluating a used example: Request VIN and verify all seat belts recalls are completed before purchase.

Campaign:21V900000
2

Visibility

Issue: increases crash or loss-of-control risk

If you already own this vehicle: Contact your dealer immediately to confirm visibility recall is complete. Recall repairs are always free.

🔍

If you are evaluating a used example: Request VIN and verify all visibility recalls are completed before purchase.

Campaign:23V174000
3

Service brakes, hydraulic

Issue: increases crash or loss-of-control risk

If you already own this vehicle: Contact your dealer immediately to confirm service brakes, hydraulic recall is complete. Recall repairs are always free.

🔍

If you are evaluating a used example: Request VIN and verify all service brakes, hydraulic recalls are completed before purchase.

Campaign:23V458000
💡Visit NHTSA.gov or contact your HONDA dealer to verify recall completion status.

🧭What This Means for You

Families with young passengers, pregnant drivers, or those with frequent highway commutes should prioritize this information.

If you're unsure, we recommend starting with a VIN check or consulting a certified mechanic.

🔑

If You Own This Vehicle

  • Verify all 5 recalls have been completed using your VIN at NHTSA.gov or through your HONDA dealer.
  • If any recalls are open, schedule service immediately—recall repairs are always free.
  • Consider setting up VIN-specific alerts to receive notification of future recalls.
🛒

If You're Buying Used

  • Request full service history and documentation of all recall completions.
  • Consider whether adjacent model years (2020 or 2022) show better safety metrics.
  • Budget for thorough pre-purchase inspection focusing on known problem areas.

This page is designed to help you decide, not alarm you.

Compare with Similar Vehicles

Data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Last updated: January 10, 2026.