2018 HONDA RIDGELINE Electrical System Problems

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50-55 MPH on I-40 Westbound to I-25 and making a turn in a construction zone, the passenger’s side air bag deployed without warning or impact to the vehicle. There were no reported injuries. The air bag control message was displayed after the failure. Two days later, the system indicators produced a failure with the road departure mitigation, collision mitigation, trailer stability control field assist, vehicle stability control, power steering, air bag system, and adaptive cruise control. The brake system warning light was illuminated after the parking brake was released. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 56,850.

Mileage: 56,850

Infotainment system have a black screen

KEYLESS ACCESS CONTROL UNIT PART NUMBER: 38320-T6Z-A31 The vehicle headlights came on and dash lights flashed on and off. The alarm would also go off and on. This causes the battery to drain as well. Also I know of several other Honda Ridgeline owners who have had the same part failure

Initially the car would not turn on. We were able to start it but then the engine would not turn off. Shop indicated that the Body Control Module is faulty. Honda of Olathe has the component that malfunctioned as of today 11/1/2024. My understanding is that this system controls door locks, windows, lights, turn signal, horn, etc. Malfunction of some of these systems may put my safety or the safety of others at risk. There was a warning message indicating "Keyless Start System Problem".

1. Vehicle when locked arms the car alarm. When armed the car alarm is randomly and intermittently going off, and dash lights light up exactly like the system is ready to start. Vehicle is available for inspection. 2. has potential to run battery down if alarm is not silenced in a timely manner leaving the vehicle operator stranded. 3. problem on this specific vehicle has not yet been reproduced by the dealer but HONDA issued a service bulletin relating to the problem. Honda Service Bulletin 21-055 4. vehicle not yet inspected by others 5. No early indication failure would occur. First indication of problem occurred week of 6/16/2024.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while the vehicle was not being driven, the vehicle remained running, causing the battery to drain. The contact had the vehicle jumpstarted; however, the battery failure recurred. The contact replaced the battery. Upon replacing the battery, several unknown warning lights were illuminated, and the alarm system sounded off throughout the night. The contact called an independent mechanic and was referred to the dealer to have the vehicle diagnosed. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the vehicle was diagnosed with a faulty keyless access unit. The dealer recommended that the keyless access unit be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.

Mileage: 44,000

Rear view camera not working, exposed wires from lift gate operation. I can now see the exposed wires and some have been cut due to operation of lift gate over time.

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; however, the horn engaged unintendedly while the vehicle was parked. The contact stated that he disconnected the battery, and the vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the electrical control unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that there was no recall related to the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was 22,000.

Mileage: 22,000

The backup camera has stopped working, at least the imaging part. This makes backing up riskier, especially in parking lots, driveways or where pedestrians may be behind me. I have not been to the dealership yet as it failed today but this seems a common complaint for Ridgeline owners online. I have not had others inspect this problem yet. There was no warning, yesterday worked fine, today it doesn't work. I took a picture of the broken wiring harness at the corner of the tailgate, looks same as what I found online. Truck is a 2018 model with between 70 and 80K miles.

The backup camera intermittently works. When put in reverse, sometimes I’ll have a black screen with grid lines, other times just a blank screen. Yes, it is available for inspection. I cannot see persons and property when backing up. I am afraid, in reverse, of running over persons shorter than the vehicle that only the backup camera would pick up. This has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service station. The vehicle has not been inspected by another entity. There has been no warning lights or messages from the vehicle about the issue. I purchased the vehicle in October 2022 and the issue started two weeks after purchase.

The failed system is the Backup camera and the failure can be inspected. Our safety is compromised because we cannot see objects behind the vehicle before or during backing maneuvers. The damage has been reported and confirmed by the Honda dealer as well as an independent. There was no warning of the failure, one day it worked the next day it did not work.

Rear view camera failed - wiring harness drivers side in tailgate is damaged from normal use. Wires are frayed/cut.

Wire harness failed due to pinching in tailgate. This resulted in the rear view camera no longer functioning. Due to the camera failure, I can no longer see behind the vehicle when reversing. This has been inspected by the dealership. Although this is a common issue, they declined to repair it. Cost to repair would be $465 + labor.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Rear camera wire harness has failed. When vehicle is in reverse the screen displays a black image. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Please see attached image. These wires are visible when the tailgate is open. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The rear camera adds tremendous safety information as I reverse the vehicle. In every situation this information is valuable; more so in a neighborhoods like the one I live in. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No. I will mention it during my next routine service. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, first signs were the camera would fail sporadically , now almost permanently. Sometimes after opening/closing the tailgate the camera will work until the tailgate is opened again.

My 2018 Honda Ridgeline pickup has a backup camera which became nonfunctional in June 2022. Upon inspection the wiring harness at the back gate pivot point has broken as the gate has been opened over time, disabling the backup camera - the display is now black when the vehicle is in reverse. This has made it difficult to accurately back the vehicle up, and puts pedestrians, pets and other objects at risk as it is impossible to see directly behind the truck when backing. The dealer has confirmed this wiring harness failure, and has quoted me $2,000 to repair the wiring harness. The vehicle is scheduled for repair, but I would not expect this failure to occur this early in the vehicle's duty cycle.

Broken wire in backup camera bundle due to improper design where the bundle exits the tailgate and enters the left rear fender area. Wire had been broken and poorly repaired prior to my purchase. The wire bundle needs a redesign to prevent flexure at the point of failure. Failure caused loss of backup camera . There have been many reports of failures at this specific point in the wire bundle Needs redesign and recall. Thank you.

Rear backup camera does not work. This is a known manufacturer defect in the wiring from opening the tailgate the wiring harness breaks there should be a safety recall on this They want $653.00 to replace the harness with the same harness which will just break again

The back up camera no longer functions due to the wiring harness cracking and breaking at the junction where the wires run from the tailgate into the left rear tail light area.

Back up camera stopped working.

The backup camera stopped working. I brought the vehicle to a Honda dealer and they said it was due to a broken tailgate wiring harness. The dealer said the wiring harness would need to be replaced. I asked the dealer why the harness broke and he said it was due to corrosion. The replacement part was ordered and the repair was made within two days. I asked for the damaged part when I picked the vehicle up. Upon inspection, there was no visible corrosion (especially since the outer shielding is made of plastic).

The backup camera doesn't always work correctly. Looks like it's due to an issue in the wiring. The wiring harness that runs near the tail gate left hinge is damaged and bare wire is showing.

Several times now, the alarm of the vehicle has gone off in the middle of the night for no reason. The key access remotes does not respond to the commands properly after replacing them with new batteries. After several different combinations to set the alarm off, the vehicle is continuing to make electrical circuit noises, flashing the dashboard with potential risk of fire and damages to computer, plus creating the possibility of a heart attack to those nearby. The only solution to keep the alarm of is leaving one door unlocked. The vehicle reflected the Keyless start system problem light for many hours. However, the dealership "couldnt" replicate the issue and gave back the vehicle. The vehicle continues to malfunction & could cause an accident, fire while driving or theft, given known issues that Honda Corp doesn't want to recognize as manufactures' issues. There is a Technical Bulletin addressing 2016 & 2017 Honda Ridgelines (Service Bulletin 20-117), noting an extended warranty coverage & the requirement to replace different aspects. However, for 2018 to 2019 Honda Ridgelines, despite reporting the same issues as the 2016-2017 Ridegelines, the Technical Bulletin notes to check the alarm registry & complete replacement at the customer expense (Service Bulletin 21-055);no recalls or extended warraty. An investigation should be completed to ensure customers' safety

Back up camera wiring crimped and is no longer working

Screen for backup camera goes black when vehicle is in reverse. I can see that wire loom going from rear bumper to tailgate where camera is mounted is broken and wires within the loom are fractured.

Currently my 2018 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E is having issues with the backup camera. The screen is completely blacked out, and the wire harness broke off. I believe it's the car design that is rubbing the wires that's causing the issue.

The backup camera wiring harness wires are rubbed down to bare wires. I just returned from my local Honda service center without having the issue repaired. I declined to have the work done because it would have cost me around $400.00 to replace the wiring harness. I have 39,000 miles on my truck so it is just 3,000 miles out of warranty. I do not use the tailgate very often so this looks to me to be just a poorly engineered or executed design flaw. (As noted online by many other Honda Ridgeline truck owners.

Back up camera failed due to wiring harness to tailgate being cracked, splintered and pinched. Protective covering is split, exposing electrical wires that supply power to backup camera and other crucial electrical components in rear of vehicle. Harness is pinched at a compromising position at tailgate and cracked exposed wiring. Mileage on Vehicle 50,000 miles.

Wiring harness is failing in tailgate. Protective covering is split, exposing electrical wires that supply power to backup camera and other crucial electrical components in rear of vehicle. Harness does not seem secure when opening the tailgate and has excessive motion. Mileage on Vehicle 25,944 miles.

The Multi-Angle Rearview Camera with Guidelines has failed several times. It was reported to a local Honda Dealership but because the camera was working at the time the vehicle was taken in to check this system, they didn't find a problem. The problem is when you put the vehicle in reverse, the camera would not work properly. The screen was gray but would have the yellow lines on the screen only. Later, the rear-view camera would work again. This system should not fail especially since it is a safety system for assistance in seeing what is at the rear of the vehicle before backing up.

The Rear Camera system has completely failed and the wiring harness is severed due to the engineering failure. The harness is pinched and the opening and closing of a door panel causes the harness to fray and split, exposing wires that led to a complete failure.

Due to a wiring failure the rear camera is not working correctly. Sometimes not at all. When it is working the normal of three possible views is not working. Research indicates this is a very common problem for this vehicle. As federal law mandates a camera, I feel this is s safety issue.

THE BACKUP CAMERA stopped working. When I did an internet search, "my backup camera does not work", many posts came up. In the tailgate wiring harness, one wire in the bundled wire broke, that wire supplys the camera video. It is a good safety feature to prevent hitting something or someone. Honda will not voluntarily repair it. My tailgate is rarely used. I think the door swing alternate way to open the gate is what cause the stress on the wire and it to fail. My car ar 3 years old just went out of warranty when it failed. About 3 months after the warranty expired. I called the local Honda parts departement, he said they changed the design of the wiring harness in 2019. It is was a known design flaw.

My complaint for my 2018 Honda Ridgeline Sport is with Honda's part number 32109-T6Z-A00 which is a wiring harness leading into the tailgate of the vehicle. This harness houses a wiring bundle including the back up camera. I experienced a failure of the camera on August 9, 2021 when the screen was black however the guide bars were still present. I consulted a few online resources and found that Honda is collecting information on this failure where the wire of the camera becomes sheered off and in the process breaks the wire to the camera rendering it blank. I contacted a Honda dealership to get a new harness and and had the repair made on August 31, 2021 only to find that Honda only authorized the same defective part number as the replacement. The 2020 and later models have a different part number with no reported issues, but because my vehicle is a 2018, they installed the same defective harness. The design of the tailgate has not changed since 2017. The back up camera is a vital safety component on my vehicle. I am at a complete loss as to why Honda would replace a faulty part with the same faulty part, other than as a way of charging $360 to get another repair.

HANDS FREE CALLING, MICROPHONE NOT WORKING. PICKS UP BACKGROUND NOISE SO PERSON ON OTHER END CAN'T HEAR.

Mileage: 10,000

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 AND MANY OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. I ORDERED THE OEM REPLACEMENT PART AND IT NOW IS WORKING. I TRYING TO GET HONDA TO REFUND MY PARTS COST OF $68.25. NOT INCLUDING LABOR OF TAILGATE PANEL REMOVAL ALONG WITH REAR BUMPER COVER. MY HONDA CASE NUMBERS ARE 11916318 AND 11967005,

Mileage: 50,000

THE VEHICLE ALARM WENT OFF FOR NO REASON THE KEYLESS REMOTES STOPPED WORKING LOCKED OUT OF VEHICLE BACKUP MANUAL KEY WOULD NOT WORK RESEARCHED ISSUE ON THE INTERNET MANY SAME VEHICLE OWNERS HAD SAME PROBLEM

Mileage: 12,800

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 OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING HTTPS://WWW.RIDGELINEOWNERSCLUB.COM/THREADS/2017-2018-BROKEN-TAILGATE-HARNESS-CAUSES-BACKUP-CAMERA-FAILURE.217776/PAGE-10

Mileage: 33,000

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 MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS OF OWNERS FROM 2017 MODELS TO 2020. WHEN VEHICLE IS PLACED IN REVERSE THERE IS NO VISIBLE CAMERA TO BE SEEN.

Mileage: 64,000

REAR CAMERA FAILURE DUE TO WIRING HARNESS SEVER AT TAILGATE PIVOT POINT.

Mileage: 37,000

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.

Mileage: 33,000

BACK UP CAMERA INOPERABLE RELATED TO FAILURE OF WIRING HARNESS TO TAILGATE. STRESS POINT IN HARNESS SEVERS ELECTRICAL CONNECTION LEADING TO NO IMAGE FROM CAMERA. THIS INITIALLY OCCURRED WHILE BACKING BOAT TRAILER DOWN ACCESS RAMP AT NOBLEBORO, MAINE PUBLIC BOAT LAUNCH. HEAVILY TINTED REAR WINDOW IN THIS VEHICLE INCREASES DRIVER DEPENDENCE ON BACK UP CAMERA FOR AVOIDING ACCIDENTS. BOUGHT VEHICLE NEW FOR $42,000.00. CAMERA FAIL AT 43,000 MILES OF LIGHT USE. THIS RECURRENT SAFETY ISSUE IS WELL DOCUMENTED ON THE INTERNET AT HTTPS://WWW.RIDGELINEOWNERSCLUB.COM/THREADS/2017-2018-BROKEN-TAILGATE-HARNESS-CAUSES-BACKUP-CAMERA-FAILURE.217776/PAGE-9

Mileage: 43,000

REVERSE CAMERA FAILURE CAUSED BY BROKEN WIRE IN A FAULTY DESIGNED TAILGATE HARNESS. 40.5K MILES.

Mileage: 40,500

THE WIRING HARNESS (HONDA PART #32109-T6Z-AOO) BETWEEN THE LIFT GATE AND THE TRUCK BED FOR THE BACKUP CAMERA IS SUBJECT TO PREMATURE FAILURE. MY 2018 RIDGELINE BACKUP CAMERA QUIT, AND WHEN I DID RESEARCH ON THE RIDGELINE BLOGS, I FOUND THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. THE HARNESS ITSELF IS SURPRISINGLY WIMPY FOR A HONDA PRODUCT. I HAD MINE REPLACED BY MY HONDA DEALER, BUT MY GUESS IS VIRTUALLY EVERY RIDGELINE WILL EXPERIENCE THIS FAILURE EVENTUALLY. I'VE TRIED TO ATTACH PHOTOS OF THE HARNESS, AS WELL AS THE EMAIL I RECEIVED FROM HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Mileage: 58,600

ALL THE WINDOWS ROLL DOWN ON THEIR OWN. SOMETIMES WHEN UNLOCKING THE DOOR, AND SOMETIMES WHEN EXITING THE VEHICLE. NEVER WHEN THE CAR IS RUNNING.

Mileage: 10,000

TWO WAY TAILGATE BACK UP CAMERA WIRING BROKE AFTER ONLY 7000 MILES DUE TO POOR DESIGN, PER LIA HONDA REPRESENTATIVE.THIS WIRE HARNESS SUPPLIES BACK UP CAMERA VIEWING. AFTER 7000 MILES I WAS UNABLE TO SEE WHAT WAS BEHIND VEHICLE WHEN BACKING UP. WIRES BROKE DUE TO UNDER ENGINEERED HARNESS MATERIAL. AS TAILGATE CAN BE OPEN IN 2 WAY, UP/DOWN AND AS A SWINGING OUT DOOR, HARNESS IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO ENDURE SURE REPETITIVE MOTION. DEALER INFORMED ME THAT THEY ARE SEEING MANY HARNESSES BEING REPLACED AND THERE IS NOW A BACK ORDER OF REPLACEMENT HARNESSES. THE NEWLY INSTALLED HARNESS IS THE SAME PART NUMBER AS NEW. IT WAS AND IS NOT AN UPDATED CAMERA WIRE HARNESS. IN CONCLUSION THIS HARNESS WILL ALSO FAIL IN THE FUTURE.

Mileage: 7,000

ON SUNDAY JANUARY 20TH I WAS HEADING TO MONTREAL FROM TORONTO DURING A SNOW STORM. ABOUT 2 HRS INTO THE TRIP, SOMEONE CUT IN FRONT OF ME , AND I ATTEMPTED TO SOUND THE HORN, HOWEVER IT APPEARED IT HAD FROZEN UP, AND BARELY WORKED. ALONG WITH A HORRIBLE EXHAUST VIBRATION DURING THE LAST 3 HOURS OF MY 6 HOUR TRIP. IT APPEARS THAT HONDA ISN'T READY FOR WINTER AS THRY CLAIM WITH THEIR CRV AD AT THIER WINTER TESTING FACITLY.... THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE NOT HAVING A WARNING DEVICE DURING A SNOW STORM, ALONG WITH THE ACCUMULATION OF SNOW STICKING UNDER THE VEHICLE CAUSING A TERRIBLE EXHAUST NOISE.

Mileage: 12,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 HONDA RIDGELINE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SAFETY SYSTEM FEATURE THAT DETECTS SURROUNDING VEHICLES DID NOT FUNCTION. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES DID NOT ACTIVATE IN ORDER TO AVOID A CRASH WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHEN VEERING OFF THE LANE, THE SYSTEM DID NOT ALERT THE DRIVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO OCEAN HONDA DEALER (8442 US-19, PORT RICHEY, FL 34668, (727) 312-0759) AND THE COURTESY PALM HARBOR HONDA (31200 US HWY 19 N, PALM HARBOR, FL 34684) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE RADAR SUB-ASSEMBLY (PART NUMBER: 36802T6ZA01) NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS FOR THE REPAIR WERE ON BACKORDER. THE CONTACT WAS PROVIDED WITH CASE NUMBER: 06603727 FROM THE MANUFACTURER HOWEVER NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,700.

Mileage: 3,700