2018 Honda Ridgeline Electrical System
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
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I had the backup camera harness recall performed on my 2018 Honda Ridgeline on 09/06/2023 by Honda of Escondido , CA. (See attached invoice of recall work performed.) On 01/27/2026, the backup camera failed to appear on the dash screen when the vehicle was in reverse. I restarted the vehicle and the camera view was still not visible on the screen. I drove home and parked the vehicle in my garage. I turned the ignition off and then on again and put the car in reverse with the brake applied. This time the camera view was displayed on the dash screen. Appears to be an intermittent problem. (See attached two pictures of rear camera view not projected to the dash screen and one picture of my vehicle"s mileage, 50,518 miles.)
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
Infotainment system have a black screen
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.
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".
Rear view camera failed - wiring harness drivers side in tailgate is damaged from normal use. Wires are frayed/cut.
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.
The backup camera on my 2018 Honda Ridgeline stopped working. I took it into the Honda dealership and they diagnosed it as a broken wiring harness. They will replace it for $833.45. I asked why Honda wasn't fixing this at no cost given the wiring harness should not break. The dealer indicated that they had not heard of this problem. After I returned home, I saw that there is a class action lawsuit.
Back up camera stopped working.
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.
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.
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
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 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.
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.
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The 2018 Honda Ridgeline has 34 Electrical System complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.