The contact owns a 2020 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while stopped at a red traffic light, the vehicle suddenly shut off and failed to restart. Other motorists began honking their horns as traffic approached. A nearby pedestrian was able to assist the contact in restarting the vehicle. The contact stated that while attempting to make a left turn, the vehicle shut off and failed to restart. The contact believed that the failure was associated with the STOP/START system. The vehicle became disabled in traffic. The local Honda dealer was contacted and advised that there was a diagnostic test was needed and scheduled an appointment. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000.
Honda Ridgeline start-stop problems
48 of the 2,245 owner complaints about the Honda Ridgeline describe start-stop system problems, most of them for the 2025 model year.
- owner complaints
- 48
- worst model year
- 2025
- typical mileage
- 50,000
By model year
Often reported together
Engine failure 5Stalling 4Won't start 2Warning lights 2Loss of power 1Lane assist 1Jerking 1
What owners say
Vehicle purchased in June of 2024, and with auto start in normal state (not disabled) vehicle does not restart (as it is designed to) when stopped at a stop light. I will have to put the vehicle into a parked state and then attempt to restart it. Fortunately I have not been rear ended yet, but it has caused delays in traffic having to attempt to complete this to get the car running again. Does the 2012 EPA rules and "off-cycle" credits that encouraged automakers to adopt automatic start-stop systems to reduce emissions really help people from possibly getting hit at a stop light/stop sign. I know I can turn it off, but if I turn it off why does it turn on automatically when the engine shut off and is restarted again.
When driving the vehicle and you come to a stop, the auto start-stop system will shut the engine off but fail to restart the engine when the foot is removed from brake. Warning lights come on, and you have to put the car in park and repeatedly press the brake and start button. Because I am blocking traffic and trying to restart the vehicle, I cannot get photos of the warning lights. After 30-60 seconds, the vehicle will restart and drive normally. But during that time, you are blocking traffic and cannot move the vehicle. This has happened approximately 10x to me in the 22 months that I have owned the vehicle- 3 times in the past week alone. The problem first started when the vehicle was approximately one year old with approximately 20k miles. Dealer says there is a recall or warranty extension on vehicles with the same engine (Honda Pilot) but not on the Ridgleline. The Honda dealer has confirmed the problem and recommended a new starter and batteryff at a cost of over $1,500. But the car starts normally most of the time, so there must be something that causes it to fail to start at only certain times.
Intermittently when I come to a stop, my vehicle does not restart from the auto start stop. When I mentioned this to the Honda dealer, they said my battery was bad and needed to be replaced. I replaced it in the problem still persists. I drive on route [XXX] from [XXX] to [XXX] daily for work and this has happened a couple times in rush-hour traffic. I’ve gotten a video of this and I have showed the dealership and they are not covering this under a powertrain warranty. My understanding there is an investigation, and Honda is aware of these issues. Investigation number is.EA25004. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Idle stop start, in traffic stopped, engine dies. Took a few minutes with traffic backed up behind me. Very dangerous..
I've been having trouble with the auto start stop on my vehicle pretty much since i bought it. If I don't forget to disable it, when i come to a stop light my truck won't restart and shut off. Leaving me scrambling to restart it while i have cars flying by me. I've taken it to the dealership multiple time. They've changed the throttle body when it was under warranty, that didnt fix it. they've changed the battery, that didn't fix it. Also when it happens a bunch of warning lights come on for power steering, lane assist, hill decent braking etc.. Then when i turn the vehicle off they all disappear. I've done research on this and its a known problem with other honda years and models. Why this hasn't been recalled and fixed I have no idea, but I am genuinely afraid for my and my childrens safety.
When sitting at a traffic light, the auto start/stop feature engaged and shut down the engine, when my foot was removed from the brake, the truck did not restart. I had to put the truck in park and manually press the start button. This caused a safety issue by making the vehicle inoperable in the middle of an intersection. The vehicle has not been inspected yet, but will in three days when i take it to the dealer.
In August 2026, my 2024 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition became undriveable while traveling in stop‑and‑go traffic on a four‑lane interstate. Without warning, the vehicle shut down completely and would not restart. After multiple attempts, it eventually restarted, but the shutdowns continued several more times during the same trip. The local Honda dealership retrieved diagnostic codes indicating software and transmission faults related to the auto stop/start system. They reinstalled the vehicle’s software. Several weeks later, similar failures occurred again involving the stop/start system. During the second evaluation, the dealership diagnosed the starter motor electrical connections as the source of the fault, noting that the starter was drawing excessive amperage. Replacement parts were no longer available from Honda and took several weeks to obtain. After replacement, the vehicle continues to experience electrical malfunctions, including unexpected computer reboots when coming to a stop. The issue remains unresolved, and the vehicle continues to pose a safety risk due to unpredictable shutdowns and electrical instability.
The contact owns a 2024 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while stopped at a red traffic light, the engine failed to restart after the Auto Start/Stop feature engaged. The battery warning light briefly illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact shifted the transmission to Park (P) and pressed the Engine Start/Stop button to restart the vehicle. The contact deactivated the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature to prevent the failure from recurring. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was determined that the starter motor required replacement; however, the replacement part was on backorder. The contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Action Number: EA25004 (Engine And Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure by phone, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
I bought the vehicle with around 13k miles in May of 2026. Since I have had the vehicle, I have had 4 incidents with the vehicle auto idle-stop (auto engine start/stop). I have experienced the vehicle completely die when trying to start back up during idle stop. Of the four times - one was on a major 3 lane highway in stop and go traffic. Another time, I was stuck in the middle of an intersection waiting to make a turn. It usually does not restart and battery lights come on the dashboard. After several attempts, or sometimes 30 seconds to 1 minute it does restart. I usually shut off the idle start/stop but sometimes I forget. After researching this issue, it seems to be a common problem. It is a severe issue and needs to be addressed. I use the truck as a second vehicle, but I am scared to let my son or wife use the vehicle. Honda needs to address the issue immediately before someone gets hurt or killed.
Related recalls
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2017 Ridgeline AWD vehicles manufactured April 1, 2016, to August 11, 2016. Water may enter the rear wiring harness through the connector located under the truck bed drain hole, possibly causing the connection terminals to corrode.
- Risk
- Corrosion of the wiring harness can cause increased electrical resistance, unexpectedly activating the vehicle stability assist (VSA) system, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear wiring harness and related components, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's number for this recall is KD3.
Recall number 16V888000 · Recall details
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
- What is wrong
- Honda is recalling certain model year 2006 and 2007 ridgeline vehicles manufactured between january 17, 2005, and june 7, 2006. A wiring harness connector for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) blower motor located under the passenger's side of the instrument panel may be accessible to kicking by the front seat passenger's feet. If this occurs, the connector terminal may overheat, and this may cause the wire insulation to melt or the wiring connector to melt.
- Risk
- Should the wiring insulation melt and the exposed wires make contact with each other (short circuit), a fire may occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and if the wiring connector is damaged it will be replaced and all vehicles will have the protective cover installed free of charge. The safety recall began on march 15, 2010. Owners may contact honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 10V001000 · Recall details
Questions about the Honda Ridgeline start-stop
Which Honda Ridgeline years have start-stop system problems problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2025 (15 complaints), 2020 (10 complaints) and 2024 (10 complaints).
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