2018 Honda Ridgeline Engine Problems

Catastrophic Engine Failure. Reported to NHTSA on 10.11.24 for Recall 23.097. Investigation (RQ24013) which no issues were allegedly determined. Now a new investigation has opened PE25008: We had our engine replaced for a used one and are concerned that this engine still has the issues realated to Recall 23.097. Called Honda to ask if they can confirm whether or not this used/salvaged engine had been checked to see if it has rod bearing issues related to Recall 23.097 or was from a vehicle that was related to the recall. They said they had not. Furthermore, we provided the motor serial number so they can check and they said they were not able to. They have systems in place to quickly cross reference VIN and motor serial numbers, so it was surprising they would not be able to provide this information. Furthermore, why would Honda not have systems in place to ensure they are not installing a faulty motor given the absurdly expensive pricing for a used unit. Our families life was at risk previously with the first engine failure and now it could be again, and this was their response.

Truck only has 40,500 miles. Was driving down road and made a clunk noise and engine seized up and wouldn't start. There were no warning signs. I had it towed to Honda dealership. Their official repair estimate states verbatim "Bearing on a connecting rod went bad and the rod snapped." The bill is $7800 for a remanufactured engine or $13500 for a new one. I had just had the vehicle's 40,000 mile inspection done at the same Honda Dealership 2 months prior, and no issues were found.

Service engine light came on and mechanic stated the failed rod bearings have made the vehicle undriveable.

While driving the vehicle to the dealership to have them inspect the vehicle for a knocking noise coming from the engine at startup, the engine stalled. The engine locked up and had to be towed approximately 10 miles to the dealership. Upon inspection by the dealership after pulling the oil pan and inspecting for evidence of rod bearing failure, it was confirmed by the shop manager that there was indeed evidence of this in the oil pan.

My check engine light came on and within minutes there was a loud noise, smoke and my vehicle lost power. I was on Hwy 20 returning to Boise, ID from Bend, OR. Luckily this occurred just as I had cell service since I was without cell service just before this occurred. This happened in the evening on Nov 2, 2025. I had just had it serviced for regularly needed maintenance as recommended by Honda. 10/20/2025 I spent $2274.28 on service at the Honda dealership. Service included transmission service, oil change, strut service, replace front struts, wheel alignment, and resurfaced front rotors. I've had all my regular maintenance handled timely and at the dealership. I was 75 miles from the dealership and had to spend $521 to have it towed to the dealership. My truck lost power so fast after the check engine light leaving me on the side of the hwy 15 miles from the nearest town as the sun set. I waited in the dark for a tow truck. So grateful that I had regained cell service to call for help. The truck is currently at the dealership awaiting resolution. Dealership notes: engine oil leaking all over the engine assembly, used bore scope and inspected behind bank 2 catalytic converter and found a hole in the engine block. Recommend replacement of the short block with new heads or replace the engine. Service department suspects the problem a connecting rod bearing failed. We've had multiple phone and in person discussions regarding the matter as we try to resolve this. There is a recall on the 2017 and 2019, but not the 2018. There is an open probe regarding the 2018. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Engine started making a knocking noise on start up. Got progressively worse for the next 3 days before I stopped operation. Dealer states "engine has a rod knock likely due to a spun bearing". No warning lights or messages displayed.

Had a clacking noise that got louder depending on RPM's, scheduled a visit to the dealer same day to also take care of a B1 maintenance notification that appeared 2 days prior and on the way to the dealer from work the same day the clacking noise started, the engine light started to flash and then within a few seconds there was a complete loss of power to the accelerator and the RPM's dropped to zero; Had to pull off the interstate in a construction zone where there was no shoulder and just on a dirt slope. When towed to the dealer, dealer stated the engine had suffered Rod bearing failure and there were metal shavings in the oil pan. The car is available upon request, it is at the dealership at the moment and I am scheduling it to get an engine replacement. I contacted Honda because this is a Honda Ridgeline 2018 and they denied my request for goodwill consideration, I stated that this is surely apart of the ongoing investigation "RQ24013" as it sounds extremely similar and there have already been recalls issued under "23V-751". They stated the vehicle was not taken to dealers for maintenance before I bought the truck 5 months ago and that the truck has too many miles at 90k miles so therefore they will not help. This is an extremely dangerous car to own when the engine can die on you like that after only 1 day of a clacking noise, if you are on a bridge with no shoulder or like me in a construction zone, you will be a foot away from traffic moving at 70+mph next to you and stranded with no Hvac system. I was personally in my car for an hour and a half in the deep south in the middle of summer, so 90+ degree temps without A/C. Also I bought this from Carvana who did a "150 multi-point inspection" of the car and missed this and refuses to help in any way, they just stated "Oh sorry to hear that" and then closed the chat, so don't buy from Carvana, they won't help you at all.

As I was driving on the freeway, the vehicle lost power completely without any prior warning. All the lights on the dashboard were flashing. The vehicle could not be started again. I was stranded in the middle of the freeway at the very high risk of being rear ended given the relatively lighter traffic at 11pm in Los Angeles. It put other drivers on the freeway at very high risk of running into me as well. The vehicle was towed to the dealership where an inspection was conducted. It concluded a blown-out engine (literally), possibly caused by the piston. A hole was found on the engine cast. The incident was escalated to Honda's corporate customer care department.

After performing regular maintenance to Honda Ridgeline 2018 by replacing the spark plugs, spark plug number 4 was contaminated with oil. All other 5 spark plugs had not sign of oil. This was discovered during the 100K miles tune up. A leaking component (e.g. a tube seal) in the well or an engine-related issue that's causing oil to enter the combustion chamber can cause a critical engine failure.

Crankshaft leading to rod bearing failure causing engine failure. Same issuse as 2017 and 2019 models that had recall 23v-751 issued

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 causing the rob bearing to fail. After further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

I just turned onto the interstate on ramp and as soon as I pushed on the gas, I lost some engine power and the loudest racket came from the engine. I couldn’t go passed 55mph without it getting louder but luckily there was an exit shortly after getting on the onramp. I sat for 3 hours in 90 degree weather with no cool air waiting on a ride and a tow truck. My truck is not drivable now. I noticed a knocking sound earlier so I set up an appointment to have it looked at but I couldn’t afford it. Right after I left the appointment, that’s when it happened. There’s a recall for a connecting rod bearing fail for the 2017 and 2019 Ridgelines but not the 2018. The 2018 should be involved.

The engine suffered catastrophic failure at highway speed, without any prior warning. Vehicle is currently at CMA’s Valley Honda in Staunton Va if further inspection is requested. Engine lost all power accompanied by a violent vibration, forcing me to coast off to the side of the road. The problem has been confirmed by the dealer. “Catastrophic engine failure” metal in engine oil. The vehicle hasn’t been inspected by any other party. There were no lights or warnings prior to the failure.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request?- Suspected failed crankshaft bearing failure/rod knock. Honda declined request for further troubleshooting and engine was replaced at owner's expense. Failed engine was retained and is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - Loss of power on highway but no catastrophic failure. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center?- The symptoms were reproduced by dealer. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others?- Inspection was requested by owner but declined by Honda corporate Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear?- A slight ticking sound was detected a couple of days prior to the failure. During the loss of power, a flashing check engine light and #2 cylinder misfire error codes were generated.

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 bearing wear and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

In July of 2023, on my way home from a 3 hour. trip, the engine light started flashing on and off and the engine would not exceed 30 mph. Just after my 2018 Honda Ridgeline's warranty expired, it had a catastrophic engine failure. I was told by the Honda Service advisor that it was caused by broken bearings that caused a rod to break. The engine was damaged beyond repair and required replacement. I was devastated. Honda Corporate paid a percentage of the cost of replacement and I paid the lower percentage. The vehicle was at the service department at the Honda dealership for 4 weeks. Interestingly, I later heard through news reports about this being a systemic problem and that there would be a recall. However, when I tried to report it on the NHTSA website, my vehicle is not registered. I suppose Honda excluded it, but I wanted to let the NHTSA know that my vehicle should be included in any statistics. I also feel Honda should refund my share of the nearly $800.00 I paid to get a new engine.

Our 2018 Honda Ridgeline broke a connecting rod, that quickly punched through the engine block. My entire family was left stranded on the side of I-79, at night, in the mountains of West Virginia, in subfreezing temperatures, with no power or heat. It took an hour for a tow truck to reach us (we were in the middle of nowhere) and another hour to get it towed to the nearest Honda dealership. The only warning we had was a slight rattle for about 10 minutes, followed by a POW, immediate and complete loss of engine power, and all the dashboard lights came on simultaneously. The dealership (Urse Honda in Bridgeport WV) confirmed the hole in the side of the engine block, and let me take pictures of the broken rod cap. Ironically, the month before the catastrophic failure, on 11/9/2023 Honda internally released Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) [XXX] that speaks to "internal damage at the connecting rod bearings, possibly leading to engine failure." However I only found out about this TSB AFTER my engine blew up. Furthermore even though this TSB describes exactly the failure I experienced, it ONLY covers 2017 and 2019 Ridgelines, mysteriously skipping over my 2018 Ridgeline. Because of this (for now) Honda is refusing to cover damages to my engine, and also to repair other customers' 2018 Ridgelines before they too catastrophically fail. Even more curious the front 2/3rds of the Ridgelines and Pilots are the same, replacing only the third row Pilot seat with a truck bed in the Ridgelines. Yet the 2018 Pilots ARE covered by this TSB. Honda cannot explain this discrepancy. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The Honda Ridgeline 2018 has an issue that it burns its transmission fluid really fast to the point that the Truck's transmission starts to judder. This causes the truck to have issues accelerating or changing gears. This happened to me in a 70 MPH highway, when the problem starts you see the RPM gauge fluctuating a lot and the Truck has issues accelerating. This problem was present on the 2017 version of the truck and Honda issued a service bulletin (https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10139548-9999.pdf) but this bulletin does not cover any other version of the truck when the same exact problem is still happening. I went to the dealership and they confirmed that the Transmission Judder was there. When you go online other owners of the truck are complaining about the same exact problem: Problem happening on a Honda Ridgeline 2019 - https://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/threads/2019-transmission-judder.233046/ Same problem on a Honda Ridgeline 2018 - https://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/threads/2018-honda-ridgeline-rtl-transmission-judder.228917/ Another owner with a Honda Ridgeline 2019 with the same problem - https://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/threads/transmission-shudder-any-solutions-yet.224260/ There are tons of other owners complaining about the same issue. I would like for Honda to fix this issue and refund me all the money the dealership charged me to fix this issue.

My 2018 Honda Ridgeline began to make a loud knocking noise from the lower motor. I bought this vehicle last June with 47k miles on it. The vehicle has prompted me twice to change the oil. Both times I changes the oil myself within two days of the car warning stating I had 15% life of the oil. At the same time as the indicator light lit I began to notice the knocking sound. I change the oil the very next morning only to find the noise getting louder. The car is at the dealer now and the dealer is fighting me tooth and nail not to cover the work. They made me financially responsible to tare down the motor and find the root cause of the engine failure. Im literally paying them to find whatever excuse they can to not cover the repairs. They are sending out an adjustor to assess the engine parts and take oil samples. At that point a report will be sent to Honda stating the findings. They are asking for my oil change receipts that I unfortunately do not have. I have used OEM filters and reset the on-board computer with each oil change. OfCourse Honda claims they cannot retrieve this information from the on-board computers that I find hard to believe. The vehicle has approximately 64k miles on it and has had a recall completed for a malfunctioning fuel pump that leaks fuel into the oil. Did the repair get done in time to prevent this issue? The issue ever truly get resolved. The warrantee is a Honda Certified warrantee that covers the vehicle for 100k or 7 years. Furthermore, Honda has extended the warrantee on the fuel system to 150k acknowledging there are fuel issues with the vehicle. I even found a you tube video stating the exact problem. The video goes on to say that the oil should be changed more often to prevent viscosity breakdown. If that's the case, why wouldn't they just do an upgrade to the onboard systems to prompt you to change the oil more frequently? This whole time I am left without a vehicle. What if the engine locked up causing an accident

On Approximately February 10, 2022 I hit a deer and sent my truck out for repair, I encountered a serious issue with my vehicle's engine, which was later diagnosed by Honda as a rod bearing failure which was not related to the accident which meant insurance wouldnt cover. This failure caused the rod bearing to wear and seize, resulting in significant damage to the engine and the presence of metal shavings in the oil pan. As a result, my vehicle's engine has been rendered inoperable and requires extensive repairs. To my dismay, I recently discovered that Honda has issued a recall for nearly 250,000 vehicles due to the same rod bearing issue. The recall states that the rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, leading to engine damage and potential issues such as improper running or stalling while driving. However, to my surprise, my 2018 Honda Ridgeline is not included in this recall. Considering the identical nature of the problem I encountered and the fact that Honda has acknowledged the issue by issuing a recall, it is evident that my vehicle should have been included in this recall. This exclusion not only undermines my trust in Honda as a manufacturer but also raises concerns about the company's commitment to customer satisfaction and safety. I firmly believe that my 2018 Honda Ridgeline is a lemon, and the engine failure I experienced is a direct result of Honda's negligence in ensuring the quality and reliability of their vehicles. I have always been a loyal Honda customer, and this unfortunate incident has left me feeling betrayed and let down by a brand I once held in high regard.