There are 9 stored owner reports matching the powertrain & transmission leading-label group for the 2020 Honda Ridgeline in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 9 of 9 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)While stopped in heavy traffic at a traffic signal, the engine stopped and would not restart. This was due to the AIS system. The car became disabled in heavy traffic. I was only a few feet from the entrance to a gas station, however due to the interlock system that locks the transmission in Park, the truck could not be pushed out of traffic. Honda, unlike other manufacturers the use the same transmission, does NOT supply an emergency over ride to get the transmission out of park ( hazard). After a few minutes of sitting in heavy traffic and nearly. wing hit by fast moving cars, the engine did restart. This is not the first time this has happened. The dealership is over 100 miles drive to have to checked (r/t).
My cars auto engine idle is malfunctioning causing my car to have serious transmission issues. I currently have 3 warning signs on my dashboard. 1. All wheel drive system problem 2. Auto engine idle stop system problem 3. charging system problem. I bought the car used last year. Its a 2020 honda ridgeline with only 29k mikes. Ive been seeing reports online that this issus has been affecting many honda users. Please help!! Honda needs to be responsible for this problem! RECALL NOW!
On May 31, 2023, my wife and I were in our Honda ridgeline when attempting to back up into a parking spot. We noticed the instrument cluster went dark with only a "P" flashing. There were no alarms or indications of any fault. We shut down the truck. After trying to restart there was no instrument cluster along with the shifter locked in park. On this current model their is no emergency override out of park as on other vehicles. We had traffic backed up for hours as we called a tow truck to move the vehicle from the main street. Upon the ridgeline being towed to the local Honda dealer. They scanned for codes, U0103, U0155, u0404, U12AA. Checked Diag Tree and confirmed system test and found SBW control module and gauge control module didn't communication. They ended up finding a fuse had blown. My question is why no override out of park on this model? Safety issue.
The 2020 Ridgeline has a feature that turns off the ignition when stopped for more than a couple of seconds. It then automatically restarts when you move your foot off the brake to the accelerator. On several occasions the car does not automatically, and displays a message on the dashboard that you need to shift to park and restart it. This process, shifting to park and attempting to restart, does not work for some time though. There was a recall notice on it, which I had completed by the dealer. When it happens, it produces a very dangerous situation where the car is stalled in traffic with other lanes moving and we are not able to move. The car has been into the dealer on three occasions and I received a letter from Honda, stating that once the recall on the issue was completed, if the situation persisted, they would replace the unit. I just brought it back to the dealer because the recall did not fix it and they stated that they knew nothing about the letter from Honda.
The contact's son owns a 2020 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while her son was reversing, the vehicle shifted to neutral independently. The warning message "Stop. Driving when Safe. Transmission Problem, See Manual." Was illuminated. The contact's son shifted to reverse and continued to drive the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred twice the next day while reversing. The contact's son turned off and parked the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the failure could not be replicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was awaiting a call back from the manufacturer. The failure mileage was approximately 11,721. Consumer traded in this truck on 2/14/2022 and traded up to a 2022 Ridgeline. Consumer had the truck for a week and it did the same thing.
On numerous occasions (at least 5 times) the following occurred: Upon exiting the highway after approximately 90+ minutes of driving, the truck's check engine light starts flashing and the vehicle goes into "limp mode" and will barely accelerate to avoid oncoming traffic from behind. The vehicle must be stopped and turned off to clear the engine light and return to normal performance. The on-board computer does not store any diagnostic codes when this occurs. There are numerous documented incidents exactly like this one on the Honda Ridgeline Owners forum. I have taken my truck to the dealer three times with no resolution. The dealer consults with Honda Tech support, who is unsure how to solve this issue. Assorted repairs have been documented on the aforementioned Honda forum, to no avail. This is definitely a safety issue when the truck loses power in traffic. I have almost been hit from behind while the vehicle is in limp mode. The initial occurence happened in November 2021 and most recently again April 16, 2022. Essentially for a year and a half Honda has done nothing to fix this problem.
Driving up a grade my small dog move forward onto forward part of console and steped on gearshift buttons and vehicle shifted in to neutral. Engine rev. Up to 5000 RPM. Had to remove dog from gear shift panel slow down engine and vehicle back in gear and excelerate away from large truck approaching the rear of my vehicle. Vary scary, why does Honda put a push button transmission controls on a console between the seats.
HONDA VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE ZF-9 SPEED TRANSMISSION CANNOT BE PLACED INTO "NEUTRAL" IF THE VEHICLE'S BATTERY IS FLAT. A SPECIAL HONDA TOOL THAT IS NOT INCLUDED WITH EACH VEHICLE, IS THE ONLY WAY TO PLACE THE ZF 9 SPEED TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL, TO ALLOW FOR TOWING, OR PHYSICALLY MOVING THE VEHICLE OUT OF TRAFFIC, IF THE VEHICLE'S BATTERY FAILS. HONDA SHOULD INCLUDE THIS TOOL #07AAA-TZ3A100 LOCK RELEASE, WITH EVERY HONDA EQUIPPED WITH THE ZF 9 SPEED TRANSMISSION.
2020 HONDA VEHICLES THAT ARE EQUIPPED WITH THE ZF 9 SPEED TRANSMISSION ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO PLACE IN NEUTRAL, IF THE BATTERY IS DEAD. HONDA SELLS A TOOL (HONDA 07AAA-TZ3A100 LOCK RELEASE) FOR $225.00. USING THIS TOOL IS THE ONLY WAY TO PLACE THESE VEHICLES IN NEUTRAL, IF THE BATTERY IS DEAD. HONDA SHOULD BE INCLUDING THIS TOOL FREE OF CHARGE IN EVERY 2020 VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH THE ZF 9 SPEED TRANSMISSION.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.