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The 2012 Honda Ridgeline has 1 critical safety recall on file — the kind NHTSA opens when crashes, fires, or injuries are documented. 24 owner complaints alongside. Read those first.
The 2012 Honda Ridgeline has 24 NHTSA owner complaints and 3 recalls on file (U.S. federal records, as of July 2026). The most-reported system is airbags at 14 complaints, typically surfacing around 63,789 miles (~$1,100 to repair). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 Ridgeline | 35 | 0 |
| 2010 Ridgeline | 42 | 0 |
| 2011 Ridgeline | 39 | 1 |
| 2012 Ridgeline (this page) | 24 | 3 |
| 2013 Ridgeline | 45 | 1 |
| 2014 Ridgeline | 33 | 4 |
| 2015 Ridgeline | 2 | 0 |
Solid reliability overall. Common issues are concentrated in a few systems.
Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy.
Our read of the federal NHTSA complaint and recall record for this exact year and model — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection. How we score.
Here's what this model is known to do — so you can inspect for it, price it in, or make the seller fix it before you sign.
Run the VIN from the listing — 3 active recalls on this model. Recall repairs are always free.
Verdict for buyers: 7.4/10 model. The priciest documented failure is body (~$1,500) — get the seller's service records for it or inspect closely. Otherwise an average-risk used buy at a fair price.
We tell you what this model is known for and what to inspect — a vehicle-history report tells you what this exact car has been through. Smart buyers get both.
See the full pre-purchase inspection checklist →A noise, a warning light, a repair quote, "should I buy this?" — get an answer grounded in this vehicle's actual NHTSA record, not generic advice.
Answers use this vehicle's NHTSA complaint & recall record — owner-reported and unverified, not a diagnosis. Verify anything safety-critical with a mechanic.
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2012 Honda ridgeline. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v061000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for…
Takata inflators: I had service performed for the takata airbag issue on or about july 13. Within a month the SRS unit light came on. I took it in to lucas Honda, where I bought the ridgeline. After a few days of them not finding the problem, they came back to me and said the…
1. Left Rear Cam Bolt Seized, YES 2. This will not allow for any movement to have tires probably aligned. 3. Yes, I have documentation available upon request 4. No 5. It was caught during an alignment, I first noticed it during the first rear end recall but area was outside…
After returning from a short trip to the local convenience store smoke was observed coming from under the hood and also into the cabin as the truck was entering the driveway. Driver immediately opened the hood and witnessed that the engine was smoking and on fire. Driver…
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Without the proper passenger airbag indicator, the driver and other vehicle occupants may not be informed or aware that the front passenger airbag is off and will not deploy in a crash, thereby potentially increasing the risk of injury to a front passenger seat occupant that may have chosen to sit or been seated elsewhere in the vehicle if the correct indicator had been given.
An incorrect label could lead to improper tire inflation which could result in a tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash.
Mostly yes. With a reliability score of 7.4 out of 10 based on 24 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2012 Honda Ridgeline is generally a sound vehicle. The areas to watch are listed in the top problem section above — most are budget items, not deal-breakers.
The 2012 Honda Ridgeline is acceptable, with specific caveats. Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy. The record behind that call: Reliability score 7.4/10 — around the segment average; 3 recall campaigns on file. This is our read of the federal complaint and recall data — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection.
Inspect the airbags first — it's the most-reported issue on this model, with 14 owner complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 63,789 miles. Average repair cost runs about $1,100 at an independent shop. Also confirm any open recalls have been completed by running the VIN, and ask for service records covering the problem areas listed above.
It scores 7.4 out of 10 on our NHTSA-based read of 24 owner complaints. The main thing to watch is airbags. Typical failure occurs around 63,789 miles. Priced fairly and clean on inspection, it's a reasonable used buy. Our data covers what this model is known for — pair it with a vehicle-history report on the VIN to see what that specific car has been through.
Based on NHTSA records, the most-reported issue is airbags, with 14 complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 63,789 miles. Average repair cost runs about $1,100 at an independent shop.
The airbags is one of the costlier repair items. Average repair cost runs about $1,100 at an independent shop. Typical failure occurs around 63,789 miles. Catching early warning signs can sometimes extend life by 20–30,000 miles.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Math is straightforward: a quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. With 24 complaints on file and the costliest repair averaging $1,100, one major failure more than pays for it. The catch is reading the contract — many providers exclude wear items and require pre-authorization, so cheaper plans are not always better value.