Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023-2024 Passports & Ridgelines with a customer complaint of moisture/condensation in the headlight(s). To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗2025 Honda Ridgeline lighting problems
moderate 22 complaints filed with NHTSA · avg repair $250 · see lighting across all vehicles →
Complaints
22
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$250
What stands out
Lighting accounts for 37% of every owner complaint on file for this vehicle — the dominant problem area across 3 categories tracked.
Among the 8 model years of Honda Ridgeline in our records for lighting problems, this one ranks #3 by owner-complaint volume.
Is there a fix? Manufacturer service bulletins
The manufacturer has issued service bulletins covering lighting on this vehicle — documented repair instructions, service campaigns, or warranty extensions sent to dealers. A TSB isn't a recall (it's not a free safety remedy), but it's the manufacturer acknowledging the issue and how to fix it.
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications. Bring the bulletin number to your dealer or shop.
The failure pattern owners describe
The 2025 Ridgeline's automatic high beam system is failing in multiple dangerous ways. Owners describe a 5+ second delay before high beams engage, constant erratic toggling between high and low beams on dark country roads, and—most critically—failure to dim when oncoming traffic approaches. This last issue repeatedly blinds opposing drivers, prompting them to flash or switch to high beams in response.
The system is hypersensitive to reflections: yellow road signs, reflective mailbox numbers, porch lights, and road markings trigger dimming even when no vehicles approach. After responding to these false triggers, high beams often won't re-engage for miles. The system also refuses to activate below 40–45 mph, making it useless on rural back roads where visibility matters most.
One owner with a 2017 Ridgeline noted the feature worked flawlessly; the problem emerged in 2020+ models and worsened in 2025. Owners report filing complaints to NHTSA with no assistance. Dealers attempted sensor replacement, sensitivity adjustments, and radar realignment, all without success. Multiple dealers stated the vehicle performs "as designed" or refused further troubleshooting. Honda has issued no recalls, TSBs, or acknowledged fixes. Owners across forums and the 18,000-member Honda Ridgeline Owners Club report identical problems, suggesting a systematic design or calibration failure.
Same Honda Ridgeline lighting reports on nearby years: 2022 · 2023 · 2024
Failure modes owners describe
Auto High Beam Delayed Response & Inconsistent Activation
The automatic high beam system engages slowly (5+ seconds reported) and toggles erratically between high and low beams without approaching vehicles present. System often fails to activate on dark roads and requires vehicle speed above 40–45 mph to function at all, making it unreliable on rural back roads where it's most needed.
When: From 500 miles onward; reported on 2020+ models with worsening performance on 2025 model year
Symptoms owners cite: Slow response time (5+ seconds) when high beams do activate; Frequent toggling between high and low beams on dark country roads with no oncoming traffic; Fails to activate until speed exceeds 40–45 mph; Does not turn on at all on very dark unlit roads even when speed threshold is met
Repairs/costs cited: Dealer attempted sensor replacement on at least one vehicle with no resolution; some dealers performed sensitivity adjustments in dark bays without actual road testing; another dealer reported radar sensor vertical mounting was off-center and leveled it, but failure recurred
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Dealers state 'nothing can be done' or that vehicle is 'performing as designed'; Honda USA opened case on one report but no resolution mentioned; no TSBs or recalls identified in narratives; Honda America stated no involvement possible
Auto High Beam Fails to Deactivate for Oncoming Traffic
High beams remain illuminated when approaching oncoming vehicles, or dimming response is severely delayed (several seconds). This blinds opposing drivers and creates safety hazard. Some owners report high beams activate when oncoming traffic approaches, exact opposite of intended function.
When: Throughout ownership; reported from early model year onwards
Symptoms owners cite: High beams do not turn off or turn off very slowly (several seconds delay) when oncoming vehicles detected; High beams activate when approaching oncoming traffic instead of dimming; Fails to dim on curves even on flat, straight roads; Opposing drivers flash high beams back or switch to high beams in response to the blinding
Repairs/costs cited: Sensor replacement attempted without success; sensitivity adjustments performed without positive outcome; one vehicle had radar sensor leveled after vertical mounting misalignment was diagnosed, but problem recurred
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Dealers state no error codes found; one dealer told owner not to return as 'there is no use in continued troubleshooting'; manufacturer stated vehicle performing as designed; no recalls or TSBs mentioned
Auto High Beam Hypersensitivity to Road Reflections & Ambient Light
System toggles between high and low beams in response to reflective objects that are not oncoming vehicles—road signs, sign reflectors, mailbox numbers, porch lights, streetlights, center-line reflectors, and road markings. This causes constant erratic flickering and distraction; system will not re-engage high beams after responding to these false triggers for extended distances.
When: Occurs from low mileage onward (reported as early as 99 miles, 500 miles)
Symptoms owners cite: High beams turn off when detecting yellow road signs, white reflectors, mailbox reflectors, porch lights, streetlights; Constant cycling on and off in response to reflective road markings and center-line reflectors; High beams turn off when cresting hills or navigating curves despite no oncoming traffic; After dimming for reflections, system fails to re-engage high beams for miles
Repairs/costs cited: Sensitivity adjustments attempted by dealers; one dealer claimed to adjust sensitivity but tested in dark bay rather than on road; no effective repairs documented
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: No TSBs or bulletins identified; dealers report no error codes or acknowledge adjustments as attempted fixes; no recall or official response documented
Auto Headlight Activation Failure or Malfunction
Automatic headlight system fails to turn on or turns off immediately after activation. At speeds under 25–45 mph, headlights do not engage in low-light conditions, contradicting the automatic feature's core purpose. Some owners report random on/off cycling in response to oncoming headlights.
When: Low mileage reported (5,017 miles at first complaint); ongoing issue throughout ownership
Symptoms owners cite: Auto headlights do not turn on in low light; Auto headlights turn on only to turn off immediately; System will not engage at speeds below 25–45 mph in darkness; Randomly activates when oncoming vehicles approach
Repairs/costs cited: Dealer reported no error codes; no repairs documented as successful
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Honda America stated no involvement; dealers state vehicle has no problem despite persistent failure
Synthesized from 22 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
What owners are reporting 9 most recent
The contact owns a 2025 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that the high beam lights turn on and off while driving 45 MPH or above at night. The contact stated that the headlights were flashing oncoming drivers. The contact had to deactivate the feature. Additionally, while driving on two occasions using the adaptive cruise control, the vehicle was braking hard. The contact was concerned about…
Auto high beams constantly tun on and off due to reflections from road signs. Other times when cars are coming at you, and they should turn off, they stay on blinding the oncoming drivers.
The 2020 et seq Honda Ridgeline includes a flawed and wholly unsafe Automatic High Beam function. This has been well documented for years by owners across various mediums. The issue was not previously present (2017-2019) but appears to align with camera and/or software related changes. It remains unaddressed. I'm providing additional context below. I just traded my 2017 Ridgeline RTL-E for a…
Automatic high beams will not work. A safety hazard. A multitude of owners say they are worthless, to give up and use the manual dim/bright feature. Those few who say theirs work say the system is overly sensitive - turning on or off the high beams at random times. Sometimes blinding other drivers, other times not providing enough light when needed. Multiple owners said they have submitted…
Automatic high beam function: Does not work properly, most road signs turn the high beams off, sometimes the high beams turn back on when another car is approaching. They don't activate at all until you speed reaches 45 mph. This is the same issue I experienced with my 2021 Ridgeline. The only difference is that on the 2021 model the function activated at 35 mph. This feature is basically…
Auto headlight high beam extremely errati on dark country roads I live on. Highbeams come on with oncoming traffic blinding them. VERY DANGEROUS!
The auto dimming feature for the headlights is ineffective & dangerous. It goes off & on constantly without oncoming vehicles or headlights & also the bright headlights remain on at times with on coming headlights. This happens with ALL sensitivity setting. The delayed turning off even causes drivers in the other direction to flash their high beams headlights back or even turn their high beams…
The auto headlights do not come on and if they do they almost always turn off immediately. The will not come on at speeds under 25 and this is too slow. To cap all of this they randomly come on when cars are driving towards you even though I have tried to disable this feature totally. They are a safety hazard and used to work on older models flawlessly.
Automatic headlight dimming system malfunctioning. Headlights randomly activate to high beams and dim under all low light conditions. The system is unsafe as it blinds oncoming traffic under all conditions and the driver in particular in fog. It continually intermittently cycles up and down between low and high beam while driving. The Honda dealer replaced the system sensor but the problem has…
Had lighting trouble with your 2025 Honda Ridgeline?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the lighting problem on the 2025 Honda Ridgeline?
It's a documented issue but not catastrophic. 22 complaints have been filed. Repairs average $250 and most owners catch it before it causes a breakdown.
At what mileage does the lighting typically fail?
Mileage data is limited for this issue. Owners report failures across a wide range, suggesting cause is more about driving conditions and maintenance than mileage alone.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $250 for lighting repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to lighting?
No active recalls currently cover lighting issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2025/Honda/Ridgeline.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.