— A Honda Ridgeline backup camera recall may be on the horizon, but it will be based on the results of a federal investigation into backup camera failures in 2017-2018 Ridgeline trucks.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened the backup camera investigation after receiving at least 42 complaints about the problem.
Honda Ridgeline owners complain the rearview cameras fail because of damage to the tailgate wire harnesses.
Apparently the harness damage is caused by normal opening and closing of the tailgate. The Ridgeline backup camera can fail once the wires are worn out, cutting off the connection to the rearview camera, as seen in complaints to NHTSA.
"The wiring for the backup camera broke at a hinge point for the tailgate. The repeated opening and closing of the tailgate in normal operations caused the wire to fatigue and break."
"Wiring for the backup camera has been pinched by the tailgate opening to the point of breaking the wires and the protective loom. Backup camera no longer works."
"The rear backup camera that is used every single day has gone completely black. The wire harness that runs from the truck to the tailgate have split due to opening and closing. This is a very common problem that is not the easiest to fix which costs the owners. This will happen to every single 2017-2019 Ridgeline. It is simply caused by opening and closing tailgate in the parked position."
According to NHTSA, most Honda Ridgeline backup camera complaints suggest the failures occurred shortly after the warranty mileage was exceeded.
NHTSA will investigate how bad the problem is and if a Honda Ridgeline backup camera recall of 71,000 trucks is warranted.
In 2021, Honda was sued in a class action lawsuit which alleges faulty tailgate wires cause backup camera failures.
CarComplaints.com will update our website with results of the Ridgeline rearview camera failure investigation.