2018 HONDA RIDGELINE tow

Contents
This owner’s manual should be considered a permanent part of the
vehicle and should remain with the vehicle when it is sold.
This owner’s manual covers all models of your vehicle. You may find
descriptions of equipment and features that are not on your
particular model.
Images throughout this owner’s manual (including the front cover)
represent features and equipment that are available on some, but
not all, models. Your particular mo del may not have some of these
features.
This owner’s manual is for vehicles sold in the United States and
Canada.
The information and specifications in cluded in this publication were
in effect at the time of approval for printing. Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
reserves the right, however, to discontinue or change specifications
or design at any time without notice and without incurring any
obligation.2 Safe Driving P. 29
For Safe Driving P. 30 Seat Belts P. 35 Airbags P. 42
2Instrument Panel P. 73
Indicators P. 74 Gauges and Multi-Information Display P. 103
2Controls P. 109
Clock P. 110 Locking and Unlocking the Doors P. 111
Security System P. 133 Opening and Closing the Windows P. 136
Adjusting the Mirrors P. 161 Adjusting the Seats P. 163
Heating and Cooling System
* P. 195
2 Features P. 199
Audio System P. 200
General Information on the Audio System P. 298
HomeLink ® Universal Transceiver
* P. 348 Bluetooth ® HandsFreeLink ® P. 351, 376
2 Driving P. 409
Before Driving P. 410 Towing a Trailer P. 418
Parking Your Vehicle P. 501Multi-View Rear Camera P. 510
2Maintenance P. 517
Before Performing Maintenance P. 518 Maintenance MinderTM P. 521
Checking and Maintaining Wiper Blades P. 543
Heating and Cooling System
*/Climate Control System* Maintenance P. 556
2 Handling the Unexpected P. 565
Tools P. 566 If a Tire Goes Flat P. 567
Overheating P. 583 Indicator, Coming On/Blinking P. 585
When You Cannot Unlock the Fuel Fill Door P. 595
2 Information P. 599
Specifications P. 600 Identification Numbers P. 602
Emissions Testing P. 605 Warranty Coverages P. 607

Contents
Child Safety P. 55Exhaust Gas Hazard P. 70Safety Labels P. 71
Opening and Closing the Tailgate P. 128 Opening and Closing the Trunk P. 130
Opening and Closing the Moonroof* P. 140 Operating the Switches Around the Steering Wheel P. 142
Interior Lights/Convenience It ems P. 171Climate Control System* P. 188
Audio System Basic Operation P. 206, 224 Audio Error Messages P. 294
Customized Features P. 317
Off-Highway Driving Guidelines P. 430 When Driving P. 432 Braking P. 488
Refueling P. 512 Fuel Economy and CO
2 Emissions P. 515
Maintenance Under the Hood P. 525 Replacing Light Bulbs P. 537
Checking and Maintaining Tires P. 545 Battery P. 554 Remote Transmitter Care P. 555
Cleaning P. 557 Accessories and Modifications P. 563
Engine Does Not Start P. 576Jump Starting P. 579 Shift Lever Does Not Move P. 582
Fuses P. 589 Emergency Towing P. 594
Refueling P. 596
Devices that Emit Radio Waves P. 603 Reporting Safety Defects P. 604
Authorized Manuals P. 609 Customer Service Information P. 610
Quick Reference GuideP. 4
Safe DrivingP. 29
Instrument PanelP. 73
ControlsP. 109
FeaturesP. 199
DrivingP. 409
MaintenanceP. 517
Handling the UnexpectedP. 565
InformationP. 599
IndexP. 611

13
Quick Reference Guide
Turn Signals (P145)
Lights (P146)
Turn Signal Control Lever
Right
Left
Light Control Switches
Low Beam High Beam
Flashing
Wipers and Washers
(P154)
*1:Models with automatic intermittent wipers
*2:Models without automatic intermittent wipers
Wiper/Washer Control Lever
MIST
OFF
AUTO
*1: Wiper speed varies
automatically
INT
*2: Low speed with intermittent
LO : Low speed wipe
HI: High speed wipe
Pull toward
you to spray
washer fluid.
Adjustment Ring
( -: Low Sensitivity*1
(- : Lower speed, fewer sweeps*2
(+: High Sensitivity*1
(+ : Higher speed, more sweeps*2
AUTO should always be turned OFF before
cleaning the windshield or driving through a
car wash.
Steering Wheel (P160)
● To adjust, push the adjustment lever
down, adjust to the de sired position, then
pull up the lever back in place.
Models with automatic intermittent wipers

20
Quick Reference Guide
Driving (P409)
Release Button
Depress the brake pedal and press the
release button to move out of
( P.
Move the shift lever without pressing
the release button.
Press the release button to move the
shift lever.
Automatic Transmission (P440)
● Shift to
(P and depress the brake pedal when starting the engine.
● Shifting
Park
Turn off or start the engine.
Transmission is locked.
Reverse
Used when reversing.
Neutral
Transmission is not locked.
Drive
Normal driving.
Shift Lever
Intelligent Traction
Management ButtonLow●Strong engine power wh en climbing and strong
engine braking when going down steep hills.
Drive (D4)
Press the button while the shift lever is in
( D.
Used when:
●Going up or down hills.●Towing a trailer in hilly terrain.
D4
ButtonD4

24
Quick Reference Guide
Handling the Unexpected (P565)
Flat Tire (P567)
● Park in a safe location and replace the
flat tire with the compact spare tire
located in the trunk.
Indicators Come On (P585)
● Identify the indicator and consult the
owner’s manual.
Engine Won’t Start (P576)
● If the battery is dead, jump start using a
booster battery.
Blown Fuse (P589)
● Check for a blown fuse if an electrical
device does not operate.
Overheating (P583)
● Park in a safe location. If you do not see
steam under the hood, open the hood,
and let the engine cool down.
Emergency Towing (P594)
● Call a professional towing service if you
need to tow your vehicle.

47
uuAirbags uFront Airbags (SRS)
Continued
Safe Driving
■When front airbags should not deploy
Minor frontal crashes: Front airbags were designed to supplement seat belts and
help save lives, not to prev ent minor scrapes, or even br oken bones that might occur
during a less than moderate-to-severe frontal crash.
Side impacts: Front airbags can provide protection when a sudden deceleration
causes a driver or front passenger to move toward the front of the vehicle. Side
airbags and side curtain airbags have been specifically designed to help reduce the
severity of injuries that can occur during a moderate-to-severe side impact which
can cause the driver or passenger to move toward the side of the vehicle.
Rear impacts: Head restraints and seat belts ar e your best protection during a rear
impact. Front airbags cannot provide any sign ificant protection and are not designed
to deploy in such collisions.
Rollovers: In a rollover, your best form of protection is a seat belt or, if your vehicle
is equipped with a rollover sensor, both a seat belt and a side curtain airbag. Front
airbags, however, are not designed to depl oy in a rollover as they would provide
little if any protection.
■When front airbags deploy with little or no visible damage
Because the airbag system senses sudden deceleration, a strong impact to the
vehicle framework or suspension might cause one or more of the airbags to deploy.
Examples include running into a curb, the edge of a hole, or other low fixed object
that causes a sudden deceleration in th e vehicle chassis. Since the impact is
underneath the vehicle, damage may not be readily apparent.
■When front airbags may not deploy , even though exterior damage
appears severe
Since crushable body parts absorb crash energy during an impact, the amount of
visible damage does not always indicate pr oper airbag operation. In fact, some
collisions can result in severe damage but no airbag deployment because the airbags
would not have been needed or would not have provided protection even if they
had deployed.

uuAirbags uFront Airbags (SRS)
48
Safe DrivingThe airbags have advanced features to help reduce the likelihood of airbag related
injuries to smaller occupants.
The driver’s advanced airbag system includes a
seat position sensor.
Based on information from this sensor and the
severity of the impact, the advanced airbag
system determines the optimal deployment of
the driver’s airbag.
The front passenger’s ad vanced airbag system
has weight sensors.
We advise against allowing a child age 12 or
under to ride in the front passenger’s seat.
However, if you do allow a child age 12 or
under to ride in the front passenger’s
seat, note that the system will automatically
turn off the front pass enger’s airbag if the
sensors detect that the child is approximately
65 lbs (29 kg) or less.
■Advanced Airbags1 Advanced Airbags
If there is a problem with the driver’s seat position
sensor, the SRS indicator wi ll come on and the airbag
will inflate with full (normal) force, regardless of the
driver’s seating position.
For the advanced airbags to work properly:
•Do not spill any liquid on or under the seats.•Do not put any object under the passenger’s seat.
•Make sure any objects are positioned properly on
the floor. Improperly pos itioned objects can
interfere with the advanced airbag sensors.
•All occupants should sit upri ght and wear their seat
belts properly.
•Do not cover the passenger ’s side dashboard with
a cloth, towel, cover, etc. 2Passenger Airbag Off Indicator P. 53
Make sure the floor mat behind the front passenger’s
seat is hooked to the floor mat anchor. An improperly
placed mat can interfere with the advanced airbag
sensors. 2 Floor Mats P. 558
Driver’s
Seat
Position
Sensor
Passenger’s
Seat
Weight
Sensors

50
uuAirbags uSide Airbags
Safe Driving
■When a side airbag deploys with little or no visible damage
Because the airbag system senses sudden acceleration, a strong impact to the side
of the vehicle’s framework can cause a side airbag to deploy. In such cases, there
may be little or no damage, but the side impact sensors detected a severe enough
impact to deploy the airbag.
■When a side airbag may not deploy, even though visible damage appears
severe
It is possible for a side airbag to not deploy during an impact that results in
apparently severe damage. This can occur when the point of impact was toward the
far front or rear of the vehicle, or when the vehicle’s crushable body parts absorbed
most of the crash energy. In either case , the side airbag would not have been
needed nor provided protection even if it had deployed.