2021 Honda Ridgeline Check Engine Light

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2021 Honda Ridgeline?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as simple as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Still, the check engine light could again be a warning of an essential problem that could cause serious damage to your engine and come with a hefty and pricey repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady and continuous glow ordinarily means something less serious but a flashing check engine light signifies that your vehicle’s engine is in significant trouble and helpful service is needed expeditiously. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2021 Honda Ridgeline, we very advise not to drive the car and schedule Honda service today. Below is a list of the most common reasons your check engine light can come on:

• One of the most common and frequent cause is that your 2021 Honda Ridgeline gas cap is loose, broken or missing. The gas cap for your 2021 Honda Ridgeline serves numerous purposes. It prevents unpredictable gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a faulty fuel cap? If your gas cap is old or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump and be more costly. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't pricey. If your check engine light turns on promptly after you put gas in your 2021 Honda Ridgeline, first thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
• Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak extreme havoc on your 2021 Honda Ridgeline if it’s not installed correctly. These aftermarket components and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound familiar, bring your Ridgeline to Honda and have our team of talented certified mechanics assure that your aftermarket items were installed perfectly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, particularly aftermarket parts and accessories, or utilizing OEM components first place might cost a little bit more but could help you save considerably from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
• Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Honda Ridgeline is what determines how much fuel is required to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to certain changes, like altitude. If your Honda Ridgeline is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden fast change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a vital sign of a faulty mass airflow sensor.
• Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2021 Honda Ridgeline’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A broken catalytic converter is usually caused by invariably neglected maintenance, which is why Larry H. Miller Downtown Honda Spokane offers a free multi-point check with each Honda service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2021 Honda Ridgeline will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your car may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause other dangerous problems from overheating.
• New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are required for your 2021 Honda Ridgeline. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mix in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run smooth. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or old, you will experience a evident poor performance and reduced power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause clogged catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, leading to more pricey repairs.
• Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns more immediately and your vehicle will be less efficient when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A faulty sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause meaningful damage to your catalytic converter and your 2021 Honda Ridgeline's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the precisely correct mix of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A faulty O2 sensor can still cause a car to fail an emissions test.
• Your 2021 Honda Ridgeline has a vacuum leak. Each Honda Ridgeline has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system still helps lower harmful emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can dry out and crack, particularly if they’re exposed to intense heat or extreme cold.
• The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2021 Honda Ridgeline is each critical. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road in front, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't absolutely require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Honda you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.

2021 Honda Ridgeline Check Engine Light

A flashing light reveals that the problem is extremely serious and if not taken care of quickly may result in major and serious damage to the car. If the check engine light in your 2021 Honda Ridgeline starts flashing, that means that the problem needs attention quickly and your Honda should be brought in immediately. This blinking light normally indicates a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can expeditiously raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive and extensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can definitely be the cause. A damaged, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If the problem is completely ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a tremendously costly repair. If your check engine light is invariably flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Larry H. Miller Downtown Honda Spokane expeditiously by calling 5093534791.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2021 Honda Ridgeline will frequently shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. For instance, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will rapidly turn itself off. Again, if your catalytic converter is working accurately, and you did a lot of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your 2021 Honda Ridgeline light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Larry H. Miller Downtown Honda Spokane so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

Check Engine Light Service 2021 Honda Ridgeline

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Honda Ridgeline and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Honda owners, your heart sinks exceptionally because you may have absolutely idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep, calm breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the vehicle over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is advised that you get your 2021 Honda Ridgeline checked immediately. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major, extensive damage to costly engine parts.

When your 2021 Honda Ridgeline's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t correct, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is usually labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”

When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that can instantly identify the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic scan tool that is used by our Honda auto repair mechanics at Larry H. Miller Downtown Honda Spokane. There are again a number of comparatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you prefer that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to determine the exactly correct issue and repair it.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most frequently misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2021 Honda Ridgeline is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the vital onboard diagnostics system, and displays in an assortment of different ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your car. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored car performance since the 80s and do an assortment of things for your 2021 Honda Ridgeline. Some of these essential duties include shifting automatic transmissions ignition timing, controlling engine speed, and implementing cohesion control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of different things. It can be as simple as your gas cap being loose or as hazardous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2021 Honda Ridgeline, contact Larry H. Miller Downtown Honda Spokane . Our Honda service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Larry H. Miller Downtown Honda Spokane today!

Is it safe to drive your 2021 Honda Ridgeline with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a serious issue and it is advised to service your Honda Ridgeline swiftly. This question is not exceedingly simple because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be secure to drive. This is typically indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more serious problem. Call the experts at Larry H. Miller Downtown Honda Spokane by dialing 5093534791 so you can describe the issues. Or decrease your speed and bring your 2021 Honda to our certified mechanics as promptly as possible.

2021 Honda Ridgeline Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are several common causes including something as simple as a loose gas cap. Other generally common reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty emissions control part, dirty mass airflow sensor, broken head gasket, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, broken oxygen sensor, or faulty spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Honda Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and totally repair it as required to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Honda issue was completely fixed.

Every 2021 Honda Ridgeline was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the car on its critical systems. The speedy sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending important data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. Yet, sadly that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what explicitly is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Larry H. Miller Downtown Honda Spokane provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Remarkably Qualified Service professional.

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is generally between $88 and $111. The good news, Larry H. Miller Downtown Honda Spokane offers entirely complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help determine the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not accurately tightened to a more serious failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it good to get the proper code reading and diagnosis.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

If you check engine light is flashing, we endorse that you pull over and contact Larry H. Miller Downtown Honda Spokane to help determine if your vehicle is safe to drive in or if we endorse a tow truck. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is usually difficult to predict how many miles you can be safe in driving with the warning light on. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced.

2021 Honda Ridgeline Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating, particularly to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminate, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, still known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Ridgeline. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can properly represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you helpful knowledge about your vehicle and will still allow that critical Check Engine Light to do what it is absolutely supposed to do: be your guide. Sadly, apparent and helpful vehicle symptoms do not repeatedly accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of conceivable OBD codes, there are still hundreds of conceivable reasons for the light, including:

• Fuel and air metering systems problems
• Emissions controls issues
• Ignition system faults
• Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
• O2 Sensor
• Computer output circuit issues
• Bad Spark Plugs
• Old Battery
• Transmission issues

This is why it is essential for someone who does not have a lot of predominant automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Larry H. Miller Downtown Honda Spokane at 5093534791 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! If the engine light comes on due to a serious concern, you risk damaging your vehicle further by not repairing the issue right away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out instantly by a adept certified Honda mechanic.