2007 Honda Ridgeline Powertrain & Transmission Problems

MY RADIATOR FAILED IN A FASHION IN WHICH THE RADIATOR FLUID MIXED WITH THE TRANSMISSION FLUID, DESTROYING MY TRANSMISSION. I WAS DRIVING MY 2007 HONDA RIDGELINE ON A MAIN ROAD IN VA WHEN THE TRANSMISSION FAILED CAUSING ME. THE FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION WAS CAUSED BY THE RADIATOR FAILING AND SUBSEQUENTLY MIXING COOLANT WITH THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. THIS MIX OF FLUIDS DESTROYED THE TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR. I DID NOT WANT TO BUY A NEW CAR, SO I HAD A LOCAL SHOP INSTALL A USED TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR AT THE COST OF ABOUT $4K. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH HONDA RIDGELINES AND MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FACT THAT THE TRANSMISSION LINE BOLTS LEADING TO THE RADIATOR ARE COMPRISED OF DISSIMILAR METALS CAUSING CORROSION AND A DANGEROUS TRANSMISSION FAILURE WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT HONDA OF AMERICA ASKING FOR ASSISTANCE IN THE REPAIR BECAUSE A HONDA SHOULD LAST AT LEAST 250K MILES WITHOUT PREMATURE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. HONDA REPLIED BY MAKING ME AWARE OF THE WARRANTY AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THIS IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE, AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE IT IS A WELL KNOWN SCENARIO AS CITED ON RIDGELINE ENTHUSIAST WEBSITES. I HAVE BEEN A HONDA ENTHUSIAST AND OWNED 6 HONDAS SINCE 1991, AND I HAVE ALWAYS HAD GOOD LUCK WITH THESE VEHICLES, BUT THIS SCENARIO IS CERTAINLY AN EXCEPTION AND WILL EVENTUALLY LEAD TO SERIOUS INJURY.

WHEN I BOUGHT THE HONDA RIDGELINE I FOUND THE TRANSMISSION LINE AN COOLANT LINE BROKE INSIDE RADIATOR CAUSING ISSUES AND HAVING TO REPLACE LINES AN RADIATOR ALONG WITH TRANNY FLUSH. NOW THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS HARD INTO FOURTH SHAKING THE TRUCK EVERY TIME TOUCHING THE GAS AROUND 60MPH AND SOMETIMES NORMAL CITY DRIVING. ALDO THE BRAKES ARE SOFT AND SPONGY AND HAS TO BE PUT ALMOST TO THE FLOOR TO START STOPPING. I LIKE HUNDREDS OF OTHER RIDGELINE OWNERS DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY HONDA DOESN'T FIX THESE ISSUES THAT BASICALLY ALL RIDGELINES HAVE. ALSO WHOEVER THE IDIOT WAS THAT DECIDED TO PUT A 4SPEED TRANSMISSION IN THE TRUCK SHOULD BE BEATEN AN FIRED! HONDA NEEDS TO STOP RIPPING PEOPLE OFF, YOU KNOW YOUR SCREWING PEOPLE OVER CHARGING A LOT FOR WHAT HAPPENS TO BE CRAP. IT WOULD BE A GREAT TRUCK IF WASN'T MADE SO CHEAPLY AN SLAPPED TOGETHER WITH GARBAGE PARTS.

WHILE DRIVING HOME ON A SECONDARY ROAD, OUR RIDGELINE LOST POWER AND WOULD NOT ENGAGE THE TRANSITION. I COASTED TO THE SHOULDER AND FOUND IT WOULDN'T GO IN FORWARD OR REVERSE. WE HAD IT TOWED TO OUR FAMILY MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION AND COOLANT LINES BLED TOGETHER WITHIN THE RADIATOR, AND IT CAN BE SEEN IN THE COOLANT RESERVOIR, AND RAN THE TRANSMISSION DRY. THE END RESULT IS THE NEED FOR A TRANSMISSION FLUSH, A NEW RADIATOR, AND NEW TRANSMISSION. THEY CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT THE NEW RADIATOR WON'T FAIL IN THE SAME MANNER AS THE OLD ONE. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY IN THE SHOP WITH AN EXPECTED COST TO EXCEED $4000. ON A VEHICLE WITH 125K MILES. THE EXACT SAME ISSUE HAPPENED TO MY NEIGHBORS RIDGELINE AS WELL.

THE UNIBODY IS RUSTED THROUGH. THE FRAME PART THAT HOLDS THE REAR WHEELS HAS RUSTED THROUGH . THE ENTIRE WHEEL ASSEMBLY IS FALLING OF!! I NOTICED THIS FIRST WITH A NOISE WHICH THEN STARTED SHAKING I SLOWLY STOPPED AND HAD THE VEHICLE LOOK AT AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ENTIRE REAR POWER TRAIN WOULD HAVE BROKE OFF AT ANY TIME CAUSING A BAD ACCIDENT HAD I BEEN ON A HIGHWAY !!

MY TRUCK NEED A NEW DRIVE SHAFT ..I GOOGLE AND SO MANY TRUCKS NEED THE SAME THINGS..IT SHOULD BE A RECALL I NEVER HEARD CARS NEED THIS SO SOON MY TRUCK IS 2007 HONDA RIDGELINE. THANKS [XXX]. ('PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).')*JB

DRIVING 65 MPH ABRUPT LOSS OF ENGINE POWER INCLUDING POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. ENGINE WOULD NOT START. FINDINGS OF "SEIZED" WATER PUMP AND PULLEYS WHICH "SHREDDED" TIMING BELT RESULTING IN ENGINE VALVES BEING "BENT IN HEAD". FORTUNATELY NO COLLISION OR INJURY, THOUGH SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL FOR SAME EXTENSIVE REPAIR TOTALING $5,000. ORIGINAL TIMING BELT. RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT 105K MILES PER HONDA. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

MY COMPLAINT IS I HAVE A 2007 RIDGELINE RTS W/83000 MI, ORIG OWNER. NOTICED THIS AND BROUGHT TO DEALER AT 50K THAT UNDER VERY LIGHT LOAD, TOP GEAR, ~45-48 MPH, TORQUE CONVERTER "PULSES" IN AND OUT OF LOCKUP WHICH PRODUCES A SLIGHT AUDIBLE AND VIBRATION SENSATION. TACH NEEDLE PULSES TO CONFIRM AND SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE AT TRUCK AGES. *TR

MY COMPLAINT IS SIMILAR TO THE COMPLAINTS THAT HONDA ODYSSEY OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED. I HAVE A 2007 RIDGELINE RTX W/102000 MI, ORIG OWNER. NOTICED IT MANY MILES AGO (65K) THAT UNDER VERY LIGHT LOAD, TOP GEAR, ~45-48 MPH, TORQUE CONVERTER "PULSES" IN AND OUT OF LOCKUP WHICH PRODUCES A SLIGHT AUDIBLE AND VIBRATION SENSATION. TACH NEEDLE SHOWS PULSE TOO. SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE AT TRUCK AGES. CHANGING THROTTLE POSITION CAUSES TORQUE CONVERTER TO UNLOCK, BUT PULSE WILL RETURN ONCE IT RE-LOCKS ONCE "CRUISING @ 45-48 MPH" RESUMES. *TR

MY 2007 HONDA RIDGELINE VIN[XXX] IS LESS THAN A YEAR OLD I WAS DRIVING BACK WITH MY FAMILY WHICH INCLUDES CHILDREN ON I95 SOUTH BOUND. I WAS DOING 70MPH. I DID NOT GO OVER ANYTHING. THE HONDA LOST POWER. I HAD TO GLIDE TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. THE HONDA WOULD NOT GO INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE. AFTER BEING SENT TO THE HONDA REPAIR I WAS INFORMED THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I ALWAYS KEPT UP WITH MY DAILY MAINTENANCE AT MY LOCAL HONDA DEALER. I DO NOT TRUST THIS HONDA RIDGELINE WITH MY FAMILY OR ANYONE ELSE'S FAMILY. I TOLD THE DEAL I EITHER WANT A NEW CAR OR I WILL GO TO ANOTHER MANUFACTURE AND PURCHASE A NEW CAR. I HAVE A MASTERS DEGREE AND BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT SAFEGUARD THE CAR. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT LESS THAN A YEAR WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 HONDA RIDGELINE. WHEN THE CONTACT ACTIVATED THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE BUTTON, THE VEHICLE MOVED SIX FEET BEFORE THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE ENGAGED. HE STATED THAT THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE DISENGAGED WHEN THE TRANSMISSION WAS SHIFTED INTO PARK. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS A RESULT OF HOW THE VEHICLE WAS ENGINEERED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 7,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.