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(Hint: the power steering fluid cover just yanks off -- what a great design!)
Truck just went out of warranty, and it turns out the problem was with the power steering cooler unit and hoses, which were leaking. Cost me $330.00 (at dealer) to fix.
I bought a 2010 ridgeline and I got it at the end of October 2009. I didn't drive her a lot since I got her as I am leaving 5 minutes from my office. I came back from 3 weeks away without driving the vehicle and when I got back the truck wasn't going well. Weird sounds coming from the front of vehicle, steering hard to turn. Went to dealership and still under warranty as I haven't 4000km on it!! Cooler Transmission unit need to be change! I was looking to know if anybody else has more problems with their ridgeline as I have problem with back driver side window...doesn't open now! I did had the splash guards when I got the truck......I did have some problems to started to the truck too...some days it happen I did try to started it and didn't work. I had to turn back the key and re started again!
I am disappointed as it is a NEW truck so if you can help me or anybody else who experienced any other troubles please let me know!
The truck is still under warranty. Let Honda fix it.
There was probably a leak in the PS cooler and when it was low on fluid from the leak, it would have been hard to turn and probably make noise. Sounds like they have fixed this.
The rear window is somewhat of a one-piece item, the entire thing. If there is much of a problem there, they will have to just replace the whole thing, including all 3 pieces of glass and the motor, etc. To get to the window, the rear seats and lots of the rear mouldings will have to be taken out. After they repair it, before you drive off, pop both rear seats up - see if they work ok - and look at all the mouldings in the rear area to see that they are all back down and look fitted good. Check the seat belts. It you have squeaks or rattles back there afterword, make them fix those.
There are thousands of parts in a modern auto. Things break.
2. at 18000 miles left front strut changed clunking noise while turning,
3. at 22000 miles rt front strut changed same clunking noise while turning.
4. at 24000 vehicle making noise after driving a while on city streets, rt front strut replaced no help then both bearings in struts replaced and that fixed front noise problem. Dealer said bearing replacement critical to be done right..
5.New noise, sounds like someone is hitting the floor pan under the rear seat. with a rubber mallet, very loud. You have to be driving usually over city streets for about 20 minutes and the come to a stop. when you start moving again this is when the noise occurs.It never makes a noise on smooth roads Thank god I bought the extended warrany at dealers cost. This was a lovely driving vehicle but its not a good truck and The dealer has been great at trying to fix. I read #380 and wonder how loud the noise was and if anyone else has had this problem. I have owned several Honda vehicles but never had any problems before the ridgeline. Would not recomend it.
Yes, radio noise on early models is a known problem.
Yes, strut problems is a known problem also. I do think Honda didn't do good design work on the struts and should step up and help owners on these problems.
I've not looked back at post 380, but vaguely remember it. Didn't this loud noise also come back to be a rear strut problem?
It was covered by Honda because the manual gives a longer interval between changes. I hope this may help some of you. It reminds that it is time to change the oil in mine.
I had the exact same problem with my Ridgeline. Change the VTM fluid...this will almost certainly solve your problem.
I hope this will help you guys out.
http://www.rubicon-trail.com/4WD101/difference_4WD_awd.html
It seems hardly any vehicles really are set up to get good traction in poor conditions.
Definately is not normal as it is fine all day and the next day too. it seems something drains out after a day or so or some engagement problem. Haven't seen any postings of a fix anywheres.
Thanks, Julie (PS: Madmommy was my screen name post Acura burn!)
Subaru's "symmetrical" F/awd system also has its shortcomings, it is patently DANGEROUS to have drive torque on the front wheels when lateral forces are fairly high. So you can have "traction" as in Subaru, or you can have "life", as in any R/awd system, or even most RWD vehicles.
Sorry, I stated this wrong....
You can have, obviously, a FULL-TIME all wheel drive system, it's just not "serviceable" in the very conditions for which most of us have need for all wheel drive traction. The Highlander has such a system, it will DRIVE all four wheels equally as long as all four wheels have relatively equal TRACTION.
Once any one wheel breaks traction and begins slipping, you're STUCK.
That's the point in which TC will activate, REACTIVELY. But with TC activation DBW is used to dethrottle the engine to prevent brake component overheating should the driver not quickly release gas pedal pressure.
We just picked up a new 2010 RL RTL to replace our 2008 RL RTS. It turns out that while the 2008 was a great truck, we found ourselves wanting the additional bells & whistles in the RTL. Trust me, we would NOT have bought a 2nd RL if the first one had given us any problems.
I follow a couple of RL forums, and while the older (2006-2007) RLs are starting to have some problems--mostly due to high miles and hard use, no one has reported any transmission problems that I recall. If they have, they were only a couple of unrelated things, and not the hundreds/thousands of total failures reported a few years ago across the Honda product line.
Given Toyota's recent disasters & recalls, I would avoid them like the plague. We had two Tacomas, a 1995 and a 1999 and both were total disasters. I have also heard the new Tacomas are not any better than the old ones.
FYI: The 2011 RL just may be the last one. Honda treats the RL like a [non-permissible content removed] step-child, and spend no money on it. Sales numbers are likely not what Honda would like and of course, will get worse if it is never advertised. BTW- there is not any difference whatso ever between the 2010 and 2011 Ridgelines. Why not save a bunch of cash and get a 2010 if you can still find any? No need to spend more on a 2011.
Does the Ridgeline have grease fittings on the front end? Anyone know if the Frontier has grease fittings?
Thanks for your help.
Had a friend who bought the nissan and after a year he traded it for a dodge.
FWIW, we had a new 2006 Frontier, and it couldn't hold a candle to the RL. Yes, it had a bit more power, but at a big price--gas mileage was dismal, like 12-14 in town and maybe 17 on the highway. Plus, it still rode like a truck. We kept it for about a year.
Before you buy, take a LOOONG test drive in each of the trucks you are considering. At least 25-30 miles over a variety of roads & surfaces. You will definitely notice some big differences between the RL and any other smaller-size truck.
I'm looking at the RT base model to help with cost. Looks like most people buy the other more loaded models. I hope to get the RL but not if they try to charge MSRP. Sounds like I should be able to get it for the reasonable TMV in my area.
I'm researching between a one or two year old Ridgeline RTL /w nav, , and the Nissan Frontier SL.
I've sat in both, but haven't driven either one yet. My current lease expires in December, so I don't want to waste anyone's time quite yet on a test drive.
It seems that with rebates or low financing, you can get a new frontier for about the same price as a used Ridge.
I'm leaning towards the Ridgeline. I live in a city with bad streets, not much snow, but do have the occasional trip to the slopes. I think from what I've heard, the Ridgeline is way more comfortable than the Nissan.
I don't tow, or haul much besides the basic Home Depot stuff, so i don't need a full size truck, but when you need a truck, you need a truck.
I ruled out the Tacoma for a couple reasons that may seem minor to some folks. One, is no rear disc brakes available, which seems so backwards today. And the other, believe it or not, is there are no heated mirrors available.
Like I said, minor issues to most folks, but they would bug me the whole time I owned it.
Toyota is treating the Tacoma just like Ford has treated the Ranger for many years--basically making only minor trim changes every few years without really adding meaningful features, or making any major improvements--both the Tacoma & Ranger just keep soldiering along though. I'm sure some Tacoma owners will disagree, but that's how it looks to me.
IMHO, the two biggest differences between the Frontier & Ridgeline are comfort and gas mileage, where the Ridgeline totally whips the Frontier every time. Also, the drivetrain & suspension in the RL performs much better in snow and ice than the Frontier. You just can't beat Front-Wheel-Drive that automatically & seamlessly kicks in the All-Wheel-Drive when things get slippery.
On the flip side, the Frontier & the Tacoma are better for off-road use. Sounds like you use your truck for the same thing I do, and since I no longer have the desire for driving challenging off-road trails, I sure prefer the Ridgeline for my day-to-day chores, hauling and long road trips.
BTW- Rumors from Honda indicate that the 2012 RL will remain essentially the same as the 2009-2011 models. Maybe a new color or two, and maybe dual exhaust, but that's it. If Honda decides to keep the RL around, there might be a major re-design in 2013, or maybe not. It looks like Honda is trying to decide if a re-designed RL has a good ROI or not. I think it's primarily dependent on better gas mileage. If that can't be improved, Honda will likely kill the RL, just like they did the Element.
One last thing: Don't waste your money on Honda's NAV system. It's horrifically expensive, not too user-friendly and difficult to update. You can buy a top-of-the-line Garmin for just a few hundred dollars and not only save at least a thousand dollars, but have a NAV you can move from car to car.
Regarding nav, I agree, it's way more expensive from the factory, and not as good as aftermarket units.
I have a Tom Tom 920, which I use when traveling, but I don't keep it in the car for day to day driving. Sometimes it's nice to have a nav system at your fingertips. I figured if I bought a year or two old RL, the extra cost is "sort of" offset by the depreciation of buying used.
The other issue, is that you can't get bluetooth without getting nav on the RL.
I haven't looked, but are there aftermarket nav systems with bluetooth, that can be installed for a factory-ish look and sound quality? I don't have a garage, so keeping the factory look would be helpful as far as break ins go.
Thanks again for your reply. I really like Bali Blue on the ridge!
We have factory Bluetooth in our 2010 Accord, and once again, it is pretty user-unfriendly. It took over an hour for me to initially program it, and now it only recognises my voice. It ignores my wife entirely, which irritates the heck out of her . So ok, I don't even carry my cell phone with me too often, so I don't much need Bluetooth at all. It won't work with every cell phone and it won't download your phone list/book from your phone. It's one of those irritating/frustrating options where the best I say about it is: "Yeah, it works more-or-less as advertised, but I'm not likely to use it much, if at all."
Given all that, I'm not aware of any aftermarket NAV systems that include Bluetooth, but I do know there are numerous relatively inexpensive aftermarket Bluetooth systems that can be installed and remain invisible to the bad guys.
Google the Ridgeline Owners Club and visit their forums for more info on the RL. In the electronics section there are several Bluetooth threads. Use their search function to find them.
Bali Blue is a great color, but too dark for our dusty environment. Our 2010 is silver and our old 2008 was white. We like the gray interior color best.
After I replied yesterday, I poked around and found quite a few in dash nav systems available. You can get nav, bluetooth, sat radio, HD radio, ipod, and live traffic all in one unit. You can even install a module that allows your steering wheel contols to work.
It's actually changed my thinking completely regarding factory nav. I think I'll look for one without, and use the savings for an aftermarket all in one unit.
Thanks for your help and advice. My current lease runs out in December, so I'll start looking for a RL around November to purchase.
Almost a great truck, but build quality is definitely questionable. Wait until your dash starts rattling.
Good luck.
Car and Driver, or one of the magazines, blew out the struts on a new Ridgeline when they did a 'test drive'. I'm not sure exactly how many miles they drove it on a rough dirt road, but it wasn't a lot. Something like 100 miles or so. At 45mph or so. And the struts were leaking, gone.
I started my truck ('07 Ridgeline) to go to the store-no problems starting. I stopped at a gas station on my way. I got back in the truck-started fine no problems. I went to the store and was inside for 15 minutes at most. I came back out and turned the key in the ignition and nothing. I released the key from 'Start' so it would flip back to the 'Run' position and when I let the ignition flip back to 'Run' the Tachometer needle began making a 'rumbling' sound as the needle jumped up and down rapidly between 0-1. I tried several more times with the same result each time. Each time I turned the key there was no 'Click' of the starter, which usually points to battery problems. Each time I released the key from 'Start' to 'Run' the Tach needle rumbled and shook/jumped rapidly between 0-1. The only indicators that illuminated on the gauge panel were the Emergency Brake indicator, the 'VSA' indicator and one more that I cannot remember at the moment (I do remember thinking the 3rd indicator was unimportant and would have nothing to do with ignition). I live a few blocks from the store so I came home to get a second vehicle and Jumper Cables and see if that does it. I wanted to post this on here before I go back to jump it in case it does not work and hopefully I'll have some more information to go with by then. I thought it could be the Coil and/or Distributor cap & rotor. However, it has been so long since I've worked on my own vehicles or even looked under the hood regularly that I'm not even sure what modern ignition systems consist of anymore (it is slightly shameful, but you reach that age when crawling in/under/over/through/around your vehicles becomes more of an embarrassing physical spectacle that leaves you sore, stiff and hobbled for 3 days after, than an actual successful repair/maintenance expedition). Also, the reason I buy newer Honda vehicles is so I don't have to deal with this type of problem. I'm too old and lazy to work on my vehicles anymore. One final bit of information: I just had my truck serviced a month ago at the dealership and it was basically a tune-up/oil change/preventative maintenance job ($700). So I am a bit concerned that this may be more than a simple battery problem. Try not to laugh too hard when I confessed that it has been a long time since I worked on my cars and that I'm not sure what ignitions even consist of. I earned the right to be lazy after spending the first 30 years of married/family life maintaining/fixing everything on all of our vehicles and house, to make sure we could save and provide for our children's educations. I joke-I can take the mockery!
"Your compressor failed for a reason. The number 1 reason is contamination in the system. Cleaning out this contamination is crucial to ensuring that the new compressor is not also contaminated. Always flush and evacuate before changing parts. Always use A/C system flush solvent. If it is not perfectly clean after the flush and vacuum, we recommend re-flushing the system."
My Atlanta Honda dealer botched my A/C system repair by initially just installing a new compressor and running the system to note poor performance. Only then did they inspect the accumulator/drier (replacement of this part is REQUIRED by every compressor manufacturer as part of the warranty) and noted it was leaking desiccant balls and other black junk into the system. THEN they decided to flush only the evaporator line and replace the clogged dryer and also the contaminated condensor (the A/C radiator at the front of the car, often difficult to flush). This is noted right on my invoice! The invoice doesn't mention cleaning or replacing the expansion valve nor purging the other line - things any half-trained A/C technician would have done. Obviously, my new compressor now has it's oil flooded with seven years of accumulated black crud. So I just paid $1,800 for a brand new compressor which WILL fail prematurely.
I have a case open with Honda corporate to see what they can do given that the repair ddn't follow the Honda's - or anyone's - service procedures. You have to watch your dealer closely to ensure they perform the A/C repair correctly. The warranty on the repair will be only 90-days labor / 12 -months parts so, if the new compressor fails again within a year, you get to hassle with them all over again on the labor. After a year, you're just out another $1,500-$1,800.
Bottom line: Honda said repairing a contaminated A/C system just by replacing one part at a time was “proper”. The attempted over-charges and commission wrangling are solely between me and the dealership. Honda suggested I contact the dealership Service Manager again to see if he can explain what they had previously refused to explain. In a word, Honda offered me NOTHING.
If you’re looking for Honda dealer service in downtown Atlanta, you’d be wise to go far North (Woodstock, Georgia) or far South (Morrow, Georgia) instead. Even then, ask in advance to insure that your Service Advisor will be working the next day too in case your car needs to stay overnight. If anyone quotes you a price over the phone, get their full name to avoid hassles over service prices and commissions. Better yet, find a small, local shop who works off their reputation and repeat customers.
Anyway, there is a solution. I almost always drive with the climate control in 'recirculate' option. Second buttom on bottom row pushed, and light on the button lites up.
I would think having it in 'recirculate' mode would be best to keep dust and cold air out. This is NOT the case. Do not run it in recirculate mode, and if you are driving on a dusty road, turn the fan UP. With the fan running fast, it will push air back out of whatever holes the dust is leaking in, and reduce the dust a lot.
I don't know the exact place the dust comes in, but this is a Ridgeline problem. I still run in recirculate while on paved roads because I think not bringing in outside hot air in the summer means the AC will operate better. But, if you hit a dirt road, get it off recirculate and turn the fan up to a faster speed.