Topic: Ridgeline is a lemon, time to go truck shopping!!

[dkaz]

315,000km. A Toyota transmission will barely have broken in by then.

My 09 Odyssey only had 205,000 km when I got it.

Ya OK .  You sound like the young dudes on one of the Tundra sites I visit.  "Just broken in at 400k km."  You can't use a transmission with 315,000 km on it (and how old?) as a reference for poor reliability.

Not arguing Honda is on par with Toyota, because I don't feel that way, but I do question that specific example.

I don't know, if I got 15 years and 315k kms out of a car and the tranny popped, I would be ok with it, definitely got my money out of it.

It's not bad but it's not Toyota. But yes I only paid $1067 at least for the 00 back in 2014. With the 09 I paid about $9k and I expected way more.

[BWII]

I thought Honda's were The Best.   

Co worker and her husband bought a new Pilot last year, first trip back to see their kids in TO from Wpg, and it dies on them, and left them stranded.  A new pilot? WTF!?  They took it to SK for our work meetings this week and so far it's fine, but that's just weird.  Guess it got fixed. Fingers crossed.

[Guy]

You should get a Lightning, Bye seems to be happy with his..   

[WP v3.32]

I played hockey with a bunch of Honda mechanics, they all said the pilot, ridgeline as well as some Acuras transmissions are junk and they keep them busy but that was 2 year ago.  They mentioned  the newer transmissions was supposed to be better.   I've heard before of the older Odyssey vans having transmission issues but I think that was because of the radiator failing and mixing fluids (strawberry milkshake), similar to the Nissans. 

Too bad these new Ridgeline can't be reliable.  Well, I did quite a bit of shopping when I a bought my truck and there's not many reliable truck, it's picking your poison.   GM/Chevy always has tranny issues and VCM, Ram has the Hemi tick. Ford Ecoboost...nope. The new Tundra did have some issues first but I'm not sure right now.  The old Tundras are dead reliable and the are priced like gold and they drink heavy.


Time for you to try the Santa Cruz 

[dkaz]

I played hockey with a bunch of Honda mechanics, they all said the pilot, ridgeline as well as some Acuras transmissions are junk and they keep them busy but that was 2 year ago.  They mentioned  the newer transmissions was supposed to be better.   I've heard before of the older Odyssey vans having transmission issues but I think that was because of the radiator failing and mixing fluids (strawberry milkshake), similar to the Nissans. 

Too bad these new Ridgeline can't be reliable.  Well, I did quite a bit of shopping when I a bought my truck and there's not many reliable truck, it's picking your poison.   GM/Chevy always has tranny issues and VCM, Ram has the Hemi tick. Ford Ecoboost...nope. The new Tundra did have some issues first but I'm not sure right now.  The old Tundras are dead reliable and the are priced like gold and they drink heavy.

In general 07+ Honda transmissions are bulletproof and the V6 engine itself is amazing and most of their 4 cylinders, it's the VCM (EVERY manufacturer has problems with cylinder deactivation in the long run) and everything else that's the issue. 4 cylinder non turbo Civic I'd get all day.

I'm pretty sure the Hemi tick became a thing after MDS. Tundra might be thirsty but they're not relying on this faulty tech to try to save fuel.

[ktm525]

I doubt many follow the prescribed Honda maintenance on transmissions either which makes buying a higher mileage used unit a dubious proposition. Honda requires a drain and refill 2 times with a short drive in-between. Even Honda dealers aren't following that. What I do is do a simple single drain and refill every 3rd oil change. This is about 4L of tranny fluid and it sounds like a PITA but the drain and fill plugs are easily accessible and takes but a few minutes while doing an oil change. I can guarantee most owners do not do that..

 

[WP v3.32]

If you go on ridgeline forums as well as older Odysseys you'll see posts about radiators failing.   It's probably a low percentage but it's still there,  It's probably more about the quality of the radiator and not the car brand, I'm not sure if companies uses all the same manufacturer but I know this fail is across multiple brands on high mileage ones, Toyotas, Hondas, Nissan.

the VCM(or whatever they call it) issues is across all brands too like Dkaz said.   I joined a Ram forum and the Hemi tick conversation is prominent. I'm glad I went with the Pentastar with medieval tech! 

[ktm525]

If you go on ridgeline forums as well as older Odysseys you'll see posts about radiators failing.   It's probably a low percentage but it's still there,  It's probably more about the quality of the radiator and not the car brand, I'm not sure if companies uses all the same manufacturer but I know this fail is across multiple brands on high mileage ones, Toyotas, Hondas, Nissan.

the VCM(or whatever they call it) issues is across all brands too like Dkaz said.   I joined a Ram forum and the Hemi tick conversation is prominent. I'm glad I went with the Pentastar with medieval tech! 

Are you talking about the transmission coolers which could cross contaminate the transmission fluid with coolant? Something to be wary of on 2005-2008 Ridgelines. Not sure if the vans got the coolers.

[WP v3.32]

If you go on ridgeline forums as well as older Odysseys you'll see posts about radiators failing.   It's probably a low percentage but it's still there,  It's probably more about the quality of the radiator and not the car brand, I'm not sure if companies uses all the same manufacturer but I know this fail is across multiple brands on high mileage ones, Toyotas, Hondas, Nissan.

the VCM(or whatever they call it) issues is across all brands too like Dkaz said.   I joined a Ram forum and the Hemi tick conversation is prominent. I'm glad I went with the Pentastar with medieval tech! 

Are you talking about the transmission coolers which could cross contaminate the transmission fluid with coolant? Something to be wary of on 2005-2008 Ridgelines. Not sure if the vans got the coolers.

Yes, I believe it was an issue on Pilots and Odyssey  the same year.  Same for Toyota Siennas, Highlanders, Nissan frontier, Xterra & pathfinders.   So those years its not really the transmission failing but the Rad.  Although it does burn the tranny eventually so the common owner might not care about the difference, beside having to pay big $$. 

[ktm525]

up. Public service announcement. Replace any original rads (the cooler is integrated) on te Hondas if you buy a 2008 or older..

It's disappointing that Fob's RL was a dud but not entirely surprising. It may just be emblematic of modern vehicle design and fits in with my belief that peak reliability was 2000-2010 timeframe. The introduction of increased FI standards (resulting in DI engines and turbos) and increasingly glass cockpits does not bode well for 400 000km cockroaches in the future.

I may be a luddite but if I could find a new gen1 Ridgeline that would be my choice. It checks the boxes I need without stupid complexity and technology. It just works.

[marcus_go]

The Honda 6-speed in Pilots from 2016-2020 and Ridgeline 2017-2019 were problematic. Lots of reports of torque converters going bad, weird shifting and entire failures. There are TSBs for torque converter judder and fluid overheating.

The ZF sourced 9-speed has actually been pretty reliable from 2019 onwards from what I have read.

[ktm525]

Good Point! Stay away from the 6 speeds! The V6 RDX is in this group...

[dkaz]

If you go on ridgeline forums as well as older Odysseys you'll see posts about radiators failing.   It's probably a low percentage but it's still there,  It's probably more about the quality of the radiator and not the car brand, I'm not sure if companies uses all the same manufacturer but I know this fail is across multiple brands on high mileage ones, Toyotas, Hondas, Nissan.

the VCM(or whatever they call it) issues is across all brands too like Dkaz said.   I joined a Ram forum and the Hemi tick conversation is prominent. I'm glad I went with the Pentastar with medieval tech! 

Are you talking about the transmission coolers which could cross contaminate the transmission fluid with coolant? Something to be wary of on 2005-2008 Ridgelines. Not sure if the vans got the coolers.

They've always routed the transmission fluid through the rads in the Odysseys and likely the other models. Their claim is not only does it cool the transmission, it also warms up the transmission. In 2003 or so they added an external transmission cooler to provide additional cooling after the transmission fluid had gone through the rad.

I find coolant is also an often neglected maintenance item. In my experience, the most neglected fluid of all is differential fluid. People seem to think 4WD and 4x4 is simple magic.

My 5 is getting a coolant flush next maintenance, it's well below 192,000 km but it is past the 10 year mark. Next change after that is 96,000 km or 5 years.

[ktm525]

It's a good point. At least dip a ph strip in your coolant once in awhile. BTW the integrated rad transmission heat exchanger does work. It warms the transmission fluid on those very cold mornings and the transmission shifts normally quickly.

[Fobroader]

Unfortunate.

Had the Lexus been ok?

Perhaps another Toyota product if the Lexus has been ok?

The Lexus has been flawless, I expect nothing else from a V8 LC Prado. Thats why I'm focusing on a Tundra, the V8 is a known reliable thing, I'm not messing around with all this new fangled tech.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Unfortunate.

Had the Lexus been ok?

Perhaps another Toyota product if the Lexus has been ok?

The Lexus has been flawless, I expect nothing else from a V8 LC Prado. Thats why I'm focusing on a Tundra, the V8 is a known reliable thing, I'm not messing around with all this new fangled tech.

Until the nefarious 'secondary air injection pump' goes, then it's a multi-thousand dollar repair. 

Other than that, though, yeah, they're great.

[Fobroader]

Unfortunate.

Had the Lexus been ok?

Perhaps another Toyota product if the Lexus has been ok?

The Lexus has been flawless, I expect nothing else from a V8 LC Prado. Thats why I'm focusing on a Tundra, the V8 is a known reliable thing, I'm not messing around with all this new fangled tech.

Until the nefarious 'secondary air injection pump' goes, then it's a multi-thousand dollar repair. 

Other than that, though, yeah, they're great.

I'll cross that bridge when we get there. If thats the only known "problem, I'll take it.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Good Luck on your search.  You don't seem to care too much about fuel economy, so a Tundra sounds perfect. 

FYI,  Anything 2017 and lower won't have any of the driver aids like radar cruise, lane keep assist, auto braking, etc.  Anything 2018 and up should be equipped with all that stuff.  So, I'm not sure if that's something you want, or don't want, just something to bear in mind. 

2018+ was also the year they introduced LED headlights (AWESOME, and a HUGE improvement over the old halogens).  I think the 2021's finally got Android Auto / Apple Carplay, if that's something that's important to you.  Other than that, BlueTooth functionality was perfectly adequate in my 2018. 

The trailer brake controller was known to be problematic - I had a few issues with mine.  Apparently there were some TSB's that reprogrammed it.  Just something to be aware of, if you're planning on towing.  It's only an issue if you tow.  If you don't tow, you can ignore it.

The standard 4:10 rear gears are hella fun, btw.  TONS of off-the-line response. 

[Fobroader]

In a perfect world, I am looking at a 2019 and up with less than 60K kms. I would like a 1794 version, but that butterscotch brown interior is questionable. Thanks for the heads up on the brake controller, will make sure to get that looked at as most of my towing these days is sporadic and spontaneous, I don't need to find out that the 7 pin doesn't work when I'm hooked up to something.

[bridgecity]

Unfortunate.

Had the Lexus been ok?

Perhaps another Toyota product if the Lexus has been ok?

The Lexus has been flawless, I expect nothing else from a V8 LC Prado. Thats why I'm focusing on a Tundra, the V8 is a known reliable thing, I'm not messing around with all this new fangled tech.

Until the nefarious 'secondary air injection pump' goes, then it's a multi-thousand dollar repair. 

Other than that, though, yeah, they're great.

I'll cross that bridge when we get there. If thats the only known "problem, I'll take it.

Easy and cheap to bypass the system.  Been running the bypass on my truck for over a year.

GBA makes some other good points above.  The one item I'd have inspected before purchase is the cam towers.  Some weep.  Some say its common, others say not.  Generally its a slow weep, but some have complained they could smell burning oil from dripping on exhaust manifold and had to get it fixed.  Not a DIY friendly type thing.  Anyway, if you buy a newer one it'll be under warranty but its something to check for sure.

I'd buy another 2nd gen Tundra in a heartbeat if I needed a truck.