2007 Honda Ridgeline

ENGINE DEVELOPED A SUDDEN MISFIRE IN #4 CYLINDER FOR ABOUT 20 SECONDS, THEN CLEARED. SUBSEQUENTLY, HAD LARGE WHITE CLOUDS OF COOLANT AND BURNED OIL COMING FROM TAILPIPE WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREETS. AFTER TURNING ENGINE OFF AND LETTING IT COOL, NOTICED COOLANT LEVEL LOW IN RESERVOIR, LOW OIL LEVEL ON DIPSTICK. LOW COMPRESSION ON #4 CYL. AND BURNED OIL ON #4 SPARK PLUG. IF ALLOWED TO CONTINUE RUNNING, COOLANT WOULD BE CONSUMED, RESULTING IN OVERHEATING AND ENGINE SEIZING WHILE DRIVING.

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.

THE SPARK PLUG EJECTED, W/ COIL BLOW OUT WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. NO ADVANCE WARNING OF A PROBLEM NOR DID THE ENGINE CHECK-LIGHT WARNING COME ON PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THE TRUCK WAS SERVICED ROUTINELY ACCORDING TO THE FACTORY RECOMMENDATIONS BY CERTIFIED HONDA DEALERS. THE SPARK PLUG BLEW OUT OF THE ENGINE HEAD IN TWO PIECES. ONE PEACE CAME OUT AND BLEW THE COIL PACK INTO THE FAN, WHICH THEN LANDED ON THE BATTERY AND MELTED RIGHT THROUGH IT. THE SECOND HALF WENT DOWN THRU THE ENGINE SHOOTING METAL AND DEBRIS INTO THE ENGINE BLOCK DESTROYING THE ENGINE AT ONLY 67,442 MILES. REPLACEMENT/REPAIRS QUOTE WAS $12,048.85 AND THE EXTENDED WARRANTY (5 YRS OR 100,000 MILES) ALLEGEDLY DOESN'T COVER SPARK PLUGS! IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, ACCORDING TO ONLINE OWNER BLOGS WITH HONDA ENGINES IN GENERAL: HTTP://WWW.RIDGELINEOWNERSCLUB.COM/FORUMS/7-1G-UNDER-HOOD-PERFORMANCE/45379-BLEW-SPARK-PLUG-HEAD.HTML HTTPS://WWW.FITFREAK.NET/FORUMS/1ST-GENERATION-GD-01-08/76611-SPARK-PLUG-EJECTION-W-COIL-BLOW-OUT.HTML

FOR YEARS I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED A RIDGE LINE HONDA. NOW I HAVE ONE. I HAD PURCHASED MY TRUCK FEBRUARY 2015. I ONLY DROVE THE TRUCK LITERALLY FOR 4 MONTHS AND I PAY A LOT OF MONEY EACH MONTH TO CAPITAL ONE. I HAVE ALREADY PLACED A TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR IN IT AROUND FEBRUARY OR MARCH OF 2016. I WAS TOLD THAT THE TRUCK WAS OKAY DON'T WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING. IT IS SAFE TO DRIVE AND TRAVEL WITH. SO TOWARDS THE END OF JUNE - I HAD DROVE FROM OHIO TO ALABAMA. ON JUNE 17, ON MY WAY TO CHURCH THE ENGINE BLEW UP ON THE EXPRESSWAY. IT HAS BEEN ALMOST 2 MONTHS WITHOUT MY TRUCK. I AM PAYING A LOT OF MONEY FOR IT. I HOLD CAPITOL ONE AND THEY SAID ASK YOU ALL IF YOU ARE WILLING TO LET ME EXCHANGE FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT BECAUSE THEY ARE ONLY IN CHARGE OF LETTING ME BORROW MONEY. THEY SAID THAT HONDA HAS THE POWER TO DO THAT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 HONDA RIDGELINE. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE ENGINE MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE SPARK PLUG FRACTURED AND FELL INTO THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE WAS DESTROYED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 124,000. UPDATED 06/29/16*LJ *TR

THIS ISSUES HAS OCCURRED 4 TIMES IN THE PAST 3 MONTHS. TWICE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND TWICE AT SPEEDS BELOW 10 MPH. THE ISSUE SEEMS TO OCCUR RANDOMLY. WHEN IT OCCURS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, VTM4 LIGHT, VSA LIGHT AND A FEW OTHER WARNING LIGHTS LIGHT UP ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. WHEN THIS OCCURS THE TRUCK WILL SLOW DOWN GRADUALLY WITH NO RESPONSE FROM THE ACCELERATE PEDAL. I HAVE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TURN OFF THE TRUCK AND TURN BACK ON. THE TRUCK OPERATES NORMALLY AFTER IT IS TURNED BACKED ON (CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON FOR ABOUT 100 MORE MILES THEN TURN OFF). I HAVE SAFETY CONCERNS WITH THIS HAPPENING AGAIN ON A BUSY HIGHWAY.

WE WERE TRAVELING IN THE ADIRONDACKS ON 08-09-2015 WHEN SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING THE CAR STARTED TO JERK A FEW TIMES THEN AS IT WAS IN DRIVE I HAD NO FORWARD MOTION IN DRIVE.I PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR DOWN AND THE CAR ACTED AS IF IT WAS IN NEUTRAL.I SLOWLY CAME TO A STOP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SAW THE RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION FLUID WERE LEAKING FROM THE CAR.WE CALLED AAA AND HAD IT TOWED TO A GARAGE.THE MECHANIC INFORMED US THE RADIATOR WAS NO GOOD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.THE COOLING SYSTEM WAS BLED AND THE THERMOSTAT AND RADIATOR REPLACED.AT THIS TIME THE CAR WAS DRIVABLE BUT WAS STILL OVERHEATING.THE MECHANIC THAT SAID HE BELIEVED IT MAY BE A CRACKED HEAD OR HEAD GASKET THEY NEEDED REPAIR.WE HAD TO LEAVE OUR CAR IN THE ADIRONDACKS AND RETURN HOME IN A RENTAL.THIS WAS ON 08-14-2015. TODAY IS 08-22-2015 AND WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR WORD ON THE REPAIR PROCESS. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT AFTER THIS HAPPENED WE FOUND OUT THAT WHAT HAPPENED TO US HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER RIDEGLINE OWNERS.THERE SEEMS TO BE A DEFECT IN A WASHER ON THE RADIATOR THAT IS MADE FROM A DIFFERENT ALLOY FROM THE REST OF THE VEHICLE.THIS WASHER CAN FAIL AT ANY TIME,AND WHEN IT DOES IT MIXES TRANSMISSION FLUID AND RADIATOR FLUID TOGETHER AND CAUSES CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO THE RADIATOR AND ENGINE. COULD SOMEONE PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHY HONDA WILL NOT DEAL WITH THIS AND ISSUE A RECALL,ALSO IF THEY DO ISSUE A RECALL IN THE FUTURE WILL ANY OF IT COVER THE REPAIRS I MAKE NOW.

MY VEHICLE HAS CATASTROPHIC INTERNAL ENGINE FAILURE. THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF ANY ISSUE WITH MY VEHICLE. I HAD MY 3 YEAR OLD GRANDSON WITH ME AND WE WERE OUT TO RUN A QUICK ERRAND. I DETECTED A STRANGE NOISE THAT I THOUGHT WAS A STONE IN MY WHEEL. I DECIDED TO TURN THE TRUCK AROUND AND FOREGO THE ERRAND, AS IT WAS AN ODD NOISE. MOMENTS AFTER I TURNED THE TRUCK AROUND MY VTM-4 AND VSA WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND LOOKED THESE WARNING LIGHTS UP IN MY OWNER'S MANUAL. BASED ON WHAT I READ, THEIR WAS NO DANGER IN PROCEEDING SLOWING, AS THESE INDICATOR LIGHTS ARE RELATED TO STABILIZATION AND EQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF TORQUE. THE MANUAL SUGGESTED IT BE TAKEN TO A MECHANIC. I NO SOONER PULLED OUT AND THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE RIDGELINE CEASED. I HAD NO STEERING, NO POWER, NOTHING. I MANAGED TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THANKFULLY, I WAS NOT ON THE HIGHWAY AND WAS GOING AT A SLOW RATE OF SPEED, OTHERWISE I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. NEEDLESS TO SAY, IT WAS A SCARY EXPERIENCE FOR MY GRANDSON AND ME. I HAD TO HAVE THE RIDGELINE TOWED TO MY MECHANIC AND IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT A PISTON RING BROKE AND GOUGED THE CYLINDER. THE ENGINE NEEDS REPLACED. I TALKED TO HONDA OF AMERICA TO INQUIRE IF THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM HISTORICALLY WITH THIS ENGINE, BUT COULDN'T GET A STRAIGHT ANSWER. I PURCHASED THE EXTENDED WARRANTY OFFERED WITH THIS VEHICLE BUT IT EXPIRED AT 100,000 MILES. I AM CONVINCED THAT THIS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT BASED ON THE INFORMATION I HAVE SINCE READ REGARDING THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT WITH THIS ENGINE. BECAUSE MY WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED, I BEAR THE COST OF THIS EXPENSE. DISAPPOINTED THAT MY HONDA DIDN'T LIVE UP TO IT'S REPUTATION. THIS IS A VEHICLE THAT WAS WELL MAINTAINED, WITH AN EXPECTED ENGINE LIFE OF TENS OF THOUSANDS MORE MILES. *TR