transmision problems starting problems

I have had my ridgeline since march 05 not happy at all with the truck .I am having tranmission problem it down shifts to hard to the point where it feels like i an steping on the brake been back to dealership about 5 times and 2 diff dealership and they could not find prob is anybody else out there having trans prob i am ready to get rid of this truck

Is the downshift shock noticeable on all downshifts, or just between certain gears?

Nope.....for the most part the transmission has been shifting smooth as a baby's bottom.

I only have 300 or so miles on mine and i've noticed it de-fuels the gas pedal between shifts mostly noticable between 1st and 2nd. when i let off it seems it holds the gear like a std shift car. I think this is normal, there is a lot of new tech in this truck. the throttle is electronic. ect. hope you/they figure it out.

I have had my ridgeline since march 05 not happy at all with the truck .I am having tranmission problem it down shifts to hard to the point where it feels like i an steping on the brake been back to dealership about 5 times and 2 diff dealership and they could not find prob is anybody else out there having trans prob i am ready to get rid of this truck
Did the service dept. agree with you that there is a problem? I can't believe any service dept. would just keep you comming back with the same problem?
Just about every state has a lemon law. Make sure you document the times it is on there for the same reason.:(

I'm beginning to think that Honda has a conspiracy against firefighters. Simm37 is a firefighter, as is flfirerob - that guy who's truck got burnt. Strange eh?

its documented and times i called honda and they said bring it to another dealership i think it is time for the lemon law

its documented and times i called honda and they said bring it to another dealership i think it is time for the lemon law
Drive another Ridgeline on their lot and see if it behaves the same way.

I have had my ridgeline since march 05 not happy at all with the truck .I am having tranmission problem it down shifts to hard to the point where it feels like i an steping on the brake been back to dealership about 5 times and 2 diff dealership and they could not find prob is anybody else out there having trans prob i am ready to get rid of this truck

Yeah, should probably trade it in. No sense in keeping a truck you're not at all happy with.:)

The good thing is you will not get screwed on the trade-in like most other trucks out there.

There couldn't be a better time to get rid of your junk truck. The awards are multiplying daily. And in the next 2 weeks, it will peak with the "North American Truck of the Year" award in Detroit. Use that when you trade it!:D

Thanks for joining the board!:)

fins

I did test drive another truck and it was a smooth ride it shifted great

I did test drive another truck and it was a smooth ride it shifted great
In that case its obvious that the dealership has noticed the problem since you have driven one of their Ridgelines to compare (I assume the other Ridge you drove was at a dealership). what are they saying now?
sorry for asking but I think there should be more to the story,...like they recognized the problem and working on it or they are saying tough luck to you and you just have to drive around in a faulty truck(very unlikely for Honda)
5 times to the dealership for the same problem ? Hmmmm... something is missing here:confused:
If possible, give us the dealers name and location please,

Wow, reading all 7 of this guy's posts, hes's got a bad transmission, bad radio reception, and a bad engine knock. This Ridgeline sounds like a piece of crap, or the poster sounds like a ..........


I've had my RL since March and it's perfect. Good luck with your problems. If you trade it in, try the Chevy Colorado, I hear they're pretty good.

all the best.

its documented and times i called Honda and they said bring it to another dealership i think it is time for the lemon law
I'm stepping out here, but having 10 years at a new car dealership as a mechanic, I have had my fair share of vehicles that kept coming back with the same problem that I couldn't quite figure out or could not duplicate it long enough to fix it. I never heard the higher up reps, tell any one to go to a different dealership. Your posts lack a lot of information but you are a far cry from the "Lemon law".

Without driving your truck I don't know if the downshifting is normal or not, but one thought is the grade logic in the transmission CPU

Depending on the calculated grade, the tranmission will downshift and use engine braking to suppliment the brakes. This is different from most cars where you must manually put the transmission in a lower gear. I beleive there are 4 or so different downshift shifting maps in the CPU depending on the grade as calculated by the CPU.

I think it also downshifts when using the cruise control and the truck is going faster than set (don't quote me on this)

In my truck I have noticed a few times when it downshifted a bit too soon but nothing really noticeable.


The truck will also hold a gear if you slow down and turn as it is anticipating acceleration when you get out of the turn. Personally I feel this "feature" could use a bit of work as sometimes the gear is a bit steep and my acceleration out of the turn is sluggish.

The only thing I've noticed is when the truck slows down from 5th gear, like when you're approaching a stop sign. Especially when the engine/trans is warming up, I feel the downshift a little more than usual- it feels like it is catching something as it moves from 5th to 4th. Otherwise, I think the trans is behaving normally (almost 10 months old- 9000+ miles logged).

Grade Logic doesn't seem to kick in when the engine is cold. I have a 1/4 mile grade going downhill right from my driveway that I always coast down. When the engine is cold it won't hold onto any gear and I usually hit about 50 at the bottom. When the engine is warm it holds me at a little over 40 all the way down. Makes sense not to run higher rpms on a cold engine.

I think it also downshifts when using the cruise control and the truck is going faster than set (don't quote me on this)

It's true Whaleya, so they can quote you.

I just wish the dealerships could tell me something about problems 1 guy at the dealership said the truck is junk and dont tow with it also

guy at dealership said the truck is junk and dont tow with it also
Is it hot in here?
http://www.gifs.net/Animation11/Everything_Else/Fire/Campfire_3.gif

I just wish the dealerships could tell me something about problems 1 guy at the dealership said the truck is junk and dont tow with it also
Do you all still want to answer this question? Does anyone really believe a Honda mechanic would say this? Anyone who starts off bad mouthing and complaining about the RL is either the owner of a Ford or Chevy and cant afford the RL , or they just simply are here to create internet havoc. HMMM I guess they could also be corporate spies from the other auto makers trying to bring down the RL sales.

Internet troll
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
In Internet terminology, a troll is a person who posts inflammatory messages on the Internet, such as on online discussion forums, to disrupt discussion or to upset its participants. "Troll" can also mean the inflammatory message itself posted by a troll or be a verb meaning to post such messages. "Trolling" (the gerund) is also commonly used to describe the activity

My suggestion: should be kicked out/banned from the forum.

TROLL
4346
Internet troll
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
In Internet terminology, a troll is a person who posts inflammatory messages on the Internet, such as on online discussion forums, to disrupt discussion or to upset its participants. "Troll" can also mean the inflammatory message itself posted by a troll or be a verb meaning to post such messages. "Trolling" (the gerund) is also commonly used to describe the activity

My suggestion: should be kicked out/banned from the forum.


My thoughts exactly!

i am not making this up and yes i can afford it it is sitting in my driveway now

Kick Me Out Just Like The Dealership Does Not Want To Help With Problem

I dont want to get rid of the truck but the tran prob is driving me crazy if you are saying its normal to downshift like this i still say it is downshifting to hard

I dont want to get rid of the truck but the tran prob is driving me crazy if you are saying its normal to downshift like this i still say it is downshifting to hard

Simm37, I don't think you're a troll and I'm not sure why others do (I don't think a troll would keep coming back and would post on more than one thread, but maybe I'm just naive)... I hope you get your problem resolved. If you've driven other RLs and don't see the downshifting problem with them, it's definitely something wrong with your truck. I would raise a stink until they either swap out your truck with another one or FIX IT. I'm sorry you've had a bad experience with the truck. I've been loving mine, and as you can see people on this forum tend to be very religious about the truck and don't want to hear any complaints.

I think a tranny complaint, a real tranny problem, is one of the few problems we SHOULD hear about -- as opposed to the nit-picking ones like the fact that you can't lock the bed extender to the trunk (other trucks don't even allow you to carry around the bed extender, as I witnessed with my Chevy experience recently).

I hope you get your problem resolved soon... and please keep us updated! Don't let the naysayers get to you... there will always be people in the internet world (myself included) who will suspect some posters, because we're smart and we're not going to be taken in by someone who is just trying to make the truck look bad. I don't think you're one of these people, so please, try to get a resolution to your tranny problem, and keep us posted!

(I don't think a troll would keep coming back and would post on more than one thread, but maybe I'm just naive)..



That's exactly what trolls do Flymuck. I haven't said this guy is a troll yet, but I'm fairly certain no one at a Honda dealer told him this.


I just wish the dealerships could tell me something about problems 1 guy at the dealership said the truck is junk and dont tow with it also

simm37,
I am sorry that I doubted you for not being a genuine Ridge owner, I don't know what came over me, specially after your detailed explanations of transmission problems and 5 visits to the dealer since March/05 and dealer's diagnosis of "The truck is junk and don't tow with it".
I must apologize.:o

I recognize that there is a significant percentage of people for whom English was not the first language they learned, and I also recognize that the public school systems seem to be doing an increasingly poor job of teaching English these days, but when I encounter a post whose author is clearly too uneducated or too lazy to bother with even a cursory attempt at proper spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar, I simply dismiss it and move on.

What the hell. If Simm37 has a legit problem and comes to this board for help, why is everybody yelling "TROLL". It just seems alot of people here get all pissed of if someone (especially a newer member) says they have a problem. Part of owning a 1st year vehicle is there could be problems. But if any of you guys have not had that problem, he must be a "troll". Get real. Instead of kicking Simms37 of the board, why not burn him at a stake? Maybe draw and quarter him? That will teach him for saying the Ridgeline is not perfect.

What the hell. If Simm37 has a legit problem and comes to this board for help, why is everybody yelling "TROLL". It just seems alot of people here get all pissed of if someone (especially a newer member) says they have a problem. Part of owning a 1st year vehicle is there could be problems. But if any of you guys have not had that problem, he must be a "troll". Get real. Instead of kicking Simms37 of the board, why not burn him at a stake? Maybe draw and quarter him? That will teach him for saying the Ridgeline is not perfect.

Or better yet, why don't people with problems post something useful so we others might be able to help? All I've seen from Simm37 are notes about how much he hates his truck and how incompetent the dealers are that he's "working" with. The downshifting of the transmission has been explained as normal grade logic functioning of the truck, so if he has any more useful information to add to his complaints, let's hear it. Otherwise, this is crap.

I'm sorry for the guy that he didn't notice how his truck works during his test drive. If he didn't test drive his truck, then boo hoo. Take it back and hope they don't say the same thing. Afterall, this IS a first year vehicle and one would think that a simple test drive would be the least one could do to check it out.

And why does it (supposedly) take 9 months for people to realize they hate the way their truck handles? Not everyone with a problem gets bashed here, only those whose complaints are very...questionable, to be polite. I've only seen 2 people get bashed for their complaints, and both have very erie similarities. For example, both are "firemen" who can't type. So, maybe they are legit, but PLEASE come up with a valid question if you really want help. Then get back with a FIX, or something useful when you figure out the problem. Otherwise, who needs a bunch of posts stating how upset you are with your truck.

What the hell. If Simm37 has a legit problem and comes to this board for help, why is everybody yelling "TROLL". It just seems alot of people here get all pissed of if someone (especially a newer member) says they have a problem. Part of owning a 1st year vehicle is there could be problems. But if any of you guys have not had that problem, he must be a "troll". Get real. Instead of kicking Simms37 of the board, why not burn him at a stake? Maybe draw and quarter him? That will teach him for saying the Ridgeline is not perfect.

Are you seriously saying you believe anyone at a honda dealership told him this?



I just wish the dealerships could tell me something about problems 1 guy at the dealership said the truck is junk and dont tow with it also

What the hell. If Simm37 has a legit problem and comes to this board for help, why is everybody yelling "TROLL". It just seems alot of people here get all pissed of if someone (especially a newer member) says they have a problem. Part of owning a 1st year vehicle is there could be problems. But if any of you guys have not had that problem, he must be a "troll". Get real. Instead of kicking Simms37 of the board, why not burn him at a stake? Maybe draw and quarter him? That will teach him for saying the Ridgeline is not perfect.
If he had a legit problem then no one should call him a troll, Ridgeline is not a perfect vehicle and members here did have legit problems(including myself),we posted it and the problems were discussed and resolved one way or the other either by helping each other (creaky steering wheel, auto door unlock etc) or by the dealer(water leaks etc), either way there was a real and solid solution.
simms37's 1st post is about a serious problem(transmission) which he claims he's had it since March/05 and then he doesn't reply on his own thread for several day.after 5 trips to the dealer only explanation he got from the dealer is "the truck is junk and don't tow anything with it" get real?
my apologies if I offended any legit Ridge owners with legit problems but I am sorry, something is just not right with this picture.

Anyone can see from reading problem threads here on ROC that 99.9% percent of the posters are treated with respect here because 99.9% of them have legit problems. If your new here and have a problem, please post about it.

What the hell. If Simm37 has a legit problem and comes to this board for help, why is everybody yelling "TROLL". It just seems alot of people here get all pissed of if someone (especially a newer member) says they have a problem. Part of owning a 1st year vehicle is there could be problems. But if any of you guys have not had that problem, he must be a "troll". Get real. Instead of kicking Simms37 of the board, why not burn him at a stake? Maybe draw and quarter him? That will teach him for saying the Ridgeline is not perfect.

Thanks, Willy, that would be my point.

As for the dealership comment, simm37 didn't explicitly say it was someone who *worked* at the dealership who made the comment about the truck -- maybe it was some Big 3 troll hanging out at the dealership who said it... ;)


That's exactly what trolls do Flymuck.


Actually, I think it would be more in human nature to chicken out after posting one or two messages, especially if a person got labelled as a troll early on. But then again, what do I know? I only got a double-BS in Computer Science and Psychology. I know nothing about computers or human nature.

But then again, what do I know? I only got a double-BS in Computer Science and Psychology. I know nothing about computers or human nature.

Damn, that's a shame after all that work! Oh wait, that was sarcasm - right?

I only got a double-BS
Man, if I only had a dime for every time I got that.. Oh, sorry, you meant Bachelor of Science. :D

you can't be serious about the Chev. Truck.

but are you?:cool:


I've had my RL since March and it's perfect. Good luck with your problems. If you trade it in, try the Chevy Colorado, I hear they're pretty good.

all the best.[/QUOTE]

Actually, I think it would be more in human nature to chicken out after posting one or two messages, especially if a person got labelled as a troll early on. But then again, what do I know? I only got a double-BS in Computer Science and Psychology. I know nothing about computers or human nature.

I too have a BS in psychology, and if you have one, you know that's what they are...............BS. :D

you can't be serious about the Chev. Truck.

but are you?:cool:


I've had my RL since March and it's perfect. Good luck with your problems. If you trade it in, try the Chevy Colorado, I hear they're pretty good.

all the best.[/QUOTE]

I'm just trying to help the guy find a nice, reliable, quality built vehicle after he trades in his Ridgeline.............No, I guess I wasn't serious.

What the hell. If Simm37 has a legit problem and comes to this board for help, why is everybody yelling "TROLL". It just seems alot of people here get all pissed of if someone (especially a newer member) says they have a problem. Part of owning a 1st year vehicle is there could be problems. But if any of you guys have not had that problem, he must be a "troll". Get real. Instead of kicking Simms37 of the board, why not burn him at a stake? Maybe draw and quarter him? That will teach him for saying the Ridgeline is not perfect.

Beacause NOTHING positive has come from this guy since his very first post to this forum. He introduced himself upon us by saying "I also agree the radio reception is horrible i am not happy with my ridgeline at all". And it only went down hill from there.

If he truly owns one, he isn't going to get much support on here with that introduction. IF he owns one.

fins

Keep it coming i do own 1
And for spelling i guess i cannot type and feed my 6 week old at the same time
Now I need help with something unless i really dont own the RL . I received my plastic valve caps in the mail today and i cannot get the metal ones off
and i dont want to go to the dealership. Whats the best way without doing any harm to them
Thanks The Troll

An overnight soaking with WD40 should do it.

I feel for you. I just bought a Ridgeline and I am not so happy about the transmission feel either. It seems to me that it is always fishing for gears and nevers seems to stay in one very long. I know this is my first post but I came to this site looking to see if any others had any issues with the tranny. Maybe it is the grade control people are talking about but it just does'nt feel right to me. It feels like the tranny is holding back the engine. I don't how else to explain it. Any thoughts? I enjoy the truck with the exception of the tranny and the seats. So I would hope that there is a fix.

Just becareful what you say dont complain too much about the truck people around here might think you are making it up

I enjoy the truck to but the tranny is driving me crazy

I understand it is after all a Ridgeline site. I want to like this truck and hopefully it will grow on me more. I commute ~70 miles a day with this thing and between my back hurting and the tranny fishing it may be tough.

I see we have the same color. Maybe it is something with the color;)

Ive had my ridge about 6 months now... there is alot of technology in this truck. One of them is the throttle control... I believe it is fly by wire... meaning that it is not a mechanical throttle cable to control gas, but the computer senses the gas pedal movement and it controls an acuator or motor to give the engine gas. One thing that I noticed is that if you are moving about 40mph and you "quickly" stomp on the gas... the ridge will delay a bit and then will eventually take off. But, if you "gradually" step on the gas the response is quicker. I believe this is due to code (software) in the truck... Engineers usually use this technology so they can intervene with users to make it more "idiot proof", easier maintenance... etc, or to have features such as VSA (wich is awesome by the way, I'm totally sold on VSA...all you need is the moment when you thought you were in trouble... wala... smooth as glass. Youll know it when it happens). Since the computer has more sensory input about the truck than we do, it knows better how the truck should be working, (let the truck do its thing, it will "MOSTLY" meet your driving/handling needs). Im an instrumentation and controls engineer and uses this technology (automation). Its cool stuff.

On the other hand... Im old school, I like the feel of the throttle cable better but would replace it knowing I would get VSA. I guess my point is the truck is not an F14 but if it has wings it can fly!

Just a couple of questions based on a wild theory...

If all four tires didn't have the same air pressure, could it cause the VSA to engage/disengage abnormally, and maybe cause it to seem like something isn't quite right with the tranny? If so, could it happen so quickly that there was no visible indication that it had happened?

That is a interesting theory. In the week that I have had the truck on one of the trips the VSA light stayed on. I thought it was the check engine light so I promptly stopped and looked in the manual to see if this was the case. I found it was the VSA and hit the button with no effect. I was thinking this is great. A brand new truck and already a problem. But after shutting the vehicle off and restarting no light. So I don't know if I hit it with my knee on the way into my truck or what.

simm37..... I am sure you can see why folks think you are a troll. Most of the folks here have had very good luck with their RL and have nothing but praise..... you on the other hand.....First of all you are new to the ROC and you have basically only complained and trashed the RL since you have come here. As mentioned in this thread.....That is EXACTLY what Trolls do. To tell you the truth, reading the first dozen or so of your posts, I thought exactly the same thing.

With that being said, I have read more of your posts and you seem like a ligit, albiet unhappy, RL owner. If you are really having the transmission problems as you say, you are wasting your time here....unless it makes you feel better to complain about it.....as I know it makes me feel better sometimes too..... but if your dealership is really giving you that kinda run around..... telling you the RL you bought is crap..... telling you not to tow anything with it.....and not giving you the service you deserve.....You need to get the Honda Customer Service 800 number and contact them directly. Tell them the problems you have been having and how unsatisfied you are with the service you have been receiving from your dealership!!! If your dealership isn't going to fix it for you, I am sure Honda will take care of you.

I for one would really like to hear what happens and what the problem was. That is what this site is all about....fixing problems (And bragging about your new RL...but that goes without saying!).

If this does not help.....do as it was suggested above....and go buy yourself a Colorado or something like that....and then you can go complain on their owner's website (I don't say that last line to be sarcastic.....I have been a GM owner for the majority of my life and I can guarantee you will have problems and want to complain about them!!!) :o

I did call the 800 # and i was talking to Brian dont remember his last name
and he told me to bring it to another dealership. But according to other people here they dont think that Honda would tell me to go to another dealership. Had a GM product before all set with that . Just looking for help
or answers
thanks
The Troll

Well, I for one, just don't understand why you are having the problems the problems you are having, and I also don't understand how the dealership you are working with can treat you this way. Why don't you tell us what area of the country you live in and what dealership you have been working with. Maybe somebody (Another ROC member) in your neck of the woods knows a better dealership and can put you in touch with a good group of mechanics.

Like I said before....that is the reason we all come here....looking for help and answers to our questions. Maybe somebody here can help you out.

Massachusetts South East
thanks
The Troll

What town in SE MA?
Darmouth or
Raynham or
Weymouth or
Norwood or
Natick??

I like to keep updated on the ROC threads to share my addiction with others and share any wierd sounds, read about problems, take note, and try to offer links and sugestions to others.

I've read this thread last night and wondered what the problem could be, so starting up the truck upon leaving work I did a little testing.... Upon cold and immediatly leaving the parking lot I varied the gas, (pumped and left off, pumped and left off) the tranny did not seem to know how to adjust - it did seem wierd. Could this be the problem??

I normally drive with consistant pedal pressure and there does not seem to be a problem. Pulling onto a busier highway ie freeway I give it the gas above 3000 RPM which jumps up to 5000 RPM and shifts smoothly, once at freeway speed it cruises at about 2000 RPM.

:)

While driving home 1 day pulling onto my street its a dirt road . The truck down shifted so hard that my wife almost put her head through the windshield . I had my foot on the gas going into the turn only slowing down alittle.
So you can see why im so pissed off . Just want the problem fixed
The TROLL

On two occasions I have have a hard downshift - Both times before the engine got to normal operating temps. The best way I can describe it is the feeling you get when, while driving a standard, you depress the clutch and release it without actually shifting gears. So maybe to say it was a downshift isn't even correct.

It wasn't a jarring shift (no heads in the windshield) but it more abrupt than expected. I havn't done anything about it yet - just monitoring for the time being.

I've experienced what is more of a misfire, rather than downshift shock. It's happened after reapplying the gas again, with out causing a kickdown, less than a second after lifting off the gas. Instead of the expected increase in power, the truck has "faltered" for about a second with a decelleration that's enough to jerk your head slightly. In 6000 miles it's done it twice that I recall. I'm not concerned, I just put it down to an engine management / electro-throttle idiosyncracy.

simm37

the transmission is control by the pgm-fi cpu, which could be causing your problems. have your dealer replace it.

A lock-up torque converter helps maximize fuel efficiency. Torque-converter lock-up and shift timing are both managed by a 32-bit, PGM-FI CPU that maintains a communications link with the engine's CPU.

What town in SE MA?
Darmouth or
Raynham or
Weymouth or
Norwood or
Natick??

So, simm37.....what part of SE MA? Maybe tantam can point you to a better dealership.

I have been to the
Silko Honda in Raynham (3 times) right around the corner
and traveled to Boch Honda (2 times)about 40 miles away
and for those of you wondering why i posted here
It said that Honda does read the posts so i was hoping that someone from Honda would read and take me serious as calling the 800# is giving me no help
The Troll

It might be a trip for you but I'd suggest going to Byrnes Autoworld in Dover NH, has been my service place since 1977 for all my Hondas.

Thats sounds like a good idea

Thats sounds like a good idea
Please take plenty of pictures!! (movies would be even better) ;)