My Ridgeline's 100k Review

[AlexRTS]

As of today, I have just over 101k miles on my Ridge. I started this thread to inform others (owners, non-owners, and future owners) of the problems it has had, as well as what uses it's been good and not very good at.

I'll start off with the positive...

I always thought it was kinda a half-truck or not a real truck. Time proved me wrong. I soon realized it does everything that I need it to do, and pretty damn well. Plenty of interior room, great handling. I can fit my bike in the rear of the cab with the seats folded up. It hauls ass on the interstate when I'm passing. Bottom line, it has exactly what I need and what I use, and nothing that I don't need.

I'm not very impressed with the gas mileage however.. I average around 14 or 15 in the city (with a slightly heavier foot, but nothing ridiculous) and 20 highway. I know this is pretty close (or on-par) with the EPA estimate, but some larger trucks with V8 engines get better or identical gas mileage as the Ridge. I've also been putting premium in because I think it runs better, so I'm not saving any money here at all on gas.. but I guess you can't have everything.

The interior is so-so honestly.. The functionality of the interior components is excellent, but the overall design could be a little better. That being considered, there's some wear on the left side of the bottom cushion of the driver's seat. However, that's expected with 100k on the vehicle. The steering wheel creaks. There's a few burnt-out LED's on the dash - VTM-4 button, VSA off, and the cruise control indicator light. There are a few rattles - passenger seatbelt "buzzes" sometimes when it's not being used. Tweeter covers buzz on occasion, but overall the interior is still very quiet. Everything is still functioning properly.

Aside from regular maintenance, we've had a few somewhat major repairs done. Around 96,000 miles, the passenger side rear suspension was leaking fluid causing a dull "thunk" or clunking noise when going over any bumps. The part cost approximately $270 to get replaced. A recall on the blower motor was performed (at no cost to me) because of a fire hazard with the wiring harness. With any vehicle, the timing belt/chain needs to be replaced, which was just recently performed. The timing belt tensioner was leaking fluid and causing the engine to throw misfire codes. At the end of the day: new timing belt/water pump and timing belt tensioner cost me roughly $900. Today, the driver's side headlight went out which I am going to replace tomorrow. I am changing the oil every 3,500 miles or so, or around 40% on the oil life indicator. Brake pad and rotor service needs to be performed soon. Nothing out of the ordinary here for maintenance, but the Ridge is not bulletproof nor did I expect it to be.

The little features really add up.. Automatic-down windows (holding unlock on the remote), in-bed lockable trunk with drain, auto-off headlights, dual-zone climate control, power sliding rear window, and abundance of storage compartments make the truck unique. It creates a feel that you won't find in an Avalanche or F-150.

Reliability has been absolutely perfect. There have been zero occasions which the Ridgeline has died or failed to start. There have been no driveability problems with the engine or drivetrain.

After owning the Ridge myself for four months, I'm ready to make modifications to it. Nothing too dramatic, maybe just some running boards, LED's, and chrome. It's a great truck to mod.. Not too common and there's a lot that can be done.

Admittedly, it does not have the towing capacity of a Titan for example. But I don't need to tow anything. The off-roading is slightly less capable than other trucks, but the independent rear-suspension handles better than any other truck when on pavement. Also, the rear differential doesn't hang down like it does on the F-150's! I don't know the measurements, but the ground clearance actually looks a little better on the Ridgeline. The VTM-4 feature is a bit strange in my opinion.. You must first shift to 2nd or 1st gear, turn on VTM-4 lock, and try not to turn? It's main purpose is to get unstuck, not to go hill climbing. A 4 low/4 high 2 low/2 high option would be great on future models. The VSA really does its job well on snowy pavement when driving at normal speed on pavement. In order to get unstuck, VSA must be disabled - otherwise the truck won't move. It does a great job of correcting understeer/oversteer. Definitely saved my dad's ass a few times going down a snowy, curvy road.

I would recommend the Ridgeline to a friend only once they are aware that it's by no means bulletproof or immune to expensive repairs. The gas is pretty costly unless you baby it, and the J-series Honda engines are pretty picky about gas.. Premium runs better than 87 octane at 20 more cents per gallon.
Without a doubt, improvements can be made and I truly hope Honda has seen this website so they can take all of our suggestions into consideration on future RL models. I'll see how the next 100k goes.
Cheers!

[ChrisM]

No offense but I don't find that the repairs are that expensive as compared to other vehicles. I don't know what other vehicles you have owned but parts for the Ridgeline if properly sourced are actually pretty cheap.

I could go into a long drawn out monologue about other vehicles I have owned but I'll just say this. I have owned other trucks and cars that pretty much bled my wallet and patience dry with costly and repetitive repairs in the 1st 100k miles that not only stranded me but required me to have a backup vehicle or have extended rentals because that truck or car was so unreliable. I had one vehicle from the General that spent almost as much time in the shop during the time that I owned it as in my garage.

I think that a lot don't realize it but we are spoiled by the reliability of the Ridgeline.

Have you driven a Ford lately?

(or a GM for that matter)

[hiPSI]

Did you put all the miles on the truck?
How many other pickup trucks have you owned?
Just curious.

[speedlever]

I'd say spending under $1200 for repairs to a vehicle handed down to you with about 100k on it is MORE than a deal.

Enjoy your RL! (sounds like you are)

[dwill2win]

Agreed - $1200 over 100k miles is a STEAL. I bought a Honda Prelude used with 65,000 miles and over the course of 30,000 miles in 2 years I spent almost $1500 - $1000 was for the timing belt/water pump/belts maintenance, but another $500 or so was for oil leaks.

Thanks for sharing your 100k review though - very helpful to hear about somebody's experiences (positive and negative) over 2 years of driving. How many miles did you put on the truck after you got it from your old man in 2008?

[chisoxjim]

congrats on hitting 100K.

sounds like you have alot more quality issues(rattles, squeeks, buzzes, etc.) than I have experienced in over 2x that mileage.

good luck on the next 100K.

[xd9x19]

Well, I would have to say that I have NOT found my Ridgeline to be the least bit picky about gasoline. It's run smoothly on 87 octane ever since I've had it.

I'll agree that the Ridgeline is THE most reliable vehicle I have owned. It's my first Honda and first non-domestic vehicle, however.

Like many others, gas mileage is the one big complaint about the Ridgeline, although I'm not sure it should be since it is a truck and not a 4 cylinder.

[speedlever]

My RL doesn't know there's any other gas but 87. It leads a sheltered life.

[cdepuydt]

Thanks for your 100K review of your 2nd-hand RL. It was well thought out and nicely done.

I'm with Chris M on the maintence costs you have had to pay. Like Chris, I won't go into all the details, but I had almost $4K (including almost a $1000 for a freaking fuel pump!!!) into my Chevy S-10 BEFORE it flipped over 100K. So, while nobody really wants to put down that kinda money on repairs, based on my own experience with other vehicles, I say you have gotten away pretty cheap. Plus, most people who I have heard who have had the 100K maintenance done (water pump, timing belt, etc) have paid around $1200. So, I don't know where you had it done, but sounds like you got a deal.

Anyway, thanks again on your 100K review and I look forward to your 200K review...!

[AlexRTS]

Originally Posted by hiPSI

Did you put all the miles on the truck?
How many other pickup trucks have you owned?
Just curious.

Our family has put all 100k on the truck - yes. We've owned a Nissan Frontier before, and found the quality, durability, and functionality to be sub-par of the Ridgeline's.

I do agree that the Ridgeline's costs of maintainence and repair was indeed cheap.. A lot of people think "It's a Honda, so I don't need to get it fixed, right?" I was just making clear that that's not the case at all. However, my satisfaction overall of the Ridge couldn't be any better.