I own a 2017 RTL-E with 57,280 miles and I have gained a wealth of knowledge from this forum, so I wanted to make my contribution (this forum was a deciding factor in me buying a Ridgeline, no other vehicle forum is as thorough or professional; just look at other vehicle forums and compare for yourself). I put a link to a video below and try to explain what causes the damage and why the current routing of the wire will almost inevitably lead to severing the backup camera wiring. The process only took me about 30 minutes to complete and is simple yet effective.
WATCH VIDEO HERE
I explain everything in the video, but to summarize, the failure is caused by the wiring loom not having enough slack, combined with the 90° bend at the tailgate, allowing the thin metal edge of the tailgate to press directly against the wiring, especially when the tailgate is fully swung open. I inspected mine two days ago and there was definitely wear on the insulation of the wires, but luckily it had not cut through. I am certain that the wires would have become severed in the next few months if I did not take corrective/preventative action. Even those without current damage could benefit from this simple modification that prevent having to replace the wiring harness that is going to cost more money and labor (rear bumper needs to be unclipped) compared to taking action to prevent the damage. Modern conventional tailgates avoid this issue by running the wires up the center of the tailgate through a rubber grommet, but the dual action of this tailgate requires the wiring at this location. I wonder how the new Dodge Ram split tailgate routes the backup camera harness (it also has a solenoid to operate the latch.
Below is a photo of the factory configuration; unfortunately, I did not take photos of mine before I started the repair, so I had to use photos from of members Alexderaven, 17sport, and Valkrocket’s posts for visual reference.
(I labeled the orientation of the truck to provide better clarity and avoid confusion)
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Potential Damage
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Materials Used:
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Remove the tail light and disconnect the three wires plus the clip circled in red (it is a little tight) then place the cover out of the way so it does not get damaged.
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Use the wire cutters to remove the two cable/zip ties; one on the tailgate around the plastic 90° elbow and the one that is around the loom (and use pliers to push the other end of it in the space where the tail light cover was removed). You can see that you have plenty of slack to allow you to wrap the wires.
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- I did a rough measurement of how much split loom I needed and cut a length then used a lighter to clean up any frayed edges. I wrapped it around the existing loom from where it enters the 90° plastic elbow on the tailgate all the way to where it enters the bumper If you overlap the loom and twist it in the direction you are wrapping it will slide nice and snug around the wires. I then used the loom tape to go in the same direction that I snugged the split loom. The space is tight, so I had to do this in sections, but I made sure to overlap each section (use scissors to cut the tape since it is difficult to tear by hand). I used some E6000 to help seal the last section of loom tape to ensure it will not start to peel over time.
- Put a new cable/zip tie around the plastic elbow and put it slightly higher up on the piece of plastic than the original zip tie to create less of a stress angle for the wires. Tuck the rest of the loom into the space behind the bumper. I am not sure why Honda decided to loop it tightly and secure it to the frame. This caused the wiring to pull really tight when the door was swung open and then the thin metal edge of the tailgate pinched directly into the tightly pulled wires. Test out opening and closing the tailgate in both positions to check for rubbing or pinching of the wires. I cycled the tailgate at least 20 times in both positions and it operates without any issues.
- I initially thought they tried to save money and used the longer wiring harness from the Honda Pilot’s backup camera, but they are two completely different parts. I wonder if 2020 owner’s have this same set-up? There is no way that Honda did not get some feedback on this and modify the existing design.
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- Reinstall the tail light cover and test the operation of the tailgate again. The wiring should move a little when the tailgate swings open, but it is no longer being pinched. The loom is very well protected from any abrasion and has plenty of open space around it.
I apologize if this was too detailed of an explanation, but I wanted to be thorough. I am by no means claiming that this process is perfect, but I feel extremely confident that I will never experience a damaged harness that could potentially cause my backup camera to malfunction and create a potentially dangerous situation if I it happens while going in reverse. It only took about 30 minutes and well worth the peace of mind.
