It seems some of the latest trucks coming out of the factory do not have this issue, based on reports here. You might make a deal with the dealer that you can run it through the car wash a few times and then check for water under the rear carpet (quick and easy to do).
About to buy a 2022 Ridgeline and worried about water intrusion
I have done a ton of research on pickups and had decided that the Ridgeline was the best vehicle to meet my family's needs. I found a local dealer who will sell me a Ridgeline at MSRP (they have several coming in over the next 2 months, but I have to put a deposit down), and I was all set to move forward. However, as I was looking at Ridgeline Owners Club to research tonneau covers, I discovered several posts on water intrusion.
Based on what I have read, I do believe that water intrusion is a potential issue, but I'm having trouble determining how many vehicles this impacts. Is this something that truly impacts a lot of Ridgelines, or is there a vocal minority with problems (which I totally get, as I would be incredibly mad if I bought a new vehicle and had issues with it)?
I would most likely put a tonneau cover on the truck, and it would be garaged at home. It would, however, be in an uncovered lot at work and I plan to drive it in rain, just like I would our other vehicles. Does using a tonneau cover help at all, and is this really an issue impacting a significant percentage of Ridgeline owners?
Thanks in advance for any guidance/wisdom you all might have.
Based on what I have read, I do believe that water intrusion is a potential issue, but I'm having trouble determining how many vehicles this impacts. Is this something that truly impacts a lot of Ridgelines, or is there a vocal minority with problems (which I totally get, as I would be incredibly mad if I bought a new vehicle and had issues with it)?
I would most likely put a tonneau cover on the truck, and it would be garaged at home. It would, however, be in an uncovered lot at work and I plan to drive it in rain, just like I would our other vehicles. Does using a tonneau cover help at all, and is this really an issue impacting a significant percentage of Ridgeline owners?
Thanks in advance for any guidance/wisdom you all might have.
1 - 20 of 95 Posts
Thanks for the recommendation. I agree that running it through the car wash seems like an easy test.It seems some of the latest trucks coming out of the factory do not have this issue, based on reports here. You might make a deal with the dealer that you can run it through the car wash a few times and then check for water under the rear carpet (quick and easy to do).
The dealer likely has a power washer. Get them to hose it down from all sorts of angles and look for leaks.
If you read over Honda Ridgeline (2nd Generation) Water Leaks it seems to indicate that you will need to have the vehicle on a slight downward slope to get it to reproduce the water ingress. The theory is there is some sort of "shelf" which if water is able to roll back on to, will ingress into the back of the cabin.
Honda's own service bulletins and notes say to douse the area with lots of water, like a 5-gallon bucket, as a waterhose may not be enough to reproduce it.
Honda's own service bulletins and notes say to douse the area with lots of water, like a 5-gallon bucket, as a waterhose may not be enough to reproduce it.
My 8 month old 2020 Ridgeline was in the shop 48 days straight. Once I was told it was fixed and I picked it up on a rainy day and the rear carpet padding was soaked. I didn’t leave the dealer with the truck. After 48 days was told to pick it up again, it rained the next day and leaked worse than before. It is back in the shop over a week once again. No end in sight.
Ridgeline is the ideal truck, horribly executed. Save yourself the trouble. Buy something else. I drove a Colorado, Tacoma and the new frontier last weekend. The Colorado has many of the great ride qualities of the Ridgeline, a smooth powertrain, very comfortable. Good fuel economy. I suggest looking there. There are other great options. Next year we will see a new ranger, new Tacoma and new Colorado. If you can wait it may be worth it. Don’t buy a Ridgeline.
Ridgeline is the ideal truck, horribly executed. Save yourself the trouble. Buy something else. I drove a Colorado, Tacoma and the new frontier last weekend. The Colorado has many of the great ride qualities of the Ridgeline, a smooth powertrain, very comfortable. Good fuel economy. I suggest looking there. There are other great options. Next year we will see a new ranger, new Tacoma and new Colorado. If you can wait it may be worth it. Don’t buy a Ridgeline.
Thanks for providing the link to Honda Ridgeline (2nd Generation) Water Leaks. I wasn't aware of that website. It sounds like an issue that might be difficult to reproduce unless you are trying to reproduce it, though obviously there are others who have problems in their normal "day-to-day experiences" with the vehicle.If you read over Honda Ridgeline (2nd Generation) Water Leaks it seems to indicate that you will need to have the vehicle on a slight downward slope to get it to reproduce the water ingress. The theory is there is some sort of "shelf" which if water is able to roll back on to, will ingress into the back of the cabin.
Honda's own service bulletins and notes say to douse the area with lots of water, like a 5-gallon bucket, as a waterhose may not be enough to reproduce it.
Thanks for sharing your experience, though I'm sorry it has been a poor one. I appreciate the tip on the Colorado. I rode in a Colorado a few years ago and wasn't overly impressed with the interior of the one I was in, but I probably do owe it a second look. As you said, the Ridgeline feels like the ideal truck because it has a spacious interior and lockable-in bed storage, but it still drives like an SUV. It's very disappointing to hear that there are quality control issues.My 8 month old 2020 Ridgeline was in the shop 48 days straight. Once I was told it was fixed and I picked it up on a rainy day and the rear carpet padding was soaked. I didn’t leave the dealer with the truck. After 48 days was told to pick it up again, it rained the next day and leaked worse than before. It is back in the shop over a week once again. No end in sight.
Ridgeline is the ideal truck, horribly executed. Save yourself the trouble. Buy something else. I drove a Colorado, Tacoma and the new frontier last weekend. The Colorado has many of the great ride qualities of the Ridgeline, a smooth powertrain, very comfortable. Good fuel economy. I suggest looking there. There are other great options. Next year we will see a new ranger, new Tacoma and new Colorado. If you can wait it may be worth it. Don’t buy a Ridgeline.
I get being upset with a car company if you buy a compromised vehicle, and I don't blame paflyfisher at all for feeling and posting not to buy a Honda. There is no excuse for shipping defected vehicles, but the reality is every car manufacturer has done it. And it is always a pain in the backside, but overall the Ridgeline is a great truck, it could be better, but the perfect vehicle doesn't exist - at least I haven't found one so far in life.
With that said, you shouldn't have to test a car for leaks before you buy it.
With that said, you shouldn't have to test a car for leaks before you buy it.
Using a pressure washer for leak detection is inefficient and not realistic. A strong flow from a water hose is all you need. You are trying to overwhelm the water shedding capability of the cab seams and a 2gpm washer ain't the ticket. If you want to use the washer on the topside of the cab, drip rails, etc, then go for it.
On the RL leaks website the last video is of my truck after they already had one chance to fix it. I didn't bother to do anything fancy in looking for a leak. Pointed downhill, hose blowing out water in the bed and she started leaking again, although much slower than the first time.
For your initial test I would do several minutes of the same thing. Let a high volume of water flow off the rear window, through whatever cracks it can find, back and forth across the width of the truck...then move to the bed and do the same. You will see all that water flowing off every seam edge and just pouring to the ground. After that I would pull the panels at the back of the cab vs. the sill plates. Feel around and go from there. If you find water on one side vs. the other then get the hose out and see if you can actually watch the leak in realtime.
For my 1st fix attempt it seems they thought they had the spot and did a localized sealant fix. When I brought it back again I gave them some knowledge I had been obtaining from this site and I think they just gave up, got a gallon of shmoo out and slathered every seam they could fine...works for me.
On the RL leaks website the last video is of my truck after they already had one chance to fix it. I didn't bother to do anything fancy in looking for a leak. Pointed downhill, hose blowing out water in the bed and she started leaking again, although much slower than the first time.
For your initial test I would do several minutes of the same thing. Let a high volume of water flow off the rear window, through whatever cracks it can find, back and forth across the width of the truck...then move to the bed and do the same. You will see all that water flowing off every seam edge and just pouring to the ground. After that I would pull the panels at the back of the cab vs. the sill plates. Feel around and go from there. If you find water on one side vs. the other then get the hose out and see if you can actually watch the leak in realtime.
For my 1st fix attempt it seems they thought they had the spot and did a localized sealant fix. When I brought it back again I gave them some knowledge I had been obtaining from this site and I think they just gave up, got a gallon of shmoo out and slathered every seam they could fine...works for me.
I bought my 2022 Ridgeline RTL-E and the day I took possession it was raining like a Bull peeing on a flat rock, and off and on for next few weeks. I never had any issues with water intrusion. Not saying it won't show up, but chit happens.
Not sure how common the water intrusion is. Never an issue on my 17 with 72k on it and I ran a hose for almost an hour on my new 22 RTL-E without issue. I would check the Colorado forums before I buy, lots of unhappy campers when I looked.
I traded my 2015 Tacoma PreRunner /SR5 V6, with 25000 miles, pristine in and out, great truck and no issues. I am 73 yrs. old and it was getting difficult to get in and out of and my bride is short and she had same issues. I am 6ft and 260lbs., Ridgeline seemed a good fit for me. Love it so far. After reading the intrusion reports, not worried but more aware at this point. Seem the water issue is on some of the older models 2017 in particular. Still not "fightin" mad on this issue, but maybe if it turns up.
Just sharing an experience I had yesterday. Test drove a brand new 22 Sport. Pulled the sill plates and the carpet was soaked underneath on the driver side. Obviously I have no clue why or how. Collected the keys to my trade and vamoosed. Looking at a used 21 today that the owner says he has checked and is dry but I’m still terrified of running into this…so much so that I don’t know that I can bring myself to purchase the truck even though I really want it and it’s fair deal.
Sounds like the dealership left the window open in the rain. Not the rear window intrusion, mainly passenger side, that some have found on the Ridgeline. That said, the vast majority of owners do not experience leaking or any other issues for that matter. Online forums are rough, when I was shopping for a truck I hit all the forums, everyone including Toyota had major issues reported. If all I did was read forums I'd be calling UBER everyday.Just sharing an experience I had yesterday. Test drove a brand new 22 Sport. Pulled the sill plates and the carpet was soaked underneath on the driver side. Obviously I have no clue why or how. Collected the keys to my trade and vamoosed. Looking at a used 21 today that the owner says he has checked and is dry but I’m still terrified of running into this…so much so that I don’t know that I can bring myself to purchase the truck even though I really want it and it’s fair deal.
My 2020 leaked. I checked it several times before the problem manifested itself about 9 months after purchase.
In my case the problem was the seal at the upper corners of the rear window. Dealer was completely useless and offered replacement of the 3rd brake light housing as a solution for about a grand. Sealed it myself and it appears to be good but it appears there are other potential leak points so I'll have to remain vigilant. In my opinion the entire rear bulkhead of the Ridgeline is poorly designed and prone to issues like this.
Just because it is dry now doesn't mean it always will be. If you're buying a Ridgeline you should be prepared to check periodically for the life of the vehicle.
In my case the problem was the seal at the upper corners of the rear window. Dealer was completely useless and offered replacement of the 3rd brake light housing as a solution for about a grand. Sealed it myself and it appears to be good but it appears there are other potential leak points so I'll have to remain vigilant. In my opinion the entire rear bulkhead of the Ridgeline is poorly designed and prone to issues like this.
Just because it is dry now doesn't mean it always will be. If you're buying a Ridgeline you should be prepared to check periodically for the life of the vehicle.
I don't think so. The carpet was dry as a bone on top and soaked on the bottom. The seats were also dry. If this weren't a known and common issue I might could get on board with them leaving a window open. But nah, I ain't buying it. I feel like it was leaking somewhere, either from the rear window or an unsealed joint in the rear of the cab.Sounds like the dealership left the window open in the rain. Not the rear window intrusion, mainly passenger side, that some have found on the Ridgeline. That said, the vast majority of owners do not experience leaking or any other issues for that matter. Online forums are rough, when I was shopping for a truck I hit all the forums, everyone including Toyota had major issues reported. If all I did was read forums I'd be calling UBER everyday.
This is what worries me. I am eyeballing a 21 Sport with 7K miles on it right this moment. I can buy it for a reasonable price considering the current market. But knowing that even if I check it thoroughly and it's not leaking now, it could start to leak later, will probably always worry me. And that's a shame because this is an amazing vehicle otherwise and there is really nothing that compares directly to it. I, like many others, am flabbergasted that Honda has let this go unresolved for the entirety of the 2G life cycle.My 2020 leaked. I checked it several times before the problem manifested itself about 9 months after purchase.
Just because it is dry now doesn't mean it always will be. If you're buying a Ridgeline you should be prepared to check periodically for the life of the vehicle.
my 22 has no issues at all.. got it in Nov. Have had times where we get 3+ inches of rain and no problem.
Based on reports, it can happen on all model years, including 2022. It's the luck of the draw - how well did they apply the sealant on the day they built your truck?!
If you're that concerned about possible issues with the Ridgeline OP than it may not be for you. Personally I think you are overly concerned and that just by the structure of forums problems are over emphasized. Just my opinion. It would be difficult for me personally to spend 40k+ on a truck that I wouldn't trust. That's why I didn't buy an F150 or a Ram.
1 - 20 of 95 Posts
Honda Ridgeline Owners Club Forums
Honda Ridgeline Owners Club, forum community to discuss reviews, accessories, performance, care, mods, and more.
Full Forum Listing
