About to buy a 2022 Ridgeline and worried about water intrusion

16139 Views 94 Replies 31 Participants Last post by whiskerbiscuit, 5 d ago

JPB

Discussion Starter · Nov 3, 2021

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.

81 - 95 of 95 Posts

SouthPawn

· #81 · 2 mo ago

The first time I brought it in, they found the robot 'forgot' the sealant between the cab and the bed, this time they are trying to say it's just residual water from the first fix, which quite frankly I think is bs. Initially they took the vehicle for two days and gave it back to me and told me to keep the windows cracked, then I returned it two days later and said "No, the carpets are still wet." to which they took 4 days to dry them out and return it, then everything was fine until the most recent rains and bam, my carpet pads are wet yet again, and here we are now waiting for a replacement carpet that might not come for months. This is not what I signed on for.

johnson-rod

· #82 · 2 mo ago

Frankly I wouldn't buy one. This water leak has been around for years and they seem incapable or unwilling to correct it.

It's not the robot's fault. They only do what they are told.

whiskerbiscuit

· #83 · 9 d ago

Well, I bought a 2023 Sonic Grey RTL-E and washed it for the first time today. I pulled the rear sills to check for moisture after drying just for the heck of it. For reference, it now has 444 miles on the odometer.

The drivers side was dry which made me smile. The passenger side was wet which made me crap myself.

Prior to buying, I had the sales rep take it around to the service area where I grabbed a pressure washer and hosed the rear/back of the truck thoroughly as recommended by those on this forum who have contributed much advice about the Ridgeline, specifically regarding water intrusion.

So at the time, all was dry and eveything else checked out good (I used the checklist from this forum). I negotiated $41K msrp $44.9K OTD with 0.9% in SoCal. Not the best, but pretty damn good I figure.

I was totally bummed out for an hour or so but after putting everything in perspective, it's not the end of the world. Really. I own a Sonic Grey RTL-E, live by the beach and am a personal valet to an indifferent tortoise shell cat.

The truck is phenomenal and the Honda service guys were very helpful and seemed to take this issue on with the right attitude by getting their service manager and parts manager involved immediately. They also gave me a new Accord with 400 miles for a loaner.

Based on my positive experiences with the sales, finance and now the service departments at this dealership, I must say I believe they will continue to strive for excellence so I hope this issue will get sorted out smoothly. I say this due to how easy and quickly the OTD price and financing was confirmed and concluded. Literally about an hour in total. I spent more time looking the truck over and test driving.

Anyway, talk about a first post! Amiright?!

Will keep you all in the loop.

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Reactions: 4

Skh12

· #84 · 8 d ago

i had this problem in a 19 subaru legacy.
sunroof drain hole were plugged up .
i do not have this problem in our 19 ridgeline or 13 crv

Celltech

· #85 · 8 d ago

whiskerbiscuit said:
Prior to buying, I had the sales rep take it around to the service area where I grabbed a pressure washer and hosed the rear/back of the truck thoroughly as recommended by those on this forum who have contributed much advice about the Ridgeline, specifically regarding water intrusion.

Sorry to hear about your leak. I still think that a pressure washer is not the best way to test the body seams. They put out a lot of pressure, but little volume. Get a big old hose and try to make a lake in the bed...while facing the truck downhill.

And good luck in getting it fixed!!!!

Reactions: 2

Cleggy

· #86 · 8 d ago

Sorry to hear about the issue. I have a 21' and had to take it back twice before they fixed it right. It's been dry since last year about this time when they did the last repair. No water today but I still check under the passenger rear sill occasionally to check. If you have a good service department, they should get it taken care of. Good luck!

Starquesbd22

· #87 · 8 d ago

Celltech said:
Sorry to hear about your leak. I still think that a pressure washer is not the best way to test the body seams. They put out a lot of pressure, but little volume. Get a big old hose and try to make a lake in the bed...while facing the truck downhill.

And good luck in getting it fixed!!!!

100% agree with this. Sorry to hear that you are dealing with this whiskerbiscuit. But glad your dealer is taking care of you. They will most likely find it and make it right.

Love my RL but it is still mind-blowing that Honda hasn't figured this out in 7 model years.

whiskerbiscuit

· #88 · 8 d ago

Celltech said:
Sorry to hear about your leak. I still think that a pressure washer is not the best way to test the body seams. They put out a lot of pressure, but little volume. Get a big old hose and try to make a lake in the bed...while facing the truck downhill.

And good luck in getting it fixed!!!!

Yup, I used a hose with an adjustable nozzle at home to wash the truck. It happened be on a slight decline forward when I used the "rinse" option on the nozzle which allows a strong stream of water for getting maximum volume/force out. Directed water around the back of cabin, rear window, seams and bed, etc.

While I agree with a regular hose being more voluminous, while pre checking with the pressure washer at the dealer, the truck was level. That might have been the difference in my case because their pressure washer was putting out quite a bit of volume. I also had the water going for a substantial amount of time in all the critical areas. Go figure.

To your point for future potential buyers, a garden hose with lots of water and truck parked slightly downhill is highly recommended.

Sparkland

· #89 · 8 d ago

We have had rainstorms for three days and are expected to have rainstorms for another week here in Denver. Hopefully, my RL passes mother nature's water test.

Reactions: 1

rahtx

· #90 · 8 d ago

Sparkland said:
We have had rainstorms for three days and are expected to have rainstorms for another week here in Denver. Hopefully, my RL passes mother nature's water test.

I was just in that neck of the woods last week, and man it seems like it rains every day there! I don't mind a little rain, but it certainly tamped our hiking ambitions.

Somewhat on topic, the Wrangler 4xe that the rental place gave us didn't leak or drown in all that rain 😜

Off topic, but I was expecting a harsh painful ride, but we drove all around Denver/Boulder, down to COS and up to FoCo and back, and I have to say I was thoroughly surprised.

As much as I would miss aspects of the RL, if my life required more off road driving, I think I could live with that as a daily. The only downside is getting in and out. At 5'6", it was almost comical how I had to literally jump to get in and out 🙃

Reactions: 1

whiskerbiscuit

· #91 · 8 d ago

Cleggy said:
Sorry to hear about the issue. I have a 21' and had to take it back twice before they fixed it right. It's been dry since last year about this time when they did the last repair. No water today but I still check under the passenger rear sill occasionally to check. If you have a good service department, they should get it taken care of. Good luck!

Thanks, Cleggy!

whiskerbiscuit

· #92 · 8 d ago

Celltech said:
Sorry to hear about your leak. I still think that a pressure washer is not the best way to test the body seams. They put out a lot of pressure, but little volume. Get a big old hose and try to make a lake in the bed...while facing the truck downhill.

And good luck in getting it fixed!!!!

Thanks, Celltech! Details matter and I should've followed yours to the "T".

whiskerbiscuit

· #93 · 8 d ago

Starquesbd22 said:
100% agree with this. Sorry to hear that you are dealing with this whiskerbiscuit. But glad your dealer is taking care of you. They will most likely find it and make it right.

Love my RL but it is still mind-blowing that Honda hasn't figured this out in 7 model years.

Thanks, Starquesbd22! Yeah, they have been professional and optimistic up to this point. That's encouraging and helps to lower the stress level.

Sparkland

· #94 · 8 d ago

When I left for work it was raining, but quickly turned into a major hailstorm, so the least of my worries right now is water intrusion. I’ll check the damage in the morning.

Mother Nature is winning this battle.

whiskerbiscuit

· #95 · 5 d ago (Edited)

Hey guys, I posted an update with some pics on the Water Under Carpet Poll thread at 2G Problems if you're inclined to look.

Basically, the tech found an unplugged hole next to the sunroof drain (so that's what a sunroof drain looks like!).

Came like that from the factory - Roll Tide!

81 - 95 of 95 Posts