Honda Ridgeline Owners Club Forums banner
21 - 40 of 70 Posts
Discussion starter · #21 ·
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but chances are slim that the gap problem at the rear of the hood will be addressed by Honda as a Recall. The front gap affects the hood latching, so becomes a legit safety issue, but the gap at the back will be treated as merely cosmetic. After 47 years in dealership Parts and Service management experience, I'll report that there are things which the manufacturers leave to the Dealer, and usually fall under fit and finish in the warranty manual. Your best bet would be to work out with the dealer GM or Dealership owner. It may take a bit of work, but by-passing the Service Manager is your best bet if this has been addressed on the service drive already. If the dealer digs their heels in and refuses to make the adjustment, you can ask to have a meeting with the District rep on one of their visits to the dealership. Be prepared to see your vehicle go to a body shop if they agree to do the work, as it will mean having to re-bow the hood profile at the rear, a very touchy maneuver if the hood is aluminum as I suspect.
The gap problem is located in the front of the hood between the Hood Seal and the top of the Grill as I mentioned in my complaint. Honda itself recognized this Defect in its Service Bulletin 21-086. Please read it- especially page 1 and page 15. It is on line. THERE SHOULD NOT BE A GAP. IT SHOULD BE SEALED! I and probably you should easily recognize that the fix should be something as simple as a newly designed hood seal (gasket) that actually serves its function. Incidentally, while your looking up things- look up the definition of Seal in the Britannica. It means to stop the flow of liquids, gases, (other) to or from a containment space. I am surprised Honda Engineering has not been able to recognize this. If this is how they do gaskets, I would not want to be on one of Musks rockets going to space that uses them!
Also, I have met with the Honda American Motors Rep on this. He thought it was a defective Hood Seal and had it replaced. It did not work. There is still a gap. This has nothing to do with the Dealership. This defect was caused and is 100% owned by Honda Motors of America Engineering and Design Department.

My 2016 Odyssey engine Compartment stays cleaner than my 2020 Ridgeline and its a lot closer to the street when driving through the slush and road dirt splashing up.

I would appreciate you responding to my comments and advising me on where I can go from here to help not only me but the other 725,000 Honda vehicles owners who are being forced to live with this. This is wrong!!!
 
I would appreciate you responding to my comments and advising me on where I can go from here to help not only me but the other 725,000 Honda vehicles owners who are being forced to live with this. This is wrong!!!
On my list of things wrong in this life, the gap under the hood is very far down on my list.
 
I would appreciate you responding to my comments and advising me on where I can go from here to help not only me but the other 725,000 Honda vehicles owners who are being forced to live with this. This is wrong!!!
Have you tried adjusting the hood edge bumpers (which control the front of the hood height at the edges) and the hood latch height (which controls the front of the hood height in the middle)?

The edge bumpers screw clockwise to drop the hood height and anti-clockwise to increase the hood height. Open the hood and you can't miss these rubber bumpers (one at each side).

And the hood-latch it equally easy to locate once you open the hood and pop off the plastic cover along the front. You only need to loosen 3 bolts, adjust the latch (move it down to drop the height of the hood) and then tighten the bolts up to the right torque.

15-minute job. Then you should be golden!
 
Have you tried adjusting the hood edge bumpers (which control the front of the hood height at the edges) and the hood latch height (which controls the front of the hood height in the middle)?

The edge bumpers screw clockwise to drop the hood height and anti-clockwise to increase the hood height. Open the hood and you can't miss these rubber bumpers (one at each side).

And the hood-latch it equally easy to locate once you open the hood and pop off the plastic cover along the front. You only need to loosen 3 bolts, adjust the latch (move it down to drop the height of the hood) and then tighten the bolts up to the right torque.

15-minute job. Then you should be golden!
If I lower the outside bumpers then the hood drops below the fenders and does not line up. Our latch is lowered as far as it goes and there is still a gap.
Just saying!
Bill
 
If I lower the outside bumpers then the hood drops below the fenders and does not line up. Our latch is lowered as far as it goes and there is still a gap.
Yes, if it's adjusted as far as it will go and there's still a gap, then nothing more you can do (short of installing a larger bulb seal). And if there's a little gap, you'll get some water ingress, but no big deal - it's not going to damage anything.

I adjusted my latch down approx 1/4" from stock position and tweaked one side bumper down a little and mine's now touching. The seal isn't compressed quite as much as it ideally should be along the center (typically you'd want 25% compression) but it's good enough.
 
Yes, if it's adjusted as far as it will go and there's still a gap, then nothing more you can do (short of installing a larger bulb seal). And if there's a little gap, you'll get some water ingress, but no big deal - it's not going to damage anything.
You are absolutely correct, we could add a second seal along the top of the grill, but why? What lil water that happens to trickle through that minute gap is not going to hurt a darn thing. ( By the way, how much water and dust makes it through the radiator, or from around other gaps in the grill? How about the fender wells, or the debris being kicked up from the road making it's way in from underneath the vehicle?) Oh, and as far as the hood jiggle, (the true purpose of having that seal), we have experienced gusting headwinds exceeding 50 MPH, 120 MPH when combined with vehicle speed, and the hood has kept still, I am content!

On my list of things wrong in this life, the gap under the hood is very far down on my list.
A big 10-4 to that! (y)

Bill
 
Discussion starter · #27 ·
You are absolutely correct, we could add a second seal along the top of the grill, but why? What lil water that happens to trickle through that minute gap is not going to hurt a darn thing. ( By the way, how much water and dust makes it through the radiator, or from around other gaps in the grill? How about the fender wells, or the debris being kicked up from the road making it's way in from underneath the vehicle?) Oh, and as far as the hood jiggle, (the true purpose of having that seal), we have experienced gusting headwinds exceeding 50 MPH, 120 MPH when combined with vehicle speed, and the hood has kept still, I am content!



A big 10-4 to that! (y)

Bill
Thank you for your responses. What Honda is doing to its customers is not right. Maybe they are just thinking of themselves. I plan to use different approaches to address this Recall.



This will likely be my last response to you.

  • This objection is not only about Safety Implications and Engine Compartment soiling. It is about $.
  • Installing the striker plate as shown in Honda Service Bulletin 21-086 does not stop the problem of air rushing in at high speeds that causes the vibration that could result in hood failure. The Hood will likely still vibrate and flutter because air is still rushing in. Maybe, this striker plate will help reinforce the hood at the latch area and make the hood last longer. My rough guess is that this striker plate repair could cost Honda as much as $60,175,000 if all 725,000 vehicles that received Recall #21V-93 had this repair performed. That’s using about $83 per vehicle or ($3 per plate + $30 installation 20 minutes + $50 overhead) times 725,000 vehicles= $60,175,000 loss to Honda). That’s a BIG loss to Honda’s bottom line.
  • Now let’s say Honda did it right and designed/installed a gasket that actually worked and stopped the flow of Air that is causing the problem and at the same time stopped all the nuisance rain, sleet, road dirt from entering the engine compartment from the top. Incidentally, I realize some get thru the radiator and soil the sides of the engine but not much. Did you ever rinse the bugs/dirt off your radiator with a hose when washing your vehicle? The radiator coils are pretty tight restricting elements. In this case, the elements are mainly entering via the gap above the grill. As proof, I can post a picture of my 2016 Odyssey engine compartment. Its really clean because the hood seal works. My rough guess is that this gasket replacement repair could cost Honda as much as much as $246,500,000 if all 725,000 vehicles that received Recall #21V-93 had this repair performed. That’s using about $340 per vehicle or ($150 for new designed hood seal + $90 installation 1 hour + $100 overhead for new recall) times 725,000 vehicles= $246,500,000 loss to Honda). That a HUGE loss to Honda’s bottom line.
  • Now lets say Honda refused to seal this gap for all the Recalls (like mine) and our engine compartments were allowed to soil much faster and worse than counterparts. How much would this condition affect the value of our vehicles when eventually transferring/trading the vehicle? Most assuredly, the looks of the engine compartment it counts toward the vehicle value. But the loss is yours so they don’t care. My opinion is that if the person opened your hood (which they always do) and saw a nice clean compartment you would get considerably more in trade value. I did in the past.
  • This is about Honda’s bottom line not yours!
On behave of the remaining 724,999 Recall customers- I’m not finished with this yet.
On my list of things wrong in this life, the gap under the hood is very far down on my list.
I purchased a new Ridgeline RTL-E in July 2020. We like it but water, rain, elements enter the engine compartment thru an opening below the front edge of the hood and the top of the Grill. The air coming also brings in elements and dirt soiling the engine compartment and getting electrical's wet. I like keeping it clean so I avoid driving it on inclement days because of this. I believe keeping compartment clean adds to the Trade Value and my (Customer) satisfaction.

Recently I received a Recall notice (#21V-93) that states air is entering the engine compartment through a gap between the bottom of the hood seal and top of the grill that causes hood vibration and could result in mechanical failure causing the hood to open while driving. I took the truck in for Recall thinking the Dealership would fix the Safety Problem/defect and at the same time stop all the elements (rain, snow, road dirt, slush, etc) from getting on top of engine compartment and onto electrical's.

Unfortunately, after the repair the Air Gap between the Hood Seal and the top of grill was still there. I complained again.

I looked into Honda Service Bulletin 21-086 which outlines Honda’s repair procedure for this defect. It clearly identifies the Problem as an improper Hood Gap between the Hood Seal and the top of the Grill. And Page 15 of the same Bulletin specifies “To make sure the Hood Seal is making contact along the front grill” after the repair. There is also a Detail on the same page showing how it should look after the repair. THERE IS NO GAP IN THE DETAIL!

The Recall affects all Ridgelines, Passports and Pilots from years 2017 through 2020. The Representative from American Honda Motors brought his 2022 Honda Pilot into the bay to show me his engine compartment. Well, the top of his engine compartment was also soiled so Honda may want to expand the recall to include 2022 Pilots. The Honda Motors representative said that the electricals in the engine compartment are designed to withstand water so not worry except for the battery but common sense tells you not to touch the battery.

I read the Warranty in the Owner’s Manual which says to mail my Complaint Certified Return Receipt Requested to the Manufacturer or its Agent. I emailed Honda’s California Consumer Help Office asking for the address, person and title of where/who I should mail it. They didn’t answer.

My entire family believed in Honda products. We have had many Honda vehicles (6 right now), 90 hp Honda outboard, Honda Generator, Honda mower, Honda motors on HP sprayer and Tiller.

It hard for me to believe that after 5+ years Honda has not been able to resolve a Gasket/Seal problem!

This complaint is still developing and I will update it unfolds.
Thank you for your responses. What Honda is doing to its customers is not right. Maybe they are just thinking of themselves. I plan to use different approaches to address this Recall on behalf of the 725,000 Honda owners that are affected.
Here are some other things that have came up since this started:
  • This objection is not only about Safety Implications and Engine Compartment soiling. It is about $.
  • Installing the striker plate as shown in Honda Service Bulletin 21-086 does not stop the problem of air rushing in at high speeds causing vibration that could result in hood failure. The Hood will likely still vibrate and flutter because air is still rushing in. Maybe, this striker plate will help reinforce the hood at the latch area and make the hood last longer. My rough guess is that this striker plate repair could cost Honda as much as $60,175,000 if all 725,000 vehicles that received Recall #21V-93 had this repair performed. That’s using about $83 per vehicle or ($3 per plate + $30 installation 20 minutes + $50 overhead) times 725,000 vehicles= $60,175,000 loss to Honda). That’s a BIG loss to Honda’s bottom line.
  • Now let’s say Honda did it right and designed/installed a gasket that actually worked and stopped the flow of Air that is causing the problem and at the same time stopped all the nuisance rain, sleet, road dirt from entering the engine compartment from the top. Incidentally, I realize some get thru the radiator and soil the sides of the engine but not much. Did you ever rinse the bugs/dirt off your radiator with a hose when washing your vehicle? The radiator coils are pretty tight restricting elements. In this case, the elements are mainly entering via the gap above the grill at the Top. As proof, I can post a picture of my 2016 Odyssey engine compartment. Its really clean because the hood seal works. My rough guess is that this gasket replacement repair could cost Honda as much as much as $246,500,000 if all 725,000 vehicles that received Recall #21V-93 had this repair performed. That’s using about $340 per vehicle or ($150 for new designed hood seal + $90 installation 1 hour + $100 overhead for new recall) times 725,000 vehicles= $246,500,000 loss to Honda). That a HUGE loss to Honda’s bottom line.
  • Now let's say Honda refused to seal this gap for all the Recalls (like mine) and our engine compartments were allowed to soil much faster and worse than counterparts. How much would this condition affect the value of our vehicles when eventually transferring/trading the vehicle? Most assuredly, the looks of the engine compartment counts toward the vehicle value. But the loss is yours so they don’t care. My opinion is that if the person opened your hood (which they always do) and saw a nice clean compartment you would get considerably more in trade value. I did in the past.
  • This is about Honda’s bottom line not yours!
On behave of the remaining 724,999 Recall customers- I’m not finished with this yet.
 
@randy2020RTL-E - It's not clear from your post whether you have tried adjusting the front gap yourself.

Is the latch at its lowest position?
  • If it isn't, lower it.
  • If it is, run a self adhesive rubber strip along the top of the grille to raise the landing for the seal, closing the gap.
Worst-case you'll be $10 out of pocket, but at least you'll have a clean engine bay.
 
Please pardon my thinking so, but I just am having problems believing that too many buyers would be put off from the sight of our engine bay approaching 50,000 miles?

Car Vehicle Vehicle registration plate Hood Grille


Bill
 
@randy2020RTL-E - It's not clear from your post whether you have tried adjusting the front gap yourself.

Is the latch at its lowest position?
  • If it isn't, lower it.
  • If it is, run a self adhesive rubber strip along the top of the grille to raise the landing for the seal, closing the gap.
Worst-case you'll be $10 out of pocket, but at least you'll have a clean engine bay.
Well, this thread has made be go out and investigate the hood seal and I believe that I have found an even better fix other than adding a seal across the top of the grill. I took a length of 1/4" rope and run it between the existing seal and the hood, this was enough to force contact between the seal and the top of the grill. So, a better, and more permanent fix, would be to install some 3/16" double sided foam tape between the seal and the hood, where this would also have the advantage of remaining out of sight! Whatcha all think?

Bill
 
Well, this thread has made be go out and investigate the hood seal and I believe that I have found an even better fix other than adding a seal across the top of the grill. I took a length of 1/4" rope and run it between the existing seal and the hood, this was enough to force contact between the seal and the top of the grill. So, a better, and more permanent fix, would be to install some 3/16" double sided foam tape between the seal and the hood, where this would also have the advantage of remaining out of sight! Whatcha all think?

Bill
Then your transmission will overheat! :ROFLMAO:
 
Here is a lil test run I tried using a strip of 3/8" foam that I cut from one of my old camping sleeping pads. If I slip a piece of paper between the seal and the grill the seal does grip the paper now, so this appears to be a workable solution, though a thinner filler of a less obvious color would probably be more appropriate?

Window Automotive design Automotive exterior Tints and shades Auto part


Hood Automotive design Bumper Shade Automotive exterior


Bill
 
Discussion starter · #34 ·
Reality!!!!! There is no way, without a major redesign of the hood latch, to close up the existing gap. And with this model being discontinued and years old, Honda is not going to go to that expense!
Bill
Thank you for your responses. What Honda is doing to its customers is not right. Maybe they are just thinking of themselves. I plan to use different approaches to address this Recall.



This will likely be my last response to you.

  • This objection is not only about Safety Implications and Engine Compartment soiling. It is about $.
  • Installing the striker plate as shown in Honda Service Bulletin 21-086 does not stop the problem of air rushing in at high speeds that causes the vibration that could result in hood failure. The Hood will likely still vibrate and flutter because air is still rushing in. Maybe, this striker plate will help reinforce the hood at the latch area and make the hood last longer. My rough guess is that this striker plate repair could cost Honda as much as $60,175,000 if all 725,000 vehicles that received Recall #21V-93 had this repair performed. That’s using about $83 per vehicle or ($3 per plate + $30 installation 20 minutes + $50 overhead) times 725,000 vehicles= $60,175,000 loss to Honda). That’s a BIG loss to Honda’s bottom line.
  • Now let’s say Honda did it right and designed/installed a gasket that actually worked and stopped the flow of Air that is causing the problem and at the same time stopped all the nuisance rain, sleet, road dirt from entering the engine compartment from the top. Incidentally, I realize some get thru the radiator and soil the sides of the engine but not much. Did you ever rinse the bugs/dirt off your radiator with a hose when washing your vehicle? The radiator coils are pretty tight restricting elements. In this case, the elements are mainly entering via the gap above the grill. As proof, I can post a picture of my 2016 Odyssey engine compartment. Its really clean because the hood seal works. My rough guess is that this gasket replacement repair could cost Honda as much as much as $246,500,000 if all 725,000 vehicles that received Recall #21V-93 had this repair performed. That’s using about $340 per vehicle or ($150 for new designed hood seal + $90 installation 1 hour + $100 overhead for new recall) times 725,000 vehicles= $246,500,000 loss to Honda). That a HUGE loss to Honda’s bottom line.
  • Now lets say Honda refused to seal this gap for all the Recalls (like mine) and our engine compartments were allowed to soil much faster and worse than counterparts. How much would this condition affect the value of our vehicles when eventually transferring/trading the vehicle? Most assuredly, the looks of the engine compartment it counts toward the vehicle value. But the loss is yours so they don’t care. My opinion is that if the person opened your hood (which they always do) and saw a nice clean compartment you would get considerably more in trade value. I did in the past.
  • This is about Honda’s bottom line not yours!
On behave of the remaining 724,999 Recall customers- I’m not finished with this yet.
You are absolutely correct, we could add a second seal along the top of the grill, but why? What lil water that happens to trickle through that minute gap is not going to hurt a darn thing. ( By the way, how much water and dust makes it through the radiator, or from around other gaps in the grill? How about the fender wells, or the debris being kicked up from the road making it's way in from underneath the vehicle?) Oh, and as far as the hood jiggle, (the true purpose of having that seal), we have experienced gusting headwinds exceeding 50 MPH, 120 MPH when combined with vehicle speed, and the hood has kept still, I am content!



A big 10-4 to that! (y)

Bill
Thank you for your responses. What Honda is doing to its customers is not right. Maybe they are just thinking of themselves. I plan to use different approaches to address this Recall.



This will likely be my last response to you.

  • This objection is not only about Safety Implications and Engine Compartment soiling. It is about $.
  • Installing the striker plate as shown in Honda Service Bulletin 21-086 does not stop the problem of air rushing in at high speeds that causes the vibration that could result in hood failure. The Hood will likely still vibrate and flutter because air is still rushing in. Maybe, this striker plate will help reinforce the hood at the latch area and make the hood last longer. My rough guess is that this striker plate repair could cost Honda as much as $60,175,000 if all 725,000 vehicles that received Recall #21V-93 had this repair performed. That’s using about $83 per vehicle or ($3 per plate + $30 installation 20 minutes + $50 overhead) times 725,000 vehicles= $60,175,000 loss to Honda). That’s a BIG loss to Honda’s bottom line.
  • Now let’s say Honda did it right and designed/installed a gasket that actually worked and stopped the flow of Air that is causing the problem and at the same time stopped all the nuisance rain, sleet, road dirt from entering the engine compartment from the top. Incidentally, I realize some get thru the radiator and soil the sides of the engine but not much. Did you ever rinse the bugs/dirt off your radiator with a hose when washing your vehicle? The radiator coils are pretty tight restricting elements. In this case, the elements are mainly entering via the gap above the grill. As proof, I can post a picture of my 2016 Odyssey engine compartment. Its really clean because the hood seal works. My rough guess is that this gasket replacement repair could cost Honda as much as much as $246,500,000 if all 725,000 vehicles that received Recall #21V-93 had this repair performed. That’s using about $340 per vehicle or ($150 for new designed hood seal + $90 installation 1 hour + $100 overhead for new recall) times 725,000 vehicles= $246,500,000 loss to Honda). That a HUGE loss to Honda’s bottom line.
  • Now lets say Honda refused to seal this gap for all the Recalls (like mine) and our engine compartments were allowed to soil much faster and worse than counterparts. How much would this condition affect the value of our vehicles when eventually transferring/trading the vehicle? Most assuredly, the looks of the engine compartment it counts toward the vehicle value. But the loss is yours so they don’t care. My opinion is that if the person opened your hood (which they always do) and saw a nice clean compartment you would get considerably more in trade value. I did in the past.
  • This is about Honda’s bottom line not yours!
On behave of the remaining 724,999 Recall customers- I’m not finished with this yet.
You are absolutely correct, we could add a second seal along the top of the grill, but why? What lil water that happens to trickle through that minute gap is not going to hurt a darn thing. ( By the way, how much water and dust makes it through the radiator, or from around other gaps in the grill? How about the fender wells, or the debris being kicked up from the road making it's way in from underneath the vehicle?) Oh, and as far as the hood jiggle, (the true purpose of having that seal), we have experienced gusting headwinds exceeding 50 MPH, 120 MPH when combined with vehicle speed, and the hood has kept still, I am content!



A big 10-4 to that! (y)

Bill
Thank you for your responses. What Honda is doing to its customers is not right. Maybe they are just thinking of themselves. I plan to use different approaches to address this Recall.



This will likely be my last response to you.

  • This objection is not only about Safety Implications and Engine Compartment soiling. It is about $.
  • Installing the striker plate as shown in Honda Service Bulletin 21-086 does not stop the problem of air rushing in at high speeds that causes the vibration that could result in hood failure. The Hood will likely still vibrate and flutter because air is still rushing in. Maybe, this striker plate will help reinforce the hood at the latch area and make the hood last longer. My rough guess is that this striker plate repair could cost Honda as much as $60,175,000 if all 725,000 vehicles that received Recall #21V-93 had this repair performed. That’s using about $83 per vehicle or ($3 per plate + $30 installation 20 minutes + $50 overhead) times 725,000 vehicles= $60,175,000 loss to Honda). That’s a BIG loss to Honda’s bottom line.
  • Now let’s say Honda did it right and designed/installed a gasket that actually worked and stopped the flow of Air that is causing the problem and at the same time stopped all the nuisance rain, sleet, road dirt from entering the engine compartment from the top. Incidentally, I realize some get thru the radiator and soil the sides of the engine but not much. Did you ever rinse the bugs/dirt off your radiator with a hose when washing your vehicle? The radiator coils are pretty tight restricting elements. In this case, the elements are mainly entering via the gap above the grill. As proof, I can post a picture of my 2016 Odyssey engine compartment. Its really clean because the hood seal works. My rough guess is that this gasket replacement repair could cost Honda as much as much as $246,500,000 if all 725,000 vehicles that received Recall #21V-93 had this repair performed. That’s using about $340 per vehicle or ($150 for new designed hood seal + $90 installation 1 hour + $100 overhead for new recall) times 725,000 vehicles= $246,500,000 loss to Honda). That a HUGE loss to Honda’s bottom line.
  • Now lets say Honda refused to seal this gap for all the Recalls (like mine) and our engine compartments were allowed to soil much faster and worse than counterparts. How much would this condition affect the value of our vehicles when eventually transferring/trading the vehicle? Most assuredly, the looks of the engine compartment it counts toward the vehicle value. But the loss is yours so they don’t care. My opinion is that if the person opened your hood (which they always do) and saw a nice clean compartment you would get considerably more in trade value. I did in the past.
  • This is about Honda’s bottom line not yours!
On behave of the remaining 724,999 Recall customers- I’m not finished with this yet.
Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting. I occasionally wonder if my own obsessions are over-the-top, but then I run across something like this that give me comfort and reassurance.

Sincerely wishing you good luck with yours and your RL issues.
@randy2020RTL-E - It's not clear from your post whether you have tried adjusting the front gap yourself.

Is the latch at its lowest position?
  • If it isn't, lower it.
  • If it is, run a self adhesive rubber strip along the top of the grille to raise the landing for the seal, closing the gap.
Worst-case you'll be $10 out of pocket, but at least you'll have a clean engine bay.
@randy2020RTL-E - It's not clear from your post whether you have tried adjusting the front gap yourself.

Is the latch at its lowest position?
  • If it isn't, lower it.
  • If it is, run a self adhesive rubber strip along the top of the grille to raise the landing for the seal, closing the gap.
Worst-case you'll be $10 out of pocket, but at least you'll have a clean engine bay.
The hood and fenders were level with each other when vehicle was purchased. After taking it in for this Recall (4 times) I now notice that the hood is now little lower (3/32) than the side fenders body. I am guessing that either the American Honda Motors tech or maybe the dealership tried something but found that lowering 3/16 to 1/4" needed for it to touch the surface of the grill would take away from the appearance of the vehicle.
I have an idea on what to do but I am thinking of the other 725,000 owners that have this problem (Safety and soiling engine compartment) and feel that Honda is responsible for poor Hood Seal design and should rectify problem. They think they fixed the safety problem by installing something called a striker plate but that DID NOT stop the air from coming. Obviously the air (and dirt that it carries) is still entering through the gap which is what causes the vibration. For Honda- this is about lost $, not customer satisfaction! The Honda American motors Rep brought his 2022 Ridgeline in the service bay and opened the hood. It was obvious had the same problem. They should make a 3rd recall to include 2022 vehicles and get rid of they're Gasket design guy.
Then there is also the Warranty problem. You can void a warranty by doing something yourself.
But thank you for responding and bring this to my attention.
 
On my 2019 the rubber seal at the front of the hood completely fills the gap, but it didn't prevent my truck from having the hood flutter issue. I don't think the seal is the cause of the hood problems, and redesigning the seal is probably not the solution. Honda does already have solutions for the hood problems - re-glue the the failed adhesive joints and reinforce the weak latch.
 
Discussion starter · #38 ·
On my 2019 the rubber seal at the front of the hood completely fills the gap, but it didn't prevent my truck from having the hood flutter issue. I don't think the seal is the cause of the hood problems, and redesigning the seal is probably not the solution. Honda does already have solutions for the hood problems - re-glue the the failed adhesive joints and reinforce the weak latch.
Honda itself clearly states the gap between the hood seal and the grill which allows the air to rush in is the cause of the problem. It is in Bulletin 21-086 on page 1 of the 1st paragraph. plugging the gap with a new designed gasket that actually works seems like it would solve the problem. And it would also reduce or maybe eliminate the road debris entering via the gap onto the top of the engine compartment.
 
Honda itself clearly states the gap between the hood seal and the grill which allows the air to rush in is the cause of the problem. It is in Bulletin 21-086 on page 1 of the 1st paragraph. plugging the gap with a new designed gasket that actually works seems like it would solve the problem. And it would also reduce or maybe eliminate the road debris entering via the gap onto the top of the engine compartment.
Bulletin 21-086 says, "Due to an improper hood to grill gap setting at the time of vehicle manufacturing, the hood latch may experience higher than expected load under certain driving conditions. Strong air pressure forced through this gap may cause the hood to vibrate which, over time, may cause the area surrounding the hood latch striker to crack and potentially dislodge, presenting a risk for the hood to open while driving and increasing the risk of a crash."

I agree with you that it would have been nice if the service bulletin required proper hood adjustment for all repair procedures, not just when replacing the whole hood. I don't know why they didn't do that.

In my opinion the safety issue is that the area around the hood latch is too weak, and air flowing through the gap between the hood and grill can expose that weakness. So reinforcing that area seems like an actual fix while replacing the seal with a new design or adjusting the hood would just be band-aids fixes since they only deal with one source of air getting into the engine compartment.
 
21 - 40 of 70 Posts
Top