[Mattradk]

I've had my 2021 Ridgeline RTL-E for about 8 months. Recently, the temps in my area have dipped below zero (-10F) at night with day temps in the single digits. When I have pulled out of my driveway during the low temps and accelerated, the truck bucked and hesitated for the first quarter mile. Luckily, traffic on my road is sparce.

I keep it in econ mode. Has anyone else experienced this in cold weather? Is this an econ issue? Does some ignition-related onboard computer need to be tweaked? Thanks!

 

[Farther]

Is this a one-time event or continuous/ongoing? Any codes?

 

[Mattradk]

It happened a couple of mornings. No codes flashed that I noticed. I'm new to Ridgelines, so if there's a way to reveal the codes (some combination of buttons?), I'd appreciate knowing how.

 

[Boatman]

Normally if there is a code it would light the CEL in the dash. If it were mine I would turn the ECCO mode off and try it tomorrow morning and see how it does. Your a better person than me, I used the ECCO button for about 5 miles and have never used it again.

 

[ualramper]

Well I had this issue but in normal temps, truck did the same thing and as it turned out it was a known tranny issue that needed to be addressed. Not sure if its the same thing but sounds similar. I'd have to find my receipt to give you the defined reason but its a TSB as well.

 

[NMhondafan]

Why would you use Econ mode for everyday driving? Just curious

 

[aspatzman]

Why would you use Econ mode for everyday driving? Just curious

Why wouldn’t you?

 

[Farther]

Why would you use Econ mode for everyday driving? Just curious

That is where it's most cost effective.

 

[Mattradk]

The temps are going to drop below zero again after Wednesday this week (It was 40F today), so I'll pay closer attention, turn the Econ mode off, and see what happens. I'm going to have the oil changed in the next few weeks, and I'll bring the issue up when I make the appointment with the dealer, too. Hopefully, they can deal with the issue if it's addressed in a TSB.

I didn't think much of the Econ mode when I first bought the truck. The response was sluggish and wasn't what I was used to with my Tacoma.

Very little of my driving is in cities, though, so I don't deal with a lot of starting/stopping where acceleration from a stop light or around a corner would make the sluggishness an annoyance. Most of my driving is on long stretches of highway or interstates on cruise control (ACC makes this a lot easier), so the frequency of stomping on the gas is relatively low. Still, passing other vehicles hasn't been a problem.... the Ridgeline drops into overdrive and the vehicle I'm passing is history. I have no problems towing my 3500 pound boat. And the overall mileage is better which helps these days. I personally have been happy with it.

It took a few days to get used to but since then, I haven't even thought about it in my everyday driving until I was posting on the forum this morning and thought that maybe the Econ mode might be a factor in the Ridgeline's bucking.

 

[ajg1960]

Why would you use Econ mode for everyday driving? Just curious

To save $$

 

[CC816]

My 21 RL and wife’s 19 Passport both do the same when first pulling out of the driveway on really cold days. Goes away by the time we get a km down the road.
I think that the9-speed tranny just doesn’t like the cold. I just go easy on the throttle for the first few minutes when it’s really cold to give the tranny a chance to warm up.

 

[crvguy]

I've had this happen a few times as well on colder mornings

 

[hondopark]

To save $$

Whats your total average mpg? How many miles?

 

[Mattradk]

Whats your total average mpg? How many miles?

The truck has around 6800 miles on it. Highway mileage has dropped from 24 mpg to 21. Local driving has dropped from 21 mpg to 16. This is since the cold weather. I continue to use the Econ mode and cruise control when possible to maximize mileage.