[Doug-NHCt]

I have an 11 acre property on a very steep hill that gets a lot of snow. I already have a Honda lawn mower and ordered the beast Honda track snow blower for next year, what would be better than to own another Honda sibling?

I already know it would be a perfect machine for me, but I’m super concerned about the reliability and the general VCM operations. I’ve been seeing a lot of engine light threads lately, even on 2021 and 2022 Ridgelines.

I’ve narrowed it down to three vehicles. The Ford Maverick hybrid, a regular F150 regular cab with the tried and true 3.3, and the other would be the ridgeline. My first preference is of course the Ridgeline. The best ride, the bed, AWD and decent gas mileage. The problem is, Honda is about an hour away, and Ford has many dealers closer by. I can get to 4 Ford dealerships before I get to the first Honda dealer.

And I always keep vehicles stock, I would rather NOT delete the VCM operations. I’m wondering how reliable this system is? Is there any 2nd Gen Ridgeline owners into high mileage yet? I commute a lot, so this truck will be getting a lot of miles. 30-40k a year average.

How is Honda with warranty work? Is there an extended factory warranty up to like 125k?

I think I just want reassurance lol. I love Honda power equipment, and they’re more reliable than the rest, I just want to be sure before I get the Ridgeline. I love the truck.

Two things: First, I have a 2019 RTL-E with about 35,000 miles on it and I love it. I tow a camper with it and it's been a great truck for me. Second, the trucks you mention are quite different. The Honda is a nice middle-sized truck, but if I will say that if you need an F-150, neither of the others will do.

 

[manz147]

I have an 11 acre property on a very steep hill that gets a lot of snow. I already have a Honda lawn mower and ordered the beast Honda track snow blower for next year, what would be better than to own another Honda sibling?

I already know it would be a perfect machine for me, but I’m super concerned about the reliability and the general VCM operations. I’ve been seeing a lot of engine light threads lately, even on 2021 and 2022 Ridgelines.

I’ve narrowed it down to three vehicles. The Ford Maverick hybrid, a regular F150 regular cab with the tried and true 3.3, and the other would be the ridgeline. My first preference is of course the Ridgeline. The best ride, the bed, AWD and decent gas mileage. The problem is, Honda is about an hour away, and Ford has many dealers closer by. I can get to 4 Ford dealerships before I get to the first Honda dealer.

And I always keep vehicles stock, I would rather NOT delete the VCM operations. I’m wondering how reliable this system is? Is there any 2nd Gen Ridgeline owners into high mileage yet? I commute a lot, so this truck will be getting a lot of miles. 30-40k a year average.

How is Honda with warranty work? Is there an extended factory warranty up to like 125k?

I think I just want reassurance lol. I love Honda power equipment, and they’re more reliable than the rest, I just want to be sure before I get the Ridgeline. I love the truck.

Reliability runs in line with maintenance ! Use it right and take good care of it and it will be nice for you !

Simple !!!

 

[Cabman]

I have an 11 acre property on a very steep hill that gets a lot of snow. I already have a Honda lawn mower and ordered the beast Honda track snow blower for next year, what would be better than to own another Honda sibling?

I already know it would be a perfect machine for me, but I’m super concerned about the reliability and the general VCM operations. I’ve been seeing a lot of engine light threads lately, even on 2021 and 2022 Ridgelines.

I’ve narrowed it down to three vehicles. The Ford Maverick hybrid, a regular F150 regular cab with the tried and true 3.3, and the other would be the ridgeline. My first preference is of course the Ridgeline. The best ride, the bed, AWD and decent gas mileage. The problem is, Honda is about an hour away, and Ford has many dealers closer by. I can get to 4 Ford dealerships before I get to the first Honda dealer.

And I always keep vehicles stock, I would rather NOT delete the VCM operations. I’m wondering how reliable this system is? Is there any 2nd Gen Ridgeline owners into high mileage yet? I commute a lot, so this truck will be getting a lot of miles. 30-40k a year average.

How is Honda with warranty work? Is there an extended factory warranty up to like 125k?

I think I just want reassurance lol. I love Honda power equipment, and they’re more reliable than the rest, I just want to be sure before I get the Ridgeline. I love the truck.

Wow, I'm almost up to 8k miles on my 2021 RTL and until I saw this posting I didn't even know it had VCM! Needless to say I've had no problems with it (or anything else) so far. I rolled my eyes when the dealership offered an extended warrantee. My response was that I was buying a Honda because it was reliable. If they thought the Ridgeline needed one, perhaps I should save money and buy a Ford. That ended the conversation. With that in mind, I find it hard to believe that a Ford VCM system is more reliable than Honda's. My experience with Ford is that, should you go that route, you'll be visiting them a lot. So it's good they're close by. In regards to snow--no problem. I drive the passes every week and the Snow Mode and stock Destination tires do just fine.
All the best with your decision.

 

[Pleease]

All I can say is that I have a 2017 RTL that just turned 90K. It is all road miles between our home in South Carolina and one we have in Louisville Kentucky. Because we live on an island with no bridge and have a great parking place at the ferry embarkation (no cars or trucks to the island0 20 feet from a tidal salt water river, I have rust on the rear rotors. I have it in for the first real service that it has required. I have never had a more reliable vehicle. According to my very long term USAA auto insurance this is my 54th vehicle since 1970. I don't think you can go wrong!

Daufuskie Island?

 

[boyracertim19]

In March 2005 the Ridgeline became available on the automobile market. That month I bought one of the first Ridgelines to hit the road. Oddly, the first edition was designated model year 2006. Yes, it was risky buying from the first production but all I needed to know was that it's a Honda. The vehicle exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds while easily leaving the Toyota Tacoma in the dust.

Note, I originally intended to acquire the Tacoma to be the tow vehicle of a new travel trailer I was planning to buy. But it was brought to my attention that within a couple of months Honda would be offering their newest vehicle, the Ridgeline. Just hearing the name Honda intuitively told me to wait for the Ridgeline.

By January 2020 that faithful truck had completed numerous cross country road trips, pulled an 18' travel trailer on several trips and served as my daily commuter vehicle. After nearly 15 years and 250,000 miles it was proudly noted that it NEVER failed or broke down.

Despite it's perfect record of operation the 2006 Ridgeline earned a well deserved break. And without any hesitation I purchased a brand new 2019 Ridgeline. This 15 year newer vehicle not only continued the legacy of innovative engineering of the first Ridgeline but it was amazingly superior. Its now just over two years old and it continues to performs like new. And with nearly 46,000 miles of operation, it required no new vehicle fixes (like the 2006 unit) and it has NEVER failed or broke down.

To consumers trying to decide on the Ridgeline it is really very simple. Say out loud "It's a HONDA"and go buy it.

View attachment 422134

View attachment 422135

 

[DogOnBoard]

@HistorianX this guy tried to kill a Hilux. He couldn’t do it. That thing is a beast. My manual Taco was good but manual gets old on the Cross Bronx Expressway for 2 hours. Lol. Also the reverse gear on the manual is not great, it wants to do 20 miles an hour so you have to slip the clutch to get it to back up at reasonable speeds. Terrible for pulling a trailer.

Toyota Hilux - the number one choice of ISIS terrorists.

 

[Ken_in _NC]

👍🏼

 

[Lucky Jack]

Toyota Hilux - the number one choice of ISIS terrorists.

Almost spit out my coffee when I read this. LOL.

 

[GCSteve]

Toyota Hilux - the number one choice of ISIS terrorists.

If you watch those videos you will see why they love them so much. He drove that thing miles from Moab after smashing the radiator and all the fluid drained out.

 

[scottincarmel]

I have an 11 acre property on a very steep hill that gets a lot of snow. I already have a Honda lawn mower and ordered the beast Honda track snow blower for next year, what would be better than to own another Honda sibling?

I already know it would be a perfect machine for me, but I’m super concerned about the reliability and the general VCM operations. I’ve been seeing a lot of engine light threads lately, even on 2021 and 2022 Ridgelines.

I’ve narrowed it down to three vehicles. The Ford Maverick hybrid, a regular F150 regular cab with the tried and true 3.3, and the other would be the ridgeline. My first preference is of course the Ridgeline. The best ride, the bed, AWD and decent gas mileage. The problem is, Honda is about an hour away, and Ford has many dealers closer by. I can get to 4 Ford dealerships before I get to the first Honda dealer.

And I always keep vehicles stock, I would rather NOT delete the VCM operations. I’m wondering how reliable this system is? Is there any 2nd Gen Ridgeline owners into high mileage yet? I commute a lot, so this truck will be getting a lot of miles. 30-40k a year average.

How is Honda with warranty work? Is there an extended factory warranty up to like 125k?

I think I just want reassurance lol. I love Honda power equipment, and they’re more reliable than the rest, I just want to be sure before I get the Ridgeline. I love the truck.

For what it's worth, my 2018 Ridgline RTL-E (which I've owned since new) just crossed the 103K mile mark. I keep pretty meticulous records, and so far I've spent a total of $92.02 for anything other than routine maintenance. That $92.02 was to replace a wiring harness in the tailgate. Every other dime I've spent on the truck has been for oil changes, tires, and the like...

 

[FrayAdjacent]

Do note that you're going to hear more people complain when things go wrong than you will see people commenting when things work normally... so for every person that complains of a problem on a forum like this, there are probably thousands, TENS of thousands that don't have any problems at all.

 

[Pleease]

Wow, I'm almost up to 8k miles on my 2021 RTL and until I saw this posting I didn't even know it had VCM! Needless to say I've had no problems with it (or anything else) so far. I rolled my eyes when the dealership offered an extended warrantee. My response was that I was buying a Honda because it was reliable. If they thought the Ridgeline needed one, perhaps I should save money and buy a Ford. That ended the conversation. With that in mind, I find it hard to believe that a Ford VCM system is more reliable than Honda's. My experience with Ford is that, should you go that route, you'll be visiting them a lot. So it's good they're close by. In regards to snow--no problem. I drive the passes every week and the Snow Mode and stock Destination tires do just fine.
All the best with your decision. View attachment 422104

Great pic - what a beautiful scene! Where is that? Is that your house?

 

[Lexridge]

Wow, I'm almost up to 8k miles on my 2021 RTL and until I saw this posting I didn't even know it had VCM! Needless to say I've had no problems with it (or anything else) so far. I rolled my eyes when the dealership offered an extended warrantee. My response was that I was buying a Honda because it was reliable. If they thought the Ridgeline needed one, perhaps I should save money and buy a Ford. That ended the conversation. With that in mind, I find it hard to believe that a Ford VCM system is more reliable than Honda's. My experience with Ford is that, should you go that route, you'll be visiting them a lot. So it's good they're close by. In regards to snow--no problem. I drive the passes every week and the Snow Mode and stock Destination tires do just fine.
All the best with your decision. View attachment 422104

Put some snow tires on that beast and you will have the equivalent of a tank.

 

[snakebait6]

RL has been around for a while now. They should have the problems ironed out. VCM is no longer an issue in terms of destroying an engine. The VCM version with the court ruling is different than the version in the Ridgeline. Audi has shaken it's labels of sudden acceleration but Honda just can't shake VCM until they go EV. VCM might have characteristics that you can feel but in the RL its minimal. FWIW my Honda lawn mower is the worst one I've ever had. The axle binds up and you can't pull it backward without the wheels locking up Ha Ha.

Keep in mind though that around 100k miles, you will need timing belt, tensioner, water pump, spark plugs, possible valve adjustments. At a dealer this can get expensive. A member here had that done at a dealer for $2500 ish so if you go past 6 years at your rate of use that's $7500 whereas with a timing chained engine you'd be paying less. Probably just plugs and coolant. You could shop around for lower prices though. Also, the 9 speed fluid change at the dealer ranges from $300-$500 and could be a 60k interval. To get the level correct, it's not DIY.

Our local dealer charges $1300.00 for the timing belt job. That was for my 2017 Ridgeline, I don't have to worry about that now for a while since I traded it in on a 2022

 

[geezberry]

are you really trying to compare Honda reliability to Ford? 🤣🤣

 

[zroger73]

are you really trying to compare Honda reliability to Ford? 🤣🤣

 

[Solo]

What kind of a study can you get looking at cars that are only one year old?
I'd think looking at ten year old cars would be more beneficial. .

 

[14v6]

Our local dealer charges $1300.00 for the timing belt job. That was for my 2017 Ridgeline, I don't have to worry about that now for a while since I traded it in on a 2022

Plugs, tensioner, water pump, valve adjustment too? Silkie Chickien had a well documented case of $2500 in the Seattle area.

 

[zroger73]

What kind of a study can you get looking at cars that are only one year old?
I'd think looking at ten year old cars would be more beneficial. .

The J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study looks at three year-old vehicles. 2021 refers to the year of the study - not the year model of the vehicles.

The J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey looks at the number of problems vehicles have during their first 90 days. Honda does better here, but still below Ford.

 

[Rich235]

I have an 11 acre property on a very steep hill that gets a lot of snow. I already have a Honda lawn mower and ordered the beast Honda track snow blower for next year, what would be better than to own another Honda sibling?

I already know it would be a perfect machine for me, but I’m super concerned about the reliability and the general VCM operations. I’ve been seeing a lot of engine light threads lately, even on 2021 and 2022 Ridgelines.

I’ve narrowed it down to three vehicles. The Ford Maverick hybrid, a regular F150 regular cab with the tried and true 3.3, and the other would be the ridgeline. My first preference is of course the Ridgeline. The best ride, the bed, AWD and decent gas mileage. The problem is, Honda is about an hour away, and Ford has many dealers closer by. I can get to 4 Ford dealerships before I get to the first Honda dealer.

And I always keep vehicles stock, I would rather NOT delete the VCM operations. I’m wondering how reliable this system is? Is there any 2nd Gen Ridgeline owners into high mileage yet? I commute a lot, so this truck will be getting a lot of miles. 30-40k a year average.

How is Honda with warranty work? Is there an extended factory warranty up to like 125k?

I think I just want reassurance lol. I love Honda power equipment, and they’re more reliable than the rest, I just want to be sure before I get the Ridgeline. I love the truck.

My 2018 Ridgeline has 51K miles and no problems. One of the best vehicle I've owned.

Before I bought it I was at my then local (MA) subaru dealer having my outback serviced and talked to one of the managers who had a rdgeline and said it was awesome in teh MA snow.

My F150 was good as well but the honda is a reliable machine.