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Thanks to this thread. I reside in Alberta, Canada where it normally gets below zero Celsius throughout the year. I just noticed a vibration just underneath the shifter as soon as I accelerate the vehicle. It was the first time I heard it. I thought someone stole my catalytic converter (CC). But when I looked underneath, I saw ice build up around the drive shaft near the (CC). Will observe if it for now and see if the vibration goes away when the ice melts.
 
Thanks to this thread. ..... I thought someone stole my catalytic converter (CC). But when I looked underneath, I saw ice build up around the drive shaft near the (CC).
Lots of people are dismissive of this problem that affects the Ridgeline and other Hondas, notably the CRV AWD. The ice buildup occurs on the rear propeller shaft after driving in slushy snow and parking in a cold environment, esp. outside. The slush builds up on the pan on bottom of the cab and may run down around the propeller shaft. The immediate symptom when driving is a clattering noise that increases with speed. The noise is very hard to ignore and a look under the truck will easily reveal the location of the ice ball. Removal is somewhat challenging due to the low clearance. I have found that a full-length crowbar works best.

The recent driveshaft recall by Honda on Fit and CRVs has been attributed to improper manufacturing processes which allows early corrosion and failure of the shaft. It is noted that the problem is worse in states that use road salt. I am guessing that this slush ball that sits on top of the Ridgeline propeller shaft is also heavily laden with road salt and it cannot be good for it to remain in contact with the shaft for extended periods of time.

I live in the mountains and regularly see 250-400 inches of snow per year, including some slushy conditions, especially on main highways that are salted during each storm. Because I park outside I am going to have to make a regular check of the shaft area after driving is slushy conditions in an attempt to clear the slush before it freezes around or on top of the shaft

I have had 4 trucks and 2 Jeeps in 40 years here and all of them have been parked outside. I have never previously had this 'iced driveshaft' issue, so I certainly see it as a design flaw from Honda. Clearly there is not much that can be done about the trucks in existance, but Honda engineers should take a close look at how their shaft enclosures differ from all the other vehicles that don't have this problem.
 
Despite the ice formation around the driveshaft, I don't recall reading about many (any?) Ridgeline driveshaft failures in the last 15 years.
 
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