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New RTL-E owner and it's in the shop.... A/C compressor issue that is now a TSB. Not happy

9.8K views 35 replies 16 participants last post by  stevem5215  
#1 ·
Well after doing months of research on this vehicle ( much of it in this forum) I decided jump in anyway after reading about the issues. Even after my best friend has a 2019 who has had both the timing belt issue ( car had to be towed) and the fuel pump issue , I jumped in anyway and looks like another bad luck mistake.

2019 white/black RTL-E. Build date of 12/18 if that helps anyone. It had been on the dealer lot here in Montana for about 7 months. They were eager to deal and the price was right. I spend hours with the salesman ( good guy) going over the concerns and of course pulling a Carfax ( always even on a new vehicle) and looking at the recall receipt that was done on the fuel pump. I spend over an hour going over the vehicle practically detailing it on the lot, checking body panels, all the other area's pointed out here etc. Had them do a battery test since the car had been there so long. Sat in the car with the salesman going over everything. Did a short test drive as I have already driven one many times. Everything felt fine. It was only about 70 degrees during the drive.

Do the deal, cut the check and start to drive home at 82 degrees and immediately notice that the A/C is barely pushing cool ( let alone cold) air. All the way on "lo".. recirculate etc and it's barely doing anything. Call and make appointment to go in after reading that there are issues with the A/C ( missed those in here ) and sure enough there was just a TSB issued for the 2019 Ridgeline in addition to other Honda's for "dryer hose"..O-rings attached to the compressor. 2 days after I buy the vehicle they added the RL to this Honda issue. Unbelievable. The service manger showed me the bulletin and I'm sure its on-line somewhere by now. Just horrible timing. Had I saw this a week ago I would have not bought the car.

Dealer/Servie took the vehicle in and immediately said "Yep we need to replace the parts and looks like we have them in-stock because we have replaced to many"
That's nice. He said they would get right on it and gave me a loaner. Good guy... he felt bad ( I think). He also told me that they used to have to pull the whole front end of the car off to do this fix but their tech has found away around that. If they had to pull the front end off that car I'd blow a gasket.

So it gets better. Service manger calls me an hour later and says " Honda is just issuing a new improved part to fix this issue so they are going to wait for that and now I have an appointment for next Tuesday to hopefully have a brand new RL that has functional A/C. So does that mean the old replacement part is bad and those that have had this fix are going to have to hope?

Sad part is I really like this vehicle. It is perfect for my needs. I also bought it for Honda reliability. And after reading so much about these issues I jumped in anyway and could not be more disappointed.
 
#2 ·
They'll fix it. It's just an A/C part-not a critical mechanical component. If you've been reading here then you undoubtedly know that Honda's quality is not what it once was, but I'd not go into panic mode too fast. it is disheartening to have a failure in a brand new vehicle, but considering the list of problems in all new cars, if this is all that happens you should be on the road and enjoying your new RL without buyers remorse.
 
#3 ·
...you undoubtedly know that Honda's quality is not what it once was...
I have owned Hondas (as well as other brands) since the 1970s. I question whether the build quality of any automobile is worse. Now they have become more complicated and that comes with issues but I think the build quality of all vehicles sold in North America are very good and remain very good to this day statistically speaking. Sure, you run across a lemon but that is not the rule but the exception.
 
#6 ·
I too have a 2019 RTL-E build on 12/18, I bought at the end of July, so it was in their lot for 8 months, but I haven't had any problems.
The A/C actually is very cold. I have been driving in high 80 degree temperatures and it worked well.

Tell us how the repair goes, I'll be keeping my eye out for any A/C problems on mine.
 
#12 ·
Not sure how the repair went as it now really leaks a lot of water from the A/C system and it is not very warm here so it's not working that hard. I know this is condensation and normal but I don't notice on my 2018 Mazda CX-9 at all. This thing is dripping significantly after just a few miles. Looks like it's going to back in to get tested which I thought they would have done after the repair.. Anyone else have this issue? I'll try and post a photo but even though it's only water I'm loving in my garage and new driveway..
 
#8 ·
Anymore, vehicles are assembled by the manufacturer, but are a complex mix of parts from multiple manufacturers. The list of manufacturers and suppliers of a single vehicle, much less the entire line is staggering. Managing the quality of all these components is pushed down to the individual manufacturers and when (not if) an issue crops up, the vehicle manufacturer addresses the issue.

Yes, it is frustrating to have an issue with a vehicle you've owned for two days, but remember it was manufactured 8+ months ago and sat on a lot until now. There's a reason you have a new vehicle warranty and the ability to purchase extended coverage is to insulate yourself from sub-manufacturer and sub-assembly supplier defects.

The ultimate problem is the cost of the vehicle being the sum of the sub-assembly parts. To make a profit, you must bring in more than you spent and to do this, you often go with a lower cost option. Honda still produces fantastic vehicles, as do most of the other manufacturers. On the other hand, the super competitive sub-assembly supplier market is ripe for overhaul.
 
#9 ·
When I purchased my 2019 RTL-T the salesman had to go pick it up at their storage lot. When he came back it wasn't the one I had picked out - it was 4 months older. He said when he went to do the full check on the vehicle the AC wasn't working properly. Glad they did a thorough run through on it to save me from that hassle.
 
#11 ·
@montanaman : You are not alone on this and neither is the Ridgeline. I have heard complaints about the AC over in the Odyssey (G5) world as well. When I purchased my '19 Odyssey I gave 7 things (TSBs, Recalls) and a print out of the current PDI document and told my sales person to have those checked, signed, printed and dated by the tech. I also explained the 'AC issue' that i kept hearing and it was the AC line pressure being out of compliance.

My odyssey has over 25K miles and it has been almost 13 months under my ownership and have zero issues. I have some USB media stick reading issues (media stick issue) and once the cabinwatch camera had a hiccup, but nothing compared to others and their 'issues'. My Ac blows cold that I have to always turn it down and I am the kinda guy who hates anything over 72F of outside temp. The cabin is always set to 67F.

It is always wise to present the salesperson with any and all known issues for that generation, though it may not pertain to your model year, to check and acknowledge. I would much rather have the front end taken apart to service the compressor properly, than a tech 'finding a way' and end up either denting or scratching a body panel that I will have to find out months later because it was hid from me because of a car wash. To be honest, no one really knows how many 'brand new cars' have doors, hoods, bumpers, headlights, etc etc replaced and no customer is ever aware of it; yet it all happens. Heck even wheels get curbed and they get replaced and those curbed wheels get refinished and end up on craigslist.
 
#13 ·
So has anyone else noticed that there is excessive water dripping form under the vehicle do to condensation? My 2019 RTL-E just had no A/c when I bought it. The new TSB included a fix of the "dryer hose and the O rings that apparently are failure prone. A/C works fine but even after a short drive in 70 degree whether barely using the A/C there is a large amount of water coming down and on the driveway. Significantly more than my other vehicles. Any clues as to shy this would be? Could it be because the system was just repaired and recharged? It's does not look right to me so I will be taking it back in for them to check and test. 233 miles and not thrilled so far.
 
#14 ·
The TSB is for the receiver drier o-rings, not the compressor. The front bumper cover has to be removed to remove the condenser. As for the condensation dripping, that is occurring, because the evaporator is getting even colder due to the correct refrigerant charge, producing more condensation, which is a good thing.
 
#17 ·
Thanks for getting back

My service receipt says " Receiver tank filter/dessicant ...replace
S/B 18-080
4047 W
14 B08799-003 R1234YF Freon
620025 A/C system evacuate and recharge.

There is no indication that O-rings were replaced

"They simply replaced the filter dryer sub-set assembly and recharged the A/C"

That was the repair that was done according to this new TSB.
 
#16 ·
Maybe your right and it's doing it because it was just repaired. I have two other newer vehicles and none of drop that much water and just read an article that said " a drip or two is normal... a puddle is not". This is happening in 70 degree weather and I am driving the truck from Montana to Arizona where is is 106 degrees and just don't want to end up on the side of the road.
 
#22 ·
S/B 18-080 includes a parts kit. #2 on the picture.
395841
 
#26 ·
Settings, do you run it in 'Auto' or manual 'A/C' button? On my Pilot and Ridgeline we run them both in Auto mode, and they both produce a fair amount of water. We notice the 'Recirculation' mode is On most of the time in Auto. This would limit the amount of humid outside air coming in. Which leads to less water dripping.

If your running with just the A/C button, this would always pull in the more humid outside air and produce more water condensation.
 
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#27 ·
The water is coming from removing the humidity in the air and not the heat. This morning I was at 62 degrees and 89% humidity. A 'drip or two' is NOT normal - think about how much water comes out of a typical window AC unit. Now consider your car probably has more than 3 times the capacity to overcome lack of insulation, solar load etc.

Unless the water is not coming from the condensate drain or there is some crazy issue where the AC is drawing from outside air instead of the cabin, I would be happy your system is working as well as it is.
 
#28 ·
The water is coming from removing the humidity in the air and not the heat. This morning I was at 62 degrees and 89% humidity. A 'drip or two' is NOT normal - think about how much water comes out of a typical window AC unit. Now consider your car probably has more than 3 times the capacity to overcome lack of insulation, solar load etc.

Unless the water is not coming from the condensate drain or there is some crazy issue where the AC is drawing from outside air instead of the cabin, I would be happy your system is working as well as it is.
I hear and understand what you are saying. I have a 2017 Corvette and a 2018 Mazda CX-9 and both were driven yesterday under the same conditions using both "re-circ" and fresh air and the Vette didn't drip at all and the Mazda barely, so should I be concerned about that?. I understand the mechanics of the situation but if this is "normal" for this particular vehicle it doesn't make me happy to pull into my garage and have a large puddle underneath every time.

Dealer is testing another vehicle to compare and wants me to bring it in for a look. He has seen the pictures and does admit it looks excessive. Does you RL emit this much water under those conditions?

Thanks again for your feedback. I'm more concerned because I am driving 1300 miles to Arizona next week where it is still 100 plus degrees daily.
 
#30 ·
Currently 77F / 62% humidity. Daughter was out sick today so I didn't drive the RL at all. Sun has already set past the house so interior was pretty close to outside temp. Ran A/C for 5 minutes at 67 Full Auto (computer set it to recirc)

I'd say a pretty sizable puddle (probably more so if my pavement was as nice as yours :), still dripping every 5-10 seconds or so after RL was shut off. Can't post a video but here is a still pic.

Note this is consistent with how it has been the last 3 years and has always worked great. Nearly 2000 miles of trips this summer including an 800 mile round trip to Outer banks NC at the end of July. My wife and daughter brought blankets for the drive.

Maybe your other cars have a drip pan or somewhere the condensate puddles until it evaporates? I will say that my wife's RAV4 does not drip as much in comparison, but it is 9 years old and the AC is also nowhere near as efficient.

Hopefully they find an issue if there is one.
 

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#32 ·
Sorry for the delay. Divorce got in the way..

So one of the earlier comments was correct. It only leaks that bad when the humidity is very high (70% or more it seems) and it is NOT on re-circ. So they did look at it and yes it did leak a lot when not on re-circ but a drip or two when on re-circ. So re-circ it is. It seems ok so I'll keep my fingers crossed. The other thing I don't love is you cannot just have outside air coming through the vents. If you turn it "off" the screen goes dark and you can't pump fresh air in.

Other than that really starting to like the RL now that I've been able to drive it a bit. Anyone recommend a good soft roll up tonneau cover. I like Truxedo a lot but hard to find on-line as they show every other truck even if you type in Ridgeline. I don't want the hard folding type.

Thanks for the responses. I hope I got my issues out of the way. They are fixing a lot of of those "dryer hose assemblies at the dealer I was at" so that is an issue.
 
#33 ·
I'm running with the "Access" brand of cover. I like it. Only had it on for 6 months now but a friend has one on her '06 since new and it's holding up well.
I had mine installed by the dealer and I'm glad I did. I'm very lazy and it was well worth the $50.00 charge.
 
#34 ·
One other thing on the A/C situation. I am finally going through the owners manual and the entire climate control bank of buttons is different than the manual? There is no "max" A/C button on my RTL-E? I'm confused. Why would that be different than the owners manual. I double checked mine is an RTL-E.... ??