[RogersRTS]

Today, I pulled the driver's side inner fender liner and isolated a significant leak. Found the body grommet for the fuel door release cable is torn. The tear is difficult to spot and can easily be overlooked or mistaken for a leaking caulk seal.

Afterwards, determined the neck on that grommet wasn't extended correctly (wasn't torn) and causing a distortion, so pulled into place and checked again for fitment which was much better. Decided to goop the entire area including filling the salt-trap valley behind the factory sealant with elastomeric sealer and hope for the best. That grommet is basically glued in place now with sealer extending up the cable.

One thing to note after tearing this apart, the of placement of these 3 body penetrations and wiring harnesses was a really poor engineering choice. All moisture from above will drain directly over these spots. That's everything coming from the drain slots near the rear window and the front lower bed drain holes. It would likely be constantly wet. What's that expression... can't fix stupid.

 

[Celltech]

Decided to goop the entire area including filling the salt-trap valley behind the factory sealant with elastomeric sealer and hope for the best. That grommet is basically glued in place now with sealer extending up the cable.

Great job! I finally heard today that the body shop resealed the seam, but the dealer doesn't know if they were able to reproduce the leak or if they filled in the moat. When I e-mail the body hop directly all I get is caveman responses: "truck taken apart" "seam resealed" "water test tomorrow"....GGRRR

Did you fill in the channel from side to side, or just that part near the grommets?

 

[RogersRTS]

Great job! I finally heard today that the body shop resealed the seam, but the dealer doesn't know if they were able to reproduce the leak or if they filled in the moat. When I e-mail the body hop directly all I get is caveman responses: "truck taken apart" "seam resealed" "water test tomorrow"....GGRRR

Did you fill in the channel from side to side, or just that part near the grommets?

Yes, back filled the valley side-to-side in that corner. Was @ 4" long gap then dissipates to none as far as I can see across under the bed floor. I'm still debating top coating that entire seam line with white elastomeric roof coating while I have the fender liner out. For $20 to get a gallon & MacGyver a paint brush handle to reach across, it might be cheap insurance.

 

[Iceqb]

After washing out the bed of my '21 RL this weekend I decided to check under the rear carpets. There was a slight amount of water on the passenger side, so I dried it out and decided to keep an eye on it. It rained most of the night last night and all this morning on my drive to work. I parked with the nose facing slightly downhill and let it sit all day. The rain stopped at some point during the day, but I checked it tonight and no new water, so I'm thinking I may have just hit the rear slider a little hard with the hose and it got a little water in that way. I'll be keeping an eye on it though and will update if more water gets in.

 

[owequitit]

I ran Celltech's test on my own RTL-E this morning, and came up with the same result. A very slow leak in about the same spot. I also had mine on a roughly 3-5 degree reverse incline, so the water would pool at the front of the bed. With the hose on full blast, I managed to get the water to about 3" deep at the front of the bed.

My leak was not as bad, but it was doing basically the same thing. The carpet was dry however, despite washing it and waxing it yesterday, so it doesn't seem to be as bad as Celltech's, but definitely there.

I also inspected underneath where the water was running after the leak was found. I found the same area to be wet that I believe was mentioned earlier. Underneath the seam that Celltech mentioned, there is a flat area and at the front edge of that, there another seam where the bottom panel was corrugated and spot welded to the upper. There was definite evidence of possible water intrusion there, and it was slightly further forward. Hard to see though with the truck still together whether this was the likely intrusion point or not.

Needless, to say, I will have to also make a dealer appointment for this because while I don't want them to tear my brand new truck apart, I am also not going to void any warranty coverage by doing it myself, nor am I going to drive around in a leaky truck and let Honda not deal with it.

This is really unfortunate because this is our 17th Honda car product, and while they have not all been completely problem free, there is a definite difference in the fit and finish of these Ridgelines compared to any other Honda we have had and that includes my wife's 2019 Pilot which has no fitment issues whatsoever. I looked at 2 MSM trucks with black interior and they both had misfitting parts, though the one I ended up with doesn't have any obvious cosmetic flaws except the ill fitting lower front window trim. The other one had a misaligned front bumper corner, the ill fitting window trim and an improperly aligned hood. Considering the increasing importance of trucks and SUV's with the fact that 3 of Honda's 5 truck SUV products roll off the same line, they better figure out how to get this Alabama factory up to snuff. I left GM and Ford for this sort of stuff long ago and still haven't gone back... I hope Honda soon finds the quality religion they seem to have lost a ways back like Toyota did when Akio took over.

Our 1988 Accord had a structurally weak trunk latch that would bend if you shut the trunk too hard. Japanese built.

My 1990 Accord had a design flaw in the front cam seal that necessitated a new cam seal and subsequent timing belt job when it was brand new. Also Japan built. (I still have this car after ~25 years, and once Honda worked out the cam seal, the thing is BY FAR the best Honda we have ever owned).

Our 2002 Accord used to leak from the seal above the right rear door, even though it was seated properly. Ohio built.

I get that cars are complex and have issues, but to be honest, this screams design flaw. The fact that they haven't fixed it yet, and it is so widespread really supports that theory. If it is the pinch weld, then they should have built it difference with the seam facing down so water couldn't intrude as easily.

I'll update on my adventure...

 

[Hoffernsp]

Same situation on my 2021 RTL Pewter 350 mi. Last night after over an inch of rain I checked and found dampness under the rear passenger carpet. Not soaked but enough to feel it. Here are two pics of my Tuxedo ProX15 cover. It seems like it just meets the edge of the top rail openings and there is some water leakage in the front bed corners as well. I too left GM/Ford for a better vehicle - hope Honda reacts to these issues. I wonder how may other owners who not aware off this problem are going to react once they find out when it's too late. Also called the dealer and they said as of today that they are not aware (surprise) of the leakage problems.

(surprise)

 

[Sparkland]

Same situation on my 2021 RTL Pewter 350 mi. Last night after over an inch of rain I checked and found dampness under the rear passenger carpet. Not soaked but enough to feel it. Here are two pics of my Tuxedo ProX15 cover. It seems like it just meets the edge of the top rail openings and there is some water leakage in the front bed corners as well. I too left GM/Ford for a better vehicle - hope Honda reacts to these issues. I wonder how may other owners who not aware off this problem are going to react once they find out when it's too late. Also called the dealer and they said as of today that they are not aware (surprise) of the leakage problems. View attachment 413664 View attachment 413665 (surprise)

All tonneau covers allow some amount of water into the bed, BUT the carpet should not be wet inside your truck. Let us know what Honda finds out.

 

[RogersRTS]

A quick & simple step I would add to Celltech's test is lift up the rear seat and remove the plastic access panels that are directly underneath the seats. There is one panel for each side. They are held in by plastic pins similar to the sill plates and simply pull straight out to remove. With the panels removed, the backside of the grommet holes can be viewed using a flashlight, look toward the outside cab corners. I was able to easily verify water leaking from around the grommet before it leaked in quantities to reach the carpet padding. Just the quick tip of the day...

 

[Celltech]

A quick & simple step I would add to Celltech's test is lift up the rear seat and remove the plastic access panels that are directly underneath the seats. There is one panel for each side.

I have actually been thinking about saying the under seat panels are perhaps easier to remove than the sill plates and give you better access to the carpet. And for sure it's the way to actually watch for water dripping in as you leak check...

 

[Hoffernsp]

A quick & simple step I would add to Celltech's test is lift up the rear seat and remove the plastic access panels that are directly underneath the seats. There is one panel for each side. They are held in by plastic pins similar to the sill plates and simply pull straight out to remove. With the panels removed, the backside of the grommet holes can be viewed using a flashlight, look toward the outside cab corners. I was able to easily verify water leaking from around the grommet before it leaked in quantities to reach the carpet padding. Just the quick tip of the day...

Are the panels under the outside along the sill - not the front leg floor supports?

 

[Celltech]

These 5 seat belt and hardware panels...they more or less just pull straight out:

 

[Hoffernsp]

These 5 seat belt and hardware panels...they more or less just pull straight out:

View attachment 413670

Thansk I'll do it today. BTW any guess how many 2020-2021 have these issues? All of them?

 

[zroger73]

Thansk I'll do it today. BTW any guess how many 2020-2021 have these issues? All of them?

Who knows? I guarantee it's more common than people realize, though, since the vast majority of owners don't disassemble their vehicles to check for water leaks. They may never be aware of it until electrical problems arise or the floor rusts out. If the vehicle stinks, they'll just cover it up with air freshener and if the windows fog up, they'll just turn on the defogger.

 

[RogersRTS]

This afternoon, water tested the seal work done a few days ago. That area was completely dry so was excited with success.

Then moved the hose to the bed and let it run for several minutes with the front of the truck slightly downhill so that the water was draining through the drilled drains at the forward edge of the bed. That activity was terrible for leaking into the cab through an interior seam at almost floor level. The attached photo shows the visible leak point by pulling back the carpet.

I'm also seeing water running horizontal along the underside sheetmetal that is forward of that long sealed seam where some are hyper-focused. Underneath, I'm looking at a wide open seam that is very suspicious and dripping wet. It's directly forward and above of the fuel tank adjacent to the fuel pump access panel. In fact, the photos show water dripping from the pump access panel, which raises the possibility that seal could be a leak source. I'm thinking that cross seam should likely be sealed but need the truck up on a lift or ramps to get a better view. Most likely the next step is removing the rear seat to check the fuel pump access panel seal. That panel was opened a couple years ago for a recall, odor signs of the leak appeared shortly afterwards.

 

[Celltech]

Now that is a fascinating set of pictures. I have neve seen shots of those holes below the main seam. If you take the hose and shoot water directly into them, what happens? I swear they should take the whole unibody and dip it in flex-seal...

 

[owequitit]

That’s the seam I was referring to. Probably the best way to find it is test each possibility individually and see what happens.

I thought it was weird that the panel you show has water running directly down it when on an incline, has no sealer and seems to be corrugated with run channels that seem to go nowhere.

I also did some digging today and I believe the purpose of the seam Celltech is referring to ties the floor pan and rear bulkhead together. That bulkhead seems to have been the key to removing the buttress, which is fine, but why not carry it under the floor where water intrusion wouldn’t be an issue?

I’ll have to put it on ramps again and test it.

 

[RogersRTS]

Now that is a fascinating set of pictures. I have neve seen shots of those holes below the main seam. If you take the hose and shoot water directly into them, what happens? I swear they should take the whole unibody and dip it in flex-seal...

That's a really good question. I should try that test. The hose was put away before taking the photos. The photos were taken through the removed driver's side fender liner, and done blindly by sticking my iPhone in the hole with the flash turned on. So didn't really know this while soaking the bed. Also, all that water got that far forward with strictly gravity drainage from the forward bed drain holes.

 

[Fulton-722]

... so if we seal the 10 drain holes at the front of the bed, and the two open 1/2" x 4" slots just below the left & right edges of the rear window, would this keep water out of that area pictured where it can leak into the rear floor area of the cab ?

 

[RogersRTS]

That’s the seam I was referring to. Probably the best way to find it is test each possibility individually and see what happens.

I thought it was weird that the panel you show has water running directly down it when on an incline, has no sealer and seems to be corrugated with run channels that seem to go nowhere.

I also did some digging today and I believe the purpose of the seam Celltech is referring to ties the floor pan and rear bulkhead together. That bulkhead seems to have been the key to removing the buttress, which is fine, but why not carry it under the floor where water intrusion wouldn’t be an issue?

I’ll have to put it on ramps again and test it.

Think the engineering question is why are there stamped corrugated drain slots at that panel joint, and what else do they drain? My 1st instinct is to seal them but would hate to find out after-the-fact they drain some other area from above. The back story is that my truck is out of warranty so basically on my own and liberated to fix this with some common sense. Last Friday, Honda Corporate people called me back, politely told me to pound sand when we discussed fixing their design/manufacturing problem. Oh right, this must be their self-rinsing carpet feature, must have missed that in the glossy brochure booklet in late 2016.

 

[RogersRTS]

... so if we seal the 10 drain holes at the front of the bed, and the two open 1/2" x 4" slots just below the left & right edges of the rear window, would this keep water out of that area pictured where it can leak into the rear floor area of the cab ?

Not likely. Ever drive through a car wash with a chassis bath? Or drive in the rain? My major wet carpet event was noticed after a 3500 mile trip where the only rain was experienced at 70 mph. Other times it's parked in a dry garage. I sealed the 2 upper drain slots and have a tonneau cover. That will divert & minimize water from challenging these problem areas, but doesn't fix these leak areas.