[14v6]

So for those that don't check for soaked foam and it goes unnoticed other than air quality wouldn't mold be all over the place and an odor? Years ago with an Odyssey, in the winter my boots got the carpeted matts wet and they stunk and this was from an area that didn't hold more than a tea cup. Could it be possible that the RL has this foam for a reason and it's a case of what you don't know won't hurt you? It seems like some RL issues (rear window, tailgate harness, fuel cover) are where there is differentiation from the Pilot and Honda just did a sh*t job in manufacturing and design. Early on there were reports of bumpy welds on the doors causing rust and leaks. Its been 5 production cycles and one MMR and we are still talking about the same stuff. Crazy rash of leak threads lately but maybe wet foam is more common? I've never checked so don't know.

This probably has been posted before but looks like a textbook case of what folks are reporting.

 

[redman7.0]

Hi all. I know there are a few threads on here about this topic, but each one varies a little it seems. I wanted to start a new one trying to get a feel for just how many G2 Ridge's are affected by the sloppy sealing. I have a feeling a lot more people have the issue, but just don't realize it yet. So I'd like to ask as many of you as possible who have a 2017+ to just check under their rear floors and post if you have moisture under them. It's crazy easy - just pop the plastic cover off that you step over as you get into the rear (simple plastic tabs hold it down), and slide your hand under the carpet on each side of the rear flooring.

I'm asking people to do this because I just bought a used 2017 2 weeks ago. Bought it from a dealership, but not a Honda (Chevy actually who took it in on trade). Yesterday I got my Weathertech flooring in and installed them. While I was putting the under seat storage box in I thought it felt a little spongier than I'd expect. Slid my hand under and voila - the entire rear of my truck was SOAKED. Like totally soaked - not jus a little wet. But it didn't come through the actual carpet yet, so I never would have known had I not dug under there.

I googled and found this forum (amazing site BTW), and started reading threads. When I bought the vehicle I went through it pretty well. There was zero mildew smell, the floors weren't wet, etc. Carfax reported nothing about it being into the shop for leaks, and the previous owner definitely maintained it well based on service history. Dealership I bought it from is reputable in the area, and swears they knew nothing about the leak or else they wouldn't have re-sold it on their lot. I tend to believe them based on a discussion I had yesterday. They're going to help me try and diagnose - hopefully with a discount on the labor.

I can't tell you how much I LOVE this truck - I've done nothing but rave about it since I got it. My buddies all drive full size, as did I before I bought it. They love to give me a hard time about it not being a real truck, and I give it right back to them as they absolutely never use theirs for anything more that what my Ridge could handle. But this water thing really seems to be a huge issue that Honda hasn't addressed. I'm going to call myself and see if I get anywhere with them - don't expect to at all but I'm going to try.

The only way this will become a recall though is if enough people report the issue. That's why I'm begging everyone who sees this to check their rear flooring underneath it (got to get your hands underneath as the spongey part of the carpet really absorbs the water well and keeps it from bubbling up to the top carpet). PLEASE - go check and if you find moisture, report here and to your local Honda dealer (or Honda America customer support). Bitch, complain, threaten - whatever you are up for just do it. I have a very strong feeling this is a much larger issue than has been reported, but because the water isn't coming through the carpet, most don't realize it's happening. Again - if we get enough people complaining about it to Honda - maybe down the road they'll issue the recall and we can get reimbursed for out of pocket expenses to have it fixed.

Thanks everyone - love this forum. Love the Ridgeline. Just don't like Honda's response (lack of) so far to this issue.

It will never become a recall because it's not a safety related issue. However Honda could own up to their mistake and issue a TSB to address the issue and possibly extend the warranty regarding such issue.

 

[Mach]

I gave my new 2021 Ridgeline a light wash today. Hose was on the sprinkle-setting so it wasn’t high pressure, just rain-like. I made sure to wet down all windows and the roof. I checked under the left side passenger carpet - bone dry. “Hmm looks like it’s a non-issue for me, but let me check the other side just in case.” I checked under the right side passenger carpet. “Uh oh.” The floor and the foam-backing of the carpet were obviously wet. There was some staining on the bottom of the foam, too, which seemed to be evidence of past water leaks during some of the rain we have had over the past couple weeks. I dropped it off with my dealership.

I encourage everyone to check for this on both sides of their passenger carpet (your driveway may be sloped, directing water to one side). If Honda can’t fix your Ridgeline, don’t hesitate to exercise your rights under lemon laws.

 

[RogersRTS]

My take-away from a 2nd conversation on Friday with my dealer's service dept over my leaky '17 RL is that Honda basically doesn't reimburse dealers sufficiently to troubleshoot and repair leaks. Pretty much pays them standard hours to replace failed parts so not much incentive to find & fix these issues without a failed part to replace. They even suggested I might want try a different dealer. Of course, they claimed they had never seen this problem until another almost identical RL (but 2-yr newer) showed up a month ago with the same complaint. That truck had spent 2 weeks in their shop and just happened to be back again for the same problem. They were discussing their next step as pulling out the entire bed for better access. Their last suggestion was let them fix this other guys truck, then discuss fixing mine. Hard to believe Honda corporate offices wouldn't know about this problem and would already have some form of guidance or TSB to manage their warranty claims made by dealers. Really sad situation.

 

[MrClam]

Have all the ones that had a leak been with a sliding rear window or there’s been no correlation to the type of back window?

 

[wjfyfe]

I wrote this a couple of months back:

Thinking as a mechanic, and a carpenter, one of the things I truly hate is tracking down water leaks. Be it a structure, or a vehicle, the water can travel a considerable distance and tracking the leak to it's source can surely be an exercise in frustration. Very seldom do you find it where you would think it should be.

Bill

Poor Quality

Haven’t posted in a while so wanted to share my experience with my 2019 RTL-T. I purchased my truck in October of 2019. In March 2020 I found a large amount of water under the drivers side under all weather mat. Too make a long story short I took my truck and left at dealer 4 times for a total...

www.ridgelineownersclub.com

I would think that Honda themselves should have a pretty good handle on where these leaks probably are originating from and should be offering suggestions. Otherwise, if a dealer has little to no experience with tracing a particular water leak, they have all my empathy with tracking a leak down blindly.

Bill

 

[RogersRTS]

Have all the ones that had a leak been with a sliding rear window or there’s been no correlation to the type of back window?

No, mine is a solid glass rear window, it's coming though the sheet metal seams.

 

[zroger73]

My take-away from a 2nd conversation on Friday with my dealer's service dept over my leaky '17 RL is that Honda basically doesn't reimburse dealers sufficiently to troubleshoot and repair leaks.

Water leaks are covered only by the 3/36 New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

Hard to believe Honda corporate offices wouldn't know about this problem and would already have some form of guidance or TSB to manage their warranty claims made by dealers.

Honda most certainly knows about every single water leak that they have to cover under warranty. Until the warranty repair costs exceed the cost to address the issue, it will continue.

 

[MrClam]

No, mine is a solid glass rear window, it's coming though the sheet metal seams.

Ok…I feel bad for anyone dealing with this…what a pain.

 

[Sparkland]

As much as I bash Subaru, I have a feeling that Subaru of America would handle this a bit differently than Honda. I called Subaru corporate, and had my problem with the dealer, concerning my 2018 Outback, resolved in two days.

 

[peterdaniel]

Truly and completely unacceptable.

 

[Mach]

No, mine is a solid glass rear window, it's coming though the sheet metal seams.

Mine is a solid glass rear window, too.

I really like my Ridgeline but the leak I found is concerning. I have young kids and they ride in the rear seats. I don’t want to expose them to mold. I’m really hoping the Honda dealership succeeds in getting this leak sealed.

Water leaks are covered only by the 3/36 New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

Honda most certainly knows about every single water leak that they have to cover under warranty. Until the warranty repair costs exceed the cost to address the issue, it will continue.

In Georgia, we also have the lemon law for new vehicles. The defect must occur within the first 24 months or 24,000 miles from delivery, whichever comes first.

Then you generally have to give the manufacturer three attempts to fix the defect plus one final attempt. If Honda still can’t fix it, then you can demand it buys back or replaces the vehicle.

If people start lemoning out their Ridgelines due to unresolved leaks, you can bet Honda will start paying much closer attention.

 

[Robbie M]

Does anyone with leaks have a bed cover? I have a bed cover and I have not found any water leaking in anywhere.

 

[CNC1]

I checked both sides today, we had a downpour a while ago. I pulled up the trim plates on both sides, no water under the carpet.

 

[RogersRTS]

Does anyone with leaks have a bed cover? I have a bed cover and I have not found any water leaking in anywhere.

Yes, have a soft tri-fold. Only speculative, but believe it would enhance to likelihood of leaks being found because more water would collect & reach the drains by the rear window. Otherwise most rain water would enter the bed and drain through other places.

Water leaks are covered only by the 3/36 New Vehicle Limited Warranty.



Honda most certainly knows about every single water leak that they have to cover under warranty. Until the warranty repair costs exceed the cost to address the issue, it will continue.

Mine is still under a 5/60 Hondacare extended warranty until the end of Dec '21. When I spoke with Honda Customer support a couple weeks ago, they claim that warranty coverage would be the same as the basic 3/36 at this point in time. Their specific request was that I don't disturb the panels/seals or attempt any repair until their field rep can inspect the truck.

The disconnect is no contact yet with their team, and the dealer is essentially brokering contact with the local field rep and won't take mine in for their inspection until I agree to pay for anything they do in case Honda won't pay. They seem pretty frustrated by the other leaky RL parked in their wash bay to where they don't want another.

 

[Sparkland]

Mine is still under a 5/60 Hondacare extended warranty until the end of Dec '21. When I spoke with Honda Customer support a couple weeks ago, they claim that warranty coverage would be the same as the basic 3/36 at this point in time. Their specific request was that I don't disturb the panels/seals or attempt any repair until their field rep can inspect the truck.

The disconnect is no contact yet with their team, and the dealer is essentially brokering contact with the local field rep and won't take mine in for their inspection until I agree to pay for anything they do in case Honda won't pay. They seem pretty frustrated by the other leaky RL parked in their wash bay to where they don't want another.

Do you have another Honda dealer nearby that you can use for the repair?

 

[RogersRTS]

Do you have another Honda dealer nearby that you can use for the repair?

The irony is their service writer suggested the same thing... relatively clear they don't want this problem in their shop. Would almost need to have witnessed the conversation to understand the nuances and fidgety body language. I was given the direct phone number for their Service Mgr, will be trying that first.

 

[zroger73]

When I spoke with Honda Customer support a couple weeks ago, they claim that warranty coverage would be the same as the basic 3/36 at this point in time.

Honda Care coverage is not the same as the 3/36 New Vehicle Limited Warranty and specifically excludes water leaks among other items, but if Honda wants to cover it under goodwill - great!

From page 12 of the Honda Care vehicle service contract:

IV. WHAT IS NOT COVERED
[...]
15. Rattles, odors, water leaks, air leaks, wind noise, vibration, deterioration, discoloration, distortion, deformation and/or fading.

 

[VJB2]

Have all the ones that had a leak been with a sliding rear window or there’s been no correlation to the type of back window?

I do NOT have a sliding rear window. It doesn't seem to be tied to that at all from what I've researched.

 

[VJB2]

Does anyone with leaks have a bed cover? I have a bed cover and I have not found any water leaking in anywhere.

Yes I have a bed cover on mine. In troubleshooting I actually took my cover off yesterday morning. It seemed very well sealed in terms of no water gets into the bed itself. But I'm wondering if its holding a bit more water close to these problem areas and flooding them with more water than what you'd normally get without them. So I'm going to leave mine off for a while and see if my back remains dry. Last night it rained lightly (about a 1/4 inch) and my rear floor was bone dry. We'll see what happens when we get a good heavy rain.

Hi all. I know there are a few threads on here about this topic, but each one varies a little it seems. I wanted to start a new one trying to get a feel for just how many G2 Ridge's are affected by the sloppy sealing. I have a feeling a lot more people have the issue, but just don't realize it yet. So I'd like to ask as many of you as possible who have a 2017+ to just check under their rear floors and post if you have moisture under them. It's crazy easy - just pop the plastic cover off that you step over as you get into the rear (simple plastic tabs hold it down), and slide your hand under the carpet on each side of the rear flooring.

I'm asking people to do this because I just bought a used 2017 2 weeks ago. Bought it from a dealership, but not a Honda (Chevy actually who took it in on trade). Yesterday I got my Weathertech flooring in and installed them. While I was putting the under seat storage box in I thought it felt a little spongier than I'd expect. Slid my hand under and voila - the entire rear of my truck was SOAKED. Like totally soaked - not jus a little wet. But it didn't come through the actual carpet yet, so I never would have known had I not dug under there.

I googled and found this forum (amazing site BTW), and started reading threads. When I bought the vehicle I went through it pretty well. There was zero mildew smell, the floors weren't wet, etc. Carfax reported nothing about it being into the shop for leaks, and the previous owner definitely maintained it well based on service history. Dealership I bought it from is reputable in the area, and swears they knew nothing about the leak or else they wouldn't have re-sold it on their lot. I tend to believe them based on a discussion I had yesterday. They're going to help me try and diagnose - hopefully with a discount on the labor.

I can't tell you how much I LOVE this truck - I've done nothing but rave about it since I got it. My buddies all drive full size, as did I before I bought it. They love to give me a hard time about it not being a real truck, and I give it right back to them as they absolutely never use theirs for anything more that what my Ridge could handle. But this water thing really seems to be a huge issue that Honda hasn't addressed. I'm going to call myself and see if I get anywhere with them - don't expect to at all but I'm going to try.

The only way this will become a recall though is if enough people report the issue. That's why I'm begging everyone who sees this to check their rear flooring underneath it (got to get your hands underneath as the spongey part of the carpet really absorbs the water well and keeps it from bubbling up to the top carpet). PLEASE - go check and if you find moisture, report here and to your local Honda dealer (or Honda America customer support). Bitch, complain, threaten - whatever you are up for just do it. I have a very strong feeling this is a much larger issue than has been reported, but because the water isn't coming through the carpet, most don't realize it's happening. Again - if we get enough people complaining about it to Honda - maybe down the road they'll issue the recall and we can get reimbursed for out of pocket expenses to have it fixed.

Thanks everyone - love this forum. Love the Ridgeline. Just don't like Honda's response (lack of) so far to this issue.

Update: Thanks for correcting me on the Recall statement above that I made. Correct I guess this wouldn't be a safety issue (although one could argue mold is a health hazzard!?), so it would be more of a TSB. Quick update on my situation. I ended up not being able to leave things alone, and took the rear seat out and cut the flooring across that middle "seam" where the rear seat stands snap into. Pulled that out and left it in the sun for 2 days. Seemed pretty dry as of this morning. Also pulled the rest of the carpet up as much as I could, and left a running fain pointed into the back for 2 days. It's starting to dry out now, and I'm going to leave the rear section of the carpet out until the solution is found so that I can easily see when leaks occur.

Also for the person who asked about smell - all I can tell you is that in the 12 days I had mine, including a long test drive and inspecting the vehicle, I didn't notice any type of smell at all. In fact, the spongey part that was soaked and has now dried out, doesn't appear to have any mold either. Not sure how that's possible, but regardless so far I'm not concerned about mold issues long term as long as I can get the spot fixed that is leaking. Praying the dealership will work with me and help find it. They can do water tests, so they said they would do whatever they can to find it. Fingers crossed - I truly LOVE this truck (yes it's a truck all you full size guys!!). Keep posting everyone if you find water. I'm sorry if I prompted you to find bad news in asking you to check - but better to know than not to know?!