[stevem5215]

In Pa they get three attempts at the same repair. Then we get to petition for a buyback. (minus a bunch of money)

 

[zroger73]

Given the prices being paid for used vehicles these days, it might be better to sell it as-is instead of trying to lemon-law it.

 

[Starquesbd22]

Hello all. Newbie here. I’m right in the middle of trying to decide between a 2020 Ridgeline Sport AWD with 2800 miles on it and a new 2021 Ranger. The RL wins the practicality test hands down. But I somehow stumbled across this whole leak issue and it’s a bit terrifying. Should I bring this thing home for an overnight test drive and saturate the rear window/front bed area to see what happens??

 

[Celltech]

Hello all. Newbie here. I’m right in the middle of trying to decide between a 2020 Ridgeline Sport AWD with 2800 miles on it and a new 2021 Ranger. The RL wins the practicality test hands down. But I somehow stumbled across this whole leak issue and it’s a bit terrifying. Should I bring this thing home for an overnight test drive and saturate the rear window/front bed area to see what happens??

I would...it's not hard to do. Plus you can look for any other possible issues...

 

[ToadVine]

Hyundai

Shouldn't be too hard to do while they are away checking on something. If you've never done any kind of interior work and aren't comfortable popping the sill panel then you'll just have to be extra charming and get them to do it for you.

Or, skip the charm and just tell them you won't consider buying it until you are sure that this well-known water leakage issue is not present. If they start hemming and hawing, then you have the answer.

 

[zroger73]

Under the current market conditions, the dealer might not be too accommodating since they know someone else who has no knowledge of the potential for water leaks will come along and buy it days or hours later.

 

[Starquesbd22]

I have some inside pull at this dealer. Shouldn’t be an issue to take it home overnight or at least keep it for a day.

Not sure if this matters but it is not at a Honda dealer.

 

[Ridgekid]

I read through a lot of your posts last night about the issues you had. Did you end up getting rid of your Ridgeline? Would you tell others to avoid getting one?

After all that pain and an angst, my Ridgeline is dry and I enjoy it immensely. I though about getting a lawyer for lemon law but honestly. even though it was service 4 times and for 85 days. it didn't meet the NY guidelines for a Lemon Law case, primarily because the problem got fixed on service number 3. Service number 4 was to fix body damage incurred when someone at the dealer drove under a car lift that was a bit too low! By the way, the body work was excellent.
The long service times were due to a combination of things but parts ( like new carpets) were hard to come by at times. I had the carpets replaced all three times.
Finally, even if I got my money back, there were no RTL-Es available at least in the color I had and would want.
I could have gone to court to sue for loss of use blah blah blah but I just wanted it all behind me.
Will I keep my 2020 as long as I did my Gen 1? Maybe, maybe not. Let's see how it holds up. I got the the Ridgeline primarily for the trunk. That may sound silly but it is one of the best features in addition to the ride. It may not be the meanest truck,haul the biggest load or work out for a contractor but for my needs it is an great fit. As I get older, many of the newer safety features are a big plus. I love the adaptive cruise control, I use it all the time. I rarely used cruise control on my Gen1. So far, the blind spot warning system has saved my a*s several times The heated steering wheel is wonderful for folks like me who suffer from circulation problems
Yes, there are things I don't like but there were things like that on the Gen1.
All in all, I am pleased.

 

[zroger73]

I have some inside pull at this dealer. Shouldn’t be an issue to take it home overnight or at least keep it for a day.

Not sure if this matters but it is not at a Honda dealer.

I'd skip both the Ridgeline and the Ranger and sit tight.

1. Ask yourself why someone (present company excluded) would trade in a vehicle that's less than 18 months old and has only 2,800 miles. Maybe they had problems and dumped it. A vehicle that's at least 6 months old with only 2,800 miles? Maybe it spent a lot of time in the shop to have been driven so little.

2. Since the Ridgeline isn't not being sold by a Honda dealer, it can't be sold as Honda Certified Pre-Owned with the 4/48 "bumper-to-bumper" warranty and 7/100 powertrain warranty.

 

[Starquesbd22]

It was sold in Nov of 2020 to a 70 year old man. The salesman told me why he traded it in but I don’t remember. I’ll have to ask again. I do know he traded it for a Colorado.

It has a loose rattle over uneven surfaces coming from the rear. I have read multiple reports of new RL owners finding loose suspension bolts in the rear. I have wondered if this was a factor in the first owner deciding to trade. He is semi local to me and I have tried to get in touch with him to ask but haven’t been successful yet.

 

[LCHsooner]

After all that pain and an angst, my Ridgeline is dry and I enjoy it immensely. I though about getting a lawyer for lemon law but honestly. even though it was service 4 times and for 85 days. it didn't meet the NY guidelines for a Lemon Law case, primarily because the problem got fixed on service number 3. Service number 4 was to fix body damage incurred when someone at the dealer drove under a car lift that was a bit too low! By the way, the body work was excellent.
The long service times were due to a combination of things but parts ( like new carpets) were hard to come by at times. I had the carpets replaced all three times.
Finally, even if I got my money back, there were no RTL-Es available at least in the color I had and would want.
I could have gone to court to sue for loss of use blah blah blah but I just wanted it all behind me.
Will I keep my 2020 as long as I did my Gen 1? Maybe, maybe not. Let's see how it holds up. I got the the Ridgeline primarily for the trunk. That may sound silly but it is one of the best features in addition to the ride. It may not be the meanest truck,haul the biggest load or work out for a contractor but for my needs it is an great fit. As I get older, many of the newer safety features are a big plus. I love the adaptive cruise control, I use it all the time. I rarely used cruise control on my Gen1. So far, the blind spot warning system has saved my a*s several times The heated steering wheel is wonderful for folks like me who suffer from circulation problems
Yes, there are things I don't like but there were things like that on the Gen1.
All in all, I am pleased.

Thanks so much. Glad you are still enjoying your Ridgeline.

 

[RogersRTS]

Hello all. Newbie here. I’m right in the middle of trying to decide between a 2020 Ridgeline Sport AWD with 2800 miles on it and a new 2021 Ranger. The RL wins the practicality test hands down. But I somehow stumbled across this whole leak issue and it’s a bit terrifying. Should I bring this thing home for an overnight test drive and saturate the rear window/front bed area to see what happens??

I would take it overnight to check for leaks. It's a 10-minute task to lift the rear door sill plates & carpet to check. Make sure to get drainage (in quantity) through the drain slots near the lower corners of the rear window. It's also helpful to ensure the front end of the truck is slightly downhill if possible so drainage follows the back of the cab as opposed to the headboard of the bed. After talking with dealership service people, also want to run water over the top of the cab to check if anything is migrating downward through the upper rear window & surrounding frame area.

 

[john brown]

Welcome to the u-boat club. Yours sounds like the classic body seam sealing issue on the passenger side. My water was in the middle and Honda says it's a leaking window. It's in the shop still awaiting corporate approval for the repairs.

You are very right about how you might never know it's leaking based on the carpet itself....that foam backing keeps it from wicking up. I would encourage every G2 RL owner to take the time and feel under the carpet...whomever is applying sealant at the plant needs to be "educated".

educated? like taught to flip burgers yesterday!

 

[Cbayman]

Hello all. Newbie here. I’m right in the middle of trying to decide between a 2020 Ridgeline Sport AWD with 2800 miles on it and a new 2021 Ranger. The RL wins the practicality test hands down. But I somehow stumbled across this whole leak issue and it’s a bit terrifying. Should I bring this thing home for an overnight test drive and saturate the rear window/front bed area to see what happens??

What is the dealer asking for this used RL? 2021 Sports seem to available and are going for ~$34K. Not sure if any 2020s are left, but If you can find a leftover new 2020, it will be about $32K.

Actual prices paid ONLY - comments will be deleted

21 White Black Edition $42,121 Seattle WA Area

www.ridgelineownersclub.com

 

[Starquesbd22]

Is this the drain area you are referring to?

It is priced at 37K but I’d be giving about 34 for it before TTT and trade.

 

[Celltech]

With the truck facing downhill I can get mine to leak simply by doing this: Leak Video

 

[RogersRTS]

View attachment 413299

Is this the drain area you are referring to?

It is priced at 37K but I’d be giving about 34 for it before TTT and trade.

Yes, those are the drain slots. I just caulked mine shut yesterday hoping to minimize the chances of water draining down the cab wall while waiting for a permanent repair...

 

[Starquesbd22]

Well guys, I am saddened. Picked up the RL this morning and drove it to the Ford dealer I have been dealing with on the new Ranger where we immediately hopped in and drove the Ranger. I like the Ranger but the RL is by far the superior vehicle when it comes to comfort and quality. I was honestly biased to the Ranger in the beginning of all this but after spending some time in the RL, it was quickly becoming my obvious choice. Haven’t had time to turn the hose on it yet but it’s parked in the garage and I thought I might as well check it out. Started by pulling the driver side rear sill plate and running my hand under the carpet…dry as a bone. Repeated on the passenger side and…reached into soaked foam.

I’m extremely disappointed. This seems like an excellent vehicle for my needs and I was really looking forward to Honda reliability. I’m sure the selling dealer and/or Honda would eventually fix this vehicle but I don’t believe I have any interest in being a part of that.

 

[zroger73]

I'd skip both the Ridgeline and the Ranger and sit tight.

1. Ask yourself why someone (present company excluded) would trade in a vehicle that's less than 18 months old and has only 2,800 miles. Maybe they had problems and dumped it. A vehicle that's at least 6 months old with only 2,800 miles? Maybe it spent a lot of time in the shop to have been driven so little.

It was sold in Nov of 2020 to a 70 year old man. The salesman told me why he traded it in but I don’t remember. I’ll have to ask again. I do know he traded it for a Colorado.

Repeated on the passenger side and…reached into soaked foam.

@zroger73 glares at @Starquesbd22 for several minutes with absolutely no emotional expression whatsoever from across the room.

 

[wjfyfe]

Started by pulling the driver side rear sill plate and running my hand under the carpet…dry as a bone. Repeated on the passenger side and…reached into soaked foam.

First, I got to thank you Starquesbd22 for because of you I now know how easily the sill plates pop off in the rear! What did I find, after two years of Oregon winter rains and a dozen or more washings, it was reassuring to find that with our 2019 RTL was bone dry as far as I could reach under the carpet on both sides!

Thank you again, Starquesbd22,

Bill