Honda Ridgeline Owners Club Forums banner

Have you found moisture under your rear flooring in your 2017+ Ridgeline?

POLL: Have you found water under the carpet in your 2017+ Ridgeline?

185K views 1K replies 158 participants last post by  RogersRTS 
#1 ·
This is my first posting but have been lurking for a couple of years. I had a 2008 RTX that I traded in for a 2021 Ridgeline Sport back in March. After reading a post on the water intrusion problem I decided to check mine by pulling up the sill plate and checking under the carpeting and found the foam under the carpet soaked on the rear seat on the passenger side. I have it at the dealer at the present time and they’ve ordered new carpeting and removing the rear seats, etc., to try and locate the leak. They claim that they have not seen this problem before on the 2021 Ridgelines and I believe that the reason is because owners don’t realize it’s leaking because you can’t tell by just feeling the top of the carpet, you have to check underneath. I love this truck and it’s my second Ridgeline and feel the dealer will make this right but want to get the word out to other owners of 2021 Ridgelines that aren’t aware of this problem . Hopefully Honda will be made aware of this issue and correct it. My build date by the way is 2/21. Good luck, it’s still a great truck in spite of certain build problems.
 
#563 ·
Some encouraging news on my specific case. After partnering with the dealer recreate the problem (by bringing my exact hose, my Rhino Ramps so we could incline it to exactly 6 degrees, and lending them my digital level gauge), we were able to recreate the issue and see the water seep through in this location. After a trip to the body shop, some consultation with Honda, and some confusion about how to procure the right 3M sealant (apparently California won't allow it shipped to the state?), it was patched from the inside. After bringing the Ridgeline home and retesting with the same conditions, I could not get it to leak anymore.

Motor vehicle Hood Automotive tire Automotive lighting Automotive design
Hood Motor vehicle Automotive tire Grey Automotive lighting


I will keep an eye on this, I've purchased some water detection strips (Cobalt Chloride Test Paper) and will leave them under there, checking every so often. It's a bit disconcerting that this design seems to depend on sealant, however: look at how much is along the back wall... and that is the INTERIOR of the vehicle.

If possible, I would recommend working with your dealer to recreate the issue so you can solve it together. The rear of the "truck" is not hard to disassemble, but you want to have an open view of the back wall while someone is spraying water.

Hood Automotive lighting Automotive tire Trunk Motor vehicle


This is my first Honda, but I was very impressed that SF Honda was willing to work with me on this so personally, and just wanted to correct the issue. They were equally confused why they couldn't recreate the problem the first time. Turns out that the pitch of the vehicle made a big difference in my case, and only after running over there, putting the rear on ramps, getting it exactly angled, were we able to recreate the issue, and find the exact spot where we saw droplets coming through.

I'm looking forward to bringing it through the car wash as a final test. Fingers crossed.
 
#569 ·
My neighbor has a <10 year old Tacoma (not the latest generation) that had significant rust on the frame. This was a widespread issue. Some cases they would need to replace the frame, some cases like my neighbor, they applied some sort of treatment to the frame. It didn't give him a warm and fuzzy feeling. He has about 60k miles on it and it has needed driveshaft bearings and exhaust is going.
Continuing water leaks on the GenII are pretty unforgiveable but be careful about putting Toyota up and a pedestal. Particularly since the truck itself isn't even close to the Ridgline in terms of ride, handling, and comfort. The Tacoma's front seats are just awful!. Rear seats are pretty much a joke for adults too. . ..
 
#571 ·
Thank you for sharing the photos, @sfrl.
 
#572 ·
Those frames were made by Kobi steel in Japan and were known to be bad. I would imagine that if Toyota hadn't agreed to replacements it would have turned into a class action suit. Kobi was screwing all the manufacturers at the time with poor quality steel. Even GM got tied up in it with their junk frames which had to be replaced. (and coated and on and on)
 
#582 ·
Interesting to hear about those who purchased the RL within the past year and are surprised about their water intrusion. This issue has been documented here in this site for quite a while and makes me wonder if you either purchased it without doing any research on this forum, purchased it thinking there was a minimal chance of having the issue, or purchased it after doing prudent pre-checks with understanding that there is a fair chance of having the issue later on (with a contingency plan already formed).

My recommendation is to purchase a new car with the same attitude as purchasing a used one. Research like mad, go over it with a fine tooth comb, give it a probation period before you start adding expensive accessories, and don't impulse buy because you just want something new unless you are financially and emotionally prepared to deal with the potential drawbacks.
 
#583 ·
Interesting to hear about those who purchased the RL within the past year and are surprised about their water intrusion. This issue has been documented here in this site for quite a while and makes me wonder if you either purchased it without doing any research on this forum, purchased it thinking there was a minimal chance of having the issue, or purchased it after doing prudent pre-checks with understanding that there is a fair chance of having the issue later on (with a contingency plan already formed).

My recommendation is to purchase a new car with the same attitude as purchasing a used one. Research like mad, go over it with a fine tooth comb, give it a probation period before you start adding expensive accessories, and don't impulse buy because you just want something new unless you are financially and emotionally prepared to deal with the potential drawbacks.
Totally agreed, buyer beware. I'd suggest that this thread be "pinned" so it's a bit more obvious to researchers, sometimes this gets buried under the "recommended" section. I've always known that forums are more pessimistic, so always take them with a tempered caution, but looking into the design of this back wall, believe Honda phoned it in. I have researched G1, but I'm genuinely surprised by the engineering of the back wall -- which obviously has no equivalent in the usual set of Honda automobiles: Accord, Civic, Odyssey (back "wall" is a rear door of some sort). Sometimes got to think what is "new" for a manufacturer. Did G1's have this magnitude of water issues? Or maybe they assigned the "B Team" to G2 understanding that G1 was only so popular?
 
#593 ·
By using your numbers, 600 total number of problems with water intrusion divided by 500,000 total number of Ridgelines sold equals, let's see, 0.0012% of Ridgelines exhibiting water intrusion problems? To me this is insignificant.

OK, I am just having a wee bit of fun with ya now, where significance of complaints here to be taken seriously can be highly a matter of one's own perspective, can it not?

Bill
 
#594 ·
This poll is about the 2G Ridgeline - there are about 200,000 of those. :)

We also have to consider:

  1. Members who haven't seen this poll or didn't answer it
  2. Members with Ridgelines that leak, but haven't checked under the carpet to realize it
 
  • Like
Reactions: wjfyfe
#597 ·
I think you may be hinting that this forum is biased toward complainers. While that may be true for some forums, I feel that the Ridgeline Owners Club has a bias toward enthusiasts who are excited about and proud of their Ridgelines and want to be a part of a small community - much like a Miata forum or other forum for a relatively low-production, niche-market model. I don't doubt that something like a Chevrolet Malibu forum is biased toward complainers. :)
 
#598 ·
Love my truck, but it has been at the dealership and then their body shop (not the dealer, but Honda certified or something) for over 3 weeks. No news as to when the parts come and I get the truck back.

You make compromises in things like off road capability vs the competition when buying the ridgeline. However, you get better ride, interior room, economy and the legendary Honda build quality and reliability in exchange. This issue has absolutely soured me on Honda and the truck.
 
#600 ·
Love my truck, but it has been at the dealership and then their body shop (not the dealer, but Honda certified or something) for over 3 weeks. No news as to when the parts come and I get the truck back.

You make compromises in things like off road capability vs the competition when buying the ridgeline. However, you get better ride, interior room, economy and the legendary Honda build quality and reliability in exchange. This issue has absolutely soured me on Honda and the truck.
What parts are they waiting on?
 
#615 ·
Even if rare, this is an unfortunate situation for owners and dealers. It doesn't seem like it's a remove and replace a component, it's a workmanship/assembly issue that's difficult to fix at the dealer level. At least until the problem is identified. Honda should do the right thing and take the hit and provide new trucks.
 
#616 ·
I think... the problem is MUCH more widespread than we know. In my case (and I have NOT yet done the water testing for the leak BELOW the rear window, where water forms in the foot wells of the rear under the carpet), the current thing they are trying to fix is water leaking from ABOVE the rear window (rear window already replaced) where it meets the headliner in the back left corner (passenger side) where the pillar is marked "AIR BAG" (so yes, I consider this, water in this area, a "Safety Issue"). IF you were not paying attention, and meticulous when you clean your vehicial like I am AND if you lived in a dry (Los Angeles) area, then this leak from this area could go on for a LONG time.

SO.... based on that, where my and many others leak is, I'll bet this problem is MUCH bigger than we know, the number of affected vehicles.
 
#619 · (Edited)
The fix doesn't look "ALL THAT" complicated. Just time consuming.
Remove back bed cover, remove rear wheel or wheels to be on the safe side. inner fender liners and then find some seam sealer that will last for quite a while and seal all seams as this is where the leaks are happening.

What's really sad is why Honda Corporate have not addressed it after all these years. If you have seen how many seams there are in the metal of the rear cab you would understand.
If Honda made a solid cab this would not be the case but I suppose that they don't as it is a cost thing. Those engineers always know what's best right? (Not).

This video does not show the seams but gives a very good explanation of how water is making it's way into your cab.
Watch below and learn. You could probably find a body shop to do it for less than a $1000

 
#624 ·
Maybe try to tie these two threads together?


An important aspect to remember is that mid-body area of the truck is designed to be “water managed”, not water tight. Much like a thatch roof is far from water tight, but works to keep a home dry. Water flows through the mid-body on a path to the ground so not every joint can be sealed or it might trap water.
This makes sense to me, like what happens when the drain holes in the sun roof become clogged and water starts to leak inside? With that being said, could trying to seal seams actually be creating more problems, thus the reason for return trips?

Bill
So, to look at this in a different way, could it be that dealers in the attempt to seal these leak(s) are actually creating more of a problem by doing so?

Bill
 
#626 ·
No kidding. It's hard to even buy a vehicle without a turbo anymore which i want nothing to do with. They all seem to have issues. Mazda seems to have it pretty solid. Toyota most of the time but even they have some problems with outdated infotainment. I feel like the new Tundra is going to take years to get it ironed out. Crossing the ridgeline off my list i'm 70% at an F-150 next spring. At least I can get a NA V6 with the same or better mpg as the ridgeline. Ride quality won't be as good but I can live with that. Sync 4 seems nice.

If mazda made a unibody truck.. we can only wish.
 
#629 ·
They use pending status when there's a review of the built vehicles for some reason. Usually it's because of a pending recall or safety issue of some type. This could be pending also due to the chip shortage and they need to put something else for the build out into the vehicle. Much like the well broadcasted pictures of thousands of Ford and GM trucks awaiting parts before shipment.
 
#630 ·
My 2020 RTL was in the dealer and the body shop the dealer uses for 3 weeks as of today for leaks. Wet padding under the rear passenger carpet. I got a text today it was ready to go.

I went to pick it up and return the loaner. Flipped up the rear passenger seat to find a 1 inch HOLE in the carpet. I pointed this out to the service writer who was apologetic and was immediately going to call the body shop. I then stuck my finger into the hole and the padding was soaked. It had been raining all day. So, I didn't even get out of the shop and the truck is headed back to the body shop. The carpet was backordered and I can't imagine all the leak issues are not a contributing factor.

I have to give Honda a chance to fix it, but I'm trading the truck. It is such a shame because there is truly nothing else like it in terms or interior space, refinement, economy, AWD system and features for the price. I can't risk dealing with this forever in terms of time and also expense once the warranty runs out. I am going to look at Tacomas, Rangers, Colorados and the new Maverick which I realize is significantly smaller overall but the interior volume may be comparable to the Ranger.
 
#631 ·
My 2020 RTL was in the dealer and the body shop the dealer uses for 3 weeks as of today for leaks. Wet padding under the rear passenger carpet. I got a text today it was ready to go.

I went to pick it up and return the loaner. Flipped up the rear passenger seat to find a 1 inch HOLE in the carpet. I pointed this out to the service writer who was apologetic and was immediately going to call the body shop. I then stuck my finger into the hole and the padding was soaked. It had been raining all day. So, I didn't even get out of the shop and the truck is headed back to the body shop. The carpet was backordered and I can't imagine all the leak issues are not a contributing factor.

I have to give Honda a chance to fix it, but I'm trading the truck. It is such a shame because there is truly nothing else like it in terms or interior space, refinement, economy, AWD system and features for the price. I can't risk dealing with this forever in terms of time and also expense once the warranty runs out. I am going to look at Tacomas, Rangers, Colorados and the new Maverick which in I realize is significantly smaller overall but the interior volume may be comparable to the Ranger.
I guess the dealer wasn’t curious to see if their fix worked since all the rain. That sucks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pex15
Top