[pursuit28]

I have a 2006 Ridgeline painted with Nighthawk Black Paint (Paint Code B-92P-4). I noticed a year ago that the paint on the hood and front fenders was cracking (numerous small, 3mm-5mm bird foot patterns). At the time I did not think that this was a paint defect. However, I recently discovered that American Honda Motor Co. (AHMC) issued a Warranty Extension (Service Bulletin 12-049, dated 08/24/12 and attached) for 2006-2010 Civics that exhibited similar paint cracking with SAME paint code as on my Ridgeline. NOTE: the service bulletin has great photos of the defective paint.

I called AHMC and got nowhere fast. All they would say is that a recall has not been issued for the Ridgeline. I have not taken to a dealer yet as I expect them to defer to AHMC/recalls.

My question to the forum - have other members with either Blue or Black paint (Paint Codes B-529P, B-92P, or NH-731P, note: paint code is on sticker on driver side door jamb) had similar cracking of paint on hood and fenders?

My guess is that AHMC is trying to let other Models with the defective paint go unnoticed so as to avoid a larger recall. With so few Ridgelines sold (compared to civics) and probably fewer with the defective paint codes, it would be easy for AHMC to just let Ridgeline owners go without the same benefit being afforded other AHMC model owners.

 

[Pointer]

09 Ridgeline with same paint problem, but lower on plastic nose. Also rust issues around driver side(left) doors where weather strip meets the outer painted area. The latter was repaired under warranty, but other areas in the same location are breaking out.

 

[aeapp88]

The paint on the hood of my 2006 black ridgeline has started failing. I am getting crows feet in the clear coat all over my hood.

 

[CoastiesRidgeLines]

pAINT ON HOOD OF '09 Ridgline cracking under clear coat at hood where it rolls to form nose. The whole "rolled" part is failing. I have the Black Cherry Red paint.
Tried compound thing it was clear coat but alas, no it is the paint failing.:act062:

 

[CoastiesRidgeLines]

Battling same problem here. Dark Cherry red. From nose at first but in last 4 months extending up the hood and on the front nose curve of the fenders. I took to dealer today who stated car was out of warranty but they took pictures of bad paint, said suspect undercoat as it is different than rest of car on the nose no avoid chipping (sure doesn't work), and will submit to Honda to see if they will step up on this. I also pointed out that paint on entire vehicle is "weak" anything and I mean anything scratches the paint. It is just too fragile a finish. Looks great at 10 feet but not up close.

P.S. - Guys there are many other threads on this and polls too. Honda knows about it, we have to get them to step up. These trucks are not cheap and considered a luxury truck. Factory paint on my 20 year old BMW looks way better than the paint on my 4 year old ridgeline. Very Disappointing!

 

[Sparkland]

Battling same problem here. Dark Cherry red. From nose at first but in last 4 months extending up the hood and on the front nose curve of the fenders. I took to dealer today who stated car was out of warranty but they took pictures of bad paint, said suspect undercoat as it is different than rest of car on the nose no avoid chipping (sure doesn't work), and will submit to Honda to see if they will step up on this. I also pointed out that paint on entire vehicle is "weak" anything and I mean anything scratches the paint. It is just too fragile a finish. Looks great at 10 feet but not up close.

P.S. - Guys there are many other threads on this and polls too. Honda knows about it, we have to get them to step up. These trucks are not cheap and considered a luxury truck. Factory paint on my 20 year old BMW looks way better than the paint on my 4 year old ridgeline. Very Disappointing!

That's terrible. I feel for you guys.

 

[ridgegal68]

I thought of clear coat wrapping the hood just for this reason. Plus save the paint from rock chips.

 

[IanRTL]

I haven't noticed any cracking at all on any part of my 07 nimbus grey RTL. The issues I have with the paint are that I think it's pretty thin. I have orange peel all over the rear quarters, parts of the doors and on the rear of the truck. I'm afraid to take a power buffer/rubbing compound to it for fear of rubbing through the clear. Also, the previous owner must have run through an entire swarm of love bugs (Florida) and left them on the there for several weeks or longer. There are marks all over the front bumper, front grill area and side mirrors where it looks as if the acid from the bugs ate through the clear and paint down to the primer. These areas aren't rough or pitted at all, which is strange to me. They're just areas where it looks like a bit of a stone chip, but it's smooth to the touch. I've kept the truck washed and waxed religiously since I've owned it and the problem hasn't gotten any worse. Once again, I'm afraid to use power equipment on the bumper for fear of making an expensive paint mistake. At this point in its life, I'm not too terribly worried about it.

 

[Oz31]

Just found this thread, put me on the list. Crows feet all over the hood on my black '09

 

[Carsmak]

Just Looked @ my Steel Blue Metallic and the paint is fine on the Hood, I also checked the roof. Although keeping it in the Garage when I can helps. I'll agree though the paint job is pretty thin. Under the hood I noticed that where the wipers are hidden I can see the primer, the Steel Blue doesn't cover it. I've had a few repairs made, rear bumper, & passenger's rear QTR panel when wife side swiped the Garage Door Opening. Drivers Rear Door When I got a massive (size of my hand) door ding. So slowly working on repainting....

 

[FlaGuy509]

I've noticed on my wifes 08 Ridge how easily it scratches. The outside rear view mirrors took bug hits that actually cuased the paint to peel away from the mirror, if I wanted I could have peeled them totally bare. I had them repainted at a local body shop & you could actually tell the difference in the quality of the paint. And finally just this past week I got out the step stool to put its 6-month wax coat on the roof and there oxidation all the damn place ! Possibly Honda doesnt care about the Ridge owners because we're a relatively small customer base, but I know we'll probably look elseware to replace the wife's CRV.

 

[ridged4herpleasure]

my 2006 with black has been cracking for some time on the hood....another guy told me he got a warranty coverage for it. Also the overall paint quality is crap..,,,I want to know how they could spray black paint so thin! think the primer is white too!

 

[IanRTL]

my 2006 with black has been cracking for some time on the hood....another guy told me he got a warranty coverage for it. Also the overall paint quality is crap..,,,I want to know how they could spray black paint so thin! think the primer is white too!

Black paint is always tricky to keep looking nice. Depending on where you live, the sun can wreak havoc on black paint. How has your paint care been for your ownership? Have you washed and waxed the truck regularly? If so and it's still cracking, then I would deem it to be an issue of bad paint quality and application. If you've never waxed your truck, I'd attribute it to the paint being 10 years old and exposed to the elements. Is the hood the only place this is happening? Have you considered having it resprayed?

 

[ridged4herpleasure]

it cracked after about 5 years. Same place as everyone else, front of the hood. I take care of it moderately. Honda has crappy cheap paint jobs..period. My woman has a Volvo..2004. paint looks like new with the same maintenance.

I have not considered a respray. I take care enough of my vehicles that i expect a little better wear out of them.

 

[IanRTL]

it cracked after about 5 years. Same place as everyone else, front of the hood. I take care of it moderately. Honda has crappy cheap paint jobs..period. My woman has a Volvo..2004. paint looks like new with the same maintenance.

I have not considered a respray. I take care enough of my vehicles that i expect a little better wear out of them.

Please know I meant no disrespect or insinuation that you didn't care for your truck. I wasn't aware of cracking paint being a widespread issue for the Ridgeline. My 07's paint is still in very good condition with no cracking or peeling. I do have orange peel on some of the panels that is obviously attributed to less-than-good factory applications. Nonetheless, it's pretty bothersome that paint would crack after only five years. I wonder if it's only happening on specific colors, specific model years or whatnot?

 

[ridged4herpleasure]

No problem! Just wanted to clarify that I take care of my truck..not an extremist but people comment on how good it looks for a 2006. Seems to be the black paint mostly. I don't think Honda's best attribute is paint quality.

 

[pursuit28]

Yes, the cracking is limited to a few colors, generally the darker colors. Honda had the same problem on the civic which they did a recall for. You can match your Ridge paint code to the civic recall. The issue being Honda is doing nothing for the Ridge owners, but recalled the same paint on the civic!

 

[IanRTL]

Yes, the cracking is limited to a few colors, generally the darker colors. Honda had the same problem on the civic which they did a recall for. You can match your Ridge paint code to the civic recall. The issue being Honda is doing nothing for the Ridge owners, but recalled the same paint on the civic!

Since it likely only affects a very small portion of their total number of vehicles on the road, they're just letting the RL owners fend for themselves. It's harder to overlook 100's of thousands of Civics as opposed to a few thousand RL's. Nonetheless, it's still a pain that Honda won't do anything when it was clearly their mistake to begin with. Nonetheless, it may be worth looking into having the hood re-sprayed. Because there would be very little body work, the hood would likely only need a good sanding/key and a few coats of paint and clear. You'd be $500 or so into it likely, but worth it if you plan on keeping the truck for awhile longer.

 

[starfixer]

Just located this thread I am also having the same issues on 06 RTL White front bumper, good and nose.


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[tenten]

I would like to revive this thread with paint issues on my 2010 white Ridgeline and seek advice from you guys.

I made initial contact with Honda customer service and explained that the paint was chipping off in multiple places on my Ridgeline and they ask that I take it to the dealer for "Diagnosis". So I took it to the dealer and their diagnosis consisted of taking photos and sending them to Honda. Honda contacted me and offered to pay 25% of the cost to repaint the truck. I scheduled an appointment with the body shop recommended to me by the dealership and the estimate came back at $5,300.00 and that was at the rate they offer the dealership.

This did not sit well with me and I feel like this paint has prematurely failed and knowing that Honda covered so many paint issues with the civics with a recall. I suggested that a more fair offer would be to flip the deal and I pay 25% of the cost and they cover 75%. They basically said sorry that's the offer. I persisted for a few more days and after more pictures exchanged they made a new offer of 40% Honda 60% me. The Honda rep on the phone pretty much repeated over and over that they could make no further offers and there was no way to escalate the issue but I wouldn't hang up the phone. After 32 minutes she finally stated that there was an option to escalate it one more level where a resolution committee would look at it. This of course ticked me off because she had stated for 32 minutes straight there was no other option.

I received a call from a different person at Honda and they have ask me to return it back to the dealership where the District Parts and Service Manger (DPSM) for Honda will meet with the dealership service manager and review it again. Today the DPSM and the Service manager drove my truck to a different body shop for review. I know this because my dash cam recorded their trip. Its interesting to hear their conversation but that's for another thread. lol. I expect to hear their position Monday.


I get it that my truck is out of warranty, but damn, when I look at all the cars that are much older than mine and the paint hasn't fallen off I get a little ticked. I bought a Honda to avoid this kind of quality issue. So far the two body shops (my shop, and the dealers shop) I have had look at it both say there is no solution but to repaint the entire truck. Every panel has paint falling off.

So what do you guys think? Am I out of line for pressing the issue? My truck is a 2010 with ~60K. Is my position of 25% me 75% Honda reasonable, especially knowing what they did for the civics?