[greenridge]

Picked up my Ridgeline yesterday. In addition to the door latching issue
I mentioned in another post, I also have an issue with the TPMS indicator
light randomly coming on.

It has lit up for 5-10 minutes at a time. It has occured 3-4 times over
first two days.

I asked the dealer to look at it. They responded that all 4 tires had 45+psi
in them, thereby causing the indicator light to come on.
They also noted that the indicator will not identify a particular tire if one
or more tires have an issue, as was my case.

They lowered the tire pressure to 32 psi and sent me on my way. Well wouldn't you know, about 20 minutes into my ride home the TPMS light
turns on again for the remaining 10 minute ride home. Maybe the tires
did not have time to stablize. However, I am beginning to get suspicious
of this feature, especially since other car forums have noted problems.

In any case, I will measure my tire pressure myself and see what happens
going forward.

Last Note:
In one of the manuals I received, the dealer supposedly went through an
exhaustive check list of items before delivering the vehicle. When I asked
them how they missed 1)over inflated tires and 2)malfunctioning driver side door latch. The response was a shrug, as if to say "do you really think
we do all those items on that checklist".

Given the fact the vehicle had an arrival date of Saturday from Ontario, purchased on Monday, and took delivery on Tuesday, I didn't really believe
they performed the checklist anyway. But don't B.S. the customer by advertising that you do a thorough review of the car, it was probably the
sales person who filled out the checklist anyway.

This vehicle claims to have 75% of it's parts from US&Canada, 10% from
Japan, 15% ROW, with Engine assembly in USA, Transmission Assembly in
Japan, and Vehicle Assembly in Canada.

I hope the quality of vehicles coming off this American assembly line is as good of quality as the past Honda's&Toyota's I have owned(which were not assembled in America by the way).

Hey, can't beat the ride, and it can tow my boat. Have to wait an see on
the quality question.

 

[JulesK]

It is difficult to sometimes get the tire pressure tight when the tires are hot from driving. You might want to check and adjust yourself first thing in the am while they are still cold. Good luck

 

[Whaleya]

On the Ridgeline the TPMS DOES indicate which tire has the problem. There are receivers at each wheel well.


You may want to suggest that the mechanic sit down and read the service manual for the Ridgeline.

As for the tire pressure, during shipment from the factory the tires are overinflated to avoid flat spots during shipping. The PDI CLEARLY states this and CLEARLY tells the dealer that the tire pressure must be reduced before delivery to the customer.

I suggest you contact Honda and tell them that your dealer didn't follow the PDI and it is reflecting poorly on Honda

 

[greenridge]

Follow-up to yesterday's post:

I checked the tire pressure in the morning. It was 33psi on each wheel.
I drove 30 minutes to work(non-highway). The TPMS light did not come on.

However, on the way home the TPMS light came on twice for a few minutes each time. I looked at the vehicle indicator for a tire location, but no light came on.

Looks like I need to call the dealer again. It appears they will need to drive
the car for 30 minutes plus to see the issue.

The dealer previoulsy mentioned that if one tire has an issue, the TPMS light with come on, plus the tire light will come on as well. He also mentioned that if more than one tire has an issue, then only the TPMS light will come on. This appeared to be true with my initial situation of 4 over inflated tires.

I wonder what the issue is now. If this system has 4 valve stem sensors with 4 wireless transmitters; can they all be defective, not likely unless a bad batch was installed. Must be something wrong on the receiver end electronics.

I'll do a follow-up after I see the dealer again.

Thanks for the PDI info, dealer informed me after vehicle delivery that Honda would contact me for a survey. I will certainly mention the over inflated tires, and non-latching driver door, and indicate that it was my belief that they did not perform the inspection per the checklist.

 

[Whaleya]

For the TPMS,

Did the dealer pull the codes for the TPMS????

When only the TPMS light is on and not the wheel light in addition to the warning light, it indicates a problem with the TPMS system. (or when you use a spare and the tire with TPMS is flat and stored in the trunk - so not to confuse you into thinking the spare is flat)


The sensor turns ON at 24psi and OFF at 29psi. As far as I can tell there is NO warning for overinflated tires.

-W

 

[Whaleya]

When more then 1 tire is low the TPMS light will turn on for approx 5 seconds BEFORE the tire lightS, the system take a few seconds to verify which tire is low when more then 1 tire is low

I have not tested this, it's straight from the service manual

-W

 

[greenridge]

Follow-up:

Today, I drove to work and back, the TPMS light did not come on...hooray.

Review:
1st day Tues: TPMS light was on a majority of the travel time. (over inflated tires)

Wed: TPMS light was still on majority of the travel time, until I took truck to dealer. Informed me all 4 tires had 45+psi. Dealer reset tire pressure. TPMS light came back on during drive home.

Thurs: I measured cold tire press at 33psi. TPMS light came on again during my commute, but only a couple of times for few minutes each.

Friday: TPMS light did not come on during my commute.

Note: Only the TPMS indicator light came on. None of the 4 little monitor lights on the "Car Shaped Icon" came on. Neither did the Low pressure indicator lite.

Note: TPMS light did not stay on continuously while riding with over inflated tires. As the tires heated the light would come on for an extended period, but it would occasionally go off again. The occurrance drastically decreased once the tire pressure was lowered.

Could it be that it took 24 hours for the system to stablize after reducing the tire pressure?

The manual states(p.200) that if the TPMS indicator light comes on and stays on, then there is a problem with the tire pressure monitoring system. The system will shut down and not monitor tire pressure while the light is on.

The dealer never mentioned a TPMS error code to me during my visti? He only mentioned that if 2 or more tires have issue, the 4 little monitor lights on the "Car Shaped Icon" will not come on, instead the TPMS indicator will light up.

I have an appoiontment with dealer on Monday. I'll see what happens over the weekend.

 

[greenridge]

reply to Whaleya:

you might be right

Maybe over inflation just sets off the TPMS indicator light.

Where as, under inflation sets off the Tire indicator light and the Low Pressure indicator light.

After the weekend, if I see no more issues maybe I will try an experiment with under and over inflation.

 

[Dnucci]

I had my first experience with the TPMS yesterday morning. It correctly indicated that my rear, passenger-side tire had low pressure. It was unable to tell me that the cause was a 1-1/4 inch long bolt that was in my tread.

Removed the tire and plugged the puncture in the driveway.

Ended up using my floor jack, since the "bottle" jack was not very easy to work with. Hope I don't get a flat away from home !

 

[laserfan]

...the TPMS...was unable to tell me that the cause was a 1-1/4 inch long bolt that was in my tread...

Man, I think we ought to complain to Honda about this!!!

Hmmm, wonder if my floor jack would fit on the ledge in the in-bed trunk?

 

[the kid]

This is pretty funny...as soon as I read your comments it reminded me of my day. I work at honda and put these jacks in the trucks...just today I thought to myself "how the hell does this thing work" and "is it even big enough" Personally I always carry an aftermarket jack with me.

 

[Blue]

Hey, Kid:

I agree. The compact spare tire and toy jack is just not very serious tools. I am sure that you have seen a few chuckles when the compact spare is put in the trunk. I do not think you can use that jack with 1200Lb of load, assuming you can even get to the jack. If you have a truck camper with a flat tire, you are out of luck, unless your replacement REGULAR tire and REGULAR jack are in the back seat.

You can make a lot of money if you put a sales brochure with the jack for people like myself who immediately went out and replaced both.

When I showed my UPS driver the compact spare tire and jack, he could not stop laughing.

Don't get me wrong, I really like this truck and am sure this is just a rookie mistake Honda will correct next year. Or if Honda is nice, 2005 early adoptor buyers can get a credit for the replacements.

 

[Ridge]

Dealer also left my tires over inflated at 45psi. My light never came on. I just checked and reduced the pressure my self after I had already driven a couple of hundred miles on them. I thought the TPMS only came on with low tire pressure.

 

[zero]

What kind/brand of aftermarket jacks are you guys buying?

I have never replaced the factory jack in any vehicle that I have owned but from what you all have said, it seems like a good idea.

 

[Blue]

Go to Sears. they have all kinds of hydraulic jacks for as little as $15 to lift 2 tons. I paid $25 to lift 4 tons. they even have $20 small floor jack.

If actual cost of these 2 ton hydraulic jack is $10 and Honda jack is $5. Then for $5 more why not just put in a hydraulic jack? I am sure there is a good reason that I have not considered. Do you know? Kid?

I got them for a peace of mind just in case. In addition, the hydraulic jacks are so much easier to use than the scissor jacks. I have not use Honda's scissor jack, but when I changed the tire for my Sienna once, I could not position the Scissor jack on a un-even surface, and I had a hard time lifting the last 5 inches. So I can not imaging how much more difficult it would be for my 17 year old son, who loves this truck, to change a flat under a full load.

Maybe I worry too much, but for $20, it is a no brainer. BTW, I also have AAA membership and got the 100K serivce zero deductible service contract. If only our kids know how much support system we have provide for them. My son just got back from Oakland A's season opener with 7 of his friends and used the Ridgeline for tailgate.

Actually, a few of his friends drive trucks and tailgate during lunch everyday. I wonder if this is a market that Honda ever considered.

 

[zero]

Thanks for the info, Blue. I will check my local Sears out for the jacks.

 

[bongus]

Blue, you need to be nominated for Father of the Year. My dad never let me drive the new car...I had to settle for the "other" car. My parents weren't all that bad...they did pay for my insurance until I graduated from grad school and got a real job. Thanks, dad.

 

[Blue]

I bribe my son to do things in order to drive the Ridgeline. The day he went to A's opener, you would not believe how clean his room was before 2pm.

Zero, be sure you get a jack that is less than 12 inches and fit under the truck when you get the flat. You may need to carry the scissor jack if you tire is a blow out, then the clearance is only 8 inches from the wheel rim to the platform. It is safer to use 2 jacks anyway for a full load.

I just carried a 800 Lb pallet today and if I had a flat, the scissor jack would be unreachable and hard to crank the last few inches.

 

[shovelhd]

Is the Ridgeline factory jack a scizzor jack? It sure looks like a screw jack to me, although I've never used it.

 

[jwashow]

It's a telescoping screw jack. As previouly reported I've used it to change a tire already. I was on a level concrete drive. I wouldn't trust it on the shoulder of a road. Using it borders on scary when you pull the tire.