Radiator Problems of Honda Ridgeline

My radiator failed in a fashion in which the radiator fluid mixed with the transmission fluid, destroying my transmission. I was driving my 2007 Honda Ridgeline on a main road in va when the transmission failed causing me. The failure of the transmission was caused by the radiator failing and subsequently mixing coolant with the transmission fluid. This mix of fluids destroyed the transmission and radiator. I did not want to buy a new car, so I had a local shop install a used transmission and radiator at the cost of about $4k. This appears to be a common problem with Honda Ridgelines and may be associated with the fact that the transmission line bolts leading to the radiator are comprised of dissimilar metals causing corrosion and a dangerous transmission failure while the vehicle is in motion. I attempted to contact Honda of America asking for assistance in the repair because a Honda should last at least 250k miles without premature catastrophic failure. Honda replied by making me aware of the warranty and that there was nothing they could do because the vehicle was out of warranty. This is clearly a safety issue, and should be investigated immediately because it is a well known scenario as cited on Ridgeline enthusiast websites. I have been a Honda enthusiast and owned 6 Hondas since 1991, and I have always had good luck with these vehicles, but this scenario is certainly an exception and will eventually lead to serious injury.

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Fitting failure of transmission line connection at radiator, causing damage to cooling system and transmission. Vehicle is rendered inoperable. Suspected cause is poorly designed radiator fitting.

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Just driving along @ 20mph the transmission started to hesitate then start slipping. Lucky enough to limp home 1 mile away from where it started. Transmission fluid was pouring out of the radiator overflow container. I had no transmission fluid showing on dipstick. Engine oil was normal. I replaced the radiator as I saw countless people online with same issue. The trans line inside the radiator ruptured putting into circulation the coolant/trans fluid mixture throughout the engine and heater core. Fortunately this trans fluid mixture was not being sucked back into the transmission, purely a miracle in this case. This is an issue that is a fault in engineering, and not "if" this will happen to your vehicle is a matter of when. This car has 140k on it and has been meticulously maintained, no reason for this failure have had cars with 300k not have this problem.

Tl-the contact owns a 2006 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving various speeds, the check engine light illuminated without warning. In addition, a steel washer corroded and caused transmission fluid to leak into the radiator. The vehicle was taken to be repaired at glen burnie transmissions where the transmission was replaced and the radiator. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 118,000. Ad.

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For years I have always wanted a ridge line Honda. Now I have one. I had purchased my truck February 2015. I only drove the truck literally for 4 months and I pay a lot of money each month to capital one. I have already placed a transmission and radiator in it around February or March of 2016. I was told that the truck was okay don't worry about anything. It is safe to drive and travel with. So towards the end of June - I had drove from ohio to alabama. On June 17, on my way to church the engine blew up on the expressway. It has been almost 2 months without my truck. I am paying a lot of money for it. I hold capitol one and they said ask you all if you are willing to let me exchange for something different because they are only in charge of letting me borrow money. They said that Honda has the power to do that.

Tl-the contact owns a 2006 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 mph, the vehicle independently slowed down. The contact pulled over and discovered transmission fluid leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence where he discovered that metal fitting around the radiator had corroded and fractured, which caused transmission fluid to leak from the vehicle. The radiator was faulty and needed to be replaced. The contact repaired the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 123,000. Sw.

We were traveling in the adirondacks on 08-09-2015 when suddenly without warning the car started to jerk a few times then as it was in drive I had no forward motion in drive. I pushed the accelerator down and the car acted as if it was in neutral. I slowly came to a stop on the side of the road and saw the radiator and transmission fluid were leaking from the car. We called aaa and had it towed to a garage. The mechanic informed us the radiator was no good and needed to be replaced. The cooling system was bled and the thermostat and radiator replaced. At this time the car was drivable but was still overheating. The mechanic that said he believed it may be a cracked head or head gasket they needed repair. We had to leave our car in the adirondacks and return home in a rental. This was on 08-14-2015. Today is 08-22-2015 and we are still waiting for word on the repair process. My complaint is that after this happened we found out that what happened to us has happened to other ridegline owners. There seems to be a defect in a washer on the radiator that is made from a different alloy from the rest of the vehicle. This washer can fail at any time,and when it does it mixes transmission fluid and radiator fluid together and causes catastrophic damage to the radiator and engine. Could someone please let me know why Honda will not deal with this and issue a recall,also if they do issue a recall in the future will any of it cover the repairs I make now.

While driving, I suddenly started getting transmission "slippage". Engine would rev up, but no power to the wheels. I was able to pull off the road. There was a strawberry milkshake colored fluid coming out of my radiator overflow container. Turns out the that transmission cooler inside the radiator broke loose and allowed engine coolant to mix with the transmission fluid. Apparently it's not an unknown problem. I'm lucky that I was in a rural residential area and not on the interstate.

Truck failed to start after work, after several tries the truck started but warning lights came on and there was a knocking noise in the engine. After a couple of seconds the warning lights went off and the noise went away. When I started to drive it surged a couple of times and then ran normal. I checked the engine when I got home to find coolant on the dipstick and very low on coolant in the radiator. I took the truck to a Honda dealer who inspected it and told me what I already knew and said that I need a new engine, they have not told me what the cause is. After a very brief search on the web I found numerous complaints on this model year truck with the same problem. Going to dealer today to talk with the service manager and discuss my options and ask for help from Honda on this matter.

The a/c condenser fan get loose and its blade were moving unporoperly making a large hole in the radiator. Suddenly the rdaiator lost all water causing that engine motor brake the seals, piston and other parts because the high temperature. Since the water leaking was fast, the temperature sensor that shows high temperature at dash control panel eas not catched until the big damage of the engine happened. The mechanic technician states that fail of thhis fan is common on Honda vehicle. The big damage to may parts of engine happened because such a/c condenser fan failed without any advise and is common in Honda, but no recall or warning ahe been notified by Honda dealers or factory.

Stopped at a stoplight went to take off and vehicle shifted oddly, went about 500 yards stopped shut truck off and out poured the milky transmission fluid. Added transmission fluid to get it home and you could follow the trail the entire way (approximately 1 mile) and empty again (we filled it). Opened the overflow antifreeze/coolant and the same strawberry milky fluid was in there completely full! also opened the radiator to find it completely full of the same stuff. I have read many accounts of the same thing happening while driving at high speeds, thank god I wasn't, I had my entire family in the truck! it would be nice for Honda to do something about this!!! going to a mechanic today, will more than likely be making a phone call to Honda once the verdict is in!.

2006 Honda Ridgeline with 140,000 miles. All scheduled maintenance performed. Driving home on 9/18/13 on highway, cruise control set to 65 mph, car began to lurch forward a few times. Got off at next exit and revs began to rise as if in neutral. Stopped immediately and called for tow truck. Noticed temp meter was high, but went back down to normal within 15 minutes. "strawberry milkshake" type liquid then poured onto pavement. Truck towed to independent service station. Station concluded that there was a failure of the transmission cooler, which resides within the radiator. Apparently the metal connector that separates the two (chemically incompatible) coolants corroded, the fluids mixed causing the temp to rise and boil over, the mixture of coolants apparently destroys both the radiator and the transmission. Service techs have rarely seen this before on older Toyota 4runners, but not Hondas. However after some research, there are dozens similar incidents reported on the various Honda forums which indicate Honda's awareness and refusal to issue a recall or assume financial responsibility for the catastrophic failure that results (like my $5,765 refurbished transmission, new radiator, hose flushes, etc. ). There are no warning signs for this type of issue. Fortunately I was able to pull off in a safe place, but injuries can surely result from this preventable problem. I have begun the process of requesting financial assistance from Honda, which begins with paying for a diagnosis (2nd opinion) from an authorized Honda dealer. They "warned" me that they cannot consider helping me unless the dealer concludes there is a clear manufacturer's defect.

Fitting failure of transmission line connection at radiator, causing damage to cooling system and transmission. Vehicle is rendered inoperable. Suspected cause is poorly designed radiator fitting.

Found out radiator/transmission on Honda Ridgeline has been having catastrophic failures due to transmission line failure. This issue will cause engine failure that could result in wrecks due to the violent nature of this failure. This would cause immediate panic to my pregnant wife and soon to be newborn baby girl. Honda is aware of the faulty connection on radiator that causes this issue and still hasn't issued recall. I believe they are acting negligently towards fixing this issue. . Read more...

There is a design flaw in the washer used at the transmission fluid junctions in the radiator. The fittings and washer are made of dissimilar metals. As a result, the steel washer used as a spacer rusts and corrodes, then swells and forcibly pulls the threads from their fittings. A catastrophic loss of fluids including an exchange of transmission fluid and engine coolant take place, rendering the vehicle not only inoperable but also perhaps significantly damaged. These fittings fail at random with no obvious pattern or environmental cause. The normal "underbody rust" does not seem to correlate with this failure. I have done substantial research on the internet regarding this issue, and many others report this type of failure and have come to the same conclusion. I feel this is a significant safety issue with this vehicle, as such a dramatic and immediate loss of fluid could result in engine failure, overheating, and transmission failure. If the engine were to fail and the vehicle were traveling at speed, a loss of power steering and power assisted braking would occur. Additionally, finding a location to pull off of the road presents a safety hazard in itself. This issue could be easily resolved by ceasing to use dissimilar metals in the radiator fittings. As far as I know, this same design is being applied to all Honda Ridgeline model years including those currently in production. Although I cannot verify this, I have heard that this particular part in the 2009 model year remained unmodified. This is an issue that must be addressed, as there are more and more failures of this type occurring. It is simply a matter of time before a serious injury occurs that could have been completely preventable.

The cooling line for the transmission where it enters the bottom of the radiator failed due to galvanic corrosion. This cause a large immediate loss of transmission fluid.

The contact owns a 2006 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that the hose that connected from the radiator to the engine became disconnected, causing oil to drain from the engine. As a result, the vehicle could be started but could not be moved. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic where the contact was awaiting a diagnosis of the failure. The failure and the current mileages were 105,000.

I was leaking engine coolant so I went to the dealership to get it checked. I figured that while the truck was at the dealer I should get the check engine light that keeps going on and off looked at. Turns out my radiator had blown and the valves in my engine were too tight and they needed to be adjusted. It cost me 800 for the radiator plus 400 for the valves and I've noticed a huge gain in my gas mileage.