Honda Ridgeline fires

[mustang84]

Someone posted this over at BON...so let's see, that makes the Odyssey, CR-V, Element, and NOW Ridgeline. The heralded truck of the year is literally on fire.

Make: HONDA

Model: RIDGELINE

Type: TRUCK

Year: 2006

Complaint Number: 10146750

Summary:

FIRE IN ENGINE BAY OF NEW HONDA RIDGELINE, DEBRIS CAUGHT BETWEEN EXHAUST AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER. MAJOR DAMAGE. BOUGHT 2ND. RIDGELINE. 2 MINOR EPISODES OF BURNING SMELL WHILE USING ON DIRT ROADS. THIS IS NOT A COINCIDENCE! *JB

Make: HONDA

Model: RIDGELINE

Type: TRUCK

Year: 2006

Complaint Number: 10144782

Summary:

WE GOT OUR RIDGELINE ON MARCH 12 A FEW DAYS THAT THEY HAD BEEN OUT, ONLY THE SECOND THAT THE DUVAL HONDA HAD SOLD. AND WE HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT LOVE THAT TRUCK. ON FRIDAY 11/25/05 ON MY WAY TO WORK, I AHD BEEN DRIVING ABOUT 5-8 MINTUES AND THEN I SMELT SOMETHING A LITTLE STRANGE.........COMING OUT OF THE AC VENT. I TURNED THE HEATER OFF......THE SMELL OF SMOKE STARTED TO GET HEAVIER AND HEAVIER. I LOOKED INTO THE VENT AND NOTICED THAT THERE WAS SMOKE AND FIRE BILLOWING INSIDE.....NOT SURE WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM...I GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK, CALLED FIRE/RESCUE, AND BEGAN TO GET MOST OF THE BELONGINGS THAT I COULD. THE TRUCK WAS FULLY INVOLVED BY TIME FIRE/RESCUE ARRIVED ON SCENE. I MUST SAY THAT, BACK IN SEPTMBER I NOTICED THAT THE RADIO WHICH IS STILL STOCK WAS WIRED INCORRECTLY, I MENTIONED IT THE LAST TIME THAT I TOOK THE BABY IN FOR SERVICING. THEY SAID THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO TAKE THE DASH OUT AND HAVE IT RE-WIRED THE CORRECT WAY. AND THAT IT WOULD BE AN ALL DAY AFFAIR, I HAVENT HAD THE TIME TO HAVE THAT DONE, AND MY DEALER DOESNT OFFER LOANER CARS. AM I SAYING THAT THIS IS THE REASON THAT THIS HAPPENED? I AM NOT SURE. AS ANYONE HAD ANYTHING SIMULAR?? *NM

Fires in other Honda vehicles

Maria of Cape Coral FL (7/14/04):

We purchased a brand new Honda Element on March 29, 2004. We loved the vehicle so much and it fits our needs in terms of gas consumption and space -- until on June 4, 2004, the vehicle caught on fire. Some people helped us to stop the fire and the fire truck came. AAA towed it to the dealership where we got the vehicle and it was parked in their service Center. They said that they will call us on what they will do.

The Service Manager said that they are not in position to answer us on our problem so they handed us off to American Honda. The Customer Service manager made us wait for more than a month. She said that the engineering department will investigate. We have been constantly visiting the dealership to follow-up on our vehicle. They said that somebody from the Corporate office was sent to take photos of the vehicle.

Suddenly, we heard from Corporate Office that they are not liable for the vehicle. They said to go back after to whoever did the oil change. And they said that our case is closed already and they cannot entertain our calls. While surfing in the internet, a pop-up came up about oil change of Honda vehicles. The news is about Honda CRV's which is a comparable to our vehicle. The same situation. Vehicles catching fire, after first change oil or after 10,000 miles. Which is the same situation as ours.

We needed a vehicle very badly so we asked for a loaner from Honda, they said they only give loaners to customers that have vehicle that is being repaired by the Service Center. They said that we have to get a rent-a-car and we will pay on our expense and they will just reimburse us. It's been more than a month and we have been paying the amortization for the Honda Element and the rent-a-car company. We are losing money already, we cannot afford to pay the rent-a-car. We cannot sleep well at night because we think that nobody can help us in this situation right now. Financially, we really cannot afford anymore.

Michael of Pompano Beach, FL, writes:

On April 28,2000,I came out of the mall in Boca Raton, FL to find my car destroyed by a fire. The cause of the fire was determined to be a faulty wiring harness in the 1999 Honda Odyssey that I had parked next to. The fire started in the Honda and spread to mine, totaling both.

The fire marshall and Honda determined that the fire was a result of the faulty wiring in the Honda. When I first contacted Honda Legal (I had to make the initial contact), they were aware of me and the situation and they said they "wanted to make this right."

Well it's been four months and last week they offered me a settlement amount that does not cover the amount of damages and losses that I incurred, not to mention the time,aggravation and inconvenience that this has caused.I have been patient in waiting four months on this matter and am growing tired of contacting them to keep abreast of this situation.

I bought a brand new honda element on March 30, 2004.

I was happy with it until in the morning of June 4, 2004 while I was driving said vehicle it caught on fire. I was lucky to escape without harm. The manufacturer will not honor my warranty because they said it was not their fault. I asked help from different consumer complaint groups even BBB

and they all said go to your insurance.

[siegen]

Damn that sucks. I wonder if that happens in any other vehicles or if it's just Honda's light truck platform.

[BrewSwillis]

:fcvxplode:

P.S. I hope nobody gets hurt!

[regfootball]

Mr. Mustang, what are you doing later? Meet us in the dark room in the basement. Its ok, you don't need to tell anyone you're stopping by. Its ok to just be wearing a white t shirt and a plain pair of shorts. You'll see us in the hallway, we'll be wearing the brown robes with hoods on them.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

No media exposure.... OF COURSE!!!

(Why would those "49 journalists" want to admit to being WRONG, BIASED and IGNORANT?)

[BlkHhr104]

Uh isnt the Ridgelines V-6 in the VUE?

[Sixty8panther]

I'd rather have a Pinto than a Ridgeline, but even I did not think this was going to happen.

You can Daralique my b@lls, Honda!

[I hope GMRULES again]

Damn that sucks. I wonder if that happens in any other vehicles or if it's just Honda's light truck platform.

I'd have to see more than 4-5 letters to believe this is a wide spread problem with Honda trucks.

[ToniCipriani]

Uh isnt the Ridgelines V-6 in the VUE?

I think it looks like this one is different from the CR-V fires. If you see the first post it says it's the exhaust. CR-V had burning engines.

So I think the VUE is OK.

[Polish_Kris]

Ok, I know you guys HATE Honda with a passion, but going all crazy over a case of an engine fire, doesn't justify the car is crap. At least they're looking into it. And FOG, there is media exposure, what sourse did this article come from? The media.

[mustang84]

Ok, I know you guys HATE Honda with a passion, but going all crazy over a case of an engine fire, doesn't justify the car is crap.  At least they're looking into it.  And FOG, there is media exposure, what sourse did this article come from? The media.

Dude, the source was straight from the NHTSA's website. These Ridgeline fires have not had media coverage yet nor an investigation.

Honda is not looking into these fires very hard. They had a chance to fix the CR-V by installing a protective barrier that would shield leaking oil from being in direct contact with hot exhaust fumes, but they cited dealer error instead of doing the proper thing and recalling them.

Go browse through the NHTSA's website. Honda Pilots, Odysseys, Elements, CR-Vs, and now Ridgelines are afflicted with this fire issue. One person got injured in their 1999 Odyssey when smoke from an engine fire began filling the cabin and the door lock wiring shorted out so she had to crawl out a window. Honda's response?

HONDA INFORMED ME THIS MORNING THAT IT WAS A WEAR OUT OF A PART AND OF NO FURTHER CONCERN TO THEM SINCE THE VEHICLE WARRANTY EXPIRED.

Honda needs to get its act together. GM and Ford lost a whole generation of buyers due to unresolved issues in the 70s, 80s, and 90s...does Honda want to suffer the same fate?

[siegen]

Dude, the source was straight from the NHTSA's website.  These Ridgeline fires have not had media coverage yet nor an investigation.

Honda is not looking into these fires very hard.  They had a chance to fix the CR-V by installing a protective barrier that would shield leaking oil from being in direct contact with hot exhaust fumes, but they cited dealer error instead of doing the proper thing and recalling them.

Go browse through the NHTSA's website.  Honda Pilots, Odysseys, Elements, CR-Vs, and now Ridgelines are afflicted with this fire issue.  One person got injured in their 1999 Odyssey when smoke from an engine fire began filling the cabin and the door lock wiring shorted out so she had to crawl out a window.  Honda's response?

The first problem I have with that site is that it is mostly hearsay from the dealers or owners. I'm not saying any of it is false, but generally when someone has a bad experience with a product, they will exagerate to make it sound worse (specially when they're trying to get the attention of an agency to get compensation).

[Flybrian]

The first problem I have with that site is that it is mostly hearsay from the dealers or owners. I'm not saying any of it is false, but generally when someone has a bad experience with a product, they will exagerate to make it sound worse (specially when they're trying to get the attention of an agency to get compensation).

This is true to a large extent, which is why I view the NHTSA complaint database as one of multiple resources to research in order to draw a conclusion on a car. I've seen some legitimate and familiar problems reported along with alot of stupid $h!, like 'TAPE DECK EATS TAPE', 'CUPHOLDER WONT GO BACK IN', and 'BUMPER SCRATCHES EASILY,' things that really have nothing to do with the 'SAFETY' part of NHTSA. Don't forget a whole lot of 'UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION' reports with LeSabres, Town Cars, Avalons, and Grand Marquis...

[Camino LS6]

Look! There's a Honda in the driveway! Someone grab the marshmallows.

[balthazar]

An owner reporting that their honda burned to the ground is certainly not "hearsay".

Even a handful of fires is more than enough for consumers to shop elsewhere- it's not like honda builds any unique trucks/SUVs unavailable anywhere else; lots of competition with no repeated, running vehicular fire problems.

[Camino LS6]

It's inexcusable for anything that pretends to be an off-roadable truck to burn to the ground because debris got caught around the exhaust.

And, being suseptible to destruction by fire due to improper wiring and oil residue from an oil change make me suspect both quality control and engineereing mistakes.

[Camino LS6]

Found this on an RV forum:

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseacti...0812/page/4.cfm

[siegen]

Found this on an RV forum:

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseacti...0812/page/4.cfm

What does that have to do with anything? They're talking about how well the Ridgeline can tow and guessing as to what it can tow and if the tow rating includes passengers, luggage, etc (none of them even own one). Am I missing something?

[evok]

What does that have to do with anything? They're talking about how well the Ridgeline can tow and guessing as to what it can tow and if the tow rating includes passengers, luggage, etc (none of them even own one). Am I missing something? 

Oh the drama queens are out in force, this thread is childish without a peer comparison.

[evok]

An owner reporting that their honda burned to the ground is certainly not "hearsay".

Even a handful of fires is more than enough for consumers to shop elsewhere- it's not like honda builds any unique trucks/SUVs unavailable anywhere else; lots of competition with no repeated, running vehicular fire problems.

Hand full? No I saw two middle fingers!

[thegriffon]

Your Honda catches fire and you wait months for Honda to do something toi fix it? Dude aren't these people insured? Make a claim and let your insurance company beat up on Honda.

[haypops]

The fire insurance on a car does not cover the cause of the fire. If the insurance comany determines(guesses, accuses, etc) that the cause of the fire was the engine, then the cost of a new engine will be deducted from the used blue book value of the car. By the time they are done with you, there isn't enough money left to buy a huffy bicycle.

[LTB51]

An owner reporting that their honda burned to the ground is certainly not "hearsay".

Anyone who has read these reports can see that most seem to be nothing more than the end of an attempted extortion to be followed shortly by a lawsuit (if one hasn't been filed already).

Perhaps it has merit, but it is too early to tell.

[LTB51]

No one has commented on the best part of the story:

"BACK IN SEPTMBER I NOTICED THAT THE RADIO WHICH IS STILL STOCK WAS WIRED INCORRECTLY"

Hmmmm..... I wonder how he noticed that?

[Camino LS6]

What does that have to do with anything? They're talking about how well the Ridgeline can tow and guessing as to what it can tow and if the tow rating includes passengers, luggage, etc (none of them even own one). Am I missing something? 

I admit that the subject matter is only tangent to the topic. However, we are talking about the Ridgeline and this was the first owner's account I've seen that references the real world towing capabilities of Honda's truck. I found it interesting so I posted it.

[griff7774]

from a person in the fire services profession i will only say two words "Job Security"

[Guest YellowJacket894]

Give me the e-mail address of the biggest Honda-hugging auto rag out there, and I'll e-mail them this and see what they say...