Any mechanics out there?

[PokerFace 65]

I have a 2017 Honda ridgeline. Up until a few months ago, it had been perfect. Have always taken it in for scheduled maintenance, etc. 45,000 miles on it.

 

About a month ago, it started jerking pretty violently occasionally when it shifted from around 2nd to 3rd gear (it’s an automatic). The weird part is, it wouldn’t consistently do it once the car was turned off and on again. I feel like driving up hills would often “set it off,” and then it would continue to jerk for the rest of that ride. But if I turned it off and turned it back on, it seemed to work perfectly until a ride or two later. Around this time it was due for service, which included change and transmission fluid, and as I was driving it in to get serviced, the “D” on The dashboard had an X through it, and it told me there was an omissions system failure and transmission system failure. I brought it into the Honda people, they reset the computer, said it was a computer update issue and told me everything was fixed. It did the same thing a week later with the system failure message. Brought it back in, they updated it again and said that they missed an update the last time. It had been working well for a week, but then again tonight it started doing the jerking again. It is still under warranty, so I’m not worried about whatever the ultimate cost of fixing it will be, but I am getting frustrated that they have never fixed the problem and I am wondering if it needs a transmission rebuild/replace.

 

Anyone ever dealt with anything like this, or have any idea what the problem might be so I don’t sound like a dumbass at the service department?

 

TLDR:

Honda ridgeline with transmission issues, dealer hasn’t fixed the problem. Wanting alternative ideas.

[torre 1285]

Not a mechanic,  but suggest you search for a Ridgeline Owner Forum online.   Some may have experienced the same issues.   Or just search the issue - lot of info online.

Did the dealer check  the emission system or give cause for the light coming on  ?   That may contribute to the jerking. Or perhaps the transmission torque converter.

Consider taking the truck to another dealer if that option is available.   "Missing an update" does not sound ideal for competent service.

 

 

[Sam Lin 3551]

My internet expert guess is you need a new transmission, Honda isn't known for amazing transmissions.

Make sure you document every time it happens, preferably with a video. Take it in for service repeatedly as well, keep those documents (and make sure the problem description they type on the service form is accurate, don't take some "technician paraphrase." You don't want them to band-aid you along until warranty runs out and then refuse coverage. Build up your evidence now to show it was clearly an issue well inside warranty that was not addressed.

After the third attempt at fix, call Honda's national customer care hotline and complain.

[zork 629]

i had the fuel injector connector come loose for cylinder one on a ford explorer 4.0 engine.  check engine light would come on, then it would blink while driving,then it would turn off and then i'd hit a bump and it would start up again. 

This was after replacing the long block, so eveything was taken off and put on the 'new' motor.  

guy came out and checked everything and said it was what I said in the first sentence.  the fuel injector connection was not tight for cylinder one so it was not getting the right fuel mix and ran really rough.

After he fixed that and a few oither vacuum leaks, which he pointed out, it is running great.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4975]

Cool story.

[jimmyjazz 45893]

It could be an engine control unit (ECU) chip gone wonky.  I had a Ford truck that did a similar thing, although it was a manual transmission.  Every once in a while the engine would race beyond redline when shifting.  I had to have that chip replaced a few times.

[horn4life 3759]

black box BS most likely.  Simply because it seems to work once reset for more than a couple hours.  Doesn't matter if they can kick the can long enough to make it on your dime.  Just take it back in constantly and document.  A letter to the manager of the dealer if they can't resolve pretty quickly documenting your issues might also be helpful, in your ultimate resolution. 

I knew a lady that put "I hate my lexus" on her car and somebody saw it talked to her and the dealership got her into a new car pretty quick.

Brining your Honda into service with the note "I hate my Honda" on it might be VERY effective on your return trips.  Especially with a social media posting each time you go in for the same problem.

[VonZipper 50]

It might be worth you time to search this Ridgeline forum - https://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/second-generation-ridgeline-2g-2017.138/

 

[Shaddie 1651]

Had a company car a few years ago and was brand new. Started having transmission issues. 3rd trip to dealer and they finally found some bad connections in some of the electronics going to transmission. 

Mine was a dodge but sounds exactly the same. Turn it off and it would start working again after a little while. 

[TwiceHorn 31440]

What's the engine temp in all this?  Most ECUs change modes when the engine reaches operating temperature (thermostat open) and start looking at more data from more sensors once it's warm than when it's cold.

It should throw a code, regardless, but sometimes, if a mechanic doesn't let it warm up, they can be fooled, clear the code, and not get it back.  But you will when it gets warm again.

Notably, most ECUs ignore the 02 sensors, among other emission controls, until it's warm/hot.  Then they start reading them and leaning/riching the mixture and associated processes.  If one of your O2 sensors is jacked, it can cause all kinds of driveability issues that only appear once the engine is fully warm.

[Bigpoppapump 529]

On 9/26/2019 at 7:38 AM, jimmyjazz said:

It could be an engine control unit (ECU) chip gone wonky.  I had a Ford truck that did a similar thing, although it was a manual transmission.  Every once in a while the engine would race beyond redline when shifting.  I had to have that chip replaced a few times.

Active Rev Matching.  Nice....

[Johnny5 1]

Did you check the blinker fluid? 

[Redneck Mutha 7954]

[PokerFace 65]

Thanks for all the advice! 

 

Update: I did search that Honda Ridgeline forum (thx for link), and it sounds like there are others who have had similar issues. Took it in again yesterday and this time they "claim" they figured it out: 3rd gear pressure switch failure. When it fails, it sends the transmission into "safe mode," which screws up shifting, etc. They replaced the pressure switch and washer--so hopefully it's fixed for good? If not, I'm going to go insane. 

[TwiceHorn 31440]

I had a car that had a problem that sent the tranny into safe mode.  Safe mode seemed a lot like "self-destruct" mode to me.  Haaaarrrrsssh.

[elfenix 34226]

2 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

I had a car that had a problem that sent the tranny into safe mode.  Safe mode seemed a lot like "self-destruct" mode to me.  Haaaarrrrsssh.

https://repairpal.com/symptoms/what-is-limp-mode-why-cars-use-it

my car went into limp home mode after the oil change place overfilled it.  suddenly it was locked in second, throttle response was gone, i thought it was about to die, etc.  it was belching white smoke because there was oil getting into the combustion chambers. 

went straight back to the place which claimed my nothing special mazda3 with a nothing special 2.3L ford/mazda engine needed super fancy synthetic oil instead of regular dino juice.  bullshit.