The contact owns a 2006 Honda Ridgeline. While driving various speeds, the check engine indicator illuminated without warning. In addition, a steel washer corroded and caused transmission fluid to leak into the radiator. The transmission and radiator were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 118,000.

- Glen Burnie, MD, USA

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.

- Monroe, OH, USA

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.

- Windsor, CO, USA

We purchased our 2006 Ridgeline back in 2009 with approx 46K miles on it. At that time, we purchased the hac (Honda auto care) warr & cont to drive for yrs with limited problems concerning the veh. Around 82K on the Ridgeline (2 yrs ago), I had a problem with the vehicle that prompted me to take the vehicle into the dealer. They advised me that it would be cov under the warranty, but the warranty was exp in 2 weeks (2 weeks, but what about the 7 yrs and 100K)?. I inquired on the terms & explained that was not how it was positioned to me. Roughly $2100 for a little over 2 1/2 yrs is not what I thought I was buying. Knowing that the warranty was expiring, I immediately scheduled an appt for the following weekend to have them review the entire vehicle top to bottom (nothing discovered at that time). Where the problem creates: Last wkd, hit 101K & the check engine light appears w/ the vtm-4 light. I know there are usual codes for reg maint, but seeing how I have had vehicles trigger lights at 100K for regular servicing that was outside of the manual, I then contacted my service ctr to inquire. He reviewed the 105K service with me & started he would get back to me on any codes. Later that day I received a call stating that the #4 cylinder was misfiring & the plug on #4 was caked with baked on oil. He recommended changing the plugs first before going into the rest of the 105K service. 2 days later, the chk engine light starts blinking & vtm-4 light is on again. He later calls me to state the head may have a crack & explains poss damage or stall. What if it stalls on the freeway? what if the cat clogs (another 600 by the way) and my car just stops while driving though a intersection? I read several complaints about this happening & am shocked Honda doesn't respond to any. I cant pay 3K - called dealer & opened case with Honda main csr# 800-999-1009-no response.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

The A/C condenser fan get loose and its blade were moving unproperly making a large hole in the radiator. Suddenly the radiator 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 ease not catch until the big damage of the engine happened. The mechanic technician states that fail of this 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 have been notified by Honda dealers or factory.

- Toa Baja, PR, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the vehicle began to decelerate independently. The contact stated that various warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel as the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician was unable to diagnose the issue. The manufacture was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 120,000.

- Coricana, TX, USA

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!

- Clarksburg, WV, USA

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 milk shake" type liquid then poured onto pavement. Truck towed to independent service station. The 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 tech's have rarely seen this before on older Toyota 4runners, but not Honda's. 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.

- Richmond, VA, USA

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. Come to find out Nissan had a similar issue with their pathfinder and has since performed a voluntary radiator assembly program (www.nissanassist.com/web/radiator/faqs.php?menu=22). Honda also directed us to contact NHTSA and I am hopeful that the fine staff at NHTSA will take a close look at this issue with Honda and come to a decision to help consumers take preventative measures. Thank you for taking time to read this and I hope you and your family do not have to experience this type of issue.

- Pleasant Plains, IL, USA

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.

- Anchorage, AK, USA

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.

- Sioux Falls, SD, USA