NHTSA Complaint #10450153 — 2006 HONDA RIDGELINE

WE LOVE OUR HONDA'S (3 OTHER), I WAS SO EXCITED ABOUT MY PURCHASE OF A RIDGELINE FROM A LA DEALERSHIP IN DEC 2006. MY NEPHEW PURCHASED IT FROM HONDA FINANCE DIRECTLY AND SHIPPED IT TO UTAH FOR ME AND I HAVE METICULOUSLY CARED FOR AND LOVED MY RIDGELINE! IN DECEMBER AT 93,460 MILES MY TRUCK LOST ITS PERFECT HARMONY ... IT BEGAN PUTTING OUT WHITE/BLUE SMOKE. I HAD AN INCIDENT WHERE THE ACCELERATOR TOOK OFF AND I HAD TO SHIFT DOWN AND BRAKE REAL HARD TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE SPEED. I WAS TRAVELING SOUTH ON I-15 THROUGH SALT LAKE COUNTY AT THE TIME, SPEED AROUND 65 MPH. VERY SCARY! SOON AFTER THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON AND WHEN I IDLED IT FLASHED. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOMENT THAT THE CYLINDER "BLEW OUT". I TOOK IT IN AND WAS TOLD THAT MY #4 SPARK PLUG WAS "GUMMED" UP AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT, IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT BECAUSE OF THE INCREASED MILEAGE I SHOULD DO A FULL VALVE REPLACEMENT. $785 LATER, THE SMOKE EXHAUST WAS THE SAME AND 3 WEEKS LATER THE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. I TOOK IT BACK AND THEY "SCOPED" THE CYLINDERS AND FOUND #4 HAD "POUCK" MARKS AND HAD LOST COMPRESSION. I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. I CALLED 5 AUTO SHOPS IN MY GENERAL AREA AND FOUND THAT 2 OF THEM HAD SEEN THE SAME ISSUE WITH A 2006 RIDGELNE AND A 2007 PILOT. BOTH MECHANICS TOLD ME THAT THE OWNERS HAD TAKEN THEM TO HONDA DEALERSHIPS & HONDA HAD REPLACED THEIR ENGINES, THEY "WERE UNDER 100,000 MILES". I DID SO, $97 LATER I WAS TOLD THAT "NO. HONDA HAD DEEMED MY SITUATION NOT WORTHY OF A WARRANTY." WHAT?! I CAN'T EVEN TRADE IT IN TO A HONDA DEALERSHIP TO PURCHASE A NEW ONE WITHOUT THE $5K REDUCTION IN VALUE! I HAVE A HISTORY OF TIMELY AND METICULOUS CARE WITH MY LOCAL HONDA DEALERSHIP AND A MECHANIC SHOP, THIS IS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED FROM HONDA! YOU MUST HAVE AN ISSUE IF IN MY LITTLE SUBURB 2 OTHERS HAVE HAD #4 CYLINDERS GO BAD JUST BEFORE 100,000 MILES. *TR