NHTSA Complaint #10544516 — 2006 HONDA RIDGELINE

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. *JB