NHTSA Complaint #11554673 — 2017 HONDA RIDGELINE

The torque converter failed once already while driving at highway speed, creating an unsafe condition as the vehicle went into “limp mode”. After the torque converter was replaced in 2022, the vehicle has continued in 2023 to exhibit judder from the torque converter lock-up clutch (TSB 17-025 and TSB 17-026) which is symptomatic of the original failure. As recognized by Honda in TSB 23-078, the torque converter may also have been manufactured improperly which led to the warranty extension. The Honda dealership service has verified all steps in TSBs have been completed, and they do not know how to resolve the judder. The concern is the transmission and/or torque converter will fail again creating a subsequent unsafe condition. Despite numerous TSBs with potential fixes, they have been unsuccessful in resolving the defects, which suggests this systemic issue needs elevated to a recall.