Back in February 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a probe into allegations of rearview camera issues affecting the 2017 to 2018 model year Honda Ridgeline. Said investigation led to a safety recall in November 2022, totaling 117,445 unibody pickup trucks produced for model years 2017 through 2019.
Be that as it may, the complaints didn't stop. Back in February 2024, the NHTSA started looking into allegations of rearview camera issues affecting newer models, namely the 2020 through 2023 Honda Ridgeline. Not surprising in the least, American Honda Motor Co. acknowledged the safety concern. And rather blameworthy of such a large and technically capable automaker, the recall condition does not differ from that of the first.
As it happens, the rearview camera tailgate wire harness may fatigue and break due to repeated opening and closing of said tailgate. Freezing water and salt makes it worse, resulting in a failure to display the rearview camera image on the infotainment system's touchscreen. Care to guess why the harness can be damaged so easily?
Supplied by Aptiv Services US of Troy, Michigan, said tailgate wire harness features a highly permeable woven twisted tube. Fine cracks can form due to freezing temperatures and the repeated opening and closing of the tailgate, whereas environmental saltwater can settle within those cracks. In combination with the normal operation of the tailgate, repeated freezing and thawing ultimately leads to fatigue and breakage.
Adding insult to injury, the suspect wire harness bears a different part number from that of the original recall: 32109-T6Z-A10 as opposed to 32109-T6Z-A000. This, in turn, means that Honda and Aptiv failed to redesign the newer tailgate wire harness to prevent fatigue and breakage.
Photo: Honda
American Motor Honda Co. is recalling no fewer than 187,290 units of the Pilot-based truck on this occasion, and rather than the 2020 – 2023 population investigated by the NHTSA, the recall further comprises a number of 2024 models. Production dates range between November 8, 2019 and April 24, 2024. Prior to filing the recall documentation, Honda was aware of 402 warranty claims related to the aforementioned problem.
Said claims were received in the period from November 5, 2020 to April 5, 2024. Thankfully for the automaker's legal department and 2020 to 2024 Honda Ridgeline owners, the company isn't aware of any reports of injury or property damage. That said, care to guess how the remedy wire harness differs from the recalled part? According to the document attached below, Honda changed the supplier to obtain a more flexible but robust wire.
The remedy wire harness was introduced into 2024 Honda Ridgeline production on May 3, while pickup trucks produced from April 25 through May 2 received the improved wire harness prior to shipment. Dealers have already been informed about this campaign, whereas known owners will be notified by first-class mail from July 1 onwards.
Still equipped with a single-overhead-cam V6 with VTEC on the intake valves only, the Ridgeline slots above the Maverick and Santa Cruz in the unibody truck space. Closer to body-on-frame midsizers than Ford's and Hyundai's unibody compacts, the Ridgeline carries a starting price of $39,750.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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