Honda Ridgeline Recall Is Bad News For Those Who Go Off The Beaten Path

Jun. 27, 2022 2:40 PM ET byChase Bierenkoven Recall /5 Comments

And you could lose your whole fuel tank because of it.

Remember the olderHonda Ridgeline? While the new onelooks good and drives better, the old one divided opinions for its unibody construction and oddball styling. But it wasn't well-received among hardcore truck enthusiasts, as many said a unibody pickup wasn't a real truck. Well, those haters now have a little more ammunition in their bar arguments as a new recall affects 112,060 2006-2014 Ridgeline pickups registered in America's snowier states.

Those states are the "salt-belt" states. States with particularly wet, slushy, and icy winters that necessitate a lot of de-icing with corrosive salt.That, in turn, causes rust, especially on the aforementioned Ridgelines which could result in some unwelcome repercussions, even leading to a detached fuel tank.

Honda

Honda

The frame of the vehicle is affected in the recall as the use of deicing agents like salt - and other possible contaminants like mud - can accumulate on the rear frame of the truck, corroding the mounting bands of the fuel tank. If this surface corrodes enough, the tank itself could separate from the vehicle. The NHTSA stipulates that this could, in turn, result in a damaged tank, a fuel leak, and a possible fire.

The Ridgelines affected are those registered in either Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington DC.

Honda reported in its filings with the NHTSA that the corrosion issue has not been identified outside of any of the aforementioned states.

Honda

If you live in the salt belt, Honda says you might hear noises coming from the fuel tank area while the car is in motion, and if you take a close look, you'd likely be able to see the now-rusted bands and check their structural integrity. Regardless, this onewill be on the dealers to fix, with Honda providing VINs to dealers soon, with notices to potentially affected owners to follow.

Dealers will fix the cars by either cleaning the frame, reinforcing the tank and frame, and repairing the rusted frame, or offering to buy back the vehicle. Depending on the severity, it can be almost any combination of the three. Honda says owners will begin getting notified on August 1.