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The 2017 Honda Ridgeline is a popular pickup truck. It’s a smaller, generally reliable truck with good safety ratings. However, the 2017 Honda Ridgeline also has a noticeable weakness – its transmission. What’s the deal with the 2017 Honda Ridgeline’s transmission problems?

A gray Honda Ridgeline against a white background.
Honda Ridgeline | Honda

What’s wrong with the 2017 Honda Ridgeline’s transmission?

Consumer Reports has generally favorable ratings for the 2017 Honda Ridgeline. However, the transmission minor only gets a 2 out of 5 on the Consumer Reports rating scale. The transmission major is only slightly better, at a 3 out of 5.

Consumer reports notes that the 2017 Honda Ridgeline’s transmission has problems with the gear selector or linkage. It notes that it also leaks, and has transmission counter problems. There are also issues with the transmission sensors. The transmission also slips in this truck, which contributed to the low transmission score. 

As far as major transmission issues, some 2017 Honda Ridgeline customers had to have their entire transmissions rebuilt or replaced. Other problems include the torque converter and the clutch. 

Consumer Reports collects information from owners about their trucks

Consumer Reports sends surveys to people about their vehicles and uses this information to assess things like its reliability and owner satisfaction. Here are some of the comments they collected about the 2017 Honda Ridgeline

“It happened all at once. Transmission stayed in the lower gear until it shifted harshly into the next gear. It was drivable to the extent I got to the dealer who gave me a loaner and had it fixed by the next morning.”

Anonymous, OR (2017 Honda Ridgeline RTS 3.5-L V6)

“Transmission began slipping on hills. The problem became worse and more frequent until repaired.”

Anonymous, AL (2017 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition 3.5-L V6)

“Major malfunction requiring new transmission from Honda.”

Anonymous, FL (2017 Honda Ridgeline RTS 3.5-L V6)

“the transmission fluid line separated from the transmission for an unexplained reason and I lost all transmission fluid. The transmission was fried and vehicle stopped working. Honda initially said it was not their fault but ultimately replaced the transmission under warrenty.”

Anonymous, NY (2017 Honda Ridgeline RTL 3.5-L V6)

Why do people love their 2017 Honda Ridgelines despite these issues?

Even with all of these transmission problems, the 2017 Honda Ridgeline still has an owner satisfaction score of 5/5. That’s a remarkably high score for a pickup truck with some pretty serious transmission problems. 

So why do people love their 2017 Honda Ridgelines even though they have these problems? Ridgeline owners reported that they were very satisfied with the driving experience that their truck offered. Overall, the driving experience has a score of 84 out of 100. 

Comfort also scored well, getting an 83 out of 100. Customers found the ride comfortable no matter where people were sitting. 

The value was low, at only a 48 out of 100. Some people found it overpriced for the available options. Others were happy with it just as it was. Styling got a decent score, at a 76 out of 100.

Overall, 81% of people said they would buy the 2017 Honda Ridgeline again. That’s not bad for a truck with transmission problems. In fact, more people would buy their truck again than owners of any similar type of pickup truck. Perhaps Honda handles the repairs well, or perhaps the transmission problems aren’t too widespread.

Related: There Are a Whole Bunch of Trucks You Shouldn’t Buy If You Have Little Kids

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