Here’s your scenario: it’s a bright, sunny Sunday afternoon and you want give your Honda Ridgeline a nice wash. You get everything ready, hose, bucket, sponge and car soap. I’m gonna go ahead and stop you there, though. That car soap might do more harm than good right now.
NHTSA has issued a recall for 2017, 2018 and 2019 Honda Ridgelines. Apparently what happens is car wash detergent that has sulfuric acid in it can drain from the bed and get into the fuel pump’s fuel feed port. If that doesn’t get properly rinsed off, the acid could crack the port, which leads to a “pressurized fuel leak,” according to the recall notice. That, of course, could result in a fire.
People with Ridgelines built after Jan. 17, 2019 don’t have to worry, though. Those trucks included a fuel pump cover “to seal the fuel feed port from drainage,” according to another defect information report.
There are 106,683 Ridgelines potentially affected by this defect. Thankfully, there have been no reports of fire or injuries, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Remedy instructions are as follows:
Registered owners of all affected vehicles will be contacted by mail and asked to take their vehicle to a Honda automobile dealer. The dealer will inspect the fuel feed port for cracks or leaks and if damaged, replace the fuel pump for free. The dealer will also install a fuel pump cover on all fuel pumps for free.
Because the limited new vehicle warranty on all affected vehicles would have provided a free repair for the problem addressed by this recall, without any payment by the owner, reimbursement for pre-notification repairs will not be offered.
Go get that done, yo! And then you can be back on your merry way and wash your truck like you’d originally planned.
via Motor1