Honda Ridgeline Blower & Heater Problems, Help Needed!

Hey there! I had a somewhat similar issue with my 2018 Honda Pilot last winter (I have some experience working on cars but nothing too advanced). The symptoms were pretty much the same, the heating wasn't working properly and the electric auxiliary heater was acting up. Took it to my regular workshop and they diagnosed a faulty electric auxiliary heater. The whole repair, including parts and labor, set me back about 350 Euro, but it was totally worth it. They had to replace the entire heater unit. Since then, everything's been working perfectly. Before you proceed with any repairs, Does the issue happen all the time or intermittently? Are you getting any warning lights on the dash? Have you noticed any unusual noises from the heating system? By the way, if you're considering the repair, make sure you get a proper diagnostic first, these symptoms can sometimes be confused with other heating system issues. Hope this helps! Let me know if you need more details.

Thanks for the detailed reply! Yeah, the issue is pretty consistent, happens every time I start the car. No warning lights showing up, but there's this faint buzzing sound when I switch the heat on. I've been dealing with this for about two weeks now. My Ridgeline just hit 150784 KM and had its latest service about a month ago, but they didn't spot anything wrong with the heating system back then. Maybe it wasn't acting up yet. I'll definitely get it checked out properly based on your experience. Sounds like it could be a similar issue, and honestly, 350 Euro doesn't sound too bad if it fixes the problem completely. Better to sort it out before winter really kicks in. Thanks again for sharing your experience, really helpful info!

Hey again! Yeah, that buzzing sound you mentioned sounds exactly like what I experienced with my Pilot! It's actually pretty interesting because when my auxiliary heater started failing, it made that same noise before completely giving up. Since you mentioned the mileage, my Pilot was around 145000 KM when this happened, so pretty similar to yours. And just like your case, my regular service didn't catch it either. These things can develop pretty quickly. Quick tip from my experience, if you're heading to the workshop, try to record that buzzing sound on your phone if you can. It really helped the mechanics diagnose my issue faster, and they knew exactly what they were dealing with. By the way, after they fixed mine, I learned that regular use of the heating system throughout the year (even just occasionally during summer) helps prevent these issues. Been doing that since the repair, and everything's still running smoothly. Keep us posted on what you find out! If it is the auxiliary heater like mine was, at least you know what you're in for cost-wise. And trust me, having proper heating is totally worth it!

Thanks so much for all that great information! The tip about recording the sound is brilliant, I've already taken a video this morning to show the mechanics. And it's really reassuring to hear that our vehicles had such similar symptoms and mileage when this happened. I never knew about running the heat occasionally during summer, that's a really useful maintenance tip! I'll definitely start doing that once this is fixed. I've already called my local Honda workshop and booked it in for next week. They seemed pretty familiar with the issue when I described the symptoms, especially the buzzing sound. Really appreciate everyone's help on this! I'll update the thread once I get it sorted to let you know what they found. Fingers crossed it's just the auxiliary heater and nothing more complicated! Thanks again for taking the time to share your experiences, this community is awesome!