Troubleshooting

Hesitates at a merge, shudders at 40 mph, then the “D” starts blinking. That’s how Ridgeline transmission trouble announces itself. Since 2006, Honda has cycled through three very different automatics under this unibody truck. The 2006–2014 5-speed holds solid gears but risks radiator cross-contamination that wipes out clutch packs. The 2017–2019 6-speed adds ratio spread, … Read more

Hook up a 5,000 lb camper, crest a grade, watch temps climb. That’s where the CX-90 earns its keep. Mazda moved from the old CX-9’s 3,500 lb ceiling to a 5,000 lb rating on a new longitudinal platform. Inline-six Turbo trims can hit 5,000 lb when equipped right. The PHEV caps at 3,500 lb due … Read more

Slips on the 2–3 shift, then grabs hard. RPM jumps, then settles. That’s how Corolla transmission trouble usually starts. Since the mid-1990s, Toyota has cycled through old-school 4-speeds, multiple CVTs, hybrids, and manuals under the same badge. The 4-speeds soak up abuse and run past 200,000 miles with basic fluid care. The 2005–2008 cars throw … Read more

Crank the A/C. Hear the fan spin. Feel warm air hit your face. That’s how the Honda Civic air conditioning mess usually starts. Between 2016 and 2021, thousands of tenth-gen cars lost cooling from slow leaks buried in the system. Condensers corroded from the inside. Compressor shaft seals started seeping once R-1234yf replaced the old … Read more

Hesitates at a rolling stop, then lunges hard. Feels like someone tapped the rear bumper. That’s how some RAV4 transmission problems begin. Since 1996, Toyota has used five different automatic designs in this SUV. Early 4-speeds last. The 2001–2003 models burn up from bad ECM logic. The 2013–2015 six-speeds shudder from weak torque-converter lockup control. … Read more

Shakes on cold start. Rattles like it’s hydrolocked. Then runs fine. That’s how many 2010–2015 Prius engines begin their head gasket story. Forums call it a recall. Toyota never issued one for the gasket itself. Instead, they used bulletins and warranty programs that cover parts around the failure, not always the failure. Gen 2 cars … Read more

Slip on a hill. Flare between gears. Shudder at 50 mph with a trailer hooked up. The Toyota Tacoma earned its name on tough Aisin gearboxes. Then came more ratios, tighter hydraulics, and heavy software control. Some years hold up. Others hunt, hesitate, or lose drive once heat and debris build. Four generations, five core … Read more

Whines. Clunks. Hesitation. Dealer says it’s “normal,” then quotes $9,000 for a reman transaxle. Toyota sold the Highlander as a bulletproof family hauler. Early models mostly lived up to it. But starting in 2017, the shift to an 8-speed “Direct Shift” transmission cracked that image wide open. What followed: internal washer defects, torque-converter lockup chatter, … Read more

Hear the straight-six growl, then spot the low coolant light. Sweet smell creeps in. Trouble’s brewing. The BMW B58 fails in quiet, expensive ways. Cracked vent hoses, collapsed oil filters, stuck-open injectors; each one a fuse that burns slow before a bigger failure. We’ll cut through the noise, cooling, oiling, fueling, valvetrain, carbon, tuning. This … Read more

Kicks into gear, slams again. Feels like the rear just got clipped. That’s how TL automatics start to go. Between 1996 and 2014, Acura ran four different generations of automatics in the TL. The early 4-speeds hold together. The first 5-speeds don’t. Third-gen boxes need pressure switches and clean fluid or they burn up. Fourth-gen … Read more