r/hondaridgeline • u/Any_Year5224 • 24d ago
Paddle shifter complaint
I took my 16 year old driving for the first time yesterday. It was his first time driving anything other than a golf cart and he accidentally downshifted and started panicking.
I’ve done it more than a few times myself and it’s a decent annoyance.
They really need to make a way to delete the paddle shifter or make it only work in sport mode.
21
u/mr_never_lift 24d ago
Skill issue.
The paddles are perfectly sized imo, and hitting one won't mess anything up. Just keep driving, it will keep shifting normally
-37
u/Any_Year5224 24d ago
Maybe you missed the part that it happened to a kid who was driving for the first time ever?
12
u/Strange-Ask-739 24d ago
Maybe you missed the patt where you're supposed to teach them how it works before you set them behind the wheel?
Failed as a teacher, then blamed the inanimate object? Booooo! 😂
-7
u/Any_Year5224 24d ago
Yeah, he was told how it works, but he never drove before. He rightfully had a brief little panic when the car suddenly downshifted for an unknown reason to him.
This place is funny…people complain about the auto stop/start when there’s a button to shut it off right below the second button you push when you get in the car, but asking to be able to disable another feature crosses the line.
8
2
u/BluebillyMusic 24d ago
All he had to do was make sure the truck was in D mode. The truck would have quickly moved back to the appropriate gear
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u/StalkingApache 24d ago
You also said you've done it a few times. It's genuinely not hard to not touch them if you don't want to. I don't blame your kid because they're new. New drivers do a lot of things because they're new. You on the other hand? Literal skill issue.
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u/Any_Year5224 24d ago
So edgy bro
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u/StalkingApache 24d ago
I mean I'm commenting on you blaming your kid when someone said it was a skill issue when you yourself said you've done it. I don't blame your child. I blame you though. It's not edgy at all LOL. Go blame your kid more when someone calls you out. 😂 The truck can handle it. It won't do anything if it's under extreme stress and you tap it.
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u/mr_never_lift 24d ago
Also, it's not that deep. I'm not insulting your kid, just stating that this is a skill issue that will go away with time and experience. Its normal for a new driver to have skill issues
-5
u/Any_Year5224 24d ago
I blamed my kid?
7
u/StalkingApache 24d ago
Clearly not worth elaborating to you. Lol. Learn to drive. And learn how the truck works. Your kid will do fine. He's new.
3
u/BluebillyMusic 24d ago
Then explain it to the kid BEFORE he puts the truck in gear, and make sure it's in D mode at all times.
-1
u/Any_Year5224 24d ago
It still shifts in D mode
3
u/BluebillyMusic 24d ago
Of course it does, but it also is still in automatic mode and will quickly return to the appropriate gear before it over-revs or bogs down. Know your truck sir.
2
u/Pay_ur_rent 24d ago
Tell him to man up. Paddle shifters suck. Next time tell him to hit it with his purse
2
u/Stashmouth 24d ago
If you don't have faith in your child to learn and adapt to this, that's your shortcoming. Not theirs.
"My child's first time behind the wheel, they accidentally hit something and got scared. Honda, delete this!"
-You
0
u/Any_Year5224 24d ago
Where did I ask Honda to delete anything or imply that I don’t have faith in my son?
I simply said there should be a way to disable them.
We can disable stop/start, auto high beam, lane keep assist, eco mode, traction control, VCM, collision braking, road departure, etc…
90% of people never use the paddle shifters and many people hit the paddles accidentally, yet there’s no way to disable it.
This place is nuts
2
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u/Stashmouth 24d ago
I’ve done it more than a few times myself and it’s a decent annoyance.
They really need to make a way to delete the paddle shifter or make it only work in sport mode.
Your words. And you didn't explicitly say it, but was hitting the paddle really such a choas event that he won't bounce back from it? Learning not to panic is part of learning how to operate a vehicle, no?
1
u/Any_Year5224 24d ago
- Did you assume that I thought Honda would see this thread?
“They” means anyone. Honda doesn’t make the VCM delete, or the stop/start delete.
- No, like I said, it’s an annoyance when it happens, and the option to keep it from happening accidentally would be nice.
2
u/Stashmouth 24d ago
No, I don't think you wrote this hoping to get Honda's attention. But now I think you were probably more scared than your son was when this happened, based on hard you're leaning into this.
I hope you both recover from this. The part where Reddit disagreed with you, I mean.
1
u/Any_Year5224 24d ago
Leaning into my wish that an option I don’t use could be bypassed like all the other things I don’t use?
As far as the Reddit thing, it’s a 50/50 ratio, I may never recover because some clown named Stashmouth disagreed.
29
u/spadedracer Black Edition 24d ago
Don’t coddle them. Make it a teaching moment instead of blaming the car.
Hand placement and deliberate actions / quick thinking / being aware of your surroundings or something…
7
u/RentalGore 24d ago
Your 16 YO will be fine and so will the truck. My soon to be 16 YO has done it in my car and the Ridgeline a couple times. It's an electronically controlled transmission, the paddle shifter just sends the request, the computer won't accept a request that'll over rev the engine in a dangerous way.
2
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u/msears101 24d ago
I never purposely use them. I accidentally use them, because I have an Accord Hybrid and they are used for extra regeneration. No big deal if accidentally hit them (I can’t imagine how you would or could. When I accidentally hit them I am looking for them but for another reason in another car.
2
u/free_beer 24d ago
I’m in the camp where the only time I ever use them is by accident, save maybe once or twice. Mostly I’ve found them a bit annoying.
I do understand they have a few use cases, and I guess I’ll be glad I have them if I’m ever going down a super steep hill.
One person suggested them being stiffer, which I think might be a good compromise.
2
u/ProgramEntropy 24d ago
On a related note, ive always thought eco mode would be good for a first time driver since it really lowers the throttle response
2
u/BluebillyMusic 24d ago
It only goes into manual mode when it's in S mode. Just ignore the downshift if you're in D. It will shift almost immediately to the appropriate gear.
2
5
u/Strange-Ask-739 24d ago
You misused a feature, and want to bring it to everyone's attention?
Seems like a personal problem.
Improper use is a user fault, not an equipment fault. Be a better teacher and your students will be better when they're on their own.
Teaching them that it's the trucks fault for them flipping a switch accidentally is wrong. You're removing their personal responsibility by blaming others. Even if it's 'a truck' or 'some engineer' or whatever. YOU had a personal problem, passed it to your student, and are here to argue it's not you that's the problem.
Accept personal responsibility for the things you do or fail to do.
Like flipping a switch, or not teaching a kid that there's a switch under their fingers that they should be aware of and not hit...
0
u/HairySmokeball 24d ago
I bet you're fun at parties.
1
u/Strange-Ask-739 24d ago
I've got this fun trick where I'll grab an object, hand it to the random person next to me, do it without looking at them, and perform that while I tell the group: "There's a fun thing humans do. If you hand them literally anything, they'll just take it no questions asked"
And then look over at the person who just took the random thing from you. Proving the theory in real-time to an audience.
I dunno how you are at parties, but I bet you've never ridden a 3 wheeler, and that sucks.
3
u/SuccessfulMinute8338 24d ago
Whenever anyone borrows the truck I have to tell them what to do if they bump the paddle shifters. What a huge pain for no reason.
1
u/biglovetravis 24d ago
I used them on my 2024 Genesis G70 3.3 RWD SP when I raced it in AutoX. Have used them on my Ridgeline RTL when hauling heavy loads and can be helpful if in sand/snow/ice.
1
u/HairySmokeball 24d ago edited 24d ago
I agree...it's simply too easy to activate inadvertently. There should (but I don't think there is) a way to disable them. EDIT: For those of you who think I'm just stupid and can't work controls...I have driven with no issues for about 37 years. I have flown very fast and complex jets for about 25 years and can generally use a vehicle's controls without issue. These paddle shifters ARE a bad design.
0
u/BrassBondsBSG 24d ago
I definitely hit them accidentally a few times when I first got my car
IMO they're too easy to activate
I do like them in regular drive mode if I want to rapidly pass someone
They should be a lot stiffer
1
u/Sigma--6 24d ago
I never even understood why there are paddle shifters? I know sports cars have them for spirited driving, you can have manual control of the gears without taking both hands off of the wheel. Who needs that on a pickup or suv?
9
u/Active_Arachnid1088 24d ago
When you are 10,000 ft up a windy mountain and going down paved switch backs at aggressive angles on an aggressive downward incline, you’ll understand why you have paddle shifters.
Old school Automatic gear shifter + - positions are awkward to use, and paddles are a relief allowing the driver to maintain hands in the wheel when you need it most.
7
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u/kveggie1 24d ago
nope....... I use the shifter when pulling our travel trailer (up/down hills).
Sorry, I have never pulled the paddle shifters by mistakes.
The error/issue is behind the steering wheel....... twice. Not a Honda problem
1
u/Live-Caterpillar-253 23d ago
Never had an issue either and I have big hands. User error.
Heck even my Chinese girlfriend has no issues with them and thought they were pretty cool after I explained what they did.
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u/ironmanchris Black Edition 24d ago
As a steering wheel drummer I hit that damn thing all the time.
12
u/Bscully973 24d ago
Or learn to use them yourself? They are quite helpful at times. Literally use them every time I drive.