Hello,

I have a 2019 Honda Fit that I bought brand new in April 2019. It is a Push button start and for the last few months it makes a grinding noise when I first start it up. It only does it once a day (when the engine has time to grow cold around 8-10 hours). Sometimes it will do it several days in a row and other days it does not. I took it in to Honda and left it over night to see if they could hear it when they first started it the next morning. I keep trying to remind myself to at least record it, but of course I keep forgetting until right after I hear it. Unfortunately, it didn't make the noise while they had it and they said they can't do anything unless they can recreate the noise. It also only lasts for a few seconds. I thought they could at least look at the starter, but I guess not? Obviously I don't know much about cars and I'm hoping I can get this resolved before I am past the warranty date, but don't want to be charged for wasting their time. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

Sounds like the VTC, especially if it occurs only on cold starts and is brief. Honda used to say this was normal, don't know what their position is on it now, but.....my '15 is out of warranty now...from reading here, I think there are some folks who've gotten it replaced under warranty. Mine does it only once or twice a year - never gets real cold here in east TN (well, compared to where we used to live in PA and MI). Good luck, but that'd be my best guess, the VTC

 

Thank you for your reply! I found the other threads regarding VTC thanks to your suggestion and it definitely sounds like I'm stuck with the noise. At least it doesn't seem harmful to the car....

 

So Honda says......probably means not harmful until the warranty expires I don't like the sound it, but, like I said, only happens a couple times a year.....if it was frequent, I'd be a lil more proactive

 

Why are you stuck with the noise???? It's only going to get worse over time and besides the repair is covered under warranty. Don't let them ignore it. They don't want to fix it because it's a lot of work and Honda probably doesn't pay the dealership much. Too bad! The noise may become more obvious as the weather becomes colder but keep leaving your car there until they hear it. Just keep after them because once your warranty is up they can tell you to get lost or pay for it yourself. It is a defect in the vehicle and Honda has to fix it. See the PDF File attached.

 

I was saying I'm stuck with it, because after reading about people getting it replaced under warranty it would start up again 6 months to 1.5 years after. So whats the point if it doesn't last?

 

Yes, in some cases it does come back and people post about that. But the people who had the problem solved and it never came back are the ones who don't post.

 

That is a fair point. I was able to catch it on audio today and made an appointment at the dealership for them to look at it again. Hopefully they will hear it this time and not charge me a diagnostic fee...Cross your fingers for me!

 

So far this seems to be an issue only on vehicles where the owners followed the oil life monitor (grossly inaccurate).
My Fit was purchased used with 37k miles. Since then I've had the VTC replaced under warranty, but I've switched to shorter oil change intervals (3-4k miles/6 months, whichever occurs sooner).
Hopefully this will keep the engine cleaner and prevent any future mechanical issues.

 

VTC is going bad for sure. I just had mine replaced in my 2018 Sport.

 

Exactly what was happening with my 2017 Honda Fit. Here is the TSB Bulletin but for 15-16. The Honda dealership in my area still replaced it at no cost since they were able to replicate the grinding sound at start-up. Apparently, the grinding sound is common in other late model Honda vehicles (click for an example). Works fine now.