VTC actuator rattle on a 2015?
 

Has anyone been experiencing the VTC actuator rattle on their 3rd gen Fit? I've been noticing it more and more in the cold and it's somewhat concerning. At first I thought it was the starter gear grinding, but browsing videos online, I definitely think it's the VTC actuator problem.

Does anyone know if there is a fix for this yet?

I have a 2015 Fit EX 6MT at 70,000 miles and it's been happening about 40% of the time I start up.

Here's a clip from my car:


Here's some from others cars:

Congrats on getting your car up to 70k miles. There are multiple threads on this issue buried in the GK forums; this is old news by now.

I get them *every* cold start (summer or winter; does not matter). Car sits for less than 2 hours and they are back in action even on warm(er) starts nowadays. 51k miles on my 6MT. I've been getting these noises before my very 1st oil change; within 10k rattles got as bad as they could possibly get. At the beginning it was once per week, then within half a year it was 80% of every cold start. Within 1 year of ownership I get them every cold start. It's a question of how bad it's going to sound. Dealer shrug their shoulders with their "could not replicate" excuse.

Others have reported their dealer replacing the VTC acutator with rattles coming back within months.

Toyota has had this issue as well with their 1.8L powerplant in certain years Corolla and Matrix models, so this is nothing new.

My car runs very well with these rattles and I would not worry about it; I know, it's hard not to worry when your car sounds like it's going to break down every time it starts LOL.

So I made a video too to make me (artificially) feel better:

Mine does it too.

Honda released improved parts to address the VTC actuator rattle on 15-16 Fits a couple months ago.

TSB 16-088

sorry, but after listening to all the videos, all but one sounds like the bendix gear failing inside the "Denso" starter. I had the actuator replaced in my Vibe 2.5 years ago, but it did nothing; the noise was there the next cold day just days later. I then replaced the Denso starter: fixed. Unfortunately, I am now wondering if my mechanic back in VA put in a remanufactured starter because I heard the noise one recent morning after two full cold winters of quiet starts. I don't know if it is specifically a Denso thing :mad:

I picked up our CPO '15 in June of last year, has made the noise only twice so far. Car is garaged when home, but I work 12 hour night shifts at the local hospital, car sits outside from 18:35 'til 07:25. It does sound like shit, but only seemed to happen when the temp was 30 degrees or so.....not to mention we're having a mild winter here in suburban Knoxville..... 55 degrees right now, with a predicted high of 68......sure beats the years spent shoveling my way outta our house in suburban Detroit....heh

Well, my starter failed last summer and was replaced under warranty. Dealer told me it was a dead spot on the commutator. I still have the noise.

Mine does it too, mostly in cold weather but occasionally in warm. 48K miles and 28 months old. Thanks for the TSB number - will stop by my dealer and inquire.

es

I have a 2015 EX with 13K miles and I have pretty much given up on having this issue resolved. Like everyone else it happens when cold and with the first start in the morning. The problem is that it happens so infrequently (5 times in 18 months) that dealer cant not duplicate noise in four attempts.
Dealer will not diagnose or fix until tech actually hears it. They will not accept me getting noise on my cell phone either. Its getting to the point they are telling me they will have to charge a diagnostic fee of $115.00 if they don't hear it. Really... just to start the car...

You are right. I only took my Vibe into the dealer once the starter began grinding 4 times a week or more during a cold stretch. I then had the dealer keep the car for 3 very cold days, leaving it outside each day. On the third day, they heard the noise and wrongfully replaced the timing gear actuator which did nothing. The "new" Denso starter was installed the week after, which was the culprit. If you can afford to leave the car for a couple of days AND tell them to leave the car outside (and not in the climate controlled maintenance bays), then you'll have a better shot at getting them to hear it. Good luck.

Stopped by my dealer and the TSB is a real thing. I'll have to leave the car for several days so they can reproduce before they'll do the repair.

Will report back.

es

So covering out of warranty because it's a TSB?

Not sure yet. Will find out when I take the car in.

es

It's probably covered under the powertrain warranty.

Cool keep us posted. I haven't noticed it but I park in a garage and just realized today I'm out of warranty :D

My VTC was replaced and corrected the problem
 

My rattle on start began just under 10k and got steadily worse until the dealer finally replaced it at 35k (KM). I lived with it for 2 years because the dealer could not reproduce it and of course they had "never heard of this problem on the Fit."
There are two things I really hate about my Fit. The 7" POS head unit and the terrible after sales support.

My rattle came back this week probably due to the colder weather. I'm debating about taking it back to the dealer for the fourth time in hopes that maybe they can duplicate the noise. I chose cold weather days each time when I dropped it off overnight, but no luck, it's like hitting the lottery. Would it be worth getting Honda Customer Service involved at this point, or just a waste of time? I insisted that the dealer document my complainant and my attempts to get it fixed.

While it's turned colder again here in the Middle West, my car has only rattled once in the past week, so I'm waiting before taking it in until it's done it a couple times in a row.

es

I dropped my car off at the dealer last week and it took several days before they verified the rattle and that it was indeed the VCT actuator. Parts are supposed to be in today. Will report again once I have it back.

EDIT - I have just over 50K miles on the car, in case you were wondering.

es