My 2014 Honda CRV has 89,000 miles on it and has been well maintained and garaged since I purchased it new. I also own 2 other Japanese cars (1971 Datsun 240Z, 2002 Toyota Rav4) each bought new and now have over 200,000 miles on each of them which I also keep well maintained. Both of those vehicles have engines with timing chains and have never had issues.

The Honda started having the infamous "death rattle" on cold start-up about a month ago which I have read about on many other websites, so I took the car to the same Honda dealer that I purchased the car from and was told that I needed to have the VCT actuator replaced along with the tensioner, timing chain and guides. The total bill came to a whopping $1,888 which was non-negotiable from the dealer's standpoint. My big issue is that Honda knew about the defective actuators since 2011 and issued numerous TSB's on how to repair the problem but NEVER issued a recall or any repair rebate to its customers, a black mark against Honda in my opinion. There has been documented litigation against Honda on this problem but still no recalls or repair rebates as far as I know. Now, I'm very disappointed with Honda, which is a shame, as up to this point, I enjoyed owning the Honda.

I bought my 2014 CRV new from Fife Honda, WA. December, 2013. This is my second CRV and I should have kept my 2000 longer! I was told by the service dept that it was the VCT actuator causing this grinding noise during starts and acceleration. And, cost over $1000 to fix it! After doing research, I found out that this is a small cheap part that requires quite a bit of labor to replace and some very capable owners have fixed it themselves. With so many complaints online and lawsuits, it’s time that Honda lists it as a recall! This is my third Honda and I won’t be getting another!

I feel Honda should do a recall on this VCT actuator problem on all 2014 Honda CRV'S. I am on limited income due to health issues and can't work anymore can't afford fixing car issues that I am sure the dealership knew about because they kept pushing me to buy a warranty. I couldn't afford tacking on another $500 onto my car. I bought the car in August and of course this VCT actuator doesn't act up and growl upon a cold start until its cold out so of course you wouldn't hear it growl in August. I am really mad that now I have to pay money out to get this fixed! I have had numerous places tell me its the VCT actuator then I have one person telling me its the Phase Cam. I disagree because I don't have lights coming on and no low oil pressure. Just the awful growling noise for the split second. This guy he thinks I am stupid and charge me $2500. Not falling for it. I wanted the VCT actuator taken out and put a new one in and the guy in the shop said $360. This really needs a recall.

I bought my CRV new in October 2014 from Jeff Wyler Honda in Cincinnati. I noticed a grinding sound sporadically when I first started my car in the mornings around 2019. I have taken my car to Jeff Wyler several times in the past 4 years with the complaint that my car makes a grinding noise when I start it. They could never get it to duplicate. I have an appointment on June 15th for this issue, but now I have a few videos to prove that it is still making this noise. You can hear the grinding very clearly on the videos. I tried to upload a video on this site, but was getting errors. My husband believes that they strung me along until the car was out of warranty. Not sure about that, but this is my last Honda EVER. I bought my first Honda civic back in 1992. Such a shame. I hope that this is eventually a recall for this issue.

Too scary to drive so I limit my usage of this car. I bought it 3 years ago with 55k on it and now has 76K and don't go far from home with it- too afraid . On cold mornings it ALSO has the sound such as big puff and compression when started. The exhaust is extremely rich smelling- not sure if its related. Car dealerships around here aren't familiar with repair and say it most likely will haven't again after spending at least 3k just the starting cost of repair and no guarantees repairs will work.