NHTSA Complaint #11099168 — 2010 HONDA CR-V

I BOUGHT MY HONDA CRV BRAND NEW 2010. BY THE TIME THE CAR WAS 2 YEAR OLD, WITH 10,000 MILES, THERE WAS A GRINDING NOISE WHEN I WOULD START THE CAR. THE GRINDING NOISE LASTS ABOUT 2 SECONDS. IT HAS BEEN INTO A HONDA DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES. I WAS TOLD HONDA IS WORKING ON A "FIX" AND THAT THE PROBLEM WOULD BE ADDRESSED WHEN THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT HAD THE ISSUE FIGURED OUT. ONE YEAR LATER (BUT STILL UNDER WARRANTY), THE GRINDING NOISE IS LOUDER AND LONGER THAN BEFORE, AND HAPPENS ALMOST EVERY TIME I START THE CAR. UPON DOING SOME RESEARCH, I LEARNED THAT HONDA HAS BEEN INSTALLING THE DEFECTIVE VTC ACTUATOR SINCE 2008, IN ACCORDS. THE DEFECTIVE ACTUATOR WAS ALSO INSTALLED IN 2012-2014 CRV'S. IT APPEARS THAT HONDA CONTINUED TO USE THE DEFECTIVE ACTUATOR SINCE 2008, YET CUSTOMERS ARE BEING TOLD THAT A "FIX" IS IN THE WORKS, 7 YEARS LATER. AMERICAN HONDA HAS ADVISED HONDA SERVICE DEPARTMENTS TO NOT REPLACE THE ACTUATOR AS IT IS LIKELY THAT THE REPLACEMENT ACTUATOR WILL PRESENT THE SAME GRINDING NOISE. A REGIONAL CASE MANAGER ALSO ASSURED ME THAT A "FIX" WAS IN THE WORKS BUT DID NOT COMMENT WHEN I POINTED OUT THAT HONDA CONTINUED TO USE A DEFECTIVE PART FROM 2008-2014. HONDA REPEATEDLY EMPHASIZES THAT THIS IS NOT A SAFETY OR PERFORMANCE ISSUE, TO WHICH I HAVE REPLIED THAT IS LIKELY THE REASON IT HAS BEEN 7 YEARS WITH NO FIX -- IT IS A LOW PRIORITY AND HONDA CHOOSES TO DIRECT ITS ENGINEERING RESOURCES ELSEWHERE. COMPLAINTS INFORMATION : HTTPS://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/HONDA/CR-V/2014/ENGINE/ENGINE_RATTLES_ON_COLD_START_UP.SHTML HONDA SERVICE BULLETIN 09-010 HTTPS://STATIC.NHTSA.GOV/ODI/TSBS/2014/SB-10056875-8211.PDF