NHTSA Complaint #11172677 — 2015 HONDA FIT

VALVE TIMING CONTROL (VTC) ACTUATOR IS DEFECTIVE AND CAN CAUSE CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. THE ISSUE MANIFESTS ITSELF AS AN OCCASSIONAL INNOCUOUS RATTLE AT COLD-START (AFTER SITTING OVERNIGHT). AMERICAN HONDA HAS ISSUED SERVICE BULLETIN 16-088 (FEBRUARY 2017) TO ADDRESS DEFECTIVE VARIABLE VALVE TIMING CONTROL (VTC) ACTUATORS ON THE 2015 HONDA FIT (HTTPS://TESTING-PUBLIC.CARMD.COM/TSB/DOWNLOAD/118695/A16-088) AND MANY MORE SERVICE BULLETINS FOR DEFECTIVE VTC ACTUATORS IN OTHER OF ITS VEHICLES OVER THE YEARS (E.G. HTTPS://STATIC.NHTSA.GOV/ODI/TSBS/2016/SB-10088283-2280.PDF). WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO VIDEO-RECORD ONE OF THE EPISODES AND GET THE CAR TO THE DEALER - WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AND PERFORMED REPAIR. IT IS UNSETTLING THAT HONDA IS NOT BEING PROACTIVE IN ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE BEFORE AN EXPLODING EYING CAUSES HARM.