4 complaints reported

2017 Honda Fit Engine

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
4
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Dec 2025

Rattling noise coming from engine when starting engine cold

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 HONDA FIT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Nov 2025
Aug 2023

Like 4 others on NHTSA, I am reporting intermittent cold start rattle coming from the VTC actuator. I have tried the following: cleaning the intake valves, changing the oil every 3k miles, using a high quality oil filter with a silicone drain back valve, and using Top Tier fuel on every fuel up. 2015-2016 Honda Fits have a TSB regarding this issue, and my 2017 Honda Fit also has this issue. @HondaMotorCompany, please right this design defect by releasing a TSB. I recommend replacing the VTC Actuator (Part#:14310-5R1-013), CAM CHAIN (Part#:14401-5K9-004), CAM CHAIN TENSIONER ARM (Part#:14520-5R0-003) and CAM CHAIN TENSIONER (Part#:14510-5R1-003). Thank you. Related to Complaint NHTSA ID NUMBERS: 11518951, 11507525, 11455247, and 11431811

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 HONDA FIT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Aug 2023
Feb 2023

The VTC actuator is showing signs of failing. Upon starting the car cold, there is a harsh rattling sound for about 2 seconds. If the VTC actuator fails it could do serious damage to the engine and cause an accident if the engine fails while driving, potentially resulting in death. The 3rd Generation Fits seem to have the same issues with them that the 2015-2016 models had. I have had issues with my fuel injectors also. Honda has failed to address these issues claiming that these issues were remedied with the 3rd generation car when they really were not.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 HONDA FIT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Feb 2023
May 2021

At cold start up, the engine rattles loudly for about 2 seconds. This is intermittent and occurs on cold starts when the car has not been started for 6-8 hours.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 HONDA FIT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Aug 2021

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2017 Honda Fit has 4 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.